VMI Archives Historical Rosters: Hamilton Leroy Shields

Historical Rosters Database

Hamilton Leroy Shields

Roster ID 24
This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.

First Name:	Hamilton
Middle Name:	Leroy
Last Name:	Shields
Suffix:
Affiliation:	Class of 1842
Biography & Genealogy:	Birth date: 1821 in Norfolk, Virginia Death date: November 24, 1889 Father: William Cannon Shields, newspaper editor Mother: Elizabeth Finch Marriage: Caroline Hart of Troy, New York Children: Elizabeth, William, Henry, Frances, Harriet, Caroline, Virginia, and Howard Career: Army officer (1846-1854); lawyer (1854-1857); farmer in Bennington, Vermont VMI Record Entered VMI on December 5, 1839 from Norfolk and resigned on April 15, 1841 to enter the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, New York (graduated in 1846). Military Record Mexican War: Served as a U.S. Army Officer (1846-1854)

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The database currently includes the names of all enrolled students (both graduates and non-graduates) from VMI's opening in 1839 through the World War II era. In addition, you will find biographical and genealogical information, including a summary of military service during the Civil War, for many individuals who attended in the 19th century. The database also includes some historical Faculty and Board of Visitors members, as well as U. S. Army students sent to VMI for training during World Wars I and II. The latter groups were not VMI cadets. For further information about an ancestor listed in the database, please contact the VMI Archives. We can check the complete record, let you know if other information available, and provide copies of original documents. This database is for historical research. We do not release information about living individuals.