Tanner: A Soldier's life

By Julia LeDouxAugust 14, 2014

Tanner: A Soldier's Life
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – James Tanner, pictured here, was a Civil War veteran, teacher, lawyer, public servant and staunch advocate for veterans rights. As a stenographer, he was present when President Abraham Lincoln died, taking statements from witnesses. The "old ampithea... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Tanner: A Soldier's life
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo Library of Congress Photograph of a drawing by Hermann Faber; one of two drawings he made at the death bed in 1865. "During the Civil War he served as an artist on the Surgeon General's staff of the Union Army and illustrated the medical record... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL - Teacher, wounded warrior, lawyer and staunch veterans advocate.

James Tanner, for whom the old amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery was renamed in May, was all those things and more.

"He believed the reconciliation of the nation was an important step forward in the 1900s and campaigned for the creation of the Confederate section at Arlington National Cemetery," Executive Director of Army National Military Cemeteries Patrick K. Hallinan said during the May 30 renaming ceremony.

Born in Richmondville, N.Y. April 4, 1844, Tanner was a teacher when the Civil War began in 1861. He enlisted in the 87th New York Volunteer Infantry in September of that year and was quickly promoted to corporal, a nickname that remained with him for the rest of his life. He served with the 87th during the Peninsula Campaign of April-July 1862, fighting at the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Williamsburg, the Battle of Seven Pines, the Seven Days Battles and the Battle of Malvern Hill. He also saw action at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Aug. 29-30, where he suffered injuries that led to the amputation of both of his legs just below the knees.

Tanner learned to walk with artificial legs and was appointed the under-doorkeeper for the New York State Legislature in 1863. He became a clerk in the War Department in Washington in 1864, serving as a stenographer. He was called to Petersen House, where President Abraham Lincoln lay dying April 14, 1865, taking down the testimony of eyewitnesses to the assassination. Tanner was present when Lincoln died the next day.

He moved back to his native New York in December, 1865, working as a committee clerk in the state legislature and studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1869 and obtained a patronage position as a clerk in the New York Custom House, was promoted to deputy customs collector and served four years under Chester Arthur, who would later become president.

In 1877, Tanner was appointed tax collector for the city of Brooklyn and held that position until the election of a Democratic city administration in 1886 forced him from office. He became a popular public speaker as was frequently called upon to lobby Congress on behalf of veterans.

Tanner was appointed commissioner of pensions in March of 1889, but was forced to resign six months later in part for loosening rules so that veterans could more easily qualify for a pension. He then opened a law office that specialized in helping veterans win pension claims against the federal government.

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt named Tanner register of wills for the District of Columbia. He held that position until his death in 1927.

Tanner became a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union army veterans, shortly after it formed in 1866. He was elected commander of the New York GAR and successfully campaigned for an old Soldiers' home in the state. He also later successfully lobbied for a home for Confederate veterans in Richmond.

Tanner was elected national commander of the GAR in 1905, and in 1912 spoke at the laying of the cornerstone for the Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.

He was also active in the American Red Cross, serving on the organization's central and executive committees.

Tanner died in Washington, D.C., Oct. 21, 1927, and is buried in Section 2, grave 877, at Arlington, near the amphitheater that bears his name.

Editor's note: Information for this article came from arlingtoncemetery.net.