John Higgins was born on August 5, 1835, in Canada, to John Higgins and Sarah Gordon. He moved to Ithaca, New York, around 1853 and worked as a painter before the war. He enlisted in the Union army on July 26, 1862, in Ithaca, New York, and mustered in as a captain in Company D of the 143^rd New York Infantry on October 8, 1862. He was promoted to major on January 9, 1864, and he took part in the Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea, and the Carolinas Campaign. According to one local writer, he was a “brave soldier, courteous and gentlemanly; always at his post in time of danger.” He was wounded in the Battle of Averasborough on March 16, 1865, and reportedly “disabled for life.” He mustered out on May 16, 1865, and returned to Ithaca. He applied for a federal pension on December 10, 1868. He died of apoplexy in Ithaca on January 15, 1888.

SOURCES