Joab N. Patterson

Joab Nelson Patterson (1835–1923) was an American brevet brigadier general and politician who commanded the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment across several battles of the American Civil War, as well as the commander of the Third Brigade of the First Division of the XVIII Corps. He also held several offices after the war as well as a captain during the Spanish–American War.

Biography Before the war Joab was born on January 2, 1835, in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He was educated at Contoocook Academy in Hopkinton and at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1860. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a teacher in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

American Civil War In 1861, Patterson opened a recruitment office at Contoocook and managed to enlist enough men to form a company of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment. Patterson was made 1st Lieutenant of Company H. He was promoted to captain on May 23, 1862, but was wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg a year later. Patterson was promoted to full colonel on January 10, 1865, and brevetted brigadier general on March 3, 1865, before being honorably mustered out in December 1865.