Union Military Leaders

Military Leaders

Union

Robert Anderson

o commander at Fort Sumter

Nathaniel P. Banks

o 24th Governor of MAo Speaker of the US House of Rep.o Shenandoah Valley Campaign: responsible for keeping Stonewall Jackson, who was located in the Shenandoah valley, from reinforcing the defenses of Richmond

Don Carlos Buell

o fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican War, and the Civil Waro led two Union armies in two great Civil War battles:

o Shiloh o Perryville

o relieved of duty in 1862

Ambrose Burnside

o Rhode Islando soldiero railroad executiveo inventoro industrialisto politician (served as governor & U.S. Senator)

o conducted successful campaigns in NC and East TNo defeated in the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg and Battle of the Crater

Benjamin Butler

o 33rd Governor of MAo U.S. House of Representatives o widely reviled for years after the war by Southern whites who called him “Beast Butler” o one of the most controversial political generals of the war b/c of:

o administration of occupied New Orleans o policies regarding slaves as contrabando ineffectual leadership in the Bermuda Hundred Campaigno fiasco of Fort Fisher

Joshua L. Chamberlain

o Maine college professoro volunteered to join Union army o awarded Medal of Honor for bravery at Gettysburgo given the honor to command Union troops at the surrender ceremony for the infantry of Lee’s army at Appomattox o 32nd Governor of Maineo served on the faculty of, and as president, of his alma mater, Bowdoin College

George A. Custer

o officer and cavalry commandero known for disastrous military engagement at the Battle of the Little Bighorn o fought in First Bull Run

Thomas Ward Custer

o two time recipient of the Medal of Honoro younger brother of George A. Custer o perished with him at the Battle of Little Bighorn

John Adams Dix

o Secretary of Treasury during Buchanan’s administrationo important at the beginning of Civil War for arresting which prevented MD legislature from meeting and preventing MD from seceding

o earned him Lincoln’s gratitude o helped suppress New York City Draft Riots o Dix-Hill Cartel

o agreement between Dix and Confed. Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill for the general exchange of prisoners

David Farragut

o flag officer of U.S. Navyo the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and full admiral of the Navyo remembered for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay

o “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

Gustavus Fox

o U.S. Navy officero served during Mex-Amer. Waro Assistant Secretary of the Navy during Civil Waro sent in the steamer Baltic to the relief of Maj. Robert Anderson in Fort Sumter and brought them awayo sent on special mission to Russia and conveyed congratulations of Lincoln to Tzar Alexander II

John Charles Fremont

o “The Great Pathfinder”o military officero explorero first candidate of the Republican Party

Ulysses Grant

oAppointed to take command of an unruly volunteer regiment•Sept. 1861 – became brigadier general•Sought to win control of MS valley•Feb 1862 – took Fort Henry and Fort Donelson“No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.”•Promoted to major general•April 1862 – Battle of Shiloh •Sought to win Vicksburg to cut the Confederacy in two•Also broke Confederate hold on Chattanooga •March 1864 – Appointed as General-in-Chief•Directed Sherman to drive through the South•While he and the Army of the Potomac pinned down Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia•April 9, 1865 – Appomattox Court House, Lee surrendered •Grant wrote magnanimous terms of surrender that would prevent treason trials

Joseph Hooker

o best remembered for his stunning defeat by Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville (1863)o known as “Fighting Joe”

Henry Wager Halleck

o derogatory nickname “Old Brains”o important participant in the admission of California as a stateo early in the war,

o senior Union Army commander in the Western Theatero served for almost two years as general-in-chief of all U.S. armieso Grant replaced him in 1864

Winfield Scott Hancock

o Democratic nominee for President in 1880o “Hancock the Superb”o noted in particular for his personal leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863o “Thunderbolt of the

John Hartranft

o fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican War, and the Civil Waro led two Union armies in two great Civil War battles:

o Shiloh o Perryville

o relieved of duty in 1862

David Herold

o conspiratoro led Lewis Powell to the home of Sec. of State William H. Sewardo assisted Booth to Dr. Samuel Mudd’s home after Booth broke his lego he was tried and sentenced to death by hanging

Rufus Ingalls

o 16th Quartermaster General of U.S. Army

John A. Logan

o Union Army General o Ill. Senatoro unsuccessful candidate for VP

Joseph Mansfield

o Army officero civil engineero Union general, mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam

George B. McClellan

o organized the famous Army of the Potomaco served briefly (Nov 1861 – Mar 1862) as general-in-chief o Peninsula Campaign in 862 failedo “If General McClellan does not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time.” – Lincolno failed to maintain trust of Lincolno unsuccessful Democratic candidate in election of 1864

o platform: antiwar, promised to end the war and negotiate with the Confederacy

George G. Meade

o Army officero civil engineer involved in coastal constructiono fought w/distinction in the Seminole War and Mexican-American Waro defeated Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg

Michael O’Laughlen

o conspirator o found guilty and sentenced to life in prison

John Pope

o Army officero generalo brief but successful career in the Western Theatero best known for defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East

Fitz John Porter

o Army officero generalo known for his performance at the Second Battle of Bull Run and his subsequent court martialo military career ruined by a controversial trial which was called by his political rivals

Lewis Powell

o attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate Sec. of State William Sewardo one of four people hanged for Lincoln assassination conspiracy

William H. Powell

o American artist from Ohioo known for a painting of the Battle of Lake Erie, of which one copy hangs in the Ohio State capitol building and the other, in the U.S Capitol

John A. Rawlins

o generalo confidant of Granto 29th Secretary of War during Grant’s administration

John F. Reynolds

o Army officero generalo one of the Union Army’s most respected senior commanderso played a key roll in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg

o killed at the very start of the battle

Israel Richardson

o Army officer during Mexican-American War o major general in the Union Armyo nicknamed “Fighting Dick” for prowess on the battlefieldo mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam

Isaac Rodman

o Rhode Island banker and politiciano Union Army brigadier generalo mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam

William S. Rosecrans

o inventoro coal-oil company executiveo diplomato politician o Army officero victor at prominent Western Theater battles

o Second Corintho Stones Rivero Tullahoma Campaign

o military career ended following his disastrous defeat at Battle of Chickamauga

Philip Sheridan

o Army officero generalo close association w. Grant who transferred Sheridan from command of an infantry division in the Western Theater to lead the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomaco defeated Confed. forces in the Shenandoah Valleyo destroyed the economic infrastructure of the Valley o his cavalry pursued Lee and was instrumental in forcing his surrender

William T. Sherman

o soldier, businessman, educator, authoro Generalo served under Grant in ‘62 and ‘63 during campaigns that led to the fall of the Confed. stronghold of Vicksburgo Sherman succeeded Grant as Union commander in the western theater of the waro proceeded to lead his troops to the capture of Atlanta

Daniel Sickles

o colorful and controversial politician o Generalo antebellum NY politician, involved in a number of public scandals, most notably the killing of his wife’s lover, Philip Barton Key, son of Francis Scott Keyo At the Battle of Gettysburg, he insubordinately moved his III Corps to a position in which it was virtually destroyedo career ended at Gettysburg when his leg was struck by cannon fire

Edman Spangler

o conspiratoro worked at Ford’s Theater o sentenced to 6 years in prison

Edwin Sumner

o Army officero Union generalo oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the waro nicknamed “Bull” or “Bull Head” came from his great booming voice and a legend that a musket ball once bounced off his head

John Surratt

o conspiratoro his mother (Mary Surratt) was convicted and hanged by the US Federal Govt.o she owned the boarding house where Booth and conspirators planned the schemeo he avoided arrest by fleeing the country

Mary E. Surratt

o first woman executed by U.S. Federal Govt.

o hanged

George H. Thomas

o Army officero generaloOne of the principal commanders in the Western Theatero stout defense at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 saved the Union Army from being completely routed

o earned him the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga”

odestroyed Hood’s army at the Battle of Nashville in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864

Lew Wallace

o lawyer, governor, general, statesman, author

Gouverneur K. Warren

o civil engineero generalo career ruined during of the Battle of Five Forks when he was relieved of command by Sheridano best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the “Hero of Little Round Top”

Gideon Welles

o Secretary of the Navyo buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory o instrumental in the Navy’s creation of the Medal of Honor

Seth Williams

o served as assistant adjutant general of the Union’s Army of the Potomac

Horatio Wright

o engineero generalo served as Chief of Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers