Edmund Schriver

Background

Edmund was born on September 16, 1812 in York, Pennsylvania, United States, son of Daniel and Rebecca (Zinn) Schriver.

Education

Schriver received his early schooling in York, Pennsylvania. He entered the United States Military Academy at seventeen; was graduated July 1, 1833.

Career

Edmund Schriver performed garrison duty in Tennessee and Alabama during 1833 and part of 1834 as brevet second lieutenant of the 2nd Artillery; and served as assistant instructor in infantry tactics at West Point from March 1834 to November 1835, receiving his regular second lieutenant's commission in July 1834.

Excluding a brief interim in 1839 in the Florida War, he served in the office of the adjutant-general from November 1835 until September 1841. He was promoted first lieutenant, November 1836; was brevetted captain, July 1838, serving as assistant adjutant-general; and received his regular captaincy in August 1842.

He served in the headquarters of the Department of the East from September 1841 to July 1846, when he resigned from the army to engage in private business. He was treasurer of the Saratoga and Washington railroad, New York (1847 - 52), of the Saratoga and Schenectady railroad, and of the Rensselaer and Saratoga railroad (1847 - 61); he also served for ten years as president of the latter road. He served Gov. Edwin Denison Morgan of New York as aide with the rank of colonel from April to July 1861.

Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, 11th U. S. Infantry. From July to October 1861 he served at Fort Independence, Massachussets, and from October 1861 to March 1862 at Perryville, Maryland; he was then appointed chief of staff, 1th Corps, Army of the Potomac, and served in that capacity until January 1863 throughout the entire Fredericksburg campaign. In May 1862 he was promoted to the grade of colonel.

He participated in the Shenandoah and in the northern Virginia campaigns, fighting at Cedar Mountain, the crossing of the Rappahannock, at Chantilly, and at Manassas in August 1862. He was acting inspector, Army of the Potomac, from January to March 1863 and inspector from then until March 1865. He was in the Richmond campaign of 1865 from the Rapidan to Petersburg. For conspicuous service in the field, he was brevetted brigadier-general in August 1864 and major-general in March 1865.

From March to June 1865 he was on special duty in the office of the secretary of war. Upon returning to Washington in November 1865, he had charge of the inspector's bureau for two periods, 1865-69 and 1871-76. In the intervening period, he was inspector of the United States Military Academy. During 1872-73 he inspected posts in Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas, and from 1876 to 1881 he was inspector-general of the Division of the Pacific. He had a great interest in and devoted considerable time to the affairs of the Freedmen's Bureau.

He was retired, January 4, 1881, and then made his home in Washington, District of Columbia, where died.

Achievements

• Edmund Schriver sucessfully participated in the battles at Chancellorsville and at Gettysburg, the Richmond campaign and finally was brevetted major-general. Besides, he was on special duty in the office of the secretary of war; then as influencial inspector of the United States Military Academy, he made an inspection tour of all quartermaster depots and a general inspection of all army posts.

Connections

Schriver married Harriette Louise Warren, but they had no children, in part because Harriet died in a sledding accident in 1859.

Father:

Daniel Schriver

Mother:

Rebecca (Zinn) Schriver

Spouse:

Harriette Louise Warren

coworker:

Edwin Denison Morgan

References

• The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (128 Volumes including index, a complete set)
• Complete Regular Army Register of the United States for one Hundred years (1779 to 1879)