Jacob W. Greenawalt, second son of Henry Greenawalt was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on the 27th day of October 1837. He received a fair education in the common schools in his native county and at Union College, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. After leaving college he went west, where he read law and was admitted to the bar at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In the spring of 1860 he returned home, and on the 25th of April of that year, was married to Miss Rebecca McGrew, daughter of Archibald McGrew, deceased, a neighbor of his father. On the 22d of November 1860, Mr. Greenawalt was admitted to the practice of the law in the several courts of Westmoreland county, and early in April of the following year he entered into a law partnership with James H. Hunter, Esq., a member of the Greensburg bar. A few days afterwards, April 17, 1861, in response to the call of the President for seventy-five thousand men, he, with Richard Coulter (afterwards colonel of the Eleventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers), raised a company, which became Company I, Eleventh Regiment. He was elected second lieutenant and was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant, and was mustered out of the service with his company August 1, 1861.
Immediately after his return home he zealously and energetically set about raising a company for the three years' service. This company was organized and mustered into service as Company E, One Hundred and Fifty Pennsylvania Volunteers. On the promotion of Captain Dick to major of the regiment, Lieutenant Greenawalt was promoted to captain September 20, 1861, and, on the resignation of Major Dick, was promoted to major November 29, 1862, and to lieutenant colonel May 4, 1863. He was with his regiment in all the hard-fought battles in which it participated, being wounded at Fair Oaks; and at the battle of the Wilderness, May 4, 1864, while in command of his regiment, he fell mortally wounded, and died a few days after, May 17, 1864. His remains were brought home and interred with military honors, in the presence of an immense concourse of his old friends and neighbors, at "Mars' Hill", a quite country churchyard. He left a young and sorrow-stricken wife (but no children) to mourn the death of a noble husband.
Colonel Greenawalt was immensely popular with his men, having always treated them with great kindness, avoiding all display or abuse of his authority, and abstaining from the use of harsh language, which too often fell upon the ears of the private soldier. He had won the warn esteem of his fellow officers and the confidence of his superiors. Brigadier-General Graham, in a letter to Governor Curtin, in which he asks that Major J. W. Greenawalt be promoted to the position of lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, in speaking of his conduct at the battle of Chancellorsville, says: "He exhibited the firmness and knowledge of a veteran."
Immediately after his return home he zealously and energetically set about raising a company for the three years' service. This company was organized and mustered into service as Company E, One Hundred and Fifty Pennsylvania Volunteers. On the promotion of Captain Dick to major of the regiment, Lieutenant Greenawalt was promoted to captain September 20, 1861, and, on the resignation of Major Dick, was promoted to major November 29, 1862, and to lieutenant colonel May 4, 1863. He was with his regiment in all the hard-fought battles in which it participated, being wounded at Fair Oaks; and at the battle of the Wilderness, May 4, 1864, while in command of his regiment, he fell mortally wounded, and died a few days after, May 17, 1864. His remains were brought home and interred with military honors, in the presence of an immense concourse of his old friends and neighbors, at "Mars' Hill", a quite country churchyard. He left a young and sorrow-stricken wife (but no children) to mourn the death of a noble husband.
Colonel Greenawalt was immensely popular with his men, having always treated them with great kindness, avoiding all display or abuse of his authority, and abstaining from the use of harsh language, which too often fell upon the ears of the private soldier. He had won the warn esteem of his fellow officers and the confidence of his superiors. Brigadier-General Graham, in a letter to Governor Curtin, in which he asks that Major J. W. Greenawalt be promoted to the position of lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, in speaking of his conduct at the battle of Chancellorsville, says: "He exhibited the firmness and knowledge of a veteran."
Jacob W. Greenawalt, second son of Henry Greenawalt was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on the 27th day of October 1837. He received a fair education in the common schools in his native county and at Union College, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. After leaving college he went west, where he read law and was admitted to the bar at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In the spring of 1860 he returned home, and on the 25th of April of that year, was married to Miss Rebecca McGrew, daughter of Archibald McGrew, deceased, a neighbor of his father. On the 22d of November 1860, Mr. Greenawalt was admitted to the practice of the law in the several courts of Westmoreland county, and early in April of the following year he entered into a law partnership with James H. Hunter, Esq., a member of the Greensburg bar. A few days afterwards, April 17, 1861, in response to the call of the President for seventy-five thousand men, he, with Richard Coulter (afterwards colonel of the Eleventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers), raised a company, which became Company I, Eleventh Regiment. He was elected second lieutenant and was subsequently promoted to first lieutenant, and was mustered out of the service with his company August 1, 1861.
Immediately after his return home he zealously and energetically set about raising a company for the three years' service. This company was organized and mustered into service as Company E, One Hundred and Fifty Pennsylvania Volunteers. On the promotion of Captain Dick to major of the regiment, Lieutenant Greenawalt was promoted to captain September 20, 1861, and, on the resignation of Major Dick, was promoted to major November 29, 1862, and to lieutenant colonel May 4, 1863. He was with his regiment in all the hard-fought battles in which it participated, being wounded at Fair Oaks; and at the battle of the Wilderness, May 4, 1864, while in command of his regiment, he fell mortally wounded, and died a few days after, May 17, 1864. His remains were brought home and interred with military honors, in the presence of an immense concourse of his old friends and neighbors, at "Mars' Hill", a quite country churchyard. He left a young and sorrow-stricken wife (but no children) to mourn the death of a noble husband.
Colonel Greenawalt was immensely popular with his men, having always treated them with great kindness, avoiding all display or abuse of his authority, and abstaining from the use of harsh language, which too often fell upon the ears of the private soldier. He had won the warn esteem of his fellow officers and the confidence of his superiors. Brigadier-General Graham, in a letter to Governor Curtin, in which he asks that Major J. W. Greenawalt be promoted to the position of lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, in speaking of his conduct at the battle of Chancellorsville, says: "He exhibited the firmness and knowledge of a veteran."
Immediately after his return home he zealously and energetically set about raising a company for the three years' service. This company was organized and mustered into service as Company E, One Hundred and Fifty Pennsylvania Volunteers. On the promotion of Captain Dick to major of the regiment, Lieutenant Greenawalt was promoted to captain September 20, 1861, and, on the resignation of Major Dick, was promoted to major November 29, 1862, and to lieutenant colonel May 4, 1863. He was with his regiment in all the hard-fought battles in which it participated, being wounded at Fair Oaks; and at the battle of the Wilderness, May 4, 1864, while in command of his regiment, he fell mortally wounded, and died a few days after, May 17, 1864. His remains were brought home and interred with military honors, in the presence of an immense concourse of his old friends and neighbors, at "Mars' Hill", a quite country churchyard. He left a young and sorrow-stricken wife (but no children) to mourn the death of a noble husband.
Colonel Greenawalt was immensely popular with his men, having always treated them with great kindness, avoiding all display or abuse of his authority, and abstaining from the use of harsh language, which too often fell upon the ears of the private soldier. He had won the warn esteem of his fellow officers and the confidence of his superiors. Brigadier-General Graham, in a letter to Governor Curtin, in which he asks that Major J. W. Greenawalt be promoted to the position of lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, in speaking of his conduct at the battle of Chancellorsville, says: "He exhibited the firmness and knowledge of a veteran."
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