Civil War Union Major General. Considered by some to be the richest man in the Union army. He never accepted any pay, and offered his fortune to the government at the outset of the war. Served for a short time as a volunter aide to General Irwin McDowell during the First Manassas Campaign. Appointed Brigadier General, US Volunteers on August 9, 1861. Became Military Governor of the District of Columbia in March 1862, even though he had no formal military training. He then felt he had no prospects for advancement during the Peninsula Campaign, so he ran for Governor of New York but was not elected. After the Battle of Fredericksburg he was assigned the command of the 1st Division of the I Corps under General John F. Reynolds. He fought bravely on the First Day at Gettysburg trying to stave off the attacks of the Confederates. At the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, while leading his men in an attempt to repel an assult, he was shot off his horse, with the bullet entering the back of his head and entering his brain. He was taken to a Confederate field hospital where he died two days later without regaining consciousness. His remains were recovered later under a flag of truce and sent home to New York. He was postumously Breveted Major General to rank from the date of his wounding. Today a statue of him stands on the First Day's Battlefield in the Gettysburg National Military Park, and a monument marks the spot where he was mortally wounded in the Wilderness.
Civil War Union Major General. Considered by some to be the richest man in the Union army. He never accepted any pay, and offered his fortune to the government at the outset of the war. Served for a short time as a volunter aide to General Irwin McDowell during the First Manassas Campaign. Appointed Brigadier General, US Volunteers on August 9, 1861. Became Military Governor of the District of Columbia in March 1862, even though he had no formal military training. He then felt he had no prospects for advancement during the Peninsula Campaign, so he ran for Governor of New York but was not elected. After the Battle of Fredericksburg he was assigned the command of the 1st Division of the I Corps under General John F. Reynolds. He fought bravely on the First Day at Gettysburg trying to stave off the attacks of the Confederates. At the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, while leading his men in an attempt to repel an assult, he was shot off his horse, with the bullet entering the back of his head and entering his brain. He was taken to a Confederate field hospital where he died two days later without regaining consciousness. His remains were recovered later under a flag of truce and sent home to New York. He was postumously Breveted Major General to rank from the date of his wounding. Today a statue of him stands on the First Day's Battlefield in the Gettysburg National Military Park, and a monument marks the spot where he was mortally wounded in the Wilderness.
Bio by: EFB III
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Wadsworth memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
