David B. Birney

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David B. Birney

David Bell Birney (May 29, 1825 – October 18, 1864) was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
General in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

ey was born in Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Alabama and Limestone County, Alabama Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Madison County....
, the son of an abolitionist from Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
, James G. Birney

James G. Birney

James Gillespie Birney was an abolitionist, politician and jurist born in Danville, Kentucky. From 1816 to 1818, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives....
. 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

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and finally to Philadelphia.

Following his graduation from Phillips Academy

Phillips Academy

Phillips Academy is a co-educational University-preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. The school is located in Andover, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, 25 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Andover, Massachusetts

Andover, Massachusetts

Andover is a New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2000 census population was 31,247....
, David Birney entered business, studied law, and was admitted to the bar.

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David Bell Birney (May 29, 1825 – October 18, 1864) was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
General in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

Early life

Birney was born in Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Kentucky

James G. Birney

Michigan

Phillips Academy

Andover, Massachusetts

Civil War

Birney entered the Union army just after Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter is a Seacoast Defense #Third system masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston, South Carolina harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter....
as lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, lieutenant colonel is a field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Major and just below the rank of Colonel ....
of the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

The 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Known for its colorful uniforms based upon the popular France Zouave style, the regiment served in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
Regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
, 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

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General ....
on August 31, 1861, and to brigadier general

Brigadier general (United States)

A brigadier general in the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, is a 1 star rank general officer, with the U.S....
on February 17, 1862, clearly benefiting from political influences, not military merit. He commanded a brigade in Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny

Philip Kearny

Philip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notably in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly....
's division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
of the III Corps

III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*Army of Virginia:...
, which he led through the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
. At the Battle of Seven Pines

Battle of Seven Pines

The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War....
he was accused of disobeying an order from his corps

Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
commander, Maj. Gen.

Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
Samuel P. Heintzelman

Samuel P. Heintzelman

Samuel Peter Heintzelman was a United States Army General officer. He served in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, the Cortina Troubles, and the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps....
, allegedly for "halting his command a mile from the enemy." But this was simply a matter of orders misunderstood. Birney was court-martial

Court-martial

A court-martial is a military court. These military courts can determine punishments for members of the military subject to military law who are found guilty or may dismiss the charges based on the evidence and the case presented....
ed, but with strong positive testimony from Kearny, he was acquitted and restored to command.

Birney fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run

Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
in support of Maj. Gen. John Pope

John Pope (military officer)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
's Army of Virginia

Army of Virginia

The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E....
. When Kearny was killed in that battle, Birney took over command of his division. Stationed in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
, he missed the Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern United States soil....
, but his division returned to the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
to fight at Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
. 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

George Stoneman

George Stoneman, Jr. was a career United States Army officer, a Union army cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887....
'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

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
, 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

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
, the III Corps commander was the notorious Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles

Daniel Sickles

Daniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union Army General officer in the American Civil War, and diplomat....
. 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

Devil's Den

Devil's Den is the nickname for a terrain feature south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that was the site of fierce fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War....
, to the Wheatfield

Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day

During the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee attempted to capitalize on his first day's success....
, to the Peach Orchard

Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day

During the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee attempted to capitalize on his first day's success....
, 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

John Bell Hood

John Bell Hood was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness....
and Lafayette McLaws

Lafayette McLaws

Lafayette McLaws was a United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer in the American Civil War....
, 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." 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

Overland Campaign

The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War....
as a division commander in the II Corps

II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L....
, his III Corps having been reorganized out of existence that spring. After good service in the Wilderness

Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E....
, Spotsylvania Court House

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lieutenant general Ulysses S....
(where he was wounded by a shell fragment), and Cold Harbor

Battle of Cold Harbor

The Battle of Cold Harbor, the final battle of Union Army Lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, is remembered as one of History of the United States bloodiest, most lopsided battles....
, on July 23, 1864, Lt. Gen.

Lieutenant General (United States)

In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a 3 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant , was an United States general and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States ....
gave Birney command of the X Corps

X Corps (ACW)

X Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served during operations in South Carolina in the Department of the South, and later in Benjamin Butler's Army of the James, during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign and Petersburg Campaign Campaigns....
in the Army of the James

Army of the James

The Army of the James was a Union army Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia....
. However, during the Siege of Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War....
, Birney fell ill with malaria

Malaria

Malaria is a Vector -borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in Tropics and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa....
(some accounts say dysentery

Dysentery

Dysentery is a disorder of the digestive system that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces. If untreated, Dysentery can be fatal....
and typhoid fever

Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Common worldwide, it is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person....
). 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 general

Political general

A political general is a general without significant military experience who is given a high position in command due to political connections or to appease certain political blocs....
s" 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:

David B. Birney

Early life

Civil War

Legacy

See also