General Elliott S. Miller, the adjutant-general of North Dakota, has attained distinctive preferment in military and political circles, and is one of the representative and prominent citizens of Bismarck. He was born in McLean County, Illinois, November 15, 1846, a son of Sanford C. Miller, a native of Harrisonbury, West Virginia, who removed to Illinois in 1836 and died in that state. The mother died during the infancy of our subject and he never knew her given name.
General Miller was reared and educated in Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, and when the Civil War broke out he enlisted, in August, 1861, in Company B, Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He took an active part in the West Virginia campaign, and in the engagements in the Shenandoah Valley, including the battle of Winchester, in March, 1862. After the battle of Antietam the regiment was transferred to South Carolina and was in the battle of Morris Island. They veteranized January 1, 1864, and were brought back to General Butler's army on the James River. Later they participated in the battles of Petersburg and Richmond and in the famous charge on Fort Gregg, and were in the engagement at Appomattox just before the surrender of General Lee. The government presented the regiment with their eagle in recognition of the gallant charge on Fort Gregg. General Miller was wounded in the head on Morris Island, in 1864, and before Richmond was wounded in the right arm and also in the shoulder and foot, being confined to the hospital for four months. He was mustered out as a sergeant December 16, 1865.
Returning to Illinois, he made his home there until 1879, and the following year came to Jamestown, North Dakota, where he took up a homestead. He did not engage in farming, but followed contracting and building there for several years. In 1885 he was made quartermaster of the First North Dakota State Troops, and in 1891 was commissioned colonel of the regiment. Ile was appointed adjutant-general by Governor Roger Allen in 1895, and then removed to Bismarck, where he has since resided. He has met with marked success during his residence in this state and has also gained the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact either in public or private life.
He has been a life-long Republican and has taken an active part in the councils of his party. He is a prominent Mason, a Knight Templar and a member of the Mystic Shrine, and is also an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he has been inspector general of the department of North Dakota. He has also been a delegate to the national encampment from North Dakota, and was commander of W. H. Seward Post, of Jamestown, for five years.
Source: Compendium and History of North Dakota 1900 Page 189