Eliakim Sherrill

Eliakim Sherrill (February 16, 1813 – July 4, 1863) was an antebellum United States Congressman from the state of New York and a brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg defending against Pickett’s Charge, and his career spanned local business and politics, state and national legislative service, and high command in the Union volunteer forces.

Sherrill was born on February 16, 1813, in Greenville, Greene County, New York, where he attended the public schools. In 1832 he moved to Herkimer County, New York, as a young man seeking new opportunities. He married Emily Eldridge, a daughter of Judge Eldridge of Madison County, thus aligning himself with a prominent legal and political family in central New York. In 1838 the couple moved to Shandaken, in Ulster County, where Sherrill became a tannery owner, reflecting the importance of the leather and tanning industry in the Catskill region during this period.

While engaged in business in Shandaken, Sherrill entered local politics and held several political offices, building a reputation as a capable community leader. He also served as a major in the New York State Militia, gaining early military experience that would later prove significant during the Civil War. His standing in local affairs and his militia service helped to establish him as a figure of regional influence within the Whig Party at a time of growing sectional tension in the United States.

As a member of the Whig Party representing New York, Sherrill contributed to the legislative process during one term in office. He was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth United States Congress and served from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, marked by the Mexican–American War and intensifying national debates over slavery and territorial expansion. In this context, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his New York constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives. After leaving Congress, he continued his political career at the state level, serving as a member of the New York State Senate from the 10th District in 1854 and 1855.

Following his term in the State Senate, Sherrill relocated within New York as his professional and personal circumstances evolved. In 1858 he moved to Brooklyn, then a rapidly growing city distinct from New York City, and in 1860 he settled in Geneva, in Ontario County, where he operated a farm. This move to Geneva placed him in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region, an area that would contribute heavily to the Union war effort in manpower and resources once the Civil War began.

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Sherrill returned to active military service. In August 1862 he organized the 126th New York Infantry and became its first colonel, drawing heavily on his prior militia experience and regional prominence to recruit and lead volunteers. During the Maryland Campaign later that year, his regiment was among the Union forces defending Harpers Ferry against Confederate troops under Joseph B. Kershaw, whose brigade formed part of Major General Lafayette McLaws’s division. In the fighting on Maryland Heights during the Battle of Harpers Ferry in September 1862, Sherrill was severely wounded by a gunshot through his lower jaw. Captured by Confederate forces and subsequently paroled, he suffered from a wound that never fully healed. Nonetheless, he temporarily rejoined his regiment at Union Mills, Virginia, in October 1862. After a furlough for further recuperation, he returned to duty on January 27, 1863, resuming command despite continuing physical hardship.

Sherrill’s final and most notable service came during the Gettysburg Campaign. On July 2, 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg, he assumed command of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, following the death of Colonel George L. Willard. On July 3, in his first full day commanding the brigade, he was positioned near Ziegler’s Grove on Cemetery Ridge, a critical sector of the Union line during the massive Confederate assault later known as Pickett’s Charge. During the intense artillery bombardment and subsequent infantry attack, Sherrill was mortally wounded by a musket shot in the bowels. Carried from the field by men of the 39th New York Infantry, he was taken to the XI Corps field hospital, where he died about 8:00 a.m. on July 4, 1863. His body was sent by the regimental surgeon to Baltimore for embalming. In the official brigade report filed by Lieutenant Colonel James M. Bull of the 126th New York Infantry, which provides a detailed account of the artillery barrage on July 3 but relatively little on the repulse of Pickett’s Charge, Sherrill’s death is placed at 4:00 p.m., reflecting some discrepancy in contemporary accounts of his final hours.

Sherrill’s legacy extended beyond his own lifetime through both geographic commemoration and family connections. Mount Sherrill, one of the Catskill High Peaks in New York State, was named in his memory, recognizing his regional prominence and military sacrifice. His granddaughter, Carrie Babcock Sherman, married James Schoolcraft Sherman and served as Second Lady of the United States from 1909 to 1912 during Sherman’s tenure as Vice President under President William Howard Taft, linking Sherrill’s family to a later generation of national political leadership.