Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock (born February 14, 1824 in Montgomery Square , Montgomery County , Pennsylvania , † February 9, 1886 on Governors Island , New York City ) was major general in the US Army . It was named after the famous General Winfield Scott .
Life
Hancock graduated from the Military Academy in West Point , New York in 1844 as the 18th of his year and subsequently served in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), in Kansas (1855) and in the Third Seminole War (1858).
When the American Civil War broke out, was Hancock quartermaster of the Army in Los Angeles . After he was posted to the east, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him brigade commander of a volunteer brigade on September 23, 1861, and promoted him to brigadier general . In 1862 Hancock took part with his brigade in the Peninsula Campaign and the Maryland Campaign . In the Battle of Antietam , he took command of General Richardson's division when he was killed. Hancock was finally named major general of the Volunteers for his services on November 29, 1862 . Later in the war he led the division in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville .
In the Battle of Gettysburg he was the commanding general of the II Corps and in this capacity was instrumental in the defeat of the Northern Virginia Army . After Major General George G. Meade had ordered him to take command of the corps deployed in front, he found the I. and the XI. Corps that were on a disorderly retreat. Until Meade arrived, Hancock was in command of the three corps. To clear the mess, he ordered the troops to form a line at Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill, and Culp's Hill. While defending against the attack by the Northern Virginia Army on July 3, 1863 - Pickett's Charge - Hancock was badly wounded and was not able to take command again until six months later.
In 1864 he took part very successfully in the battles of Lieutenant General Grant (see , inter alia, Wilderness , Spotsylvania , Cold Harbor , Siege of Petersburg ). On August 12 of the same year, Hancock was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army . After the war he became major general in the regular army in 1866 and in 1877 commander in the Department of the East .
In the 1880 presidential election , Winfield Scott Hancock was a Democratic Party candidate for US President . His running mate for the post of vice-president was William Hayden English , Congressman from Indiana . For the Republicans joined James A. Garfield on. As expected, the Democrats won Solid South , but failed to achieve their goal of taking several northern states from the Republicans. Only in New Jersey did Hancock receive a majority. In the Popular vote , Garfield was not even ahead with 2,000 votes, but in Electoral College he had a clear lead over Hancock (155) with 214 electors. This accepted the defeat upright and attended Garfield's inauguration.
Until his death on February 9, 1886, Hancock was in command of the Eastern Defense Area. He was buried in the Montgomery Cemetery in Norristown .
Memberships
In 1859 Winfield Scott Hancock became a member of the Freemasonry Association , his lodge (Charity Lodge No. 190) is based in Norristown .
Movie
In the feature film Gettysburg (1993) and the prequel , Gods and Generals (2003) , Winfield Hancock is played by Brian Mallon.
literature
- Glenn Tucker: Hancock the Superb . Indianapolis, IN 1960.
- David M. Jordan: Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life. Bloomington, IN 1988.
Individual evidence
- ^ Masons at the Battle of Gettysburg and the Masonic Friend to Friend Monument . In: Gettysburg . Bessel.org. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ↑ Bro. And Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock . In: Gettysburg . pagrandlodge. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
Web links
- Winfield Scott Hancock in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hancock, Winfield Scott |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 14, 1824 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montgomery Square , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 9, 1886 |
| Place of death | Governors Island , New York |