Birth Aug. 10, 1827
Death Sept. 28, 1888
Cemetery Oak Hill (Plattsmouth)
Post McConihie (Plattsmouth)
Unit 1st Nebraska Inf/Cav, Field & Staff
Colonel Robert R. Livingston
1st Nebraska Infantry/Cavalry
Robert R. Livingston was born in Montreal, Canada on August 10, 1827. Livingston gained a medical degree from Magill College in 1849. He was living in Plattsmouth when he enlisted in the 1st Nebraska Infantry on June 11, 1861. Livingston was commissioned as a captain and was appointed the commanding officer of Company A. He was one of the original enlistees of the company. Company A was comprised of many citizens of Cass County.
Livingston was promoted 3 times during 1862. The promotions were:
To Major (January 1, 1862).
To Lieutenant Colonel (April 22, 1862).
To Colonel (October 4, 1862).
He was given the rank of brevet general on June 21, 1865. The designation authorizes a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily without receiving the pay of that higher rank.
Livingston was one of the most prominent citizens of 19th century Plattsmouth. He moved to Plattsmouth in 1859 and by 1861 was the interim operator of the local newspaper. After the start of the Civil War in April, 1861 he was instrumental in organizing Company A of the 1st Nebraska Infantry. He was elected as the Company Commander and served under General John Thayer. Livingston was named the regimental commander of the 1st Nebraska Infantry after Colonel Thayer was promoted to Brigadier General in the fall of 1862. The 1st Nebraska Infantry fought at the Capture of Fort Donelson and the Battle of Shiloh in the early stages of the Civil War. By the summer of 1864 the 1st Nebraska had returned to the state where it would spend the remainder of the Civil War. Livingston was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General (brevet) on June 21, 1865 and resigned his commission on July 1, 1865.
After his service in the 1st Nebraska, he returned to Plattsmouth and played a role in Nebraska entering the Union as the 37th state. Some of his many activities include:
Appointed as Surveyor General of Nebraska and Iowa (1868).
Appointed as Chief Surgeon of the Burlington and Missouri Railroad (1869).
Instrumental in organizing the Nebraska State Medical Society and served as its' president.
Mayor of Plattsmouth for several years.
Robert R. Livingston died on September 28, 1888 and is buried in Section R (row 2) of the Oak Hill Cemetery. He was a charter member of the McConihe Post #45 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Plattsmouth.
Doc – Livingston(1NEB).doc
Note: Veteran bios were compiled and written by Dean Podoll.