James Birdseye McPherson (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Atlanta and was the highest ranking Union officer killed during the conflict.^[1]

Early life and career

McPherson was born near Clyde, Ohio. He attended Norwalk Academy in Ohio,^[2] and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1853, first in his class, which included Philip H. Sheridan, John M. Schofield, and John Bell Hood; Hood would oppose him later in the Western Theater. McPherson was appointed to the Corps of Engineers with the rank of brevet second lieutenant. For a year after his graduation he was assistant instructor of practical engineering at the Military Academy, and was next engaged from 1854 to 1857 as assistant engineer upon the defenses of the harbor of New York and the improvement of Hudson River. In 1857 he superintended the building of Fort Delaware, and in 1857-61 was superintending engineer of the construction of the defenses of Alcatraz Island, at San Francisco, Cal.^[3]

Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, he was stationed in San Francisco, California, but requested a transfer to the Corps of Engineers, rightly thinking that a transfer to the East would further his career. He departed California on August 1, 1861, and arrived soon after in New York. He requested a position on the staff of Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, one of the senior Western commanders. He received this (while a captain in the Corps of Engineers), and was sent to St. Louis, Missouri.

McPherson's career began rising after this assignment. He was a lieutenant colonel and the Chief Engineer in Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army during the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. Following the Battle of Shiloh, he was promoted to brigadier general. On October 8, 1862, he was promoted to major general, and was soon after given command of the XVII Corps in Grant's Army of the Tennessee. On March 12, 1864, he was given command of the Army of the Tennessee, after its former commander, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, was promoted to command of all armies in the West (after Grant was sent to the East). His army was the Right Wing of Sherman's army, alongside the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Ohio. On May 5, 1864, Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign.

Lithograph of McPherson

On July 17, Confederate President Jefferson Davis became frustrated with Johnston's strategy of maneuver and retreat, and replaced him with Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. Hood was eventually defeated, and retreated into Atlanta. Meanwhile, McPherson had advanced his troops into Decatur, Georgia, and from there, they moved onto the high ground on Bald Hill overlooking Atlanta. On July 22, they noticed that the Confederate troops had left Atlanta. Sherman believed that the Confederates had been defeated and were evacuating; however, McPherson rightly believed that they were moving to attack the Union right and rear. While they were discussing this new development, however, four divisions under Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee flanked Maj. Gen. Grenville Dodge's XVI Corps. While McPherson was riding his horse toward his old XVII Corps, a line of Confederate skirmishers appeared, yelling "Halt!". McPherson raised his hand to his head as if to remove his hat, but suddenly wheeled his horse, attempting to escape. The Confederates opened fire and mortally wounded McPherson.

His adversary, John Bell Hood, wrote,

Legacy

Sculpture in McPherson, Kansas

McPherson County, South Dakota, created in 1873 and organized in 1885, was also named in his honor.

McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., is named in his honor. At the center of the square is a statue of McPherson mounted on horseback. There is also a Metro station by the same name.

Two-dollar Treasury notes, also called Coin notes, of the Series 1890 and 1891, feature portraits of McPherson on the obverse.

McPherson County, Kansas, and the city of McPherson are named in honor of General McPherson. There is also an equestrian statue of him in the park across from the McPherson County Courthouse.

The James B. McPherson Elementary School in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, is named for General McPherson.^[4]

An Historic Monument marking the death of General McPherson is maintained at the location of his death in East Atlanta.

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 Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
• Woodworth, Steven E., ed., Grant's Lieutenants: From Cairo to Vicksburg, University Press of Kansas, 2001, ISBN 0-7006-1127-4.
• Northern Georgia - James B. McPherson
• James McPherson Biography
• Retrieved on 2008-02-12

Notes

Further reading

• Gingrich, Newt, and Forstchen, William R., Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory, Thomas Dunne Books, 2005, ISBN 0-312-34298-5. This alternate history novel includes McPherson as a major character.

External links

• Pictures of U.S. Treasury Notes featuring James B. McPherson, provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

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