An Engineer And Soldier

John Newton received his appointment to Union Major General March 30^th 1863.

John Newton was born August 25^th 1822 in Norfolk, Virginia the son of United States Congressman Thomas and Margaret (Jordan) Newton Jr.  He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating second in the class of 1842.  He was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers and taught the subject from 1843 to 1846 at the Academy.  After which Newton served in engineering work along the Atlantic coast, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf Coast.

When the Civil War began, Newton stayed loyal to the Union.  He helped with the construction of the defenses of Washington, DC.  He was leading a brigade during the Peninsula and Maryland Campaigns, and fought at the Battle of Antietam.  Newton had become a division commander in the VI Corps by the Battle of Fredericksburg.  He was among the officers who traveled to Washington, DC to complained to United States President Abraham Lincoln of their lack of confidence in their commander; Union Major General Ambrose E Burnside.  On March 30^th 1863 Newton was appointed Major General.  He was wounded during the Chancellorsville Campaign at Salem Church.  During the Battle of Gettysburg Newton took command of the I Corps of the Army of the Potomac after the death of Union Major General John F Reynolds, and would continue in that position until the army was reorganized in 1864.  He was then placed in commanded of a division in the IV Corps during the Atlanta Campaign.  After this he was moved to command of the District of Key West, with his last campaign of the war a defeat at the Battle of Natural Bridge in Florida in March 1865.

After the war Newton returned to the Corps of Engineers.  He would oversee the improvements of the waters around New York City, and the Hudson River south of Albany, New York.  He was appointed Chief of Engineers in 1884.  On October 10^th 1885 Newton used 140 tons of dynamite and blew up New York’s Hell Gate Rock.  He retired from the Army in 1886, serving as a Commissioner of Public Works in New York City, and as President of the Panama Railroad Company.  Newton died May 1^st 1895 in New York City, New York, and is buried in the cemetery at West Point.

Advanced Even After His Loss

Union Brigadier General Conrad Feger Jackson was killed in action December 13^th 1862 during the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Conrad Feger Jackson was born in Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, September 11^th 1813 the son of Isaac Jackson a part of a family of Quakers.  His father died when he was young and he was raised by an uncle; Joseph Jackson, in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Jackson started working in warehouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then moved onto working as a conductor for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.  During the Mexican American War, Jackson carried dispatches for General Winfield Scott.  He would settle after the war in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving in the late 1850’s to become the manager of an oil company in the Kanawha Valley area of Virginia.

When the Civil War started Jackson went back to Pittsburgh where he organized the 9^th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry.  He received an appointment from Pennsylvania Governor Andrew G Curtin as the Colonel of the 9^th, leading them with distinction during the Peninsula Campaign.  He was promoted July 17^th 1862 to Brigadier General and placed in command of the 3^rd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves.  They would see action at Second Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam.

As the Union Army moved against the Confederates at Fredericksburg, Jackson led his Brigade against the right wing of the Confederates.  His Division commander Union General George G Meade wrote of their movement, “The Third brigade had not advanced over one hundred yards when the battery on the height on its left was re-manned, and poured a destructive fire into its ranks. Perceiving this, I dispatched my Aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Dehon, with orders for General Jackson to move by the right flank till he could clear the open ground in front of the battery, and then, ascending the height through the woods, sweep round to the left and take the battery. Unfortunately Lieutenant Dehon fell just as he reached General Jackson, and a short time after, the latter officer was killed. The regiments did, however, partially execute the movement by obliquing to the right, and advanced across the railroad, a portion ascending the heights in their front. The loss of their commander, and the severity of the fire, from both artillery and infantry, to which they were subjected, compelled them to withdraw."

Jackson was killed December 13^th 1862.  His body was recovered from the field and taken back to Pittsburgh.  He is buried in the Allegheny Cemetery there.

Praise From The Command Of Artillery

Union Colonel Charles Shiels Wainwright received his commission to major in the 1^st New York Artillery October 17^th 1861.

Charles Shiels Wainwright was born December 31^st 1826 in New York City, the son of William P Wainwright.  He grew up on his father’s estate in the Hudson Valley known as “The Meadows”, where they grew produce that he delivered to the markets in the city.

Wainwright was 34 in 1861 when the Civil War started.  He began keeping a diary on October 1^st that year.  Wainwright received a commission in the 1^st New York Artillery on October 17^th 1861 to Major.  He was with his guns at the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg.  At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Wainwright served as the chief of artillery of the First Corps, where he received praise from Union Brigadier General Henry J Hunt.  During the Battle of Gettysburg Wainwright commanded the artillery on the eastern part of Cemetery Hill on July 2^nd 1863, and was involved in the twilight attack on the hill.  When the Army of the Potomac was reorganized in 1864 Wainwright became the chief of artillery for the Fifth Corps.  It was in this position that his guns broke the Confederate attack at the Battle of North Anna.  He was given a brevet promotion to Brigadier General August 1^st 1864.

After the war ended Wainwright returned to Dutchess County, New York and farming, before doing a tour of Europe, and then settling in Washington, DC.  He died at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC September 13^th 1907, and is buried in the Green Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, New York.  Wainwright’s brother inherited the diary he had kept during the Civil War, and he used it to write “A Diary of Battle: The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S Wainwright, 1861 – 1865”.

His Body Was Never Found

Confederate General Richard Brooke Garnett was killed while taking part in Pickett’s Charge on July 3^rd 1863.

Richard Brooke Garnett was born at Rose Hill the family’s estate in Essex County, Virginia November 21^st 1817, the son of William Henry and Anna Maria (Brooke) Garnett.  He attended the United State Military Academy at West Point with his cousin Robert Selden Garnett.  They graduated in 1841 ranking 29^th and 27^th out of 52 in the class.  Garnett received a commission to Second Lieutenant and served with the 6^th United State Infantry, seeing action in Florida, Fort Laramie, and with the Utah Expedition.  During the Mexican American war Garnett served as a staff officer in New Orleans.  He was serving in California with the rank of Captain when the Civil War began.  He resigned his commission May 17^th 1861.

Returning to Virginia Garnett offered his service to the Confederacy, first as a Major in the Artillery, and then as a Lieutenant Colonel in Cobb’s Legion.  On November 14^th 1861 he was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of the First Brigade of the Army of the Valley District.   It was in this position that Garnett ran afoul of Confederate General Thomas J "Stonewall" Jackson.  During the Battle of Kernstown finding his men outnumbered and running low on ammunition Garnett ordered a retreat.  Jackson accused him of disobeying orders and had him arrested for “neglect of duty” and removed from command.  Garnett’s court martial trail started in August 1862, but was suspended when the campaign including the Second Battle of Manassas started.  General Robert E Lee ordered that Garnett be released from arrest and he assigned Garnett a command in Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s Corps. He showed his abilities at the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg.

During the Gettysburg Campaign Garnett’s brigade was assigned to Confederate General George Pickett’s division and so did not get to the battlefield until late afternoon on July 2^nd 1863.  Garnett arrived on the battlefield with a fever and an injury from where his horse had kicked him in the leg.  When the form of what we now know as Pickett’s charge began to take place Garnett and his Brigade were to be in the front center, just to the left of Brigadier General James L Kemper men.  As Garnett was unable to walk he led his men on horseback.  He got to about 20 yard of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge before he was killed on July 3^rd 1863.  Garnett’s courier Private Robert H Irvine of the 19^th Virginia saw him fall.  Garnett’s body was never found and was most likely buried with his men in a mass grave in front of Cemetery Ridge.  His body is thought to have been removed to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia after the war with the other Confederate dead.

They Lost Over Half Their Strength

The 19^th Maine Infantry was discharged from Union service May 31^st 1865, after serving for three years.

The 19^th Maine Infantry was raised in Bath, Maine, and was mustered into Union service August 25^th 1862.  Most of the men came from the counties of Kennebec, Knox and Waldo.  The 19^th was in the Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Bristoe Station, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Boydton Plank Road, and many others.  These men fought on July 2^nd 1863 at Gettysburg loosing 53% of the regimental strength, when they were moved forward to the Codori Farm to cover the retreat of Sickles' Third Corps.  Their commander there was Colonel Francis E Heath from Waterville, Maine; he was wounded on July 3^rd 1863 during Pickett’s Charge just south of the Copse of Trees.  On June 18^th 1864 the remaining 277 men of the 4^th Maine were merged into the 19^th.

The remaining members of the 19th were mustered out of the Union Army on May 31^st 1865 at Bailey’s Cross Roads.  Of the 1,441 who were members of the 19^th Maine, 192 were killed in actions or died from wounds received, 501 were wounded.  184 men died from diseases and 47 died while being held in Confederate Prisoner of War camps.

He Turned In A Good Showing

Confederate Thomas Fentress Toon was elected Colonel of the 20^th North Carolina February 26^th 1863 following the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Thomas Fentress Toon was born in Columbus County, North Carolina June 10^th 1840 the son of Anthony and Mary (McMillian) Toon.  He began his education at Wake Forest College, graduating after the start of the Civil War and his own enlistment.

Toon joined the 20^th North Carolina Infantry, starting as their First Lieutenant and moving quickly to Captain.  After turning in a good showing at the battles of Seven Pines, South Mountain, and Fredericksburg, the men of the 20^th elected Toon their Colonel.  He led his regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Mine Run.  During the Overland Campaign, Toon took over command of the brigade, when his Brigadier General Robert D Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.  He continued to lead the brigade during Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early’s raid on Washington, DC in July 1864.  Johnston returned to command in August and Toon went back to the 20^th.  During the Confederate attack on Fort Stedman on March 25^th 1865, he was wounded for the seventh time, ending his active duty.

Toon returned to North Carolina after the war ended.  He served as the superintendent of public instruction.  Toon died February 19^th 1902 in Raleigh, North Carolina.  He is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Always A Colonel

Confederate Colonel John Mercer Brockenbrough resigned his commission on January 21^st 1864.

John Mercer Brockenbrough was born August 1^st 1830 in Richmond County, Virginia, the son of Moore Fauntleroy and Sarah Waller (Smith) Brockenbrough.  He attended and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1850.

Brockenbrough was appointed the Colonel of the 40^th Virginia at the start of the Civil War.  They were a part of Confederate Major General A P Hill’s Light Division.  Brockenbrough led his men during the Seven Days Battles seeing casualties of about 50%.  At the Battle of Chantilly he moved up to Brigade command, and continued there through the battles of Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, and Fredericksburg.  In the early part of the 1863 Confederate Brigadier General Henry Heth replaced Brockenbrough as the brigade commander.  But, when A P Hill was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Heth moved up and Brockenbrough got his brigade back.  His men saw action at Gettysburg on the afternoon of July 1^st 1863, fighting against Union Colonel Roy Stone’s Pennsylvania Buck Tails, and as part of Pickett’s Charge on the 3^rd.

Following a reckless charge on Union troops at the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14^th 1863; a part of the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg, Brockenbrough was removed from Brigade command and he resumed command of the 40^th Virginia.  He led the 40^th the Battles of Bristoe and Mine Run, before resigning his command January 21^st 1864 still as a Colonel.

Brockenbrough lived in Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia following the war.  He died August 25^th 1892 in Richmond, Virginia and is buried in the Hollywood Cemetery there.

An Officer Of Merit

Union General Conrad Feger Jackson from Pennsylvania was killed December 13^th 1862 in action at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Conrad Feger Jackson was born September 11^th 1813 in Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania the son of Isaac Jackson a devote Quaker.  Jackson’s father died when he was 5 years old and Jackson went to live with an Uncle, Joseph Jackson, in Chester County Pennsylvania.  He received his education at the local Quaker schools, before becoming a conductor on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.  Jackson was appointed by President James K Polk to the revenue service and during the Mexican American War he carried dispatches for General Winfield Scott.  After returning to Pennsylvania he took a job with a petroleum oil company in the Kanawha Valley area of Virginia, which was where he was when the Civil War started.

Upon returning to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Jackson organized what became the 9^th Pennsylvania Reserve.  Jackson was appointed the Colonel of the 9^th by Pennsylvania Governor Andrew G Curtin, and served with them throughout the Peninsula Campaign.  He received a promotion to Brigadier General on July 17^th 1862 and was place in command of the 3^rd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves, leading them at the second Battle of Bull Run and Antietam.

On December 13^th 1862 at Fredericksburg Jackson led his brigade at the right wing of the Confederate army.  He had just road forward to give an order to clear the ground in his front, when a Confederate volley hit him in the head, killing him and his aide.  Jackson’s division leader General George Gorden Meade said of his death, "The public service has also to mourn the loss of Brigadier General C Feger Jackson, an officer of merit and reputation, who owed his position to his gallantry and good conduct in previous actions."  His body was taken back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where his buried in the Allegheny Cemetery there.

Building Pontoons Under Fire

Union engineers began before dawn December 11^th 1862 building a pontoon bridge across the Rappahannock River, so troops could be moved into Fredericksburg.

Before dawn on the morning of December 11^th 1862 Union engineers began assembling five pontoon bridges in three areas along the Rappahannock River.  Those who were putting them together across from the city came under fire from Confederate Brigadier General William Barksdale’s Mississippians.  Union artillery fired on the Confederate sharpshooters, but Barksdale’s men were well protected in the cellars of the houses along the water front.  After it became obvious that artillery wasn't working, Union infantry was sent across the river in pontoon boats to roust out the sharpshooters.  Union Colonel Norman J Hall volunteered to lead his brigade, with the 7^th Michigan spearheading the landing for the job.

Commanding Union General Ambrose E Burnside was reluctant to send the men, saying to Hall that "the effort meant death to most of those who should undertake the voyage."  Burnside relented and at 3 pm with Union artillery softening the way, 135 men from the 7^th Michigan and 19^th Massachusetts headed across the river in the small boats.  Landing, the Union troops spread out into a skirmish line, fighting the Confederates street by street as the engineers went back to building the bridge.

Some of Burnside’s troops began crossing at 4:30 on the 11^th, but most didn't get across until the next day.

The First Union Army Lady Doctor

Doctor Mary Edwards Walker a Union Army surgeon was awarded the Medal of Honor November 11^th 1865 under the recommendation of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Mary Edwards Walker was born November 26^th 1832 in Oswego, New York the daughter of Alvah and Vesta Walker.  She worked on the family farm and took to wearing men’s clothing while working.  She was educated in the local school her mother taught.  After earning her own money to pay for it, Walker attended the Syracuse Medical College, graduating with a medical degree in 1855.  She married Albert Miller a fellow student and the two of them opened a practice in Rome, New York.

When the Civil War started Walker volunteered her service to the Union Army.  At first she was only allowed to operate as a nurse, as the Army didn’t have any other female surgeons.  She was at the First Battle of Bull Run.  Walker worked unpaid as a field surgeon on the front line at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chickamauga.  She was finally made a “Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian)" for the Union Army of the Cumberland in September 1863.  This made Walker the first female Union army surgeon.  She was captured April 10^th 1864, behind the lines helping a Confederate doctor with an amputation and was sent to prison in Richmond, Virginia until exchanged.  President Andrew Johnson had her awarded the Medal of Honor after she was recommended by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and George Henry Thomas on November 11^th 1865.

Following the war Walker went on to write and lecturer about health care, temperance, and women’s rights.  She died February 21^st 1919.  At her funeral there was an American flag draped over her coffin.  She is buried in the Rural Cemetery in Oswego, New York.

In 1917 the United State Congress removed Walker’s name along with 910 other Medal of Honor recipients from the Roll of Honor.  None of the 911 was asked to return their medal and Walker wore her until her death.

If you’re interested in reading more Dr Mary E Walker  is a good web site to start with.

Would Not Surrender The Symbols of Pride

The 16^th Maine Infantry was organized in Augusta, Maine and was mustered into service August 14^th 1862, for a term of three years.

The 16^th Maine Infantry was organized with Colonel Charles W Tilden as its commander.  They were mustered into Union service August 14^th 1862 and arrived in Washington, DC a few days later.  They went into active duty immediately in Maryland.  The 16^th was assigned to General John Gibbon’s Division of the First Corps. 

The first action for this regiment was at the Battle of Fredericksburg, where they had 427 men present, losing 27 killed, 170 wounded and 34 missing.  The next time the men of the 16^th saw heavy fighting as the Battle of Gettysburg, where the 16^th went in with 248 officers and men and ended the battle with 2 officers and 15 men able to report for duty.  They saved their flags as the Confederates closed in on the men on July 1^st 1863 by tearing up the colors into small pieces.  As Abner Small of the 16^th said, “For a few last moments our little regiment defended angrily its hopeless challenge, but it was useless to fight longer.  We looked at our colors, and our faces burned. We must not surrender those symbols of our pride and our faith."  The men hid the pieces on their person there by depriving the Confederates of capturing the flags.  In March 1864 the 16^th was transferred to the Union Fifth Corps, serving in General Samuel W Crawford’s Division.  The men would see hard fighting at the Battles of Spotsylvania, Hatcher’s Run and others.

During the three years of service 1,907 men served in the 16^th Maine.  They had 181 killed in battle or die of wounds.  578 men were wounded in action.  259 of the 16^th died from disease.  76 good men of Maine would die in Confederate prison of war camps.

A Three Year Regiment

Henry W Slocum

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

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

The 27^th was a three year regiment, and their enlistment was up on May 31^st 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.

A Live Major General Or A Dead Brigadier

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

Abner Monroe Perrin was born February 2^nd 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 14^th South Carolina as their Captain.  The 14^th 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 10^th 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 12^th 1864, being hit by seven bullets.  He is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Wounded Four Times

Union General Henry Baxter was appointed Brigadier General March 12^th 1863 after being wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Henry Baxter was born September 8^th 1821 in Sidney Plains, Delaware, New York.  His family moved to Jonesville, Michigan in 1831.  When gold fever struck in 1849 Baxter went to California along with 30 other men from the Jonesville area to hunt for the metal.  He returned to Jonesville in 1852 were he settled in and became a miller.  Baxter organized and commanded a militia unit known as the Jonesville Light Guards after moving back.

When the Civil War started Baxter was elected Captain of Company C of the 7^th Michigan Infantry.  He was wounded during the Seven Days Battle.  By the Battle of Antietam, Baxter was a Lieutenant Colonel.  During this battle he was wounded in the leg when Major General John Sedgwick’s division; of which Baxter was a part, was ambushed.  Baxter recuperated in Michigan.  He returned with the command of a regiment in time for the Battle of Fredericksburg.  At Fredericksburg Baxter’s regiment made an amphibious assault, driving Confederate sharpshooters out of the town.  Baxter was wounded again, this time in the left shoulder.  He received an appointment to Brigadier General March 12^th 1863, and the command of a brigade.   At the Battle of Gettysburg Baxter’s men held the right flank of the Union First Corps on the first day of the battle, his troops wiping out most of Confederate Colonel Alfred Iverson’s men.  When the Army of the Potomac was reorganized in March 1864 Baxter kept the command of his brigade, and was assigned to the 2^nd Division of the V Corps.  While fighting at the Battle of the Wilderness he was shot in the left leg; the bullet passing through the leg and killing his horse.  After recuperating this time he led a brigade in the 3^rd Division of the V Corps during the Siege of Petersburg.  Baxter mustered out of service August 24^th 1865.

After the war ended the United Senate awarded Baxter the brevet rank of Major General.  He worked as the Register of Deeds for the State of Michigan before being appointed by President Ulysses S Grant in 1869 to Minister of Honduras.  He returned to Michigan in 1872 and worked in the lumber business until his death on December 30^th 1873 from pneumonia.  He is buried in the Sunset View Cemetery, Jonesville, Michigan.

A good web site to find more is Henry J. Baxter (1821 – 1873)

South Carolina's First Son

Confederate Brigadier General Maxcy Gregg was killed December 15^th 1862 during the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Maxcy Gregg was born in Columbia, South Carolina August 1^st 1814.  He attended South Carolina College, and after passing the bar practiced law with his father.  When the Mexican – American War started Gregg served as a Major in the 12^th United States Infantry.  In the years leading up to the Civil War he was an advocate of secessionists.  He wrote a pamphlet called, "An Appeal to the State Rights Party of South Carolina."

In December 1860, when South Carolina seceded, Gregg went to work organizing the 1^st South Carolina, a six month regiment.  He served as their Colonel.  The 1^st took part in the bombing of Fort Sumter.  He would move up to become Brigadier General on December 14^th 1862; he took command of a brigade made up of South Carolina regiments in Confederate General Ambrose Powell Hill’s Division at the Battles of Gaines’ Mills and Second Manassas.  While fighting at the Battle of Antietam, Gregg was wounded in the thigh by the same bullet which had killed Confederate Brigadier General Lawrence O’Bryan Branch.

While fighting at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Gregg was commanding at a point in the Confederate line where there was a gap.   Union Major General George Gordon Meade’s soldiers were attacking that part of line lines.  As Gregg rallied his troops a bullet passed through his body, hitting his spine.  He died two days later on December 15^th 1862.  Gregg is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.

A Proud Secessionist

Confederate Colonel Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb was killed during the Battle of Fredericksburg December 13^th 1862.

Thomas Reade Roots Cobb was born in Jefferson County, Georgia April 10^th 1823, the son of John A and Sarah [Rootes] Cobb.  He graduated from Franklin College in 1841 and was admitted to the bar in 1842.  Cobb reported for the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1849 through 1857.  He was a fervent secessionist and served as a delegate to the Georgia Secession Convention.  He was also one of the founders of the University Of Georgia School Of Law.

When the Civil War started Cobb served in the Confederate Congress, where he was the chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs, and helped with the drafting of the Confederate constitution.  In 1861 he organized Cobb’s Legion.  Cobb was commissioned the Legion’s Colonel August 28^th 1861.  They saw heavy action in the Battles of Seven Days, Second Manassas, and Antietam, which prompted Cobb’s promotion to Brigadier General in November 1862.  He still hadn't received a confirmation of the promotion when he was mortally wounded.

Cobb was carried inside the Stephens house near the Sunken Road on Marye’s Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13^th 1862 after an artillery shell exploded near his position.  A piece of the shrapnel damaged the femoral artery in Cobb’s thigh and he bleed to death.  He is buried in the Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens, Georgia.

Another web site with more information about  Thomas R. R. Cobb (1823-1862)  worth taking a look at.

Lion of Little Round Top

He was known as the Lion of Little Round Top. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain died February 23, 1914.

Joshua Chamberlain was born September 8, 1828, in Brewer, Maine. The oldest of five children born to Joshua and Sarah (Dupee) Chamberlain. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he met his future wife Fannie Adams. After graduating in 1852 he studied at the Bangor Theological Seminary. Three years latter Chamberlain excepted a job at his old college, married and settled into a normal life.

In 1861 when the southern states began to succeed Chamberlain; who felt strongly about the Union cause, volunteered his services to the state. Although he had no military experience he was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry. The 20th was part of the “Light Brigade” of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Although perhaps best known for the Bayonet charge on Little Round Top on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain and the 20th saw action at many crucial battles, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, etc. He was seriously wounded during an assault outside of Petersburg, Virginia. The surgeon at the field hospital pronounced Chamberlain’s wound to be mortal. General Ulysses S Grant had him promoted to Brigadier General two days latter. Joshua recovered and rejoined the army in April of 65, where he led his troop during the Battle of Five Forks which ended the hold of the Confederates on Petersburg. General Joshua Chamberlain accepted the formal surrender of arms of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 12, 1865 at Appomattox Court House.

After the war Chamberlain returned to his home in Maine. He was elected to Governor of the State of Maine in 1866. In 1871 he became the President of Bowdoin College, however in 1883 he resigned do to health reasons related to old war wounds. He spent a great deal of time in writing and helping other veterans. Chamberlain was honored by Congress in 1893 with the Congressional Medal of Honor, for his service at Gettysburg. From 1900 until his death on February 24, 1914 he was the Surveyor of the Port of Maine in Portland, Maine. He is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine.

The Lawyer of the Vermont Brigade

On January 17th 1828 Medal of Honor holder, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Addison Grant was born.

Lewis Grant was born in Winhall, Vermont the son of James and Elizabeth [Wyman] Grant. He went to local schools, and than taught school in Vermont, New Jersey, and Boston while reading for the bar. In 1855 he was admitted to the bar and began a law practice in Bellows Falls,Vermont.

He was mustered in as a Major of the 5th Vermont Infantry in September 1861. He was promoted several times, was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and he took over command of the Vermont Brigade and was leading them in 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was the acting commander of the 2nd Division 6th Corp during the Battle of Cedar Creek.

When the war ended General Ulysses S Grant recommended Lewis for an appointment in the regular army. He was appointed in August 1866 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 36th Regiment of the United States Infantry, but he turned down the appointment. He lived in Illinois, Iowa and finally settled Minnesota. During President Benjamin Harrison’s administration he was the Assistant United States Secretary of War. He also served in President Grover Cleveland’s cabinet.  Grant was awarded the Medal of Honor in May 1893 for "Personal gallantry and intrepidity displayed in the management of his brigade and in leading it in the assault in which he was wounded.”  He died at Minneapolis March 20th 1918, and is buried in Lakewood Cemetery. He was 90.