Alexander Hamilton (general)

Early life and education

Hamilton was born on November 15, 1815 to John Church Hamilton and Maria Eliza van den Heuvel Hamilton. He graduated from Columbia College, and at a "very early age he had the management of a large amount of real estate for the family and others."

Military career

Hamilton joined the 11th Regiment of the New York Artillery, where he became a second lieutenant. When the Civil War broke out, he became the aide-de-camp to Major General Charles W. Sandford, and took part in active campaigns in Virginia.

He was promoted to Major General in the New York Militia for his use of a gas balloon constructed by Thaddeus S. C. Lowe for military observation during the war. He later reported directly to President Abraham Lincoln. He was placed in charge of troops during the New York Draft Riots in 1863.

Writings and personal life

Hamilton married Elizabeth Smith Nicoll, and they had one son, Reverend Alexander Hamilton (1847–1928).

He was the author of a life of Oliver Cromwell, and a book of poetry. His book Dramas and Poems was published in 1887. For his literary work, he added his mother's surname to his own in order to distinguish himself from his similarly-named relatives, publishing under the name Alexander Hamilton, of "Heuvel".

He was cited as "remarkable for his cultured mind, speaking a number of languages," and as a "mathematician and penman." He was a Republican, and attended an Episcopal church. In 1890 he was elected a member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati, by virtue of descent from his grandfather Alexander Hamilton.

In 1893 he was brought to court to prove his sanity, after threatening to kill his wife. Hamilton died of influenza on December 10, 1907.