Dr. Samuel Henry Melcher – US Army Surgeon
Born: October 30, 1828, in Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Served: Assistant Surgeon, 5th Missouri Cavalry, 1861; Brigade Surgeon, 1861 to 1864
Died: August 1, 1915, in Chicago, Illinois
After serving briefly with his regiment, Melcher was promoted to Brigade Surgeon and put in charge of hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri, and later in Springfield, Illinois. After resigning from his commission in 1864, Melcher was involved in a variety of pursuits, including practicing medicine, running a pharmacy and even farming on a homestead in South Dakota. Over time he became blind due to a war injury.