Abraham Lincoln: Thomas H. Neill in Amherst, NH

Pennsylvania native Thomas Hewson Neill graduated from West Point in 1847 and immediately set sail to join the 5th Infantry in the Mexican-American War. He remained there until the end of the war, at which time he returned to the US and served on the frontier until the outbreak of the Civil War. Early in the war, he was made colonel of the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry, which he led in the Peninsula Campaign and the 7 Days Battles. He continued in the Maryland Campaign, the 1st and 2nd Battles of Fredericksburg, and the Chancellorsville Campaign, suffering 2 notable injuries. In April of 1863, Lincoln appointed Neill Brigadier General of Volunteers, at which time he joined the army’s reserve in the Battle of Gettysburg. He commanded the 3d Brigade, 2nd Division, VI Corps alongside Henry Slocum's XII Corps on Wolf Hill at the extreme right of the Union lines. On the morning of July 3, the brigade took part in the assault on Edward Johnson's division of Richard Ewell's corps to retake the rifle pits lost the evening before. He led John Baillie McIntosh's cavalry brigade, his own brigade and some artillery in the pursuit of the Confederate army toward Fairfield Gap beginning on July 5, 1863. Following Gettysburg, Neill saw little action but remained active in the military. After the war, Neill reverted to regular service as a major in the infantry, continuing on to become commander of the sixth Calvary. He was present at General Custer’s funeral, witnessing the fallen hero’s burial at the West Point Cemetery in 1877. After serving as the commandant of cadets at West Point for 4yrs, Neill finally retired on disability in 1883. This military collection consists of documentation chronicling Neill’s distinguished military career, from his West Point graduation in 1847 to his cavalry saber he wore while in service in 1879, including 5 promotions by President Andrew Johnson—noting gallant service at Malvern Hill and Spottsylvania—and the incredibly scarce appointment as Brigadier General issued by Lincoln just 3 mons before Gettysburg. 2 hardcover West Point text books