Daniel H. Darling was born on June 8, 1836, in Painesville, Ohio, to Seth and Marline Darling. His father was a carpenter and a veteran of the War of 1812 who died around 1841. Darling grew up and attended school in Ohio before enrolling at Lake Erie College. He moved to Lockport, Illinois, around 1855, and he earned a living as a teacher.

 

According to an early biographer, when the Civil War broke out, Darling “determined at once to offer his services to the Union.” He travelled to Chicago to enlist, but “as he weighed only 120 pounds the recruiting officers would not accept him.” Instead, he travelled to Michigan, and in November 1862, he received a commission as captain of Company C of the 7^th Michigan Cavalry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Appomattox campaign.

 

He was wounded at Gettysburg, but he eventually recovered and rejoined the regiment. He was promoted to major in March 1864, and he mustered out on December 15, 1865. The regiment took part in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Appomattox campaign.

 

His health remained poor after leaving the army. He settled in Hocking, Ohio, and worked as a teacher at the Ohio Reform School, which was “located in a very healthy place.” He married Abbie Wyman in May 1868, and their daughter Rose was born around 1881. By 1870, he owned $3,000 of personal property. His health eventually improved, and he returned to Lockport in the 1870s. He supported the Republican Party, and he supported the temperance movement. He applied for a federal pension in June 1899 and eventually secured one. He died in Joliet, Illinois, on June 25, 1909, “after a brief period of failing health.”

 

Image: Daniel H. Darling (Personal and Historical Sketches and Facial History of and by Members of the Seventh Regiment Michigan Volunteer Cavalry)

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