Daniel Leasure
Encyclopedia
Daniel Leasure was an American
soldier and physician who served as a colonel
and brigade
commander in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
in Westmoreland County
, Pennsylvania
. He attended Greersburg Academy
in nearby Darlington
in Beaver County
from 1838 to 1840. Afterwards, he spent time in medical school
in Pittsburgh.
through most of the war. His regiment
, the 100th Pennsylvania Regiment, was known as the "Roundheads" because it was recruited from descendents of the followers of Oliver Cromwell
. The regiment first saw action in the command of Brig. Gen. Isaac I. Stevens at the Battle of Secessionville in South Carolina
on June 16, 1862.
Transferred to the Virginia theater of the war, Leasure participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
, and the Battle of Chantilly
. Wounded at Second Bull Run he subsequently missed the Maryland Campaign
. Leasure returned for the Battle of Fredericksburg
where he took command of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division in the IX Corps.
Moving to the Western Theater
with IX Corps, Leasure continued in brigade
command under Maj. Gen. John Parke
during the Siege of Vicksburg and Blue Springs
. Returning to command of the 100th Pennsylvania he took part in the Siege of Knoxville. Returning to Virginia, Leasure now commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division in the IX Corps at the Battle of the Wilderness
and the Battle of Spotsylvania. When division commander, Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Stevenson
was killed during the fighting at Spotsylvania, Leasure was the ranking subordinate and took command of the division for 3 days until relieved of this capacity by Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden. Returning to command the 2nd Brigade, Leasure was wounded a few days later and never returned to field command.
He was mustered out of the service on August 30, 1864. He received the brevet
rank of brigadier general
in 1865.
in the borough
of Darlington. While in Darlington, Leasure became a trustee of Greersburg Academy where he was educated nearly thirty years before. He later served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, and afterwards, moved to New Castle
, Pennsylvania.
Leasure then moved to the city of St. Paul, Minnesota
in 1878, where he died eight years later on October 10, 1886. His body was returned to Pennsylvania, and was buried in New Castle.
and John W. Geary
.)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier and physician who served as a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
and brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
commander in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Leasure was born in 1819 near PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He attended Greersburg Academy
Greersburg Academy
The Greersburg Academy was an institution established by Reverend Thomas Hughes in Darlington, Pennsylvania, United States in 1802. The academy was created as a "prep" school for college. Classes included languages, philosophy, and astronomy. The stone structure was built around 1806 making it...
in nearby Darlington
Darlington, Pennsylvania
Darlington is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 299 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Darlington is located at ....
in Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
from 1838 to 1840. Afterwards, he spent time in medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
in Pittsburgh.
Civil War
Leasure held the rank of colonel in the IX CorpsIX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
through most of the war. His regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, the 100th Pennsylvania Regiment, was known as the "Roundheads" because it was recruited from descendents of the followers of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. The regiment first saw action in the command of Brig. Gen. Isaac I. Stevens at the Battle of Secessionville in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
on June 16, 1862.
Transferred to the Virginia theater of the war, Leasure participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
, and the Battle of Chantilly
Battle of Chantilly
The Battle of Chantilly took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J...
. Wounded at Second Bull Run he subsequently missed the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
. Leasure returned for 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...
where he took command of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division in the IX Corps.
Moving to the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
with IX Corps, Leasure continued in brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
command under Maj. Gen. John Parke
John Parke
John Grubb Parke was a United States Army engineer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
during the Siege of Vicksburg and Blue Springs
Battle of Blue Springs
The Battle of Blue Springs was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on October 10, 1863, in Greene County, Tennessee.Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennessee to clear the roads and passes to Virginia, and, if...
. Returning to command of the 100th Pennsylvania he took part in the Siege of Knoxville. Returning to Virginia, Leasure now commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division in the IX Corps at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and the Battle of Spotsylvania. When division commander, Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Stevenson
Thomas G. Stevenson
Thomas G. Stevenson was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.-Biography:...
was killed during the fighting at Spotsylvania, Leasure was the ranking subordinate and took command of the division for 3 days until relieved of this capacity by Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden. Returning to command the 2nd Brigade, Leasure was wounded a few days later and never returned to field command.
He was mustered out of the service on August 30, 1864. He received the 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 brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in 1865.
Post-war career
When the war ended, Leasure returned to Pennsylvania where he practiced medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Darlington. While in Darlington, Leasure became a trustee of Greersburg Academy where he was educated nearly thirty years before. He later served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, and afterwards, moved to New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
, Pennsylvania.
Leasure then moved to the city of St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1878, where he died eight years later on October 10, 1886. His body was returned to Pennsylvania, and was buried in New Castle.
Monument
The borough of Darlington erected a monument the year following Leasure's death. The monument was placed across from the Greersburg Academy school building where Leasure spent a considerable amount of time in his life. (Other notable Civil War alumni to go through the academy were the abolitionist John BrownJohn Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
and John W. Geary
John W. Geary
John White Geary was an American lawyer, politician, Freemason, and a Union general in the American Civil War...
.)