View source for Voltaire P. Twombly

{{Short description|Medal of Honor recipient}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Voltaire P. Twombly
|birth_date= {{Birth date|df=yes|1842|2|21}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|df=yes|1918|2|24|1842|2|21}}
|birth_place= near [[Farmington, Iowa|Farmington]], [[Iowa Territory]]
|death_place= [[Des Moines, Iowa]]
|placeofburial= 
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image=File:Voltaire Twombly.jpg
|caption=
|nickname= 
|allegiance= {{flag|United States|1867}}
|branch={{army|USA}}
|serviceyears=1861–65
|rank= [[File:Union army cpt rank insignia.jpg|35px]] [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
|commands= 
|unit=2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
|battles= [[American Civil War|Civil War]]
*[[Battle of Fort Donelson]]
*[[Battle of Shiloh]]
*[[Siege of Corinth]]
*[[Second Battle of Corinth]]
*[[Sherman's March to the Sea]]
*[[Battle of Bentonville]]
|awards=
[[File:Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|30px]] [[Medal of Honor]]
|laterwork=
||spouse = {{marriage|Chloe A. Funk|May 1866|}}
}}
'''Voltaire Paine Twombly''' (February 21, 1842 – February 24, 1918) was a [[Union Army|Union]] veteran of the [[American Civil War]] and a recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]]. He received the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions during the [[Battle of Fort Donelson]] on February 15, 1862, when he picked up and carried his regiment's [[flag of the United States|national colors]] after three other members of his regiment were killed or incapacitated by Confederate fire while attempting to secure the flag. Twombly also participated in a number of other engagements in the Civil War, including the [[Siege of Corinth]] and [[Sherman's March to the Sea]].

After being mustered out of service in 1865, Twombly attended business school and entered into a number of business ventures. In 1880, he entered politics upon being selected to be the treasurer of [[Van Buren County, Iowa]]. He served as the mayor of [[Keosauqua, Iowa]] from 1884 to early 1885, and as the treasurer of Iowa from 1885 to 1891.

==Early life==
Twombly was born to Samuel Twombly and Dorothy Twombly (''nee'' Wilder) on February 21, 1842, near [[Farmington, Iowa|Farmington, Van Buren County]], [[Iowa Territory]].<ref name="brigham"/> His father died in September 1842, leaving Twombly's mother responsible for raising him.<ref name=Powell>Powell, p.310</ref> While growing up, Twombly was educated at several [[common school]]s and at the Lane Academy of Keosauqua.<ref name=brigham>Brigham, p. 1383.</ref>

==Civil War==
Twombly enlisted in the [[Union Army]] on April 24, 1861, after President [[Abraham Lincoln]] had called for soldiers to counter the secessionist [[Confederate States of America|Confederate States]]. On May 27, 1861, he was mustered into Company F of the [[2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment]] as a private in [[Keokuk, Iowa]].<ref name="brigham"/> The 2nd Iowa Regiment left for Northern Missouri on June 13, 1861, and was stationed at [[St. Joseph, Missouri]] to protect the city's railroad lines. On July 21, 1861, the 2nd Iowa regiment was transferred to [[Bird's Point, Missouri]]. The regiment would continue to be transferred throughout Missouri during the remainder of the year, but saw little combat.<ref name=Dyer>Dyer, p.1165</ref> In October, Twombly was promoted to the rank of corporal and assigned to the color guard.<ref name="brigham"/> In February 1862, the Second Iowa Infantry Regiment was incorporated into the [[Army of the Tennessee]], which was under the command of [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]].<ref name="Dyer"/><ref>Dyer, p. 479</ref>{{efn|The Army of the Tennessee was often called the Army of West Tennessee until October 16, 1862, when it and a number of other military units were merged. Grant maintained his command after the merge had occurred.<ref name=Dyer486>Dyer, p. 486</ref> See [[Army of the Tennessee#History]] for further information on the history and naming conventions of the Army.}}
[[File:National flag carried by the 2nd Iowa Infantry throughout the Civil War.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|[[Flag of the United States|National colors]] carried by Twombly during the Battle of Fort Donelson]]
On February 15, 1862, the Army of the Tennessee [[Battle of Fort Donelson|attacked]] [[Fort Donelson]] in Tennessee.<ref name="Dyer"/><ref name="Powell"/> During the battle, Twombly picked up and carried his regiment's national colors<ref>{{cite web|last1=Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs|title=March into History at Fort Donelson|url=https://medium.com/@iowaculture/march-into-history-at-fort-donelson-79438dbe606e#.bzyzc2lbq|website=Medium|access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> after the color sergeant and two other corporals had been killed or injured by the enemy.<ref name="brigham"/><ref name="Powell"/>{{efn| There is disagreement regarding how many soldiers were killed or wounded attempting to secure the regiment's colors before Twombly obtained it.  Brigham and Harlan both state that five soldiers were shot down while attempting to secure the flag.<ref name="brigham"/><ref name="Harlan"/> However, this article lists three soldiers as this is the number claimed by Twombly's Medal of Honor citation<ref name="soc"/> and a field report issued by Colonel [[James M. Tuttle]], the commander of the Second Iowa during the battle.<ref name="Powell"/> A possible explanation to this discrepancy is provided by John Bell, a private serving with the Second Iowa during the Battle of Fort Donelson. According to Bell, five people in total had been killed or wounded in rapid succession. However, two of these individuals were lieutenants who were wounded before the incapacitation of the flag bearer and who thus made no attempt to carry the flag.<ref name="McKenney"/>}} Twombly was knocked to the ground by cannon fire, but managed to carry the flag for the duration of the battle.<ref name="Harlan"/> For his actions during the battle, Twombly was promoted to sergeant and later awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] in 1897.<ref name="Powell"/><ref name=Sterner>{{cite web |url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=3072 |title=Voltare Paine Twombly  |last1=Sterner |first1=Doug|last2=Military Times staff|publisher=Military Times |website=Military Times Hall of Valor |access-date=27 May 2016}}</ref><ref name=McKenney>McKenney, p.91</ref> His citation reads:

{{quote|1=Took the colors after 3 of the color guard had fallen, and although most instantly knocked down by a spent ball, immediately arose and bore the colors to the end of the engagement.<ref name=soc>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/1405/twombly-voltaire-p.php |title=Twombly, Voltaire P.  |publisher=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |date=2016|access-date=27 May 2016}}</ref>}}

Twombly carried his regiment's colors during the April 1862 [[Battle of Shiloh]] and participated in the [[Siege of Corinth| Siege of Corinth, Mississippi]] as an acting second lieutenant.  In October 1862, Twombly received a knee injury during the [[Second Battle of Corinth]]. He was hospitalized and placed on leave for six weeks to help him recover from the injury. In 1863, Twombly's regiment was formally stationed in Corinth, and engaged in numerous actions against the cavalry forces of Confederate General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]].<ref name="Powell"/>

In October 1863, Major General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] replaced Grant as the commander of the Army of the Tennessee.<ref name="Dyer486"/> In November 1863, Twombly and the Army of the Tennessee marched northeast into Tennessee; his regiment spent the winter of 1863–64 in [[Pulaski, Tennessee]].<ref name="Powell"/><ref name="Dyer"/> Twombly went on to participate in the [[Atlanta Campaign]] and [[Sherman's March to the Sea]]. He was promoted to first lieutenant in July 1864 and to captain in November 1864. While stationed in [[Savannah, Georgia]] in January 1865, Twombly was made the assistant inspector general of the Third Brigade of his division.<ref name="Powell"/>

In early 1865, Twombly and the Army of the Tennessee marched north through the [[Carolinas]] and fought Confederate forces in [[Columbia, South Carolina in the American Civil War#The burning of Columbia|Columbia, South Carolina]] and [[Battle of Bentonville|Bentonville, North Carolina]]. Twombly reached [[Goldsboro, North Carolina]] by the end of March and was present at the [[Conclusion of the American Civil War#Surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston and his various armies (April 26)|surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston]] near [[Raleigh, North Carolina]]. Following the surrender, the Army of the Tennessee headed north to [[Washington, D.C.]], where Twombly and the 2nd Iowa Infantry participated in the [[Grand Review of the Armies]].<ref name="Powell"/> Twombly was mustered out of service on July 12 in [[Louisville, Kentucky]] and formally discharged on July 20 in [[Davenport, Iowa]].<ref name="Powell"/>

==Later life==
[[File:Voltaire Twombley Building NRHP 93000655 Van Buren County, IA.jpg|thumb|Twombly's former store in Keosauqua, Iowa. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the [[Voltaire Twombley Building|Twombley Building]] (sic.) in 1993.<ref name=Naumann>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=93000655}}|title=Voltaire Twombley Building|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=2016-05-10|author=Molly Myers Naumann}}</ref>]]
From August to December 1865, Twombly attended [[Bryant & Stratton College|Bryant & Stratton's Business College]], a commercial school in [[Burlington, Iowa]]. After completing his education, he entered into a number of business ventures. From his graduation until December 1867, Twombly worked as a flour merchant in [[Ottumwa, Iowa]]. He opened a milling company in [[Pittsburg, Van Buren County, Iowa|Pittsburg, Van Buren County]] in January 1868, which he ran until April 1876. He later moved to [[Keosauqua, Iowa]] where he worked as a merchant until 1880.<ref name="brigham"/><ref name=Harlan>Harlan, p. 474.</ref>

Twombly, who had consistently supported the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] since reaching voting age, accepted the position of treasurer of Van Buren County in 1880. He served in that position until 1884, when Twombly became the Mayor of [[Keosauqua, Iowa|Keosauqua]]. In January 1885, Twombly was elected the Treasurer of Iowa. He served three terms in the position before stepping down in January 1891.<ref name="brigham"/><ref name=brig>Brigham, p.1384</ref><ref name="obit"/>

After his term as Treasurer of Iowa had concluded, Twombly assisted with the creation of the Home Savings Bank of Des Moines. He became the director and president of the bank in June 1891, and maintained the two positions until January 1901. In October 1891, Twombly became the half-owner of the Capital Hill Granite & Marble Works. Twombly stepped down from the position and retired from business in June 1905.<ref name="brigham"/>

Twombly spent the last years of his life in retirement.<ref>Harlan, p.475</ref> He died in his home in [[Des Moines, Iowa]] on February 24, 1918, after having suffered from an illness for several months.<ref name=obit>[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85049554/1918-02-26/ed-1/seq-3/ "Capt. V.P. Twombly Dead"]. ''Evening times-Republican'' (Marshalltown, Iowa). 26 February 1918. ''Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.'' Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 June 2016.</ref>

==Personal life==
Twombly married Chloe Funk on May 1, 1866.<ref name="brig"/> They had five children, three of whom (their two oldest daughters and youngest son) died in infancy.<ref name=album>Portrait and Biographical Album, p.395</ref> Their oldest son, William Tuttle Twombly, was born in 1870 and died shortly before his seventeenth birthday on December 28, 1887. Their youngest daughter, Eva Twombly, was born on November 10, 1878. She survived into adulthood, married Clyde Jeffries, and had a child, Marion Louise Jeffries, on January 29, 1910.<ref name="brig"/><ref name="album"/>

Twombly had joined the [[Freemasonry|Free Masons]] in 1866, and remained a member for much of his life. He was also a member of the [[Grand Army of the Republic]], and had served as the commander of his post.<ref name="brig"/>

Twombly worshipped in the [[Congregationalist Church]].<ref name="brig"/>

==Publications==
*{{cite book|last=Twombly|first=Voltaire |date=1897|title=The Second Iowa Infantry at Fort Donelson, February 15, 1862 : together with an outline history of the regiment from its organization at Keokuk, Iowa, May 27, 1861, to final discharge at Davenport, Iowa, July 20, 1865 |publisher=Plain Talk Printing House |url=https://archive.org/details/secondiowainfant00twom}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|last=Brigham|first=Johnson |date=1911|title=Des Moines: The Pioneer of Municipal Progress and Reform of the Middle West, Together with the History of Polk County, Iowa, the Largest, Most Populous and Most Prosperous County in the State of Iowa, Volume 2|publisher=S. J. Clarke publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I39HAQAAMAAJ&q=voltaire+twombly&pg=PA1383}}
*{{cite book|last1=Dyer|first1=Frederick|title=A compendium of the War of the Rebellion : compiled and arranged from official records of the federal and Confederate armies, reports of the adjutant generals of the several states, the army registers, and other reliable documents and sources|date=1908|publisher=Dyer Publishing Corporation|url=https://archive.org/stream/08697590.3359.emory.edu/08697590_3359#page/n1171/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book|last=Harlan|first=Edgar |date=1920|title=The Annals of Iowa, Volume 12 Number 6|publisher=Historical Department of Iowa|url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsofiowa12statuoft#page/474/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book|last1=McKenney|first1=Tom|title=Jack Hinson's One-Man War|date=2010|publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=978-1455606467|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7bH_CDZf4MUC&q=voltaire+twombly&pg=PA91|access-date=14 June 2016}}
*{{cite book|title=Portrait and Biographical Album of Jefferson and Van Buren Counties, Iowa|date=1890|publisher=Lake City Publishing Company|location=Chicago|url=https://archive.org/details/portraitbiograph02lake|page=[https://archive.org/details/portraitbiograph02lake/page/393 393]|quote=voltaire twombly lane.|access-date=15 August 2016}}
*{{cite book|last1=Powell|first1=William|title=Officers of the Army and Navy (regular and volunteer) who served in the Civil War|date=1893|publisher=Philadelphia, Pa., L.R. Hamersly & co.|url=https://archive.org/stream/officersofarmyna01powe/officersofarmyna01powe#page/309/mode/1up|access-date=23 May 2016}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Edwin H. Conger]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Iowa State Treasurer]] | years=1885–1891}}
{{s-aft | after=Byron A. Beeson}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twombly, Voltaire P.}}
[[Category:1842 births]]
[[Category:1918 deaths]]
[[Category:American bankers]]
[[Category:American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Iowa]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Iowa]]
[[Category:People of Iowa in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:People from Van Buren County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Iowa Republicans]]
[[Category:County treasurers in Iowa]]
[[Category:State treasurers of Iowa]]
[[Category:Union army officers]]
[[Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:People from Keosauqua, Iowa]]
[[Category:19th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:Bryant and Stratton College alumni]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Grand Army of the Republic officials]]
[[Category:19th-century American merchants]]
[[Category:Flour merchants]]