Henry Shaw Briggs was born on August 1, 1824, in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, to George and Harriet Briggs. His father was a Whig politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1844 until 1851. He graduated from Williams College in 1844, and he was admitted to the bar four years later. He married Mary Elizabeth Talcott on August 6, 1849, and they had at least four children: George, born around 1850; Mary, born around 1853; Harry, born around 1856; and Cornelia, born around 1859. He worked as a lawyer in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He also served as a captain in the Massachusetts militia.

 

On April 30, 1861, he mustered in as captain of Company K of the 8^th Massachusetts Militia Infantry. The company served on garrison duty at Fort McHenry near Baltimore, Maryland. In June 1861, he was promoted to colonel of the 10^th Massachusetts Infantry. The regiment took part in the Peninsula campaign, and he was wounded in both legs at Seven Pines on May 31, 1862.

 

He returned to Massachusetts and spent the next few months recovering. He was promoted to brigadier general in July 1862. He served on guard duty in Maryland until July 1863, and he spent the following year as commander of a training camp in Alexandria, Virginia. In July 1864, army officials assigned him to a court martial board. He resigned from the army on December 4, 1865.

 

He returned to Massachusetts after the war and resumed his work as a lawyer. He supported the Republican Party, and he served as state auditor from 1865 until 1868. He then served as a judge from 1869 until 1873. He died of heart disease in Pittsfield on September 23, 1887.

 

Image: Henry S. Briggs (courtesy Wikicommons)

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