History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Sylvester G. Hill

SYLVESTER G. HILL was born on the 10th of June, 1820, in Washington County, Rhode Island. He received an academic education at Greenwich. In 1840 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he engaged in the lumber business. In 1849 he went to California with the great emigration of gold seekers. Failing to find profitable business, he came the following year to Iowa, locating at Muscatine. In July, 1862, he recruited a company of volunteers of which he was chosen captain. In August his company was assigned to the Thirty-fifth Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. On the 10th of August he was promoted to colonel of the regiment. He led it in the Vicksburg campaign and McPherson's expedition to Brownsville and was also in the Red River campaign under Banks and later served with Sherman. In the Battle of Nashville, fought in December, Colonel Hill commanded a brigade and while making a gallant charge on the enemy's works, was shot through the head and instantly killed.