Henry Case

Henry Case (November 19, 1823 – March 12, 1884) was an American lawyer, Congregational minister, and Union Army officer who was brevetted brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was one of the founders of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Yale College.

Early life and education

Case, son of Deacon Samuel and Sally (Bailey) Case, was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on November 19, 1823. On June 22, 1844, he and 14 other members of Yale's class of 1846 founded Delta Kappa Epsilon. He graduated from Yale College in 1846.

Career

After graduating, Case studied law in Norwich and began practice in Winchester, Illinois, later moving to Middletown, Connecticut. He then completed a two-year course at the Yale Divinity School and was ordained an evangelist at Norwich on July 31, 1855. He went straight to Ohio and served as stated preacher, first at McConnelsville and then at Cuyahoga Falls. After some years, he went back to practicing law.

Civil War

Case was one of the first field officers of the 129th Illinois Infantry, serving as its lieutenant colonel. The regiment was organized at Pontiac, Illinois, in August 1862. In May 1863 he was appointed colonel of the regiment, and he served in that role for two years.

The 129th Illinois served in the First Brigade, Third Division, XX Corps. It fought in the Atlanta campaign, including the battles of Resaca and Peachtree Creek, went with William Tecumseh Sherman on the March to the Sea, and took part in the Carolinas campaign, including the battles of Averasborough and Bentonville. On March 16, 1865, Case led troops that drove back the Confederate brigade under Colonel A. M. Rhett in Cumberland County, North Carolina. He was brevetted brigadier general in March 1865.

Later career

After the war, Case reopened his law office in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Personal life and death

Case never married. As his health failed, he moved back to his father's house in Norwich. He died there on March 12, 1884, at age 60.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yale University (1884). Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale College Deceased During the Academic Year Ending in June, 1884. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University.
  2. ↑ Becque, Fran (June 22, 2015). "The "Shant" on Delta Kappa Epsilon's Founding Day". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
  3. ↑ Grunert, William (1866). History of the One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Winchester, Illinois: R. B. Dedman.
  4. 1 2 "129th Illinois Infantry Regiment History". Illinois Civil War Project. Transcribed from the Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois. The ILGenWeb Project. Retrieved November 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ↑ Guide to North Carolina Highway Historical Markers. Raleigh, North Carolina: Division of Archives and History, Dept. of Cultural Resources. 2001. p. 66. ISBN 0865262985.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the 1884 Yale Obituary Record.