DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn

DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn
A late 19th century illustration of Littlejohn
Born	(1818-02-07)February 7, 1818 Bridgewater, New York, U.S.
Died	October 27, 1892(1892-10-27) (aged 74) Oswego, New York, U.S.
Place of burial	Riverside Cemetery, (Oswego, New York)
Allegiance	United States Union
Service / branch	United States Army Union Army
Rank	Colonel brevet brigadier general
Battles / wars	American Civil War

DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn (February 7, 1818 – October 27, 1892) was a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army and a United States representative from New York during the Civil War.

Early life and education

Littlejohn initially pursued an academic course at Geneva College.

Career

He did not complete college, and instead engaged in several profitable mercantile pursuits, acting for a time as a forwarder of fresh produce on the lakes and canals of the region. He later engaged in the manufacturing of flour in Oswego, New York.

New York state political involvement

He was Mayor of Oswego, New York in 1849 and 1850. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Oswego Co., 1st D.) in 1853, 1854, 1855, 1857, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1866, 1867, 1870, 1871, and 1884. He was speaker in 1855, 1857, 1859, 1860 and 1861; and was the chief lieutenant to Thurlow Weed.

In 1861, Littlejohn was influential in the backroom politics to select Ira Harris over Horace Greeley as the Republican Party's nominee to run for the U.S. Senate to succeed William H. Seward, who had not run for re-election, expecting to join President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. In September, Littlejohn unsuccessfully sued Greeley and the New-York Tribune for libel.

Union Army support

Further information: 110th New York Infantry Regiment

When the Civil War began in 1861, Littlejohn worked actively to recruit troops in the Oswego area. Littlejohn used his political connections in July 1862 to secure a commission as Colonel of the 110th New York Infantry Regiment, a regiment he helped raise through his personal efforts. He trained his troops at Camp Patterson near Baltimore, where it was stationed until November, when it was ordered to be relocated to federal-occupied New Orleans.

U.S. Congress

Returning to politics, he successfully campaigned for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected as a Republican to the 38th United States Congress. He resigned from the Union Army on February 3, 1863, and served in Congress from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. During that term, he was Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Littlejohn was not a candidate for renomination in 1864.

On February 26, 1867, President Andrew Johnson nominated Littlejohn for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 2, 1867.

In 1870, the Republican state convention nominated Littlejohn for Lieutenant Governor of New York on the ticket with Stewart L. Woodford, but he declined to run.

In 1872, fed up with what he perceived to be the corruption of the Grant administration, Littlejohn joined the Liberal Republican Party and supported the candidacy of Horace Greeley for president in 1872, after resolving his previous legal issues with Greeley. He then became a Democrat, and was a delegate to several Democratic state conventions and was a political ally of New York governor and 1876 presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden.

New York and Oswego Midland Railroad

Further information: New York, Ontario and Western Railway

He then moved to Buffalo, New York, but returned to Oswego in 1867. Littlejohn wanted to afford Oswego the growth possible by a rail connection to a major port.

In 1868, he organized and served as president of the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad (NY&OM), a route traversing much of New York state on its way to New York City. He also established a steamboat service connecting Long Island to his new railroad.

Death

He died in Oswego, New York, and was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Oswego.

See also

• List of American Civil War brevet generals (Union)

References

• United States Congress. "DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn (id: L000357)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-12
• [1] Obit in NYT, October 28, 1892
• Brown, John Howard, ed., Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States. Volume V. Boston: James H. Lamb Co., 1903.
• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1