Jewett Palmer

Born in Ohio in 1840, Jewett Palmer served for the Union during the Civil War, first with Company B of the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and later with the 36th Ohio Infantry. Records connected with his papers describe him as a Union Army officer, and other historical sources note that he rose to the rank of major.

After the war, Palmer remained active in public life in Marietta, Ohio. Archival descriptions identify him as a local Republican official and mayor of Marietta, showing that his career reached well beyond the battlefield.

He is best remembered as the author of A Historical Sketch of Company "B," Eighteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry: Three Months Service, a memoir-like history written from the perspective of someone who had been there. That combination of firsthand experience and long memory gives his work much of its lasting value for readers interested in the Civil War and local history.