Samuel Ross was born on January 13, 1822, in Rensselaer County, New York. He enlisted in the United States Army, and he served as a 2^nd lieutenant in the 3^rd United States Infantry. He resigned on May 30, 1849.

 

By 1850, he was living in Mary Wierman’s household in Cleveland, Ohio. On November 11, 1852, he married Mary’s daughter, Phoebe Wierman. They had at least two children: Worth, born around 1854; and Ralph, born around 1868. They moved to Dubuque, Iowa, in the 1850s, and he worked as a lawyer. By 1860, he owned $20,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property.

 

In May 1861, he received a commission as a captain in the 14^th Connecticut Infantry. In September 1862, he was promoted to colonel of the 20^th Connecticut Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Atlanta campaign, the March to the Sea, and the Carolinas campaign. He was wounded at Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863, and he served on recruiting duty while he recovered. He mustered out on June 26, 1865.

 

He rejoined the Regular Army after the war, and he was promoted to major in July 1868. In 1869, he received an appointment as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Washington Territory. By 1870, he and his family were living in Olympia, Washington, and he owned $4,000 of real estate and $9,000 of personal property. He mustered out in 1871.

 

He probably settled in Washington, D.C., after leaving the army. In 1880, he spent the summer in Peekskill, New York. According to a local writer, he “was attacked with erysipelas in the face and neck, and was confined to the house.” On July 10, 1880, he felt “somewhat better, and intimated he would like to go bathing.” He apparently suffered a “congestive chill” and drowned while bathing.

SOURCES