Edward O. Schwartz

Edward O. Schwartz, 1842-1904
Civil War Veteran and Adjutant General of Arizona
 
Buried in Porter Cemetery, Block 37, Space F

(Photo courtesy of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association)

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Edward O. Schwartz was born in New York on February 19, 1842, to Louis Schwartz and Catherine Boese.
 
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Schwartz enlisted in the 8th New York Militia in April 1861 and mustered out in August of that year. He then enlisted in the 4th New York Cavalry in January 1862. Although he fell ill with typhoid fever later that year, he recovered sufficiently to achieve the rank of lieutenant. A year later, he was promoted to captain and, in March 1864, he became a major. 
 
Schwartz fought in several major battles which included the battle of Cross Keys, Virginia; Second Bull Run (Manassas); Chancellorsville; and Gettysburg. In 1864, he participated  in General Philip Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley campaign and was present at the June 11-12 battle of Trevilian Station. He was honorably discharged at the end of the war.
 
After the war, Schwartz went West. He was part of a military detachment that escorted engineer and geologist Clarence King through northern Arizona and other parts of the West in the Fortieth Parallel Survey of 1867-1873. Schwartz later relocated to New Mexico where he left service and married Angeline Flint in Santa Fe in 1880.  Their union produced one daughter.
 
A few years later, the family moved to Phoenix, where Schwartz engaged in various business enterprises. An engraver by trade, he was elected recorder of the City of Phoenix in 1890, a post he held for six years. In 1891, he joined the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), becoming commander of the Arizona GAR that same year. In April 1893, the new territorial governor, Louis Cameron Hughes, appointed Schwartz Adjutant General of Arizona. He served for six years and was regarded as an able commander.
 
The Schwartzes left Phoenix in 1897 and moved to Seattle. From there, they went to San Francisco before returning to Phoenix in 1899. In a newspaper article, Schwartz declared, “Not until one leaves Phoenix does he appreciate the business advantages it presents.”
 
One of the last services Schwartz performed for his community was organizing the Decoration Day service for the GAR which took place on May 29, 1903, at the city cemetery. There was no march, as it was deemed too much of a strain for the old soldiers, but Major Schwartz did invite veterans of the Confederacy to participate in the ceremonies too.
 
Major Edward Schwartz died at home on March 1, 1904. On March 3rd, he was interred in the Porter Cemetery with full military honors.
 
© 2017 by Mark Lamm. Last revised 15 November 2017.

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