Eleazer A. Paine
| Eleazer A. Paine | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 10, 1815 Geauga County, Ohio |
| Died | December 16, 1882 (aged 67) Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Place of burial | Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army, Union Army |
| Years of service | 1839–1840, 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Commands held | 4th Division, Army of the Mississippi District of West Kentucky |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Lawyer |
Seminole Wars
American Civil War
Eleazer Arthur Paine (September 10, 1815 – December 16, 1882) was an American soldier, author, and lawyer from Ohio who provoked controversy as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was charged with brutality toward civilians and violating their civil rights while commanding troops in western Kentucky. He was replaced in April 1864 from his post, based in Gallatin, Tennessee, where he had directed the occupation's protection of railroads and policing civilians.
Paine was born in Geauga County, Ohio. He was a first cousin to Halbert E. Paine, also born in that county and a fellow future Civil War general.
After being educated in local schools, Paine received an appointment to the United States Military Academy and graduated in the Class of 1839. He served in the Seminole Wars before resigning his commission in 1840. In 1843, he wrote and published a training manual entitled Military Instructions; Designed for the Militia and Volunteers.
After resigning from the Army, he returned to Ohio. There he read the law with an established firm. He passed the bar exam in 1843, and established his practice in Painesville, Ohio.
In 1848 he moved further west to Monmouth, Illinois. There he married Charlotte Phelps and raised a family. One of Paine's close friends was fellow Illinois attorney Abraham Lincoln.
Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Paine was elected colonel of the 9th Illinois Infantry. In September of that year, he was appointed as a brigadier general of volunteers. He commanded a brigade at Paducah, Kentucky, a critical supply depot for the Federal army. There, Paine developed a reputation for harshness and cruelty toward the civilian populace. He ordered all guerrilla fighters caught within his territory to be executed.
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