‘As He Lived For Others, So Did He Die’
Israel Bush Richardson was born in Fairfax, Vt., in December 1815, the second of seven children born to Israel Putnam Richardson and Susanna Holmes Richardson. His father, one of Vermont’s more prominent lawyers, served as a state attorney. As a youngster, Israel loved hearing the stories of his famed ancestor, American Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam, and dreamed of achieving his own military fame one day. Those aspirations were realized in 1836, when he was admitted to the U.S. Military Academy.
Never a brilliant student, Richardson struggled with mathematics and relied on solid study habits and conduct to pull through. He graduated
