William J. Landram

William Jennings Landram (February 11, 1828 – October 11, 1895) was a lawyer, publisher, and Union officer during the American Civil War. He served in many of the campaigns associated with the XIII Corps often in command of a brigade and occasionally in division command. His name is alternately spelled Landrum.

Biography

Early life and education Landram was born February 11, 1828, in Lancaster, Kentucky, to Louis Landram and Martha A. George, the first of many children. Landram's father, a native of Virginia was an attorney who relocated to Scott County, Kentucky, in the early 19th century. Landram's mother was a native of Garrard County, Kentucky, and niece of George Robertson, a prominent Kentucky politician and jurist.

Landram was educated in local private schools and in 1845 was appointed Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts for Garrard County. In 1849, he married Sarah A. Walker, with whom he had nine children.

Mexican War On June 9, 1846, Landram enlisted as a private in Company A, 1st Kentucky Cavalry during the Mexican–American War. He was soon promoted to orderly sergeant. Landram fought in the Battle of Buena Vista February 22–23, 1847, where he received a saber wound in a shoulder. He mustered out of service June 8, 1847, and returned to his previous position in Lancaster.

Politics From 1850 to 1851, Landram read law and published the Garrard Banner, a local Whig newspaper. Landram was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court for Garrard County, and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He was continually reelected to the position until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Landram was a staunch supporter of John Bell and Edward Everett in the election of 1860. A supporter of emancipation, he voted in 1849 to abolish slavery in Kentucky. With the demise of the Whig party, Landram became a Republican.

Civil War

On July 15, 1861, the War Department authorized General William "Bull" Nelson to establish a training camp and organize a brigade of infantry. At Camp Dick Robinson, Nelson commissioned Landram, colonel of the 1st Kentucky Cavalry, but he resigned after a few days, preferring instead a commission in the infantry. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church for 42 years and a prominent member of the Freemasons. Landram applied for a disability pension in 1890. In a candid letter to U.S. Representative James B. McCreary dated October 27, 1890, Landram noted that he had contracted dysentery while on duty at Alexandria, Louisiana, on April 25, 1864, which led to chronic hemorrhoids. He wrote, "I own but little property of any kind, and am dependent upon a meagre [sic] law practice in a small town for the support of myself and family, six in number." Landram died on October 11, 1895, and was buried in Lancaster Cemetery.