Henry H. Wells
Encyclopedia
Henry Horatio Wells was a Union Army general in the American Civil War
and a carpetbagger
who served as the appointed provisional Governor of Virginia
from 1868 to 1869 during Reconstruction. He was defeated for election in 1869.
. There, Wells was made head of military police in Alexandria
and soon the whole of the Union-controlled territory south of the Potomac River . After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865 Wells played an important role in the pursuit and apprehension of the assassin John Wilkes Booth in a Virginia barn. As thanks for his help in the capture of Booth, Wells became a Brigadier General.
intervened and protected the voting rights of the Confederate veterans.
After winning large majorities in the 1866 Congfressional election, the Radical Republicans in Congress took full charge. They closed down the state's civilian government and put Virginia (and nine other ex-Confederate states) under military rule. Virginia was administered as the "First Military District
" in 1867-69 under General John Schofield
. Schofield appointed his friend Wells as provisional governor. The national government held elections in Virginia 1869 that included a vote on the new state constitution, a separate one on its disfranchisement clause that would have stripped the vote from most former rebels, and a separate vote for state officials. The Army enrolled the Freedmen (ex-slaves). The Republicans nominated Wells. The leader of the opposition "True Republicans" was William Mahone
(1826–1895), a railroad president and former Confederate general who said it was time for a New Departure
for the state's Conservative Party (it later merged with the Democratic party). That is, whites had to accept the results of the war, including civil rights and the vote for Freedmen. Mahone's candidate for governor Gilbert C. Walker won support from the Conservatives was defeated Wells in 1869 and the disfranchisement clause was defeated. Virginia as a result did not experience the political conflicts that characterized the Reconstruction period in other southern states, yet white Virginians generally came to share the bitterness so typical of the southern attitudes. Virginia was thus the only southern state not to have a civilian Radical government.
Wells failed to get elected as governor in 1869.
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...
and a carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
who served as the appointed provisional Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
from 1868 to 1869 during Reconstruction. He was defeated for election in 1869.
Early life
Henry Wells was born in Rochester, New York and grew up in Michigan. He studied law and became a lawyer. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and served 1854 and 1856, as a member of the Republican Party.Wells in the American Civil War
During the Civil War he was lieutenant colonel of a unit from Michigan. This unit was an occupation force in the controlled part of the Union Army of VirginiaArmy of Virginia
The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E...
. There, Wells was made head of military police in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
and soon the whole of the Union-controlled territory south of the Potomac River . After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865 Wells played an important role in the pursuit and apprehension of the assassin John Wilkes Booth in a Virginia barn. As thanks for his help in the capture of Booth, Wells became a Brigadier General.
Political career
After the war, Wells settled in Richmond as a lawyer. He served as the appointed general of Virginia from April 4, 1868 and September 21, 1869 from. His term as governor focused on drafting a new state constitution for Virginia. Wells's version would have granted African Americans the right to vote but would have disenfranchised Confederate veterans. Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
intervened and protected the voting rights of the Confederate veterans.
After winning large majorities in the 1866 Congfressional election, the Radical Republicans in Congress took full charge. They closed down the state's civilian government and put Virginia (and nine other ex-Confederate states) under military rule. Virginia was administered as the "First Military District
First Military District
The First Military District existed in the American South during the Reconstruction era that followed the American Civil War included Virginia. The district was commanded by General John Schofield....
" in 1867-69 under General John Schofield
John Schofield
John McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
. Schofield appointed his friend Wells as provisional governor. The national government held elections in Virginia 1869 that included a vote on the new state constitution, a separate one on its disfranchisement clause that would have stripped the vote from most former rebels, and a separate vote for state officials. The Army enrolled the Freedmen (ex-slaves). The Republicans nominated Wells. The leader of the opposition "True Republicans" was William Mahone
William Mahone
William Mahone was a civil engineer, teacher, soldier, railroad executive, and a member of the Virginia General Assembly and U.S. Congress. Small of stature, he was nicknamed "Little Billy"....
(1826–1895), a railroad president and former Confederate general who said it was time for a New Departure
New Departure (Democrats)
The New Departure refers to the political strategy used by the Democratic Party in the United States after 1865 to distance itself from its pro-slavery and Copperhead history in an effort to broaden its political base, and focus on issues where it had more of an advantage, especially economic...
for the state's Conservative Party (it later merged with the Democratic party). That is, whites had to accept the results of the war, including civil rights and the vote for Freedmen. Mahone's candidate for governor Gilbert C. Walker won support from the Conservatives was defeated Wells in 1869 and the disfranchisement clause was defeated. Virginia as a result did not experience the political conflicts that characterized the Reconstruction period in other southern states, yet white Virginians generally came to share the bitterness so typical of the southern attitudes. Virginia was thus the only southern state not to have a civilian Radical government.
Accident
Governor Wells has been in an accident in the Virginia State Capitol injured when a balcony of a court hearing because of the crowds during collapse. The floor of the courtroom also collapsed and fell into the Hall of the Virginia House of Delegates . There were over a hundred injured and several dozen deaths.Wells failed to get elected as governor in 1869.