John McCausland

John McCausland

Infobox Military Person
name= John McCausland, Jr.
lived= September 13, 1836 – January 22, 1927


caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth= St Louis, Missouri
placeofdeath= Point Pleasant, West Virginia
allegiance= Confederate States of America
branch=
serviceyears= 1861–65
rank= Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles= American Civil War - Battle of Fort Donelson - Valley Campaigns of 1864 - Siege of Petersburg - Battle of Five Forks - Appomattox Campaign
awards=
relations=
laterwork=

John McCausland, Jr. (September 13, 1836 – January 22, 1927) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, famous for the ransom of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the razing of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War.

Early life

McCausland was born in St Louis, Missouri, the son of an immigrant from Ireland. He graduated with first honors in the class of 1858 at the Virginia Military Institute, and subsequently acted as assistant professor of mathematics in that institution until 1861. In 1859 he was present with a group of VMI cadets at the execution of John Brown at Charles Town.

Civil War

Immediately after the start of the Civil War, McCausland recruited the 36th Virginia Infantry Regiment using volunteers from Rockbridge County and was commissioned its colonel on July 16, 1861. This regiment gained fame as the Rockbridge Artillery. He served in the brigade of Brigadier General John B. Floyd in western Virginia and was transferred with his regiment to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to serve in Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston's army. He fought at the Battle of Fort Donelson and escaped with his command before it surrendered in February 1862. For the remainder of 1862 and 1863 he fought in the Department of Southwest Virginia.

McCausland was promoted to brigadier general on May 18, 1864, and served as a cavalry brigade commander in the Valley Campaigns of 1864, under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, raiding into Maryland and Pennsylvania. Under Gen. Early's orders, on July 30, 1864, McCausland burned the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in retaliation for the destruction of private property by Union Army Maj. Gen. David Hunter in the Shenandoah Valley, including the burning of the Virginia Military Institute. After the failure of Early's campaign, McCausland rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia in the Siege of Petersburg, the Battle of Five Forks, and the Appomattox Campaign. He escaped with his cavalry from Appomattox Court House before Robert E. Lee's surrender, but disbanded his unit soon after. He was paroled in Charleston, West Virginia, on May 22, 1865.

Postbellum

After the war, McCausland spent two years in Europe and Mexico before returning to the United States. For the burning of Chambersburg he faced arson charges, but was pardoned by President Ulysses S. Grant. He acquired a tract of 6,000 acres (24 km²) in Mason County, West Virginia, where he lived as a farmer for more than 60 years.

McCausland died at his farm, "McCausland", in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the last Confederate general to die. [Eicher, pp. 371, 609. Felix Huston Robertson is often cited as the longest surviving general, dying on April 20, 1928, but his nomination for brigadier general was rejected by the Confederate Senate in February 1865.] He is buried in Henderson, West Virginia.

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Warner, Ezra J., "Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders", Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • McCausland — may refer to: Places McCausland, Iowa, a city in Scott County, Iowa People Charles McCausland (1898 1965), an Irish cricketer Chris McCausland (1977 ), a British stand up comedian Ernesto McCausland (1961 ), a Colombian journalist and filmmaker… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Charleston (1862) — The Battle of Charleston was an engagement on September 13, 1862, near Charleston, Virginia (now West Virginia) during the American Civil War. It should not be confused with the Battle of Charleston (1861), which occurred a year earlier in… …   Wikipedia

  • George Crook — Infobox Military Person name=George Crook born= birth date|1828|9|8 died= death date and age|1890|3|21|1828|9|8 placeofbirth=Taylorsville, Ohio placeofdeath=Chicago, Illinois placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery caption=Portrait of George… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Folck's Mill — Warbox conflict=Battle of Folck s Mill colour scheme=background:#ffcccc caption= partof=American Civil War date=August 1, 1864 place=Allegany County, Maryland result=Inconclusive combatant1= flagicon|USA|1863 United States (Union) combatant2=… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Moorefield — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Moorefield caption= partof=the American Civil War date=August 7, 1864 place=Hardy County, West Virginia result=Union victory combatant1=United States of America combatant2=Confederate States of America …   Wikipedia

  • Chambersburg, Pennsylvania — Chambersburg redirects here. For other uses, see Chambersburg (disambiguation). Borough of Chambersburg   Borough   Memorial Square in d …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Cloyd's Mountain — Warbox conflict=Battle of Cloyd s Mountain colour scheme=background:#ffcccc caption=Pulaski County, location of the Battle of Cloyd s Mountain partof=American Civil War date=May 9, 1864 place=Pulaski County, Virginia result=Union victory… …   Wikipedia

  • Romney, West Virginia, in the American Civil War — The city of Romney, Virginia (now West Virginia) traded hands between the Union Army and Confederate States Army approximately 56 times during the American Civil War. The story of the small town is emblematic of the many military campaigns that… …   Wikipedia

  • Kernstown II Confederate order of battle — The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Second Battle of Kernstown of the American Civil War. The Union order of battle is shown separately.Army of the Valley District Lt. Gen. Jubal A. EarlyRodes Division Maj.… …   Wikipedia

  • Romney, West Virginia in the American Civil War — The city of Romney, Virginia (now West Virginia) traded hands between the Union Army and Confederate States Army no fewer than 10 times during the American Civil War, assuming the occupying force spent at least one night in the town. (Oral… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”