Carte de Visite (CDV) of Edward Pennington Pearson, Jr. Gettysburg Unit
Carte de Visite (CDV) of Edward Pennington Pearson, Jr. – Pennsylvania 25th Infantry / U.S. Regular Army
Original Civil War Carte de Visite (CDV) of Edward Pennington Pearson Jr., featuring a J. E. McClees backmark from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The photograph was trimmed down for placement in a period album, a common practice among Civil War soldiers and their families.
Edward Pennington Pearson Jr. (February 22, 1837 – April 8, 1915) was a career officer of the United States Army whose military service spanned nearly four decades, from the opening of the American Civil War through the Spanish–American War.
He was born in Lebanon and worked as a civil engineer in Reading at the outbreak of the Civil War. Like many educated young professionals of the time, Pearson quickly volunteered for service in 1861. He initially served as Adjutant of the 25th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, but soon accepted a commission in the 17th United States Infantry Regiment, part of the small but highly disciplined Regular Army that formed the professional core of the Union forces.
Civil War Service
As an officer of the 17th U.S. Infantry, Pearson participated in many of the major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac. He fought in the Peninsula Campaign, including the battles of Battle of Gaines' Mill and Battle of Malvern Hill, and later saw action at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
At the Battle of Antietam, Pearson commanded Company E of the 1st Battalion, 17th U.S. Infantry, leading Regular Army soldiers in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. He continued with the regiment through Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville, where his performance earned him a brevet promotion to Major on May 3, 1863.
Later in the war, Pearson served on the staff of Oliver Otis Howard, commanding the XI Corps. In this role he participated in operations during the western theater campaigns, including fighting at Battle of Wauhatchie and the Chattanooga Campaign.
He continued with Union forces during the Atlanta Campaign, where his horse was shot from under him during the fighting around Battle of Jonesborough. For his service in this campaign he received a brevet promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on September 1, 1864. Pearson later accompanied the army during William Tecumseh Sherman’s operations in the final year of the war.
Unlike many volunteer officers, Pearson remained in the Regular Army after the Civil War. He continued serving with the 17th U.S. Infantry and later with several other regiments during the long period of frontier duty in the American West. His assignments took him to posts in Texas, Dakota Territory, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nebraska, where he helped establish military outposts and maintain federal authority during westward expansion.
Pearson steadily rose through the ranks:
Major, 21st United States Infantry Regiment (1881)
Lieutenant Colonel, 24th United States Infantry Regiment (1886)
Colonel, 10th United States Infantry Regiment (1891)
Spanish–American War and Retirement
During the Spanish–American War, Pearson commanded a brigade of the V Corps during the famous assault on San Juan Hill in July 1898. For his service he was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers.
After nearly 38 years of military service, he retired from the U.S. Army on May 16, 1899.
General Pearson died on April 8, 1915, and was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.