Thursday, May 31, 2012

Exposed To Great Danger

Union First Lieutenant George L Gillespie was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on May 31st 1864 at the Battle of Cold Harbor.

George L Gillespie was born in Kingston, Tennessee October 7th 1841.  He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class of 1862.  Gillespie received a commission in the Corps of Engineers.

Even though Gillespie was a southerner, he remained loyal to the Union and joined the Army of the Potomac in 1862.  He commanded companies of engineers, building pontoon bridges, and fortifications.  At the Battle of Cold Harbor on May 31st 1864 Gillespie carried military dispatches under fire through enemy lines to Union Major General Philip H Sheridan.  For this action he was awarded the Medal of Honor.  Gillespie would serve as Sheridan’s Chief Engineer through out the rest of the war.

After the Civil War Gillespie supervised work on the harbors at Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York City.  He constructed the canals on the Columbia River and the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.  Gillespie commanded the United State Army’s Department of the East in 1898, and was the acting Secretary of War in 1901.  He was in charge of ceremonies at President William McKinley’s funeral.  He retired with the rank of Major General on June 15th 1905.  He died in Saratoga Springs, New York September 27th 1913.  He is buried at West Point.

Gillespie’s Medal of Honor Citation reads; "Exposed himself to great danger by voluntarily making his way through the enemy's lines to communicate with Gen. Sheridan. While rendering this service he was captured, but escaped; again came in contact with the enemy, was again ordered to surrender, but escaped by dashing away under fire".

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Commissary At Winchester

A major victory for Confederate Major General Thomas J Stonewall Jackson, the First Battle of Winchester was fought May 25th 1862.

Union Major General Nathaniel P Banks learned on May 24th 1862 that his garrison at Front Royal, Virginia had fell to the Confederates.  He also learned that Jackson was moving on his position.  Banks made a retreat from Strasburg, with columns being attacked at Middletown and Newtown.  The Confederates captured a great deal of supplies and wagons, so that they began calling Union General Banks, “Commissary Banks”.

Bank deployed at Winchester placing Union Colonel George Henry Gordon’s brigade on the right at Bower’s Hill with his left on the Valley Pike.  The center of the line was held with artillery and Cavalry.  Colonel Dudley Donnelly’s brigade on the Front Royal Pike covered the left with the rest of the artillery.  At first light Confederate skirmisher advanced and drove the Union pickets back into their lines.

During the night Confederate Major General Richard S Ewell advanced his division.  Jackson moved three of Ewell’s brigades to advance on Valley Pike, leaving just Isaac Trimble’s brigade.  At dawn on May 25th 1862 Jackson had Trimble advance on the Union left flank.  Trimble’s lead regiment the 21st North Carolina came under heavy fire, they regrouped and brought up artillery.  Ewell advanced, sending regiment around enfilading the Union position.  Donnelly withdrew back through the town.

As Ewell’s troops advanced on the Front Royal Pike, Jackson moved on the Valley Pike.  He sent a brigade over the hill to the left of the Pike driving the Union skirmishers in.  Jackson placed artillery and they began a duel with the Union guns on Bower’s Hill.  With more Confederate troops brought up, they flanked the Union right.  Although the Union troops put up a determined fight they gave way and retreated back into Winchester.

After being routed at Winchester, Banks made a retreat to the Potomac River, crossing it at Williamsport.  The Confederate pursuit was sluggish at best, as Jackson’s troops were worn from hard marching done the preceding week.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Killing At Pottawatomie

On the night of May 24th and early morning hours of May 25th 1856, John Brown led what is known as the Pottawatomie Massacre.

Following the attack on Lawrence, Kansas, which was led by a pro- slavery sheriff and included the destruction of abolitionist owned homes, hotel, and newspapers, John Brown was outraged.  He saw the action of these antislavery people as cowardly.  On the morning of May 22nd 1856 a Free State company under the command of John Brown Jr heard of the sacking of Lawrence and not knowing if the people needed assistance set out.  They camped near Ottawa Creek until late on May 23rd 1856.

John Brown Sr handpicked a party to join him on a private expedition.  He took four of his sons; Frederick, Oliver, Owen, and Watson, along with Henry Thomason, Theodore Weiner and James Towsley.  They camped throughout the 23rd and into the evening of the May 24th in a ravine just off the traveled road near Dutch Henry’s Crossing on Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas.  After dark on May 24th 1856 they left their hiding place and went to the house of James P Doyle.  They ordered Doyle and his two adult sons William and Drury out of the house.  Brown’s party took the three men out into the darkness where the Brown brothers killed them with broadsword, finishing by shooting the men in the head to make sure they were dead.  From here Brown’s men went to the house of Allen Wilkinson who ran the local Post Office.  Wilkinson was ordered out of his house and stabbed to death.  Around midnight Brown’s group crossed the Pottawatomie and forced their way into the home of James Harris at the point of a sword.  Harris had three guests staying with him, Jerome Glanville, William Sherman, and John S Wightman.  Glanville and Harris were interrogated and released, while Sherman was taken to the creek and hacked to death.

Brown found out at Harris’s home that his target Henry Sherman was away from home, they ended their killed and returned to the ravine where they had camped the night before.

If you are interested in reading more about the Pottawatomie Massacre this is a good web site.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A part of Confederate Major General Thomas J Stonewall Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign, the Battle of Front Royal was fought May 23rd 1862.

Union Major General Nathaniel P Banks had about 9,000 troops in the area of Strasburg, Virginia on May 21st 1862.  Union Colonel John R Kenly had another 1,000 soldiers at Front Royal, Virginia.  Confederate Major General Thomas J Jackson’s Army of the Valley totaling about 16,500 men was advancing along the Luray Road May 22nd 1862, within ten miles of Front Royal.

On the morning May 23rd 1862 Confederate Colonel Thomas L Flournoy’s cavalry crossed the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, approaching Front Royal from the south.  There was some minor skirmishing with Union pickets, who withdrew.  The leading Confederate brigade under Brigadier General Richard A Taylor deployed along Prospect Hill, with the 1st Maryland and the Louisiana Tigers entering Front Royal and clearing it of Union skirmishers.  Kenly’s Union troops pulled back to Camp Hill and the support of a section of artillery.  Finding more Confederate Cavalry coming from the west Kenly retreated across the South and North Fork bridges, trying to burn them behind him.  The Confederate troops were able to put out the flames and make repairs to the bridges.  Flournoy’s cavalry continued to press the Union men.  Kenly continued his withdrawal fighting a rear guard action against the 6th Virginia Cavalry.

Kenly withdrew to beyond Cedarville, Virginia with the Confederate Cavalry in pursuit.  Upon reaching the Thomas McKay House about a mile north of Cedarville, the Union troops made a stand deploying on the heights.  Flournoy’s Confederate Cavalry flanked the Union troops, Kenly was wounded.  The Union saw losses of 960 men of which 691 were captured or surrendered after Kenly’s wounding.  The Confederates lost only 56 men.

The advance on Front Royal allowed Jackson to get into the rear of the Union army and place his troops in position to move on Winchester, Virginia.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A Forlorn Hope

Union General Ulysses S Grant ordered an assault on the heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi on May 22nd 1863.

On May 22nd 1863 Union General Ulysses S Grant pulled together a plan to attack the Confederate held heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Grant was stretching Confederate Lieutenant General John C Pemberton's line of defense.   He called for volunteers, as there wasn't much hope for survival.  This mission of “forlorn hope” called for the building of a bridge across a ditch, then placing ladders to scale the embankment.

One hundred and fifty men volunteered.  They came under Confederate fire at once, and were trapped in the ditch.  Even though the Union made several attacks against the Confederates, they were unable to cover the volunteers so they could get back to safety.  Out of the 150 men who volunteered for the storming party only 79 survived.  They would all received the Medal of Honor.

Among the men who were awarded the Medal of Honor was Leonidas Mahlon Godley.  His citation tells the story.  “The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Leonidas Mahlon Godley, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 22 May 1863, while serving with Company E, 22d Iowa Infantry, in action at Vicksburg, Mississippi. First Sergeant Godley led his company in the assault on the enemy's works and gained the parapet, there receiving three very severe wounds. He lay all day in the sun, was taken prisoner, and had his leg amputated without anesthetics.”

Monday, May 21, 2012

A Three Year Regiment

Henry W Slocum
Union Colonel Henry W Slocum organized the 27th New York Infantry; it was accepted May 21st 1861 at Elmira, New York.

The 27th New York Infantry was organized at Elmira, New York by Colonel Henry W Slocum.  The State of New York accepted the regiment on May 21st 1861.  It mustered into service in early June and left for Washington, DC on July 10th 1861.  The 27th saw its first action at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21st 1861.  The men of the 27th were also in Battles at Yorktown, Gaines’ Mills, Crampton’s Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and others in the early part of the war.

The 27th was a three year regiment, and their enlistment was up on May 31st 1863.  The men mustered out at Elmira, New York.  They had 4 officers and 142 enlisted men killed, die from wounds or disease during their service.

If you’re interested in learning more about the 27th Infantry Regiment Civil War Union Regiment this is a good web site.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

A Brave Drummer Boy

Union Private Orion Perseus Howe one of the youngest Medal of Honor awardees, received the Medal for action on May 19th 1863 as part of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Orion Perseus Howe was born in Portage County, Ohio December 29th 1848 the son of William Harrison and Eliza Ann (Westland) Howe.  Following the death of his mother in 1852, the family moved to Waukegan, Illinois.

At the age of 12 Howe, along his younger brother Lyton Druett Howe joined the 55th Illinois Infantry as musicians.  Their father was the regimental band leader.  During a battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi May 19th 1863, Howe crossed the field under fire to report the need of ammo to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman on the behest of Colonel Oscar Malmborg.  Howe and several other men volunteered, and Howe although badly wounded was the only one to make it.  It was reported that “he ran through what seemed a hailstorm of canister and musket-balls, each throwing up its little puff of dust when it struck the dry hillside. Suddenly he dropped and hearts sank, but he had only tripped. Often he stumbled, sometimes he fell prostrate, but was quickly up again and he finally disappeared from us, limping over the summit and the 55th saw him no more for several months."

Howe reenlisted in the 55th Illinois on December 25th 1863.  He was discharged November 30th 1864 as a Corporal having seen action in 14 battles.  General Sherman wrote about Howe to Union Secretary of State Edwin M Stanton and attained an appointment for him to the United State Naval Academy.  Howe didn't make it through the Academy, but did graduate from the New York University.  He settled in Springfield, Missouri, where he died January 27th 1930.  He is buried in the Springfield National Cemetery.

Howe’s Medal of Honor reads, “A drummer boy, 14 years of age, and severely wounded and exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy, he persistently remained upon the field of battle until he had reported to Gen. W. T. Sherman the necessity of supplying cartridges for the use of troops under command of Colonel Malmborg.”

Friday, May 18, 2012

Perpetuated by two New York City newspapers the Civil War Gold Hoax was brought about on May 18th 1864 when they published a story stating there would a call for another 400,000 men to be drafted.

Two New York City newspapers, the New York World and the New York Journal of Commerce published a story in May 18th 1864 that President Abraham Lincoln was calling for the conscription of 400,000 more into the Union army.  This caused prices to fall on the New York Stock Exchange, making investors buy gold, causing the price od gold to increase by 10%.

Many people where suspicious of the story.  The fact that only two papers had published the report sent up flags.  The editor of the two papers showed the Associated Press report they had received.  When checked, the Associated Press stated the dispatches had not come from them.  Further research showed the dispatches had been delivered after the night editors had gone home, and the night foremen had to decide whether to publish.  Lincoln ordered the two papers shut down and had their editors arrested for complicity.

The perpetrators were tracked down on May 21st 1864.  Francis Mallison a reporter and Joseph Howard Jr the city editor of the Brooklyn Eagle were arrested.  Howard confessed that he had bought gold on May 17th 1864 and started the story to cause the price to rise.  He stated that he wrote the AP reports and sent them out city newspapers.  He sold off his gold the next day during the panic.  Howard was sentenced to three months in prison.

If you’re interested in reading more try, The Great Civil War Gold Hoax

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A Railroad Builder

Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman an engineer of railroads was killed May 16th 1863 at the Battle of Champion Hill.

Lloyd Tilghman was born at Rich Neck Manor in Claiborne, Maryland January 18th 1816, the son of James and Ann C (Shoemaker) Tilghman.  He received an appointment to West Point Military Academy, graduating in 1836 near the bottom of his class.  Tilghman was commissioned second lieutenant in 1st United States Dragoons.  He resigned after three months of service.  Tilghman went to work in Panama and areas of the south constructing a number of railroads.  He settled in Paducah, Kentucky.

After the Civil War began Tilghman joined the Confederacy and became the Colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Infantry.  He was promoted to Brigadier General on October 18th 1861.  Tilghman took on the engineering work of building Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.  He didn’t choose the location for the forts which he stated in his report were in a “wretched military position”.  Tilghman was captured February 6th 1862 when Fort Henry fell to Union General Ulysses S Grant, and was sent to Fort Warren in Boston, Massachusetts as a POW.  He was exchanged August 15th 1862 for Union General John F Reynolds.  Tilghman returned in the fall and took command of a brigade in Confederate General Earl Van Dorn’s Army of the West.  He commanded artillery at the Second Battle of Corinth.

Tilghman was hit by a shell fragment and killed May 16th 1863 at the Battle of Champion Hill.  He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.

A great web site, if you like to more about Lloyd Tilghman is Paducah's General Lloyd Tilghman

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Richmond Stayed Safe

The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff a part of the Peninsula Campaign was fought May 15th 1862 in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

The only obstacle to Union movement up the James River after the fall of Norfolk, Virginia; protecting the Confederate capital at Richmond, was Fort Darling and Drewry’s Bluff.  Drewry’s Bluff is located about 7 miles from the capital on a sharp bend in the river.  The confederates in the area were under the command of Navy Commander Ebenezer Farrand and Army Captain Augustus H Drewry.  Fort Darling had 8 cannons along with some artillery and naval guns salvaged from the CSS Virginia.  Also protecting the fort were the CSS Patrick and obstructions placed just under the water in the river.

A detachment of Union navy under Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River on May 15th 1862 from Fort Monroe.  The ships in this detachment included the USS Monitor, USS Galena, and USS Aroostook with others.  The Galena got to within 600 yards of the fort, but was hit by several Confederate rounds before she could fire on the fort.  The battle went on for over three hour with the Galena taking another 45 hit, unable to move.  The Monitor’s heavy armor allowed her withstand the incoming ammo, but she was unable to elevate her guns enough to hit the Confederate batteries.  The Union ships were force to withdraw to City Point.

Fort Darling on Drewry’s Bluff had held up to the attack with only 8 casualties.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hold For An Evacuation

A part of the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battle of Jackson was fought May 14th 1863 in Mississippi.

Confederate General Joseph E Johnston was directed to Mississippi on May 9th 1863 to take over command of troops in the area.  He arrived in Jackson, Mississippi on May 13th 1863 where he learned that there were two Union Army Corps; the XV under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman and the XVII under Major General James Birdseye McPherson moving on the city.  If the Union troops were able to take Jackson they would off Vicksburg from the railroads, and take away the ability to threaten the Union flank at Vicksburg.  Johnston learned from Confederate Brigadier General John Gregg that there were only 6,000 troops available to defend Jackson.

Johnston ordered an evacuation of Jackson with the removal of all supplies, but ordered Gregg to hold the town until the evacuation was completed.  By 10 am on May 14th 1863 Union troops had engaged Confederate forces; they slowly pushed Gregg’s men back.  In the afternoon Johnston informed Gregg the evacuation was done and he should follow. Shortly after Union troops entered Jackson where they burnt parts of the town, and cut the railroad.  Union General Ulysses S Grant was traveling with Sherman’s corps and he hosted a celebration at the Bowman House.  There were 286 Union casualties and 850 Confederate ones.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Last Killed

Union Private John Jefferson Williams was killed May 13th 1865; he is thought to be last soldier killed in the Civil War.

John Jefferson Williams was born in 1843 in Jay County, Indiana.  After the Civil War had been going a few years, he joined the 34th Indiana Infantry in September 1863.  Williams’ regiment trained at Camp Joe Holt, they spent most of their time doing garrison duty in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Williams and the 34th were part of the Texas occupation of Texas in 1865.

Williams’ first action was in the Battle of Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas, where he was killed on May 13th 1865.  He is buried in the Alexandria National Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana.

If you would like to know more about John Jefferson Williams, The Death of John Jefferson Williams
Is a good web site.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

A Live Major General Or A Dead Brigadier

Confederate General Abner Monroe Perrin was killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania May 12th 1864.

Abner Monroe Perrin was born February 2nd 1827 in Edgefield, South Carolina.  He was a Lieutenant and served in the infantry during the Mexican American War.  After the war was over Perrin studied for and took up a law practice in 1854.

When the Civil War started Perrin joined the 14th South Carolina as their Captain.  The 14th was part of Confederate Brigadier General Maxcy Gregg’s Light Division.  He saw action at Seven Days, Second Manassas, Antietam, and Fredericksburg.  Perrin took over command of a brigade just before the Battle of Gettysburg in Confederate Major General William Dorsey Pender’s division.  Perrin was promoted to Brigadier General September 10th 1863 and given command of an Alabama brigade in Major General Richard H Anderson division.  He fought with this brigade at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864.

When the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House started Perrin said, "I shall come out of this fight a live major general or a dead brigadier."  When Confederate Major General Edward Johnson’s division was overrun at the Mule Shoe the Confederate Third Corps which included Perrin’s brigade was called in.  Perrin led his brigade in a counterattack with his sword in hand.  He was shot from his horse May 12th 1864, being hit by seven bullets.  He is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Friday, May 11, 2012

To Keep It Out Of Union Hands

The CSS Virginia was destroyed May 11th 1862 to keep her from falling into Union hands.

Union troops advanced on Norfolk, Virginia on May 10th 1862.  The CSS Virginia was steam powered and not made for sea travel, nor was she able to retreat up the James River do to her draft, and was stuck.  The Virginia’s crew attempted to reduce her draft by dumping all the supplies and coal, but this exposed her unarmored hull and didn’t reduce the draft enough.  With no safe port the Virginia’s captain Josiah Tattnell ordered her destroyed.  The task fell to the last man off the Virginia after all her guns had been removed.

Early on the morning of May 11th 1862 Lieutenant Catesby Roger Jones set fire to the Virginia, after running her aground off Craney Island.  When the fire reached the magazine she exploded.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pushed Through The Cove

The Battle of Cove Mountain was fought in Wythe County, Virginia on May 10th 1864.

On May 10th 1864 a Union cavalry brigade under Brigadier General William W Averell ran across a Confederate brigade commanded by Brigadier General William E Grumble Jones.  The Union forces attacked and were driven back.  Then Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan arrived, his cavalry counterattacked.  Morgan’s men pushed Averell’s troops through the Cove Mountain area of Wythe County, Virginia.

The Confederates held the battlefield, forcing Averell and his men back to West Virginia.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A Party For The Constitution

The Constitution Union Party met in Baltimore, Maryland May 8th 1860, to create a platform and select John Bell and Edward Everett as their candidates for President and Vice-President.

The Constitution Union Party (also known as the Bell Everett Party) was made up of former Whigs, Know-Nothings and a number of Southern Democrats.  The party drew its name from its simple platform "to recognize no political principle other than the Constitution...the Union...and the Enforcement of the Laws."  Their hope was that by not taking a stand for or against slavery or the expansion of slavery, they could side steps whole issue.

Senator John J Crittenden of Kentucky set up the meeting of fifty conservative, compromise seeking Congressmen in December 1859.  This meeting brought on the convention in Baltimore, Maryland on May 8th 1860, one week before the Republican convention.  They elected John Bell of Tennessee as their Presidential candidate and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for Vice President.

The Constitution Union Party only won the electoral votes in three states, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.  The only non-slave holding states to give the party more than 5% of the votes were California and Massachusetts.  The party disappeared once the southern state began to secede.

If you’re interested in the platform of this political party, this web site should help; Constitutional Union Party Platform of 1860

Friday, May 4, 2012

Made Up Of Mississippi Students

The “University Greys” joined the 11th Mississippi Infantry as Company A on May 4th 1861.

The “University Greys” were made up mostly of students of the University of Mississippi.  All but four of enrolled students; 135 men joined the Greys in 1861.  They formed Company A and on May 4th 1861 became a part of the 11th Mississippi Infantry.  The Greys took part in the assault on the Union line at Gettysburg as part of Pickett’s Charge.  They penetrated far into the Union line, but in doing so endured casualties of every member being either killed or wounded.  After Gettysburg there were so few of the Greys left that they were merged into Company G, known as the “Lamar Rifles”.  There were members of the Greys still fighting when Confederates surrendered.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Fighting Tow

The USS Osceola left Boston, Massachusetts towing the monitor the USS Canonicus, they reached Hampton Roads, Virginia on May 3rd 1864.

The USS Osceola was a wooden, double ended side-wheel gunboat.  It was launched at Boston, Massachusetts by the Curtis and Tilden Company on May 29th 1863.  She was delivered to the United States Navy Yard in Boston and placed under Commander J M B Cletz on February 10th 1864.

The Osceola left Boston towing the monitor USS Canonicus on April 22nd 1864.  They reached Hampton Roads, Virginia on May 3rd 1864.  The next night the Osceola headed up the James River as part of a joint expedition to clear a path for Army transports through Confederate mines in the river.  The troops landed safely at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia as a part of Union General Ulysses S Grant’s campaign against Richmond, Virginia.  She spent the rest of the year supporting the Union offensive, including an attack on Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina causing the fort to fall into Union hands.

The Osceola was decommissioned on May 13th 1865.  She was sold at auction on October 1st 1867.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

I Shut My Eyes

Union General John Basil Turchin looked the other way on May 2nd 1862, when his troops had their way with Athens, Alabama.

John Basil Turchin was born with the name Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov on December 24th 1821 in Russia.  He attended the Imperial Military School in St Petersburg, Russia.  Turchin served with the Russian Guards and saw action as a Colonel in the Crimean War.  He and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1856.  He settled in Chicago, Illinois and went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad.

When the Civil War started Turchin joined the 19th Illinois Infantry, and became their Colonel.  His unit was place under the command of Union Major General Don Carlos Buell in the Army of the Ohio.  Turchin’s was soon commanding a brigade that was part of the Third Division under Brigadier General Ormsby McNight Mitchel.  Buell moved to support Union General Ulysses S Grant at Shiloh, and sent Mitchel south to Huntsville, Alabama to cut the rail line there.  This move over extended the Union line, and Turchin’s men were badly handled, with the locals firing on them from their windows while trying to hold the town of Athens, Alabama.  Turchin’s men finally occupied the town of Athens on May 2nd 1862.  He brought his men together and told them, "I shut my eyes for two hours. I see nothing."  What followed has been called the “Rape of Athens”, with Turchin leaving his men to loot the town.

When Buell heard about the incidence he court-martialed Turchin.  The proceedings became the focus of the nation.  The debate surrounded on the how the conciliatory policy to Southerns were causing Union casualties to grow.  Before the court-martial was finished Turchin received a promotion to Brigadier General.  Turchin continued to serve, distinguishing himself at Chickamauga and Chattanooga.

Turchin suffered heatstroke and resigned his command October 1864.  He returned to Chicago, where he worked as a civil engineer, and invested in real estate.  He developed dementia which was attributed to the heatstroke he suffered while in the army.  Turchin died June 18th 1901 in Anna, Illinois.