Civil War

Clark enlisted in the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry

1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry

The 1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was an American Civil War Union Army regiment of infantry from New Jersey that served in the Army of the Potomac....

 in April 1861. He became a sergeant in Company F. When the regiment’s three months enlistment ended, Clark was involved in raising 2nd Battery "B" New Jersey Volunteer Light Artillery

2nd Battery "B" New Jersey Volunteer Light Artillery

-Alternate Names:* 2nd Battery "B" New Jersey Volunteer Light Artillery * Beam's Battery * Clark's Battery...

. It was mustered into service on September 3, 1861, Camp Olden in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

. The battery was assigned to the First New Jersey Brigade

First New Jersey Brigade

The First New Jersey Brigade is the common name for an American Civil War brigade of New Jersey infantry regiments in the Union Army of the Potomac...

 under the command of BG Philip Kearny

Philip Kearny

Philip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly.-Early life and career:...

. Clark became first lieutenant under Capt John E. Bream. The battery served in the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...

, assigned to III Corps

III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*In the Army of Virginia:**Irvin McDowell ;**James B...

. Capt Bream was killed in the Battle of Malvern Hill

Battle of Malvern Hill

The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...

 on July 1, 1862.

Upon the death of Capt Bream, Judson Clark was promoted to the rank of captain. He commanded the battery to the end of the war. The battery was not engaged again until the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

, in which it was assigned to second division III Corps under BG Daniel Sickles

Daniel Sickles

Daniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union general in the American Civil War, and diplomat....

. Capt Clark commanded the artillery attached to first division III Corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...

 under BG David B. Birney

David B. Birney

David Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.-Early life:Birney was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of an abolitionist from Kentucky, James G. Birney. The Birney family returned to Kentucky in 1833, and James Birney freed his slaves...

.

In the artillery brigade of the III Corps, Clark and his battery served at the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

. His guns were deployed near the Peach Orchard on July 2, 1863. The guns were in an exposed position near the orchard but then were moved to safer ground. They fired on the Confederate troops advancing from Warfield Ridge before being forced to withdrawn. Clark reported that he pulled out when support disappeared on either flank. When Capt George E. Randolph, the brigade’s commander, was wounded, Clark became acting commander. He retained brigade command in the Bristoe Campaign

Bristoe Campaign

The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...

. Randolph returned in time for the Battle of Mine Run

Battle of Mine Run

The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign , was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War....

, and Clark resumed battery command.

When III Corps was abolished, Clark’s battery was transferred to the Reserve Artillery in the brigade of Maj John A. Tompkins. In that formation, Clark’s battery served in the early battles of the Overland Campaign

Overland Campaign

The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...

. By the time of the Battle of Cold Harbor

Battle of Cold Harbor

The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...

, Clark’s battery had been transferred to the artillery brigade of II Corps

II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...

 under Col John C. Tidball

John C. Tidball

John Caldwell Tidball was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War...

. In the Siege of Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...

, Clark’s battery remained in II Corp under Tidball and then under Col John G. Hazard. Clark was slightly wounded at the Second Battle of Ream's Station

Second Battle of Ream's Station

The Second Battle of Ream's Station was fought during the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War on August 25, 1864, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. A Union force under Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock began destroying part of the Weldon Railroad, which was a vital supply line for Gen. Robert...

 in 1864. Later he escorted the troops in his battery whose enlistments had expired back to Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

. Then he returned to the Petersburg front. Back at Petersburg, Clark was in charge of the artillery on the front lines of II Corps in December 1864.

At the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign

Appomattox Campaign

The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...

, Clark’s battery provided support to II Corps troops engaged at the Battle of Sutherland's Station

Battle of Sutherland's Station

The Battle of Sutherland's Station was an American Civil War conflict fought on April 2, 1865, in Dinwiddie, Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign....

. Following the Confederate surrender, Clark and his command were mustered out on June 16, 1865.

Judson Clark was recommended for promotion more than once, but the most he received was a brevet

Brevet (military)

In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 rank of major, conferred on April 2, 1865 for his service Petersburg.http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Searchable_Publications/civilwar/NJCWn1711.html

Post war

After the war, Major Clark served as police chief in Newark. An active Republican, he next was secretary of the Board of Assessment and Revision of Taxes and Receiver of Taxes (ca. 1888). Capt Clark was named to the Board of Assessment and Taxes in 1900. He also was an officer in the New Jersey National Guard. A. Judson Clark died on July 24, 1913. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Hillside

Evergreen Cemetery, Hillside

Evergreen Cemetery and Crematory is a cemetery and crematorium located at 1137 North Broad Street, Hillside, New Jersey. Parts of it are in Hillside, Elizabeth, and Newark. The cemetery is listed on both the New Jersey Register and the National Register of Historic Places, since 1991.Notable graves...

, New Jersey.

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