History of Putnam County New York United States of America

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Darius Nash Couch, soldier, was born in South East, Putnam county, N.Y., July 23, 1822; son of Jonathan Couch. He was graduated from the U.S. military academy in 1846, and was assigned to the 4th U.S. artillery, joining his battery at Monclara, Mexico, in November, 1846, when on his way to the seat of war. He was on duty with Captain Washington's battery on the battlefield of Buena Vista, Feb. 22-23, 1847, and received for "gallant conduct" the brevet of first lieutenant and on the promotion of Captain Washington to the command of the artillery battalion of General Taylor's army, Lieutenant Couch was made his adjutant. He was promoted 2nd lieutenant in May, 1847, and ordered to Point Isabel, where he was taken ill, and in August was sent home on sick leave. He returned to the army in the winter, reporting at the City of Mexico in January, 1848, and with his battery was ordered to Tolluca. After the war he was stationed at Fort Monroe. He then served in Florida against the Seminoles, at various artillery posts, and in the department of natural history in the Smithsonian institution, and resigned from the army in 1855. He engaged in business in Taunton, Mass. In 1861 he offered his services to Governor Andrew and was appointed colonel of the 7th Massachusetts volunteers. He was promoted brigadier-general, June 15, 1861, his commission dating from May 17, 1861, and was made major-general of volunteers, July 4, 1862. He was a participant in the battles of Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Oak Grove, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, Malvern Hill, second Bull Run, Antietam, Williamsport, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and subsequently in Tennessee and North Carolina. He commanded a division on the Peninsula, distinguished himself by holding the line of battle at Fair Oaks, and by a masterly movement in taking position on the extreme left at Malvern Hill, without the orders of his corps commander. Under Burnside he commanded the 2nd corps at Fredericksburg in the disastrous battle of Dec. 13-14, 1862, and his corps was the last to fall back at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863. Here he was twice wounded and had his horse killed under him. He commanded the department of the Susquehanna at the time of Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania and directed the movements that checked the progress of the Confederates and determined the battlefield. He was conspicuous in the battle of Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 15, 1864, as commander of the 2nd division, 20th army corps, in his assault on Hood's extreme left, carrying it by a brilliant charge. In 1865 he was stationed in North Carolina opposing General Hoke and dispersing the remnant of the Confederate forces. He resigned his commission, May 26, 1865, and returned to Massachusetts, where he was the unsuccessful candidate for governor of the state that year. In 1866 he was appointed by President Johnson collector of the port of Boston, serving from October, 1866, to March 4, 1867, but the senate refused to confirm the appointment. He then engaged in mining and manufacturing in Virginia and was president of the company operating the mines. He removed to Norwalk, Conn., in 1876, was quartermaster of the state, 1876-78, and adjutant-general, 1883-84. He married in 1855 Mary Caroline, daughter of Samuel L. Crocker of Taunton, Mass., and had one son, Leonard Crocker Couch of Taunton, Mass. He died in Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 12, 1897.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

James Kent, jurist, was born in Fredericksburg, Putnam county, N.Y., July 31, 1763; son of Moss and Hannah (Rogers) Kent; grandson of the Rev. Elisha and Abigail (Moss) Kent and of Dr. Uriah and Hannah(Lockwood)Rogers, of Norwalk, Conn.; and a descendant of Thomas Kent, who emigrated from England prior to 1643 and was one of a list of eighty-two original proprietors of land at Gloucester, Mass. James attended an English school at Norwalk, Conn., 1768-72; studied Latin under Mr. Kalna at Pawling, N.Y., 1772-78; attended a Latin school at Danbury, Conn., 1778-76, and was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1781, A.M., 1784. He studied law with Attorney-General Egbert Benson at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; was admitted to the bar in January, 1785, and on April 12, 1785, he entered into partnership with Gilbert Livingston in Poughkeepsie. He was married in April, 1785, to Elizabeth, daughter of Col. John Bailey. He undertook a course of daily study of the classics and modern languages, devoting his early morning hours to this purpose. He was a member of the New York state assembly from Dutchess county, 1790-92; was reelected in 1792, but on account of the position which he took in regard to the contested returns, Governor Clinton was declared elected in his stead. He was candidate for representative in the 3d congress in 1792 as a Federalist, but was defeated by his brother-in-law, Theodorus Bailey, by a majority of 132 votes. He supported John Jay as candidate for governor the same year, and was bitter in his denunciation of the appointment of Aaron Burr to the supreme court bench. He removed to New York city, April 27, 1798, and shortly after his arrival an epidemic of smallpox ravaged the city, and his daughter died of the disease, May 26, 1793. He engaged in the practice of law in New York, and in December, 1793, was made professor of law at Columbia college, which post he filled until his resignation in 1798. He was an admirer of Alexander Hamilton, whose acquaintance he had made during the assembling of the convention, at Poughkeepsie, in 1788 to consider the ratification of the Federal constitution of the United States. He began a series of twenty-six lectures on civil law in November, 1794, and his introductory lecture was published by the trustees of Columbia college in 1794 for private distribution. This was followed by a pamphlet in 1795, composed of three lectures: the first on the "Duties of Civil Government," the second on the "History of the American Union" and the third on "The Law of Nations." This pamphlet was cited in Brown's "Treatise on Civil and Admiralty Law," published in England, and was the first reference ever made to an American law publication by a foreign writer. The lectures closed, March 1, 1795, and the following winter a second course was begun, but met with little encouragement and was discontinued. Professor Kent was appointed by Governor John Jay one of the two masters in chancery in February, 1796, and he was elected to the state assembly in May, 1798. He was appointed recorder of the city of New York in March, 1797, and his duties of recorder were occasionally varied by his presiding in the mayor's office during the temporary absence of the mayor. He was appointed by Governor Jay to the office of justice of the supreme court in February, 1798, and resigning all his offices in New York city, he removed to Poughkeepsie in April, 1798, and devoted his leisure time to study. In 1799, he removed to Albany, N.Y., where he resided until 1823. Although the youngest judge on the supreme bench, his decisions were said to have been learned and profound. He introduced a thorough examination of cases and written opinions and originated the custom of presenting in writing the argument upon all important cases. In the summer of 1802 he rode the "great western circuit," a journey of six or seven hundred miles. He was advanced to the position of chief justice in 1804 by Governor Morgan Lewis. In December, 1805, he formed a professional connection with William Johnson, with whose name his own became inseparably connected. He was transferred to the court of chancery, and appointed chancellor, Feb. 24, 1814. The court had never been properly conducted and Kent was given the liberty to assume such English chancery powers as were applicable under the U.S. constitution. He admitted eighty-five counsellors during the first year of his office, and in consequence the court soon became powerful. As the statute limit of the age of a chancellor was fixed at sixty years, Chancellor Kent was retired from office in 1828, and returned to his professorship at Columbia, which he held up to the time of his death. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1822; a trustee of Columbia college, 1828; president of the New York Historical society, 1828; member of the American Philosophical society from 1829; regent of the University of the State of New York, 1800-17, and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Columbia in 1797, from Harvard in 1810, from Dartmouth in 1819, and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1820. His appointment to the vacancy on the bench of the U.S. supreme court in 1823 was urged upon the President by William Wirt, attorney-general of the United States, but Monroe had already selected Smith Thompson for the office. His name was one of the eleven in "Class J, Judges and Lawyers" named as eligible for a place in the Hail of Fame for Great Americans, New York university, and in October, 1900, received sixty-five votes, the only name in the class receiving a larger vote being John Marshall, with ninety-one, Story receiving sixty-four, and the three were given a place. He retired from the active duties of his law professorship in 1825, and devoted himself to chamber practice and to the preparation of his Commentaries on American Law (4 vols. 1826-30), (6th ed., 1846), (13th ed., 1884). He is also the author of a treatise On the Charter of the City of New York, etc., (1836); A Course of Reading (1840). His great grandson, William Kent, published: Memoirs and Letters of James Kent, LL.D. (1898). Chancellor James Kent died in New York city, Dec. 12, 1847.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Putnam County New York

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