Joseph Cushing Edmands

Joseph Cushing Edmands (March 26, 1842 – December 28, 1878) was a volunteer soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War who attained the grade of colonel and in 1866 was awarded the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general.

Early career Edmands was born to J. Wiley Edmands and Rebecca Cushing Edmands in Boston, Massachusetts. His father served briefly as a U.S. Congressman during the 1850s. Prior to the Civil War, Edmands served as a private and clerk with the 4th Massachusetts Militia Regiment. When the Civil War began, Edmands was living in Newton, Massachusetts.

Civil War service On October 4, 1861, at the age of 19, Edmands enlisted with the 24th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as a first sergeant. The regiment reached Annapolis, Maryland, in December 1861 and was soon assigned to Brig. Gen. Ambrose Burnside's North Carolina Expedition. Edmands may have taken part in the first two battles of the expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island and the Battle of New Bern in early 1862. The extent of his involvement is unclear because he was seriously ill for much of the spring of 1862.