Richard Comba

Richard Comba
1889 illustration of Comba as a captain
Born(1837-07-11)11 July 1837
County Limerick, Ireland
Died29 March 1907(1907-03-29) (aged 69)
San Francisco, California, US
Buried
San Francisco National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Union (American Civil War)
ServiceUnited States Army
Union Army
Service years1855–1861, 1865–1901 (US Army)
1861–1865 (Union Army)
RankBrigadier General
UnitUS Army Infantry Branch
Commands
WarsUtah War
American Indian Wars
American Civil War
Spanish–American War
Philippine–American War
Spouse
Francis Mary "Fannie" Logan
​
​
(m. 1874⁠–⁠1907)​
[1][2]
Children3[2]

Richard Comba (11 July 1837 – 29 March 1907) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Indian Wars, American Civil War, Spanish–American War, and Philippine–American War, he served from 1855 to 1901 and attained the rank of brigadier general. Comba's commands included the 12th Infantry Regiment and 5th Infantry Regiment.

Biography

Richard Comba was born in Limerick, Ireland on 11 July 1837.[3] He was raised and educated in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1854.[4] He was 17 when he claimed an 1834 birthdate so he would appear to be 21, the minimum age for enlisting in the military without parental consent, and he joined the United States Army as a private in January 1855.[a][6][7][8] Comba was assigned to the 7th Infantry Regiment and took part in the Utah War in 1858 and an expedition against the Navajo in New Mexico in the late 1850s and early 1860s.[9] He was selected early in his career for non-commissioned officer leadership assignments, and he quickly advanced to corporal, sergeant, and first sergeant.[9]

Early career

The American Civil War started in April 1861 and in July, Confederate States Army forces under John R. Baylor compelled the surrender of Union Army troops including Comba at San Augustin Spring, New Mexico.[9] The Union troops were soon paroled, after which he was stationed at Rouses Point, New York.[9] In September 1862, he joined the Army of the Potomac and took part in engagements including the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, at which he assumed command of his 7th Infantry company after its officers were killed or wounded.[9]

In February 1863, Comba received a commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry.[9] He remained with the 7th Infantry, which took part in the Battle of Chancellorsville in April–May 1863 and the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.[9] He was wounded at Gettysburg and received brevet promotions to first lieutenant, captain, and major for his heroism during the fight.[9] He performed recruiting duty beginning in September 1863, and was promoted to first lieutenant in October.[9] He rejoined the regiment in October 1864 and served through the end of the war.[9] Comba was promoted to captain in March 1865.[9]

Continued career

From December 1865 to April 1866, Comba commanded the post at Marianna, Florida.[9] From April 1866 to April 1868, he commanded the post at Fort Brooke, Florida.[10] In April 1868, he was assigned to the post at St. Augustine, Florida.[9] Comba served extensively in the western states during the American Indian Wars and was the longtime commander of Company D, 7th Infantry Regiment.[11] In August 1873, Comba was court-martialed after accusations that he had been drunk on duty; he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to be cashiered, but the sentence was commuted to a six month suspension and partial forfeiture of pay.[12] He took part in the 1877 Battle of the Big Hole and was commended for his heroism.[13]

During the Spanish–American War, Comba commanded the 12th Infantry Regiment in Cuba, including participation in the Battle of El Caney.[5] As a temporary brigadier general, he commanded 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Fourth Army Corps, and his aide-de-camp was Charles Carr Clark.[5][14] After returning to his permanent rank of colonel, he commanded the 5th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War, and was subsequently assigned to command the province of Abra on the island of Luzon.[5] He left the army after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in July 1901.[5] In 1904, the US Congress enacted legislation permitting Union Army veterans who had served for 40 years and not attained permanent general officer's rank to be advanced one grade; under these criteria, Comba was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list.[15][16]

In retirement, Comba resided in San Francisco and he was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba.[3][5] He died at the Presidio of San Francisco on 29 March 1907.[17] Comba was buried at San Francisco National Cemetery.[18]

Dates of rank

Comba's dates of rank were:

Notes

  1. ^ Comba eventually had his birth date corrected in army records; by 1903 publicly available sources gave the year as 1837.[5]

References

  1. ^ Military Affairs: The Journal of the American Military Institute. Vol. 22–23. American Military Institute. 1972. p. 88 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Births, Marriages and Deaths: Died; Frances Mary Comba". Army and Navy Journal. Washington, DC. 14 July 1928. p. 919 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "Review of the Year". The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. Boston: American-Irish Historical Society. 1907. pp. 104–105 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ District of Columbia: Concise Biographies of Its Prominent and Representative Contemporary Citizens. Washington, DC: The Potomac Press. 1908. p. 90 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Leonard, John W., ed. (1903). Who's Who In America. Vol. III. Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 301 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "U.S. Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914, Entry for Richard Comba". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1855. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  7. ^ Clarke, Frances M.; Plant, Rebecca Jo (Summer 2024). "Boy Soldiers: One in 10 Union soldiers was underage when they enlisted. Their presence disrupted families, created chaos—and helped win the war". The Civil War Monitor. Margate, New Jersey.
  8. ^ McChristian, Douglas C. (2017). Regular Army O!: Soldiering on the Western Frontier, 1865–1891. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 631. ISBN 978-0-8061-5695-8 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Henry, Guy Vernor (1869). Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army. Vol. I. New York: Carleton. pp. 279–280 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Powell, William Henry (1890). Powell's Records of Living Officers of the United States Army. Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co. p. 137 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Hedren, Paul L. (2011). After Custer: Loss and Transformation in Sioux Country. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-8061-4216-6 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ US Army Adjutant General (13 August 1873). General Court-Martial: Orders No. 30. Washington, DC: US Department of War. pp. 1–2 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ United States Senate (20 April 1894). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 599 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Cullum, George W. (1901). Holden, Edward S. (ed.). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy. Vol. IV. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Cambridge Press. pp. 506–507 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "Will Adjourn Next Week". The Advance Herald. Worthington, Minnesota. 22 April 1904. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Army Promotions". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. 26 May 1904. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Death List of a Day: Brig. Gen. Richard Comba". The New York Times. New York. 31 March 1907. p. 9 – via TimesMachine.
  18. ^ "General Richard Comba Buried With Military Honors". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 31 March 1907. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Brown, Fred Radford (1909). History of the Ninth U.S. Infantry, 1799-1909. Chicago: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. p. 695 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Colonel Comba To Retire". The Evening Times. Washington, DC. 12 July 1901. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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