Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Having been born in England, he immigrated to the United States at the age of 18 and settled in New York state. After marrying and working in a woolens mill for his father-in-law, he re-located to southern Wisconsin and dabbled in farming and banking. In 1856, he was elected Registrar of Deeds of Green county, Wisconsin and was admitted to the bar three years later. He was a passionate abolitionist and helped found the Republican party in Wisconsin. In 1860, he became involved in newspaper publishing by acquiring part interest in the Monroe Sentinel, a leading newspaper of Green county. When the Civil War broke out, he assisted in the recruitment of a company which became the 22nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and was commissioned a captain. In March of 1863, while on duty at Brentwood, Tennessee, he and some of his regiment were captured by a superior force led by General Nathan B. Forrest. He was sent to Libby Prison. A few months later, he was exchanged and sent to St. Louis. In January of 1864, he was promoted to serve as colonel of a new regiment, the 38th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. The following spring, while still organizing his command, some of his companies were sent to Petersburg, Virginia, where they were engaged in the disaster of the Battle of the Crater. Although he missed that part of the battle, he arrived in Petersburg with the remainder of the 38th Wisconsin in October and commanded his unit during the remainder of the seige of Petersburg. During the final battle for control of that city, he commanded three regiments and was brevetted brigadier general for leading the successful charge upon Fort Mahone on April 2, 1865. He commanded the 3rd Wisconsin Brigade until the close of the war and was mustered out in June of 1865. After the war, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and resumed his career in journalism by editing and publishing at various times the Monroe Sentinel, the Janesville Daily Gazette, and the Darlington Republican. In 1881, he was appointed by Governor William E. Smith to be a member of the Board of Supervision of the Penal and Reformatory Institutions of Wisconsin. He was also made a trustee of the Wisconsin Soldiers' Orphans Home, of which he served as president from 1877 until 1896.