David B. Birney

David B. Birney
David Bell Birney
David B. Birney - Brady-Handy.jpg
David B. Birney
Born May 29, 1825(1825-05-29)
Huntsville, Alabama
Died October 18, 1864(1864-10-18) (aged 39)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Place of burial Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch Union Army
Years of service 1861 - 1864
Rank Major General
Commands held X Corps
Battles/wars American Civil War

David Bell Birney (May 29, 1825 – October 18, 1864) was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.

Contents

Early life

Birney was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of an abolitionist from Kentucky, James G. Birney. The Birney family returned to Kentucky in 1833, and James Birney freed his slaves. In 1835, the family moved to Cincinnati, where the father published an anti-slavery newspaper. Following numerous threats from pro-slavery mobs, the family moved again to Michigan, and finally to Philadelphia.

Following his graduation from Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts,[1] David Birney entered business, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He returned to Philadelphia, practicing law from 1856 until the outbreak of the Civil War.

Civil War

Birney entered the Union army just after Fort Sumter as lieutenant colonel of the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a unit he raised largely at his own expense. Just prior to the war he had been studying military texts in preparation for such a role. He was promoted to colonel on August 31, 1861, and to brigadier general on February 17, 1862, clearly benefiting from political influences, not military merit. He commanded a brigade in Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny's division of the III Corps, which he led through the Peninsula Campaign. At the Battle of Seven Pines he was accused of disobeying an order from his corps commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman, allegedly for "halting his command a mile from the enemy." But this was simply a matter of orders misunderstood. Birney was court-martialed, but with strong positive testimony from Kearny, he was acquitted and restored to command.

Birney fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run in support of Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia. When Kearny was killed in that battle, Birney took over command of his division. Stationed in Washington, D.C., he missed the Battle of Antietam, but his division returned to the Army of the Potomac to fight at Fredericksburg. There, he once again encountered military discipline problems, this time for allegedly refusing to support Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's division's attack on the left flank of the Union line. However, he was complimented in III Corps commander Maj. Gen. George Stoneman's official report for "the handsome manner in which he handled his division" on that same day and for a second time he escaped punishment. Birney led his division in heavy fighting at Chancellorsville, where they suffered more casualties (1,607) than any other division in the army. As a result of his distinguished service at Chancellorsville, he was promoted to major general on May 20, 1863.

At the Battle of Gettysburg, the III Corps commander was the notorious Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles. On July 2, 1863, Sickles insubordinately moved his corps from its assigned defensive position on Cemetery Ridge. Birney's new position was from the Devil's Den, to the Wheatfield, to the Peach Orchard, part of a salient directly in the path of the Confederate assault, and it was too long a front for a single division to defend. Assaulted by the divisions of Maj. Gens. John Bell Hood and Lafayette McLaws, Birney's division was demolished. Army commander Meade rushed in reinforcements, but the line could not hold. His division and the entire corps were finished as a fighting force. As Birney watched the few survivors of his division gather about him on Cemetery Ridge, he whispered to one of his officers, "I wish I were already dead."[2] Sickles was grievously wounded by a cannonball and Birney assumed temporary command of the corps, despite having received two minor wounds himself. He retained command until February 1864.

Birney started in the Overland Campaign as a division commander in the II Corps, his III Corps having been reorganized out of existence that spring. After good service in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House (where he was wounded by a shell fragment), and Cold Harbor, on July 23, 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant gave Birney command of the X Corps in the Army of the James. However, during the Siege of Petersburg, Birney fell ill with malaria (some accounts say dysentery and typhoid fever). He was ordered home to Philadelphia, and died three months later. He is buried there in Woodlands Cemetery.

Legacy

David Birney was one of the more successful "political generals" of the Civil War. Many of his colleagues resented his swift rise in the ranks and he was not a beloved figure with them or his soldiers. Theodore Lyman of Meade's staff wrote of Birney:[3]

He was a pale, Puritanical figure, with a demeanor of unmoveable coldness; only he would smile politely when you spoke to him. He was spare in person, with a thin face, light-blue eye, and sandy hair. As a General he took very good care of his Staff and saw they got due promotion. He was a man, too, who looked out for his own interests sharply and knew the mainspring of military advancement. His unpopularity among some persons arose partly from his own promotion, which, however, he deserved, and partly from his cold covert manner.

Theodore Lyman

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Bates, p. 557.
  2. ^ Tagg, p. 67.
  3. ^ Tagg, p. 63.

References

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Daniel E. Sickles
Commander of the III Corps
May 29, 1863 – June 3, 1863
Succeeded by
Daniel E. Sickles
Preceded by
Daniel E. Sickles
Commander of the III Corps
July 2, 1863 – July 7, 1863
Succeeded by
William H. French
Preceded by
William H. French
Commander of the III Corps
January 28, 1864 – February 17, 1864
Succeeded by
William H. French
Preceded by
Winfield S. Hancock
Commander of the II Corps
June 18, 1864 – June 27, 1864
Succeeded by
Winfield S. Hancock

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • David B. Birney — David Bell Birney (* 29. Mai 1825 in Huntsville, Alabama; † 18. Oktober 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) war ein US amerikanischer Geschäftsmann, Rechtsanwalt und ein Unionsgeneral während des Amerik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • David B. Birney — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Birney. David B. Birney Naissance 29 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • David Birney — David Edwin Birney (* 23. April 1939 in Washington, D.C.) ist ein US amerikanischer Schauspieler. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Filmografie (Auswahl) 3 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Birney — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: David Birney (* 1939), US amerikanischer Schauspieler David B. Birney (1825–1864), US amerikanischer Offizier James G. Birney (1792–1857), US amerikanischer Abolitionist, Politiker und Jurist James M.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • David McMurtrie Gregg — General David McMurtrie Gregg Born April 10, 1833(183 …   Wikipedia

  • David Lang (Civil War) — David Lang Born May 9, 1838(1838 05 09) Camden County, Georgia …   Wikipedia

  • David Birney — For the American Civil War general, see David B. Birney David Birney Born David Edwin Birney April 23, 1939 (1939 04 23) (age 72) Washington, D.C. Occupation Actor, Writer, Director Producer Years active …   Wikipedia

  • Birney —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie des personnes (réelles ou fictives) partageant un même patronyme. David Birney (1939 ), acteur américain ; David B. Birney (1825–1864), juriste et général américain ; Earle Birney (1904 1995),… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • David Wills (Gettysburg) — For other persons with similar names, see David Wills (disambiguation). David Wills was the instigator of the Gettysburg National Cemetery and Lincoln s dedicatory address given there David Wills (February 3, 1831 – October 25, 1894) was the… …   Wikipedia

  • David McConaughy — This article is about Gettysburg attorney. For college president, see David McConaughy (college president). David McConaughy (July 23, 1823 – 1902) was a noted attorney, cemetery president, and civic leader in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as well as …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

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