William Nelson (General)

William Nelson

William "Bull" Nelson (born September 27, 1824 Maysville , † September 29, 1862 in Louisville ) was an American naval officer who was brigadier general of the Northern States in the American Civil War .

Life

William Nelson was born in 1824 as the third and youngest son of Dr. Thomas W. Nelson (1796–1849) and his wife Frances Doniphan (1795–1845) were born in Maysville, Kentucky. He attended the Maysville Seminary School and was enrolled at Norwich University at age 13 . Two years later, he graduated from Vermont Military School . His friend Garrett Davis at Norwich University secured him a position in the US Navy .

Naval career

In the spring of 1840, Nelson signed up for training on the USS Delaware . For the next five years he sailed in the South Pacific. Nelson then attended the newly established Naval Academy in Annapolis . On July 11, 1846, he became a midshipman. In October he reported for duty on board the USS Raritan , the flagship of the home squadron stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. In the siege of Veracruz he served with the 5th naval battery, and in the Tabasco expedition he was a member of the 2nd Artillery Division. In February 1848 he became a gun master on the USS Scourge . In the summer of 1849 he joined the Mediterranean Squadron and was appointed deputy lieutenant on the USS Mississippi on September 1, 1851 . In December Nelson accompanied an escort for the famous tour of the United States by the Hungarian exile Lajos Kossuth . On September 19, 1854 Nelson was promoted to sailing master and on April 18, 1855 he reached the rank of first lieutenant. In September 1858 he joined the USS Niagara to bring captive slaves to Monrovia . The slaves freed in West African waters were settled in the American settlement of Congotown, where they were used to build sugar cane plantations.

In the civil war

On the second day after Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, U.S. Navy Lieutenant William Nelson appeared at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort and offered his services. He had served at sea for twelve and a half years and impressed with his imposing stature, and he was also a captivating speaker. At Lincoln's request, on May 3, 1861, he was to get the Kentucky Executive Mansion to deliver arms to the Union. Nelson should prepare for arming the standing to Union City in Kentucky with Joshua Fry Speed in Louisville details, Secretary of War Simon Cameron made for 5000 old flintlock rifles to share in percussion rifles were converted to arm, the Union Home Guard. On July 1, Nelson was assigned by the Navy to organize a force of 10,000 soldiers for an expedition to East Tennessee. To mobilize his units, he called two weeks later in southeast Kentucky at Lancaster and Crab Orchard . Thomas E. Bramlette had been appointed District Attorney for the Union-controlled part of Kentucky and was cracking down on supporters of the Confederation . Colonel Speed ​​S. Fry advanced toward Camp Dick Robinson with a detachment of volunteer infantry in early August . Union representative Charles A. Wickliffe and his supporters in the House of Representatives then declared that Kentucky "is entirely for the Union". US Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase believed that Nelson's actions were instrumental in making Kentucky stand by the Union and achieving Nelson being promoted to brigadier general on September 16, 1861 . Nelson then organized a new brigade at Camp Kenton near Maysville and marched with his troops to Olympian Springs, Bath County . As early as the end of October, these troops from Ohio and Kentucky were fighting the Confederates in Hazel Green and West Liberty. On November 8, 1861, Nelson fought Confederate forces under Captain Andrew J. May in battle on Ivy Mountain . That night and the following day, the Confederates under Colonel John Stuart Williams had to evacuate Pikeville.

In late November 1861, Nelson's forces joined the Army of the Ohio under the command of Don Carlos Buell in Louisville . Nelson commanded the 4th Division, which marched into Nashville on February 25, 1862 as the first unit. The next month, Buell was ordered to join Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant in Savannah and Nelson took the lead in this advance, Buell giving permission to cross the Duck River into Tennessee with his men . Nelson's troops engaged in battle below Shiloh Church at dawn on April 6, 1862. At 4:30 p.m., Confederate forces were preparing to evict the Union Army from the cliff at Pittsburg Landing. On Monday morning, Nelson's Fourth Division carried the brunt of the fighting on the left wing. In the late afternoon of April 7th, the Confederates withdrew. After the victory in the Battle of Shiloh , the army under Major General Henry W. Halleck advanced on Corinth . Nelson's division was instrumental in the siege of Corinth . On May 21, he ordered his brigade, under Colonel Thomas D. Sedgewick, to storm the ridge near Widow Surratt Farm. On May 28th, Sedgewicks Brigade captured a bridge on Bridge Creek, a tributary of the Tuscumbia River, the last significant operation of the Siege of Corinth. Nelson was among the first to march into Corinth on May 30, 1862; he got into an argument with General John Pope over who was the first to occupy the abandoned city. A few weeks later, Nelson suffered defeat in the unfortunate advance on Chattanooga . The Confederate invasion of Kentucky then pushed him back to Louisville. To reopen the lines of communication with Nashville , he attacked again. On August 29, 1862, parts of Kirby-Smith's army met forces of equal strength under General Nelson, who numbered between 6,000 and 7,000 men. The Battle of Richmond on August 30th was a Confederate victory: the Union lost more than 5,000 men compared to the 750 casualties in the South, and considerable land was lost, including Richmond and the state capital, Frankfort. Brigadier General Mahlon Dickerson Manson has been captured. General Nelson, injured in the neck, was forced to retreat to Louisville.

Circumstances of his death

The Commander of the Department of Ohio in Cincinnati , General Horatio Wright , ordered Jefferson Columbus Davis to report to General William Nelson. On September 22nd, Davis arrived at Galt House, where General Don Carlos Buell and Nelson had established their headquarters. The day began, as on the other morning, with the meeting of the military and civilian leaders. Nelson ordered Davis to take over the organization and arming of the citizens of Louisville to prepare for the defense. When Davis returned, the two got into conflict. When Nelson asked more questions and received only brief answers, which Davis could not provide details of, Nelson became angry. General James B. Fry , who was described as a close friend of Davis, was present and later wrote a report on the following events: Davis stood up and remarked coolly, “General Nelson, I am a regular soldier and I want treatment which is due to me as an officer. "Davis then walked to the door of the medical director's room, both doors open ... and said," Dr. Irwin, I want you to witness this conversation. ”At the same time Nelson said,“ Yes, Doctor, I want you to remember this. ”Davis then said to Nelson,“ I ask you to be courteous because of my rank . ”Nelson replied,“ I will treat you as you deserve. You have disappointed me; you have been unfaithful to the trust I have placed in you and I will fire you immediately. You are now released from duty and can go back to Cincinnati. ”Davis said,“ You have no authority to fire me. ”Davis made his way to Cincinnati and reported to General Wright within a few days. Davis arrived back in Louisville that afternoon on Sunday, September 28, and reported at Galt House early the next morning. A short time later Nelson entered the hotel and went to reception. Davis approached Nelson and asked for an apology, but Nelson snubly refused. Davis threw a wad of papers in Nelson’s face and wanted to confront him publicly, which would show his disrespect. What Davis hadn't factored in was Nelson's reaction, it got out of hand. Nelson hit Davis with the palm of his hand and quickly left the room. Nelson got his nickname "Bull" because of his stature. Nelson was 1.88 meters tall, weighed over 130 kg and was described as “in perfect health”. The agitated Davis got himself a pistol and shot Nelson at close range. The bullet struck Nelson in the chest, fatally injuring him. Nelson still had the strength to reach the hotel stairs and climb a floor before collapsing. General Fry, a close friend of Davis, was present and later described the events surrounding Nelson's death. A crowd gathered at the scene and carried Nelson's body into a room to be laid on the floor. Two days later, Buell wired Halleck, Washington, to ask the Military Tribunal to try Davis for the murder of Nelson. Halleck referred the matter to Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright in Cincinnati, who ruled that Davis should be returned to the service as Buell had never brought charges against him and the matter was dropped. The only attempt to prosecute Davis was at the Jefferson County Circuit. The case was removed from the files a few years later. On June 12, 1863, authorities honored the victim by renaming the new Jessamine County, Kentucky, supply depot Camp Nelson. Two months later, an escort moved Nelson's remains at Cave Hill Cemetery to Camp Dick Robinson. On March 8, 1872, Nelson's final resting place was set in Maysville Cemetery.

literature

• Donald A. Clark: The Notorious "Bull" Nelson: Murdered Civil War General , Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press 2011.
• Major Bruce V. Sones: Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis: Civil War General , Golden Springs Publishing 2014

Web links

• https://www.annmarieackermann.com/jefferson-c-davis-civil-war-general-murderer-interview-donald-clark/
• https://books.google.at/books