Brev. Brig. Gen Elon Farnsworth and his uncle, Gen. John Farnsworth
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FARNSWORTH, ELON, BREV. BRIG. GENERAL GETTYSBURG d. July 3, l863
Source: Farnsworth Memorial Rev. 1974 by R. Glen Nys
Brig. Gen. Elon Farnsworth
Elon John Farnsworth b. July 30, l837 son of James
Patten Farnsworth and wife, Achsah Hudson of Green Oak
Michigan. In l857 he was a student at the Univ of Ann
Arbor MI. In l86l he returned home and joined the
Eigth ILLinois Cavalry organized by his uncle, Col.
John Franklin Farnsworth. He was apptd asst. quarter-
master, then elected Captain of Company K and served
in the Peninsula Campaign at Virginia. Early in l863
he was acting Lieut. Col. and Chief Quartermaster of
the Fourth Army Corps. He was under the command of
General Pleasanton. In May of l863 he was an aide on
Pleasanton's staff. June 29, l863 on the eve of the
battle of Gettysburg he was commissioned Brigadier-
General of Cavalry. He, being on detached duty at
the time, the commission did not reach him. The
commission was among Gen. Pleasanton's papers at his
headquarters until after the battle in which he lost
his life. He was, however, immediately assigned to the command of a brigade
in Kilpatrick's cavalry division,
comprising the First Vermont, First West Virginia,
Fifth New York and Eighteenth PA regiments. As the
battle was coming on, it was impossible to procure
the uniform of his rank. Gen. Pleasanton generously
placed his own wardrobe at his service, and on the
field of Gettysburg, he wore one of Pleasanton's blue
coats, decorated with a single star.
Late on the third day of the battle, July 3, l863,
after Pickett's charge had been repulsed, Farnsworth's
brigade occupied a position on a wooded hill to the
left of Round Top. Immediately in front were the
enemy's skirmish line and the First Texas regiment
posted behind a rail fence. The First West Virginia
regiment was ordered to charge the Texans, with a
battalion of the First Vermont as skirmishers. It
charged in gallant style only to receive a volley,
the deadly fire of which caused them to recoil. The
regiment rallied and charged again, and a second time
it was compelled by the storm of bullets to fall back,
with its ranks greatly thinned.
It was then that Kilpatrick, angered by the failure
to dislodge the Texas regiment, ordered the charge that
has been the subject of much discussion, and general,
though not universal condemnation. The ground was bad
for cavalry movements. The objective point was the
rear of Law's Confederate brigade, intrenched on the
sloping sides of Round Top. The intervening ground
was hilly and uneven, while stone walls, rail and worn
fences of that section greatly increased difficulties
to be encountered. At various points of advantage were
regiments of Confederate Infantry and artillery. It was
a charge by a shattered remnant of a brigade into the
midst of a well posted army of infantry. It has been
called by a Confederate witness, "a mad charge by a
mad leader". Astonished by an order that seemed to have
little purpose other than the slaughter of his brave
soldiers, Farnsworth, who had the true soldier's regard
for his men, asked Kilpatrick if he really meant he
should throw his handful of men over the broken ground
before them, remarking "These are too good men to kill".
The impetuous Kilpatrick hotly retorted: "Do you refuse?
If you are afraid to lead your men, I will lead them
myself"! Rising in his saddle, burning with indignat-
ion, Farnsworth passionately but calmly replied, "Take
that back! I ask no man to lead my men forward"! There
was a moment's silence and then Kilpatrick with a magna-
nimity creditable acknowledged his error and the two
commanders engaged in conversation not heard by the
others.
General Farnsworth soon rode to the head of the Third
Battalion, consisting of about two hundred men, the
remnant of the First Vermont, and ordered the charge.
With drawn sabres they rode through the Confederate
skirmish line, into the fields beyond, over the fences,
and made as bold a dash for Lee's army as if they had
been supported by the entire Union forces! While the
First Battalion, in advance, was extricating itself
from the Fourth Alabama, whose volley it received
within a few paces, and which was the first intimation
of the presence of the Confederates at this point,
Gen. Farnsworth, with the Third Batalion, circled to
the right towards the enemy line of battle. Skirting
a low hill to the rear of Law's brigade, this few score
of gallant men, led by their general literally entered
the jaws of death! Charging along a stone wall be-
ween the hill and Law's brigade, they were exposed to
the close enfilading fire of several Confederate regi-
ments on the right and of the Fourth Alabama on the left.
They emerged from this only to receive the close fire of
a battery, and here the remnant of this band broke into
three parties. General Farnsworth still unscathed,
rode some distance farther, until his horse fell under
him. A trooper dismounted. Farnsworth sprang into the
saddle, wheeled, and followed by a few troopers, (Con-
federate reports say there were not more than ten with
him when he fell) --at full gallup, charged again and
then again--
Incredible as it seems, General Farnsworth with Capt.
Cushman and about ten of the Vermont troopers, on the
return charge, penetrated in safety very nearly to the
point where they first entered between the hill and the
stone wall in the rear of the Confederate column. A
few more strides and they would have been out of reach
of rebel bullets, and the intrepid commander would have
lived to attain greater rank and distinction but for
one last rash act: the culmination of courageous
consecration. On the extreme right of the enemy's line
of battle was the Fifteenth Alabama. Dashing along the
stone wall in their rear, Farnsworth saw approaching
a small detachment of the First Battalion of his
brigade from which he had long been separated. Raising
his sabre as a signal to follow, he cleared the stone
wall and charged the Fifteenth Alabama. Here he fell
with five mortal wounds in his body and his riderless
horse tore through the enemy lines. Farnsworth died
in the saddle. There was however no wound to his face
or head. He is buried in Illinois.
Elon John Farnsworth, Brig. General
His line of descent from Matthias Farnsworth b. l6l5
at Farnworth, Lancashire, England to Lynn MA and then
Groton MA and wife, Mary Farr:
Their son, Samuel Farnsworth b. Oct 8, l669 8th child
(of eleven children) m. Dec. 12, l706 Mary Whitcomb,
the widow of Simon Willard who d. l706 and dau of Josiah
Whitcomb of Lancaster, MA. Samuel Farnsworth and Mary
Whitcomb Willard Farnsworth had issue:
l. Mary Crew Farnsworth b. l707 m. Jonathan Page Jr. b.
June 5, l7l0
2. Samuel Farnsworth Jr. b. l709 d. unm Killed by Indians
on May 2, l746 at Fort No. 4, Charlestown, NH which
he founded together with brothers David and Stephen
l740
3. David Farnsworth b. Aug. 4, l7ll at Groton MA m. l735
Hannah Hastings. He was a founder of Fort No. 4
4. Abigail Farnsworth b. l7l3 m. Mr. Thompson
5. Stephen Farnsworth b. l7l5 m. Eunice Hastings sister
of Hannah Hastings (above)Stephen also Fort No. 4
founder
Note: their half brother, Moses Willard married a third
sister, Abigail Hastings. He also was killed by Indians
at Fort No. 4. (see Willard file)
l.8.3
p.359 David Farnsworth b. l7ll m. l735 Hannah Hastings
On Apr 20, l757 David was one of four taken pris-
oner by a party of 70 French and Indians and
carried throught the wilderness to Canada. Seven-
teen days after his arrival at Canada he escaped
thru the wilderness alone and thereafter moved
his family to Hollis N.H. After serving in the
Revolution he and his family moved to Vermont.
l. Hannah Farnsworth b. l739 m l758 John Tarball
of Groton, MA She d. l829
2. Mary Farnsworth b. l739 m. l762 Elisha Rockwood
Jr of Groton MA He b. l740. She d. l756
l. Hannah Rockwood b. l763
2. Molly Rockwood b. l764
3. Eunice Farnsworth b. l74l m. l759 Oliver Parker
of Groton MA He b. l738 She d. l767
l. Rebecca Parker b. l760
2. Eunice Parker b. l76l
3. Elizabeth Parker b. l763
4. Simeon Parker b. l765
5. Oliver Parker Jr. b. l767
4. Relief Farnsworth b. ca l743 m. l77l Reuben
Tucker of Townsend MA Res: Digby Nova Scotia
l. Reuben Tucker Jr. b. abt l772
2. David Tucker b. l774
3. Charles Tucker b. l776 m.______
l. Gilbert R. Tucker b. l807 became a well
known merchant in Boston MA
4. Relief Tucker b. l778
5. Hannah Tucker b. l780
6. Mary Tucker b. l782
l.8.3.5
p.362
Samuel Farnsworth b. l750 m. Anna WASSON b. l75l d. l842
He d. l83l. He was a drummer at the battle of BunkerHill
and a pensioner for his services in that war. He was a
resident at that time with his father Lieut David Farns-
worth and mother, Hannah Hastings at their home at Hollis
N.H. He later removed to Stoddard, N.H. and from there
to Eaton, Lower Canada, in l799.
6. David Farnsworth Jr. b. l760 d. l778 He was executed
by the British at Hartford, CN, as a spy. He was l8
years old. He was a drummer at both Cambridge and
Bunker Hill battles in l775.
p.363
Samuel Farnsworth and his wife Anna Wasson had issue:
l.8.3.5.l John Farnsworth b. l783 m. l809 Sally Patten
b. ca l787 dau of Colonel John Patten of Surrey
Maine. They removed to Eaton, Quebec with his
father Samuel Farnsworth and mother, Anna
Wasson in l8l2. They later moved to MI state
He engaged in surveying. He d. l844
2. Samuel Farnsworth b. l784/5 m. Tabitha Barlow
Res: Eaton, P.Q. He d. l852 He was one of
Eaton's lst cattle men.
3. David Farnsworth b. l787 m. Phebe Lathrop
Res: Dudswell, P.Q. He d. l868
4. Eunice Farnsworth b. l789 m. Asa Grosvenor.
Res: New York.
l.8.3.5.l John Farnsworth and wife, Sally Patten had
issue at Easto, P.Q.:
l.8.3.5.l.l James Patten Farnsworth b. l8l0 m. (1)
in l834 Achsah Hudson b. l8ll She d. l853 He
m. (2) the widow, Mary Amelia Halleck.
2. Mary Farnsworth b. l8l2 m. l835 Augustus Cotton
at Michigan She d. l890 their issue:
l. Ansorietta Cotton
2. John A. Cotton
3. Charlotte Farnsworth b. l8l4 m. Joseph Holden
l. Thomas Holden
2. Sarah Holden
3. Frank Holden
4. Sarah Farnsworth b. l8l6 d. l840 unm.
5. Eunice Farnsworth b. l8l8 m. l842 Dr. Nicholas
Hurd Their issue:
l. Fred Hurd b. l828 Lost at sea l875
2. Genevieve Hurd b. l850 d. l873
m. George F. Wright Res: CA
6. Gen. John Franklin Farnsworth b. l820 m. l846
Mary A. Clark, dau of John and Mary Clark.
Res: MI engaged in surveying with his father,
James Patten Farnsworth. Was admitted to Ill-
inois Bar Assoc. Res: St. Charles, Ill. l842
Was elected to Congress 35th thru 42nd.
>He raised the 8th Reg. of Ill Cavalry at the
outbreak of the Civil War. Became Brig. Gen.
on Nov. 29, l862. Battle of Bull Run and Rap-
ahannock Mar. l862. Battle of Peninsula cam-
paign summer l862. His reg. in the advance
from Williamsburg to Mechanicsville under
Gen. Stoneman, chief of cavalry for the army
who selected the 8th Ill Cavalry as one of his
brigade. On Sep ll, l862 he captured Sugar Loaf
Mountain, an enemy signal post. Then on to
Frederick, MD. At the battle of Antietam he
became a colonel and attended battles at
Purceville, Philamont, Upperville, Barber's
Cross Roads, Chester Gap, Amesville and Little
Washington. At Falmouth, opposite Fredericks-
burg Va Nov. 22 l862. On Nov. 29, l862 he
was raised to Brig. General. He received
severe injuries about the close of the camp-
aign of l862 and resigned l863. Elected to
Congress l863 and served thru to l873 and
raised the 7th Illinois Cavalry during the
winter of l863 on orders from the War Dept.
His old regiment produced 2 Brig. Gen's,
5 Brig. Gen's by brevet, 2 Colonels and 3
majors of cavalry in the regular army. In
l873 he ret'd to his law practice.
l.8.3.5.l.l James Patten Farnsworth and his wife,
Achaah Hudson had issue at Green Oak, MI:
l. Robert Farnsworth d. young
l.8.3.5.l.l.2
p.375 2. GENERAL ELON JOHN FARNSWORTH b. July 30,
l837 at Green Oak, MI died July 3, l863
age 26 at Gettysburg, in saddle, of 5
mortal wounds. Buried at Illinois.
3. Julius Farnsworth b. l855 child of James
Patten Farnsworth's 2d wife.
Elon came from Farnsworth men who fought in the French
Indian Wars, the Revolution, the war of l8l2 and the
Civil War. He died unmarried, a hero of Gettysburg.
thus ended his own line of fighting Farnsworths.
He is buried at Rockton, Illinois
l.8.3.5.l.6
p.377 Gen. John Franklin Farnsworth and his wife,
Mary Clark had issue at Washington, D.C.
l. John Farnsworth b. l855 m. Mary Henderson
dau of General Thomas J. Henderson and wife
Henrietta (Butler) Henderson. Their issue
l. Gertrude Farnsworth b. l889
2. John Farnsworth b. l89l
3. Eunice Farnsworth b. l892
6. Joshua Farnsworth
________________________________________________________________
http://www.access.digex.net/~bdboyle/battles/gburg.union.html">Gettysburg -
Union Order of Battle
GETTYSBURG: Union
1 - 3 July 1863
Third Division (Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick)
--- (Col. Nathaniel P. Richmond)
Cavalry Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division •Horse Artillery
First Brigade (Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth)
5th New York (Maj. John Hammond)
18th Pennsylvania (Lieut. Col. William P. Brinton)
1st Vermont (Lieut. Col. Addison W. Preston)
1st West Virginia (10 cos.) (Col. Nathaniel P. Richmond)
--- (Maj. Charles E. Capehart)
Second Brigade (Brig. Gen. George A. Custer)
1st Michigan (Col. Charles H. Town)
5th Michigan (Col. Russell A. Alger)
6th Michigan (Col. George Gray)
7th Michigan (10 cos.) (Col. William D. Mann)
GETTYSBURG: Union
1 - 3 July 1863
Union Troops July 1863 deployed at Gettysburg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, USA, commanding
First Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division
Second Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division
Third Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division
Fifth Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division
Sixth Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division
Eleventh Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division
Twelfth Army Corps
•First Division •Second Division
Cavalry Corps
•First Division •Second Division •Third Division •Horse Artillery
Artillery Reserve
____________________________________________________________________
Transcribed from the Farnsworth Memorial by Janice Farnsworth email farns10th
@aol.com
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