Gordon Granger

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Gordon Granger

Gordon Granger (born November 6, 1821 in Joy, Wayne County , † January 10, 1876 in Santa Fe (New Mexico) ) was a general in the Union Forces during the American Civil War . He commanded a cavalry division in the Battle of New Madrid and the Siege of Corinth, and was promoted to major general and commander of the reserve corps in September 1862 . His decisive intervention in the Battle of Chickamauga saved the Union's lines from collapse.

Life

Early career

Gordon Granger was born in 1821 to Gaius Granger (1797–1863) and Catherine Taylor (1800–1825) in the state of New York . He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845, finishing 35th in the class of 41 graduates. He was made a Brevet Lieutenant and posted to the 2nd Infantry Regiment in Detroit. In 1846 he moved to the Jefferson Barracks newly constituted regiment of mounted riflemen in Missouri. During the Mexican-American War Granger took part under Winfield Scott in the campaigns against the troops under Santa Anna. He took part in the siege of Veracruz, the battles of Cerro Gordo , Contreras , Churubusco and the battles for Mexico City . In May 1847 he received the regular rank of lieutenant and then served on the western frontier, first in Oregon, then in Texas. In 1853 he was promoted to first lieutenant .

In the civil war

When the American Civil War began, Granger was on sick leave. He was then assigned to the staff of General George B. McClellan in Ohio . After recovering, he moved back to his old regiment of mounted riflemen, where he was promoted to captain in May 1861 . As an adjutant to General Samuel D. Sturgis , he participated in the Dug Springs actions in Missouri . In August 1861 he fought in the Battle of Wilson's Creek as a staff officer to General Nathaniel Lyon and was mentioned in the army report for his performance. He was then promoted to major and in command of the Union Arsenal of St. Louis.

In November 1861, Granger took command of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry Regiment at Benton Barracks and was promoted to Colonel of the St. Louis Volunteer Forces . Within three months he brought his unit into full combat readiness, he earned the respect of his regiment by forming a disciplined war body from a mass of men from all walks of life. In February 1862, on the orders of General John Pope, the 2nd Michigan advanced from St. Louis to Commerce , where Pope rallied near 20,000 Union forces to advance to New Madrid. Granger took command of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, consisting of the 2nd and 3rd Michigan Cavalry Regiments. After the 7th Illinois joined the brigade, it was converted into a cavalry division, which was entrusted to Granger.

On March 26, 1862, Granger was promoted to Brigadier General of the Volunteers, then he commanded the cavalry division that accompanied the Army of Mississippi during the Battle of New Madrid (Battle of Island Number Ten) and the Siege of Corinth. On September 17, 1862, he was promoted to major general of the Volunteers and took command of the short-lived Army of Kentucky. He conducted cavalry operations in central Tennessee before his command was incorporated into the Army of the Cumberland and reformed to the Reserve Corps. Granger was best known for his actions as reserve corps commander in the Battle of Chickamauga. On September 20, 1863, he reinforced the XIV Corps on Snodgrass Hill without orders by dispatching James B. Steedman with two brigades to support the troops under Major General George H. Thomas . This action stopped the Confederate attackers until dark and enabled the Union troops to withdraw in order. Thomas was awarded the title "Rock of Chickamauga". After the battle, Granger wrote in his report: "After the thunder of the battle it was judged that he (General Thomas) was being harassed by the enemy, and because I feared that he would not be able to withstand the attack, I decided to immediately help him to march off. " Granger's effective leadership at Chickamauga earned him command of the newly formed IV Corps of Army o the Cumberland and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. From October 10, 1863 to April 10, 1864, he commanded the IV. Corps that distinguished itself under his command in the Battle of Chattanooga . Two divisions of his corps, commanded by Thomas J. Wood and Philip Sheridan , were among the units that attacked the Confederate line on Missionary Ridge and achieved a breakthrough after the Battle of Lookout Mountain . After Chattanooga, Granger's troops took part in lifting the siege in Knoxville, Tennessee . Despite its successes, openness to its superiors, including General Ulysses S. Grant , prevented it from being used during subsequent fighting on the main eastern front.

In April 1864 he was sent to the Gulf of Mexico to take part in the naval operation led by Admiral David Farragut under General ERS Canby . In conjunction with the Navy, his units were able to capture Fort Gaines during the Battle of Mobile Bay . For the remainder of the war, he led his troops in the following campagnes in Tennessee and Alabama. Last he commanded the XIII. Corps during the fighting over Fort Blakeley that led to the fall of the city of Mobile, Alabama .

After the war

Granger remained in the army after the war after retiring from volunteer service. He took command of the Department of Texas. On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln's historic emancipation declaration , Granger issued General Order No. 3 on the balcony of the Ashton mansion in Galveston , informing the people of Texas that all slaves were immediately free (“ Juneteenth "). This sparked demonstrations by freedmen and led to the June 19th annual celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery in Texas.

In July 1866 he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Regiment as a colonel and on December 15, 1870 he was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment as a colonel. From April 29, 1871 to June 1, 1873 he was given command of the District of New Mexico. Granger, whose wife Maria Letcher (1842-1887) was from Lexington , died of a stroke in Santa Fe in 1876 at the age of 54 and was buried in Fayette County Section P, Lot 66 of Lexington Cemetery, Kentucky.

literature

  • Robert C. Conner: General Gordon Granger: The Savior of Chickamauga and the Man Behind , Casemate Publishers, Oxford 2013, ISBN 978-1-61200-185-2

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Granger, Gordon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American major general
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1821
PLACE OF BIRTH Joy, Wayne County
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 1876
Place of death Santa Fe, New Mexico , New Mexico