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James Harrison Wilson
Birth: 9-2-1837
Death: 2-23-1925
Biography
James Harrison Wilson was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Campaign before joining Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army in the Western Theater, where he was promoted to brigadier general. In 1864, he transferred from engineering to the cavalry, where he displayed notable leadership in many engagements of the Overland Campaign, though his attempt to destroy Lee’s supply lines failed when he was routed by a much smaller force of Confederate irregulars. Returning to the Western Theater, Wilson became one of the few Union commanders to defeat Confederate cavalier Nathan Bedford Forrest in battle - at the Battle of Franklin in November 1864 and again during his raid through Alabama and Georgia in March and April 1865. Wilson ended the war with his men capturing both Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Andersonville Prison commandant Henry Wirz in May 1865. Upon his death in 1925, he was the fourth-to-last living Union Civil War general.
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Biography and Citation Information:
Biography:
James Harrison Wilson was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Campaign before joining Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army in the Western Theater, where he was promoted to brigadier general. In 1864, he transferred from engineering to the cavalry, where he displayed notable leadership in many engagements of the Overland Campaign, though his attempt to destroy Lee’s supply lines failed when he was routed by a much smaller force of Confederate irregulars.
Returning to the Western Theater, Wilson became one of the few Union commanders to defeat Confederate cavalier Nathan Bedford Forrest in battle - at the Battle of Franklin in November 1864 and again during his raid through Alabama and Georgia in March and April 1865. Wilson ended the war with his men capturing both Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Andersonville Prison commandant Henry Wirz in May 1865. Upon his death in 1925, he was the fourth-to-last living Union Civil War general.
Citation for Birth Info:
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Citation Type:
Website
Citation URL:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5847
Title of Webpage:
James Harrison Wilson (1837-1925) - Find a Grave Memorial
Website Viewing Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:00
Website Last Modified Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:00
Citation Type:
Website
Citation URL:
https://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=SyR128&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&qh=APDUlpO4zyoFPrZf2TSngA%3D%3D&gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=james%20harrison&gsfn_x=1&gsln=wilson&gsln_x=1&msbdy_x=1&msbdy=1837&catbucket=rstp&MSA
Title of Webpage:
U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-65, AncestryLibrary.com
Website Viewing Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:15
Website Last Modified Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:15
Citation for Death Info:
Citation Type:
Website
Citation URL:
https://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=1674&h=76790&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=3867
Title of Webpage:
Delaware Death Records, 1861-1933, AncestryLibrary.com
Website Viewing Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:00
Website Last Modified Date:
Thursday, May 23, 2019 - 17:00