William H. French

William Henry French (born January 13, 1815 in Baltimore , † May 20, 1881 ) was a career officer in the United States Army and general in the American Civil War .

Life

William H. French was born in Baltimore, Maryland . He graduated from the Military Academy at West Point , New York in 1837 and was made a lieutenant in the artillery. He served briefly in the Second Seminole War and then in a garrison on the Canadian border. from 1837 to 1838.

In the American-Mexican War he served under General Franklin Pierce as aide-de-camp and on the staff of General Robert Patterson . He was successful in the Battle of Veracruz and received two brevet promotions, to captain after the battle of Cerro Gordo and to major after the battle of Churubusco . From 1850 to 1852 French again fought against the Seminole Indians in Florida. During this time he became a co-author of a military textbook.

With the beginning of the Civil War he was stationed as captain of the regular armed forces with the 1st US Artillery Regiment in Eagle Pass, Texas . His garrison surrendered to the Texan Confederate Authorities. French led his people to the Rio Grande and then sailed across the Gulf of Mexico to Key West , Florida , where they were accepted by a Union military post . He was promoted to a regular major and commandant of the base. Together with the United States Navy he tried to stop the slave trade across the sea.

Some time later, in 1861, he was promoted to Brigadier General of the Volunteer Army. He led a brigade of the II Corps of the Potomac Army in the peninsula campaign . French participated in the Battle of Yorktown, the Battle of Fair Oaks , Oak Grove , Gaines' Mill , Savage's Station , Glendale, and Malvern Hill . He received many commendations for his actions and was appointed division commander during the Northern Virginia campaign. He took part in the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Chancellorsville .

During the Gettysburg campaign he commanded parts of the VIII Corps and the Harpers Ferry District , West Virginia .

He then took over command of the III. Corps. French advanced far too slowly against Lee's army during the Mine Run campaign, according to General George G. Meade . This cost French the military reputation. French was released from the volunteer army as part of the reorganization in May 1864 and returned to the professional army.

He worked on the staff in Washington DC He ended his career as a regimental commander of the 4th US Artillery Regiment with the rank of colonel .

After the Civil War he commanded the 2nd Artillery Regiment on the Pacific coast from 1865 to 1872, including Fort McDowell, in the Bay of San Francisco , and in 1875 Fort McHenry near Baltimore . In 1880 he was retired at his own request.

literature

John H. Eicher, David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3 .
Ezra J. Warner: Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	French, William H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	French, William Henry (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	General of the Northern States in the American Civil War
DATE OF BIRTH	January 13, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH	Baltimore
DATE OF DEATH	May 20, 1881