Oliver Edwards Oliver Edwards ( January 30 , 1835 – April 28 , 1904 ) was a machine company executive , an inventor , and a volunteer officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War . Raised in Springfield , Massachusetts , Edwards moved to Illinois as a young man to pursue a career as a manager of manufacturing . At the start of the Civil War , he became adjutant of the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and later aide - de - camp to Brigadier General Darius N . Couch . In the fall of 1862 , he took command of the 37th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as colonel and led that unit through numerous major battles including the Battle of Gettysburg . Just after Gettysburg , in July 1863 , he was placed in command of a provisional brigade sent to assist in quelling the New York Draft Riots . During the Overland Campaign in the spring of 1864 , he was placed in command of a brigade and , during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 he was briefly placed in command of a division of the VI Corps . For his service during these campaigns , Edwards was awarded the honorary rank of brevet brigadier general and later promoted to full grade brigadier general United States Volunteers . In 1866 he was awarded the honorary rank of brevet major general , United States Volunteers , to rank from April 5 , 1865 , for his service during the Appomattox Campaign . After the war , Edwards returned to a career in manufacturing , most notably as manager of the Florence Machine Company in Northampton , Massachusetts and the Gardner Machine and Gun Company in England . Early career . Edwards was born in Springfield , Massachusetts in 1835 , son of Dr . Elisha Edwards and Eunice Lombard Edwards . From an early age , he had a strong interest in mechanics and , rather than attend college , he obtained an apprenticeship at the Springfield Armory . In 1856 , at age 21 , Edwards moved to the American Midwest to establish his own foundry , eventually settling in Warsaw , Illinois . Here he became a partner in a new foundry known as Neberling , Edwards and Co . Civil War service . Adjutant and Aide - de - camp . At the start of the Civil War in 1861 , Edwards returned to Massachusetts with the intention to enlist as a private . During May and early June 1861 , he recruited a company of men from Springfield which became part of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry . Upon the mustering in of the 10th Massachusetts , Edwards was offered an officer ' s commission as a first lieutenant and assigned the role of adjutant — a primarily administrative position assisting Colonel Henry Shaw Briggs who commanded the regiment . Edwards saw little action during his service with the 10th in the fall of 1861 , the regiment being primarily occupied with building fortifications in the vicinity of Washington , D . C . at that time . In January 1862 , Brig . Gen . Darius N . Couch , in command of the division to which the 10th Massachusetts belonged , asked Edwards to be his aide - de - camp . Edwards occupied this administrative position throughout the Peninsular Campaign and the Northern Virginia Campaign , assisting Couch in coordinating the movements of his division . 37th Massachusetts . On August 9 , 1862 , Edwards was promoted to major and recalled to Pittsfield , Massachusetts to assist in organizing the 37th Massachusetts Infantry . As the regiment was still being organized , Edwards was promoted to colonel and command of the 37th Massachusetts . The regiment arrived in Washington , D . C . during the first week of September 1862 . They were soon attached to the Army of the Potomac , being assigned to the 2nd Brigade , 3rd Division of the VI Corps . Edwards had already seen numerous battles but his first experience as a field commander in combat occurred during the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13 , 1862 . His regiment played a minor role in the fight , however , as their brigade was held in reserve during the battle . During the Chancellorsville Campaign , Edwards and the 37th Massachusetts took part in the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church in May 1863 . During the latter engagement , the 37th occupied the extreme left of the Union line — an exposed and dangerous position . After the battle , Maj . Gen . John Sedgwick extended his compliments to the 37th for holding their ground . The 37th Massachusetts fought at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 . During the third day of fighting , the 37th was assigned a new position on the battle line and was en route when the Confederate heavy cannonade preceding Pickett ' s Charge began . Unlike most Union regiments which took cover during the cannonade , the 37th was forced to march to their new position during the bombardment , taking heavy casualties . Edwards was credited , however , with keeping the regiment together and bolstering their courage during the dangerous march . New York Draft Riots . On July 30 , 1863 , the 37th Massachusetts became one of a small number regiments from the Army of the Potomac hand picked for duty in New York in the wake of the Draft Riots . By the time the 37th reached New York , the worst of the rioting had ended , however a strong U . S . Army presence was required to keep peace until October 1863 . During his time in New York , Edwards commanded a brigade stationed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn . Hearing that the presence of Massachusetts troops might spark further violence on the part of rioters , Edwards requested permission to place his regiment prominently as guards at a draft office , intending to demonstrate the bravery of his men in the face of threats . Despite the rumors , the presence of Edwards ' s regiment incited no further violence . Brigade command . Returning to the Army of the Potomac in October 1863 , Col . Edwards and the 37th Massachusetts took part in the Mine Run Campaign then settled into winter camp with the rest of the Army of the Potomac . In the spring of 1864 , the 37th was engaged in the Overland Campaign a rapid series of severe battles during which Lt . Gen . Ulysses Grant attempted to grind down the Confederate army and capture the Confederate capital of Richmond . During the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6 , 1864 , Edwards was ordered to lead the 37th Massachusetts on a dangerous charge to check a Confederate advance and to provide cover for Brig . Gen . James S . Wadsworth ' s retreating division . Edwards led the 37th forward as they cleared of ground , only to be surrounded by Confederates . The retreat of the regiment was orderly , keeping up a constant fire under Edwards ' s direction , however the regiment suffered 25 percent casualties during the engagement . After participating in the Battle of Spotsylvania , Edwards was promoted to command of the 4th Brigade , 2nd Division of the VI Corps . Edwards commanded this unit during the remainder of the Overland Campaign including such engagements as the Battle of North Anna and the Battle of Cold Harbor . The turning point in this campaign for the Union Army came during the Battle of Opequon at Winchester , Virginia on September 19 , 1864 . During this engagement , Edwards was temporarily promoted to the command of the 1st Division of the VI Corps and performed well , earning the attention of Maj . Gen . Sheridan . Subsequently , Sheridan appointed Edwards the commandant of Winchester . On December 12 , 1864 , President Abraham Lincoln nominated Edwards for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general , United States Volunteers , to rank from October 19 , 1864 , for gallantry at the Battle of Spotsylvania and at the Battle of Opequon ( Third Winchester ) . The U . S . Senate confirmed the award on February 14 , 1865 . When Sheridan embarked on his southward offensive through the Shenandoah Valley in October 1864 , he asked Edwards to become his provost marshal general . However , Edwards preferred to retain command of his brigade and to return to the Army of the Potomac . Edwards and his brigade returned to the Army of the Potomac in the midst of the long Siege of Petersburg . During the Third Battle of Petersburg on April 2 , 1865 , Edwards ' s brigade was the first Union unit to break through the Confederate works outside Petersburg . After the Confederates had evacuated their fortifications , Edwards personally received the surrender of the city from the mayor of Petersburg . On May 19 , 1865 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Edwards to the full grade of brigadier general , United States Volunteers , to rank from May 19 , 1865 . However , the President did not present the nomination of Edwards for the promotion to the U . S . Senate until January 13 , 1866 . Although Edwards had been mustered out of the U . S . Volunteers on January 15 , 1866 , the Senate confirmed the promotion on February 23 , 1866 . On July 9 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Edwards for the award of the honorary grade of brevet major general , United States Volunteers , to rank from April 5 , 1865 , for capturing Confederate Lieutenant General Richard S . Ewell , Major General Custis Lee and an entire brigade of Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Sayler ' s Creek , Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign . The U . S . Senate confirmed the award on July 23 , 1866 . After the close of the war , Edwards continued his service in the army for the remainder of 1865 and was offered a permanent position in the Regular Army . He declined , however , resigned his commission on January 15 , 1866 and was mustered out that day . Post - war career . After the war , Edwards returned to Warsaw , Illinois and his wife , Ann Eliza Johnston Edwards , whom he had married in September 1863 when on leave from the army . They had two children , John E . Edwards and Julia Katherine Edwards . He spent three years as postmaster in Warsaw and then returned to Massachusetts to continue his career in manufacturing . In 1870 , Edwards was hired by the Florence Machine Company in Northampton , Massachusetts and eventually became general superintendent of the company . During this time , Edwards patented a number of inventions including the Florence ice skate and the Florence oil stove . He resigned his position with the Florence Machine Company in 1875 and returned to Warsaw where he went into early retirement for several years . His plans changed , however , when he was offered the position of general manager of the Gardner Machine and Gun Company in England in 1882 . The company manufactured Gardner gun s , which had been invented in the United States but the rights to which were purchased by the British Army . Edwards managed the company for a few years , however poor health required him to resign and return to Warsaw and retirement . His remaining years were spent pursuing leisure interests and also supporting various organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic . Edwards died in Warsaw on April 28 , 1904 .