Background
John Henry Martindale was born on March 20, 1815 at Hudson Falls (formerly Sandy Hill), New York. He was the son of Henry C. Martindale. His father was a prominent member of the community and served several terms in Congress as a Whig.
John Henry Martindale was born on March 20, 1815 at Hudson Falls (formerly Sandy Hill), New York. He was the son of Henry C. Martindale. His father was a prominent member of the community and served several terms in Congress as a Whig.
Martindale entered West Point in July 1831 and upon graduation in 1835 was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant of Dragoons, to his great disappointment, for he had hoped to become an engineer.
While on leave of absence, he had the opportunity of joining the engineering staff of the Saratoga & Washington Railroad of New York, and he resigned his commission (Mar. 10, 1836) without ever having served with troops. He soon turned to the study of law, was admitted to the bar of New York in 1838, and launched on the career that was to bring him prominence. Establishing a residence in Batavia, he practised there until 1851, meanwhile serving as district attorney of Genesee County for two terms. He continued his law practice in Rochester during the decade preceding the Civil War. When war between the North and South became a certainty, Martindale took an active part in organizing volunteer regiments. He believed that by utilizing officers of the regular army as instructors, the volunteer organizations would be greatly improved and the military strength of the North brought to bear on the South more quickly. In addition, he proposed to the War Department that the first and second classes at West Point be graduated immediately and sent to their respective homes to drill and aid the people. With considerable vision, he wrote to the secretary of war on April 25, 1861: "We can have a long and exhausting war, or we can conquer a peace before the end of another winter if we will only organize and use our power promptly". He was commissioned a brigadier-general of volunteers in August 1861 and was stationed in the defenses of Washington during the following winter. Commanding a brigade in the Army of the Potomac, he was in the field from March until July 1862, taking part in the engagements at Yorktown, Hanover Court-House, Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mill, Malvern Hill, and Harrison's Landing. While convalescing from an attack of typhoid fever, he was the subject of an investigation by a court of inquiry looking into charges preferred by Maj. -Gen. Fitz John Porter to the effect that Martindale had influenced men to surrender at Malvern Hill. He was exonerated by the court and restored to duty as military governor of the District of Columbia. This position required tact, firmness, and legal ability, involving as it did the control of a large civilian population as well as the masses of troops in Washington. Martindale distinguished himself in the performance of this duty, but again desiring a field command, he was given a division in the Army of the James in 1864 and took part in the battle of Bermuda Hundred and in the operations south of Richmond. Transferred to the Army of the Potomac, he led his division in the Cold Harbor and Petersburg campaigns. In the latter, he commanded the XVIII Corps for a short time. Again overtaken by sickness, he resigned from the army because of ill health in the fall of 1864. On Mar. 13 of the following year he was brevetted a major-general of volunteers for gallant and distinguished service at the battle of Malvern Hill. Martindale returned to his law practice at Rochester, N. Y. He died in 1881 at Nice, France, where he had gone for his health.
Martindale had married on June 16, 1840, Emeline M. Holden at Batavia, N. Y. They had two sons and three daughters.