Orland Smith | |
---|---|
Born |
Lewiston, Maine |
May 2, 1825
Died | October 3, 1903 Chicago, Illinois |
(aged 78)
Place of burial | Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio |
Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1865 |
Rank |
Colonel Brevet Brigadier General |
Unit |
Army of the Potomac Army of the Cumberland |
Commands held |
73rd Ohio Infantry Smith's Brigade, XI Corps |
Battles/wars | |
Other work | railroad executive |
Orland Smith (May 2, 1825 – October 3, 1903) was a railroad executive and a brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1864, he led a spirited bayonet charge during the Battle of Wauhatchie that took a significant Confederate position on a hill that now bears his name.
Smith was born in New England in Lewiston, Maine. He was educated in the local schools and became a railroad agent, serving as station manager at Lewiston until 1852 when he moved to Ohio. He became an official of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad and settled in Chillicothe, Ohio. When the railroad fell into financial difficulties, he was appointed receiver. Smith was a lieutenant and commander of a militia company in the late 1850s, the "Chillicothe Greys."
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Smith joined the Union army and became the colonel of the 73rd Ohio Infantry, a regiment that was raised in Chillicothe in November 1861 and trained at nearby Camp Logan. Among his volunteer soldiers was Pvt. George Nixon III, the great-grandfather of future President Richard Nixon. Smith and his regiment saw action in western Virginia, fighting at the Battle of McDowell and the Battle of Cross Keys. During the late summer, as a part of the Army of Virginia, the 73rd OVI fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia.