[citation needed] Later he engaged in the lumber business, and built the first steam sawmill in Tonawanda.
Then he also engaged in the forwarding, shipping and commission business, and later became a farmer.
He was Collector of Canal Tolls at Tonawanda from 1849 to 1850; and Clerk of Niagara County from 1852 to 1854.
During the American Civil War he fought as a captain with the 100th New York Infantry, and took part in many battles of the Peninsula Campaign.
[citation needed] In August 1863, he was wounded and taken prisoner, and held in Charleston, South Carolina, until being exchanged in March 1865.