John P. Van Leer
Birth nameJohn Pugh Van Leer
BornFebruary 27, 1825
DiedMay 5, 1862(1862-05-05) (aged 37)
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
Mount Vernon Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnion Army
Years of service1860-1862
RankColonel
Lieutenant Colonel[1]
Commands held6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

John Pugh Van Leer (February 27, 1825 – May 5, 1862) was an American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He commanded the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry regiment and was killed during the Battle of Williamsburg. He was a member of the influential Van Leer family and his ancestors were some the earliest settlers of the Pennsylvania Colony.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War Van Leer joined the Union Army at Gloucester City, New Jersey with his family, and was commissioned as a Captain, promoted to Major and Lieutenant colonel of the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in 1861.[2] He served under Brigadier General Francis E. Patterson and Joseph Hooker.[3][4] Van Leer's regiment was the first fully equipped brigade to arrive in Washington, D.C. just before the First Battle of Bull Run.[5] After his regiment built Fort Runyon, Van Leer lead 10 companies during Hooker's Virginia campaigns. He was killed during the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862[6][7] and interred at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia.[8] Before being killed in battle, his commission as a Colonel was on its way to him. His colonelcy would later be officially honored after his death.[9]

Family

His great-grandfather Bernardhus Van Leer was an early settler of the Pennsylvania Colony.[10] John's grandfather Isaac Van Leer fought in the American Revolutionary War along with his brother Samuel Van Leer.[11] The Van Leer family were known for their success in the iron business and several historical locations in Pennsylvania are associated with the family including the Van Leer Cabin[12] and the Van Leer Pleasant Hill Plantation.[13]

Legacy

The Van Leer Post, No. 36 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Gloucester City, New Jersey, was named in his honor.[14]

Van Leer built and leased houses for free black tradesmen and to people who were supportive of the free black community in Lima, Pennsylvania at a location now known as Van Leer Avenue.[15]

Citations

  1. ↑ Foster, John Young (1868). New Jersey and the Rebellion: A History of the Service of the Troops and the People of New Jersey in Aid of the Union Cause. Newark, NJ: Martin R. Dennis & Co. p. 17. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Smith Futhey, J. (2007). "History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical". History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical. pp. 752–753. ISBN 9780788443879.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Robert Underwood; Buel, Clarence Clough (1887). Battles and leaders of the civil war. New York: The Century Co. p. 200. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Camden in the Civil War - Co. K, 6th New Jersey Infantry Regiment". www.history.navy.mil. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "Camden People - George E. Wilson Sr". www.dvrbs.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Latta, James William (1912). History of the First Regiment Infantry, National Guard of Pennsylvania (Gray Reserves) 1861-1911. Philadelphia & London: J.B. Lippincott & Co. p. 34. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Rickard, J. "Armies of the Battle of Williamsburg, 5 May 1862". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Scharf, John Thomas (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 1882. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  9. ↑ Prowell 1886, p. 115.
  10. ↑ "Johann Georg von Löhr–American Immigrant, 1698". www.vanleerarchives.org. Van Leer Archives. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  11. ↑ The Picket Post: A Record of Patriotism, Volumes 76-86. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Valley Forge Historical Society. 1962. p. 35. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Southwell, Priscilla L. Cox. "Dating the Van Leer Cabin". tehistory.org. Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  13. ↑ Jordan, John W. (1911). Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 1322–1323. ISBN 0-8063-0811-7. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Prowell 1886, pp. 176–177.
  15. ↑ "History: Local: Village of Lima, Middletown Twp, Chester (now Delaware) Co, PA". www.files.usgwarchives.net. USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved 7 July 2022.

Sources

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