Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Birney, David |
Born |
1825 |
Birthplace |
Alabama |
Deceased |
1865 |
Deceased where |
Philadelphia |
Notes |
Born in Alabama and raised in Kentucky, David Birney was the son of James G. Birney, a vocal opponent of slavery and editor of The Philanthropist, an abolitionist newspaper that circulated between 1836 and 1843. The elder Birney also unsuccessfully ran for President in 1840 and 1844 as a member of the anti-slavery Liberty Party. David Birney graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and practiced law in Philadelphia where he created close ties with the local political leaders. Thanks to those connections, Birney was named Lt. Colonel of the 23rd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. During the war, Birney was quickly promoted to Brigadier General and received action in the Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. During the Siege of Petersburg, Birney contracted malaria and returned home to Philadelphia where he eventually died from his illness. |
