Major General Alfred T.A. Torbert

Major General Alfred T.A. Torbert, born July 1, 1833, was a West Point graduate of the class of 1855 who served with distinction during the American Civil War as commander of the 1st New Jersey Brigade and Chief of Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. Proud to call Milford and Sussex County his home, he was presented as an example of high achievement through dedication and perseverance despite humble roots and background. In 1866, after returning from the Civil War, he married Mary E. Currey and they lived on North Walnut Street in Milford, Delaware. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him Minister to El Salvador in 1869, he became Consul General to Havana, Cuba, in 1871, and in 1873 he was assigned Consul General to Paris, France, the highest post in the diplomatic service. He returned to Milford in 1878. En route to Mexico in August 1880 aboard the steamer Vera Cruz, he perished in a shipwreck during a violent storm off the coast of Florida. His funeral on September 30, 1889, beginning in New York City and ending with final ceremony and burial in Milford, was remembered as the largest in Delaware history and was attended by many dignitaries from within and outside Delaware.

Milford, Delaware · United States