Class of 1814

Charles Spencer Merchant: Born Feb. 22, 1795, Albany, NY.​b

Military History. — Cadet of the Military Academy, Sep. 7, 1812, to Mar. 11, 1814, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Third Lieut., 1st Artillery, Mar. 11, 1814.

Served: in the War of 1812‑15, with Great Britain, in garrison in New

(Second Lieut., 1st Artillery, May 1, 1814)

(Transferred to Corps of Artillery, May 12, 1814)

York harbor, 1814, — on Recruiting service, 1814, — and in garrison at Ft. Trumbull, Ct., 1814‑15; in garrison at Ft. Trumbull, Ct., 1815‑16, — Pittsfield, Mas., 1816, — Castine, Me., 1816‑17, — and Portsmouth, N. H.,

(First Lieut., Corps of Artillery, Apr. 20, 1818)

1817‑18, — Eastport, Me., 1818,​c — Portsmouth, N. H., 1818‑21, — Plattsburg, N. Y., 1821‑24, — and Ft. Hamilton, N. Y., 1824; on Ordnance

(First Lieut., 2d Artillery, in Re-Organization of Army, June 1, 1821)

duty, July 6 to Sep. 18, 1824; in garrison at Pittsburg Arsenal, Pa., 1824‑26, — Ft. Monroe, Va. (Artillery School for Practice), 1826‑28, — Savannah, Ga., 1828‑29, 1829‑30, — Augusta Arsenal, Ga., 1830, — Savannah,

(Bvt. Capt., Apr. 20, 1828, for Faithful Service Ten Years in one Grade)

Ga., 1830‑31, — Augusta Arsenal, Ga., 1831, — Savannah, Ga., 1831‑33, — Ft. Moultrie, S. C., 1833, — and Savannah, Ga., 1833‑35; in

(Captain, 2d Artillery, Nov. 17, 1834)

the Florida War, 1836, and 1837‑38; on the Northern Frontier, during Canada Border disturbances, at Ft. Gratiot, Mich., 1838‑39, — Buffalo, N. Y., 1839, — and Ft. Niagara, N. Y., 1839‑41; in garrison at Ft. La­fayette, N. Y., 1841‑42, — Ft. Hamilton, N. Y., 1842, — Ft. Trumbull, Ct., 1842‑46, Ft. Adams, R. I., 1846, and Ft. Columbus, N. Y., 1846‑47; in the Mexican War, in command of Ft. Brown, Tex., 1847‑48; on Recruiting service, 1848; in garrison at Ft. Johnston, N. C., 1848‑49; on sick leave of absence, 1849‑50; on frontier duty at San Diego, Cal.,

(Major, 3d Artillery, Feb. 14, 1849)

1850‑51, — and San Francisco, Cal., 1851‑52; in garrison at Ft. Preble, Me., 1853; on board steamer San Francisco, 1853‑54, when the wreck of the vessel compelled his return to New York;​d awaiting orders, 1854‑57;

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 3d Artillery, June 10, 1857)

on frontier duty at Benicia, and San Francisco, Cal., 1857‑61.

 p113  Served during the Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861‑66; in command

(Colonel, 4th Artillery, Aug. 28, 1861)

of Ft. Washington, Md., 1861‑63, — and of Ft. Wood, Bedloe's

(Retired from Active Service Aug. 1, 1863,
under the Law of July 17, 1862,
"having been borne on the Army Register more than 45 Years")

Island, N. Y., 1863‑66; and on Court Martial duty, 1866.

Bvt. Brig.‑General, U. S. Army, Mar. 13, 1865, for Long and Faithful Services in the Army.

Died, Dec. 6, 1879, at Carlisle, Pa.: Aged 84.

See Annual Association of Graduates, U. S. M. A., 1880, for an obituary notice.º

Buried, Ashland Cemetery, Carlisle, PA.