George Sykes

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George Sykes

George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
officer 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 during 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....
.

as born in Dover, Delaware

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Delaware, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Dover metropolitan area which encompasses all of Kent County....
. He graduated from the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
in 1842 and was commissioned as a brevet

Brevet (military)

In the U.K. and U.S. military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher Military rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank....
second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is the lowest Officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /l?f't?n?nt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu't?n?nt/ ....
in the 3rd U.S. Infantry. He served in the Mexican-American War and Seminole War and was brevetted as a captain for actions at the Battle of Cerro Gordo

Battle of Cerro Gordo

The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's US troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position....
.

he outbreak of the Civil War, Sykes was assigned as a major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, major is a field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Captain and just below the rank of Lieutenant colonel ....
in the 14th U.S. Infantry

U.S. 14th Infantry Regiment

The 14th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army light infantry regiment, known as the Golden Dragons. It has been active in every major conflict since the Civil War, except World War I, including the American Civil War, Boxer Rebellion, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operatio...
.

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George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
officer 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 during 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

He was born in Dover, Delaware

Dover, Delaware

United States Military Academy

Brevet (military)

Second Lieutenant

Battle of Cerro Gordo

The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's US troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position....
.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sykes was assigned as a major

Major (United States)

U.S. 14th Infantry Regiment

First Battle of Bull Run

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas , was the first major land battle of the American Civil War, fought on July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia....
, he commanded the Regular Infantry Battalion

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
, a collection of eight regular army companies from different regiments, the only regulars on the field. He continued his association with regulars in the early defensive positions around 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....
, and then as a division commander of regulars in 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....
, the 2nd Division of the V Corps

V Corps (ACW)

The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War....
. His men, who often referred to themselves as "Sykes' Regulars," distinguished themselves defending their position at Gaines' Mill

Battle of Gaines' Mill

The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
during the Seven Days Battles

Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
, before the Union line broke elsewhere.

Sykes continued as a division commander through the battles of Second Bull Run, 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....
(in reserve), and 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....
. 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....
, his regulars led the advance into the Confederate rear at the start of the battle. As they ran into strong Confederate resistance, the army commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, fought in the Mexican-American War, and was a Major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
, nervously recalled his advance to a defensive position and Sykes' men were not used for the remainder of the campaign. Sykes was promoted to major general

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a 2 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
after Antietam, on November 29, 1862. None of these battles demonstrated any aggressive or unique offensive capabilities on his part. He was known to his colleagues by the nicknames "Tardy George" and "Slow Trot" Sykes. When corps commander Maj. Gen. George G. Meade was promoted to lead 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....
on June 28, 1863, Sykes assumed command of the V Corps.

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....
, Sykes' corps fought in support of the beleaguered 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:...
on the Union left flank. In his 1st Division (Brig. Gen.

Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
James Barnes), the fabled defense of Little Round Top

Little Round Top

Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate States Army troops against the Union Army left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
was led by brigade commander Col. Strong Vincent

Strong Vincent

Strong Vincent was a lawyer who became famous as a United States Army officer during the fighting on Little Round Top at the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, where he was mortally wounded....
and the 20th Maine Infantry

20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a military unit of the United States Army during the American Civil War, most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg....
under Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. His 3rd Division, the Pennsylvania Reserves

Pennsylvania Reserves

The Pennsylvania Reserves was an infantry division in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Noted for its famous commanders and high casualties, it served in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, and fought in many important battles, including Battle of Antietam and Battle of Gettysburg....
, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford

Samuel W. Crawford

Samuel Wylie Crawford was a United States Army surgeon and a Union army general in the American Civil War....
, attacked from Little Round Top, drove the Confederates

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
across the "Valley of Death" and ended the deadly fighting in 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....
. But there is little in the historical record that highlights any personal contribution made by Sykes.

In the Mine Run Campaign in the fall of 1863, Meade complained of Sykes' lackluster performance. Meade and general-in-chief 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 ....
agreed that Sykes was not a good choice for the upcoming 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....
in May 1864, so when the Army of the Potomac was reorganized that spring, Sykes lost his corps and was sent to uneventful duty in the Department of Kansas

Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
. During Price's Raid

Price's Raid

Price's Missouri Expedition, known popularly as Price's Raid, was an 1864 Confederate States Army cavalry raid through the Trans-Mississippi Department in the American Civil War....
in 1864, he was replaced with James G. Blunt

James G. Blunt

James Gillpatrick Blunt was a physician and abolitionist who rose to Union Major general during the American Civil War....
.

Postbellum

After the war, in 1866, Sykes was reverted to the rank of 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 ....
. He served under the 5th U.S. Infantry

5th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 5th Infantry Regiment is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army, tracing its origins to 1808. It has participated in some way in most of the wars the United States has fought during its history....
and later as 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 ....
in the 20th

20th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 20th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment.It was organized on 6 June 1862 at Fort Independence, Massachusetts, as the 2nd Battalion of the 11th Infantry Regiment , one of the nine "three-battalion" regiments of regulars, each battalion containing eight companies of infantry, in contrast to the original ten regular...
. He commanded at a number of duty stations from Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
to Texas

Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
until his death at Fort Brown

Fort Brown

Fort Brown was a military post of the United States Army in Texas during the later half of 19th century and the early part of the 20th century....
in Texas. He was interred in West Point Cemetery

West Point Cemetery

West Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for American Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817 when it was officially designated as a military cemetery....
, West Point, New York

West Point, New York

West Point is a federal military reservation located North of the Highland Falls, New York in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census....
.

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-12

George Sykes

Early life

Civil War

Postbellum

See also

External links