There were four formations in the
Union ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
designated as
III Corps (or
Third Army Corps) during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Three were short-lived:
- In the Army of Virginia:
- Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
(June 26, 1862 – September 5, 1862);
- James B. Ricketts
James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general in the Eastern Theater during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
(September 5, 1862 – September 6, 1862);
- Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
(September 6, 1862 – September 12, 1862)
- In the Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
:
- Charles C. Gilbert
Charles Champion Gilbert was a United States Army officer during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life:...
(September 29, 1862 – October 24, 1862)
- In the Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
:
- Charles C. Gilbert
Charles Champion Gilbert was a United States Army officer during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life:...
(October 24, 1862 – November 5, 1862)
The other, the
III Corps,
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(March 13, 1862 – March 24, 1864), is the subject of this article.
Corps history
The III Corps included in its organization the famous Kearny Division; also, Hooker's Division, the
Excelsior BrigadeThe Excelsior Brigade was a military unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Comprising primarily infantry regiments raised in the state of New York primarily by former U.S...
, the Second Jersey Brigade, and other well known commands. Its brilliant record is closely interwoven with the history of the Virginia campaigns of 1862–63, in which it fought during two eventful years.
Peninsula campaign: March – July 1862
The Corps was organized March 13, 1862, commanded by Major General
Samuel P. HeintzelmanSamuel Peter Heintzelman was a United States Army General. He served in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, the Yuma War, the Cortina Troubles, and the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps....
, with Generals
Joseph HookerJoseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
,
Charles S. HamiltonCharles Smith Hamilton was a career United States Army officer who fought with distinction during the Mexican-American War. He also served as a Union Army general during the early part of the American Civil War....
, and
Fitz John PorterFitz John Porter was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War...
as its three division commanders. It was immediately ordered to join the
Peninsula CampaignThe 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. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, Hamilton's Division embarking on March 17, and leading the advance of the Army of the Potomac on that memorable campaign. During the siege of Yorktown the corps was at its maximum, the morning reports of April 30 showing an aggregate of 39,710, with 64 pieces of light artillery, and 34,633 reported as "present for duty". But this aggregate was maintained only briefly, as Porter's Division was taken away soon after to form part of the newly organized
V CorpsThe V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
. Hamilton was relieved on April 30, and General
Philip KearnyPhilip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notable for his leadership in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly.-Early life and career:...
took his place, Hamilton assuming a division command in the
Army of the MississippiArmy of the Mississippi was the name given to two Union armies that operated around the Mississippi River, both with short existences, during the American Civil War.-1862:...
.
Upon the evacuation of
YorktownThe Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
, the III Corps led the pursuit of the retreating enemy, attacking them at
WilliamsburgThe Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War...
on May 5, with Hooker's and Kearny's Divisions. This battle was fought almost entirely by the III Corps; of the 2,239 casualties on that field, 2,002 occurred within its ranks; and three-fourths of them in Hooker's Division, the brunt of the battle having fallen on the Excelsior Brigade and Jersey Brigade, both in Hooker's command. Porter's Division was not engaged, having been left at Yorktown; on May 18 it was permanently detached, leaving only two divisions, Hooker's and Kearny's, in the corps, and reducing its aggregate strength to 23,331 present and absent, with 34 pieces of field artillery. The two divisions numbered about 17,000 effectives, out of the 18,205 reported as "present for duty".
At
Fair OaksThe 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. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, its next battle, 209 were killed, 945 wounded, and 91 missing, principally Charles D. Jameson's and
Hiram G. BerryHiram Gregory Berry was an American politician and general in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-Birth and early years:Hiram G...
's Brigades of Kearny's Division. Five fresh regiments joined in June, increasing its report of June 20 to 27,474 "present and absent", of whom 18,428 were reported "present for duty, equipped"; this included eight batteries of light artillery, of 40 guns. After deducting the large number of non-combatants and detailed men that are included in the "present for duty", the corps probably numbered at this time about 17,000 effectives, available in case of action.
The corps made the opening fight in the
Seven Days BattlesThe 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. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, at
Oak GroveThe Battle of Oak Grove, also known as the Battle of French's Field or King's School House, took place on June 25, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, the first of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan advanced his lines with the objective of bringing...
, June 25, fighting again at
GlendaleThe Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War.The...
on June 30, and at
Malvern HillThe Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
on July 1; its losses in these engagements aggregated 158 killed, 1,021 wounded, and 794 missing; total, 1,973. The heaviest loss occurred in
John C. RobinsonJohn Cleveland Robinson had a long and distinguished career in the United States Army, fighting in numerous wars and culminating his career as a Union Army brigadier general of volunteers and brevet major general of volunteers in the American Civil War. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated...
's Brigade of Kearny's Division; the 1st New York, Berry's Brigade, also encountered a hot fire at Glendale.
Northern Virginia campaign: July – September 1862
Upon the withdrawal from the front of
RichmondRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, the III Corps accompanied the Army of the Potomac to Manassas, where it was sent to reinforce
John PopeJohn Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.Pope was a graduate of the United States Military Academy in...
's
Army of VirginiaThe 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 Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E...
. The corps left Harrison's Bar on August 14, and, marching to Yorktown, embarked on August 20 for
AlexandriaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. It arrived at Warrenton Junction on August 26, and on the following day the Excelsior Brigade had a sharp fight at Bristoe Station. On August 29, the corps was engaged at
GrovetonGroveton is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Nearby CDPs are Mount Vernon, Virginia , Belle Haven, Fairfax County, Virginia and Hybla Valley, Virginia . The population was 14,598 at the 2010 census, down from 21,296 in 2000 due to a reduction in area...
. Cuvier Grover's Brigade, of Hooker's Division, fought desperately at the railroad embankment, in which the use of bayonets and clubbed muskets was officially reported. On the September 1, Kearny's Division was engaged at
ChantillyThe Battle of Chantilly took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J...
, Birney's Brigade taking a prominent part; Kearny was killed in this action. The losses of the corps at Manassas, including Bristoe, Groveton, and Chantilly, amounted to 260 killed, 1,525 wounded, and 453 missing; total, 2,238. Hooker's Division numbered fully 10,000 men at Yorktown, and received a reinforcement of about 3,000 more; after Manassas, it drew rations at Fairfax Station for only 2,400 men. The arduous nature of its campaigns, as well as the bullets of the enemy, had told sadly on its numbers.
Fredericksburg: November – December 1862
The corps was so reduced by its losses that it was ordered into the defenses of Washington to rest and recruit, remaining there during the
Maryland CampaignThe Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
, and hence was not present at the
Battle of AntietamThe 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 soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. In November it rejoined the Army of the Potomac, now under
Ambrose BurnsideAmbrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, then on its way to
FredericksburgThe Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, and arriving at
FalmouthFalmouth is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S...
on November 24, encamped there until the battle of December 13. In the meantime, General Hooker had been promoted to the command of the Center Grand Division, composed of the III and
V CorpsThe V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
; General
George StonemanGeorge Stoneman, Jr. was a career United States Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the 15th Governor of California between 1883 and 1887.-Early life:...
had been assigned to the command of the III Corps; General Birney to that of the 1st Division; General Daniel E. Sickles to the 2nd Division; and a third division, under General Amiel W. Whipple had been added. The corps was not prominently engaged at Fredericksburg, although under a heavy fire; still, its casualties amounted to 145 killed, 837 wounded, and 202 missing; total 1,184, over half of which occurred in J.H. Hobart Ward's Brigade of Birney's Division. After the battle the corps returned to its quarters at Falmouth, where it spent the winter of 1862–63. General Sickles was promoted to the command of the corps, and General Hiram Berry to that of Sickles's Division.
Chancellorsville & Gettysburg: May – July 1863
On May 1, 1863, the corps broke camp and marched to
ChancellorsvilleThe Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, an eventful field in its history; a battle in which the brunt of the fighting fell on the III and
XII CorpsThe XII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.The corps was formed by U.S. War Department General Order of March 13, 1862, under which the corps organization of the Army of the Potomac was first created. By that order, five different corps were constituted: one of...
. It took 17,568 men, including non-combatants, on that campaign, losing 378 killed, 2,634 wounded, and 1,090 missing; total 4,102. Generals Berry and Whipple were among those killed.
The depleted ranks were still further lessened by the loss of four New York regiments whose two-years term of enlistment had expired; a nine-months regiment from Pennsylvania had also gone home. The corps was accordingly consolidated into two divisions; the 1st under General
David B. BirneyDavid Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.-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...
, and the 2nd under General
Andrew A. HumphreysAndrew Atkinson Humphreys , was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, and a Union General in the American Civil War. He served in senior positions in the Army of the Potomac, including division command, chief of staff, and corps command, and was Chief Engineer of the U.S...
, an able officer who had distinguished himself as a division commander at Fredericksburg.
At
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, the corps took a prominent part in the battle of the second day, July 2, 1863. Acting against orders, General Sickles moved the corps from its assigned defensive position on Cemetery Ridge to an indefensible position about a mile forward, centered on the Peach Orchard. Sickles wanted to occupy the slightly higher ground there, but the corps was forced to defend a salient that was too long for its size. When it was attacked by two
ConfederateThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
divisions, it was virtually demolished and had to be reinforced throughout the day from other corps. It did exact a fearful price from its assailants, however. Its losses at Gettysburg were 578 killed, 3,026 wounded, and 606 missing; total, 4,210 out of less than 10,000 actually engaged. The morning report showed 11,924 present for duty equipped. General Sickles was seriously wounded, losing a leg; he left the corps and active military service, and General Birney succeeded temporarily to the command.
Autumn 1863
In July, 1863, the corps was increased by the accession of
William H. FrenchWilliam Henry French was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General in the American Civil War. He rose to temporarily command a corps within the Army of the Potomac, but was relieved of active field duty following poor performance during the Mine Run Campaign in late 1863.-Early...
's Division, which had been in garrison at
Harpers FerryHarpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
and was composed, mostly, of regiments with comparatively full ranks, although they had been in service several months. General French was assigned to the command of the corps. During the pursuit of Lee, after Gettysburg, a part of the corps was engaged at Wapping Heights, Virginia, July 23, an action in which the Excelsior Brigade was prominently engaged. Another minor affair occurred at
Kelly's Ford, VirginiaKelly's Ford was a major crossing point on the Rappahannock River. It was the site of a Civil War battle for control of the river ford. Today it is the only crossing on the river between Fredericksburg and Remington. It is the location of the Inn at Kelly's Ford and the Kelly's Ford Equestrian Center...
, November 7, 1863, in which some regiments of Birney's (1st) Division were under fire.
In the Mine Run Campaign a sharp fight took place at
Locust Grove, VirginiaLocust Grove is an unincorporated community in eastern Orange County, Virginia, United States. Its ZIP code is 22508; the population of the ZCTA for that ZIP code was 7,605 at the 2000 census...
, in which Joseph B. Carr's (3rd) Division sustained considerable loss, the principal part of the casualties in that campaign occurring in the III Corps. At this time General French was still in command of the corps, with Generals Birney, Henry Prince, and Carr in command of the divisions. Upon the return from Mine Run, the corps went into winter quarters at
Brandy StationBrandy Station is an unincorporated community in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Its original name was Brandy. The name Brandy Station comes from the Orange and Alexandria Railroad station that was constructed in the 19th century....
.
Army reorganization: March 1864
On March 23, 1864, the War Department ordered the discontinuance of the III and
I CorpsI Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
; and the amalgamation of the constiuent units of the two corps with the II, V and VI Corps. This order was much resented by many of the troops; as a result of the resulting discontent, former soldiers of I and III Corps were permitted to wear their old corps insignia as cap badges.
The 1st and 2nd Divisions were transferred to the
II CorpsThere 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. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
, and, with Generals Birney and
Gershom MottGershom Mott was a United States Army officer and a General in the Union Army, a commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
in command, became respectively the 3rd and 4th Divisions of that corps. The fourth division was incorporated into the third at the Battle of Spotsylvania, and Mott became one of Birney's brigade commanders. The 3rd Division was transferred to the
VI CorpsThe VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...
, where, under command of General
James B. RickettsJames Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general in the Eastern Theater during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, it became the 3rd Division of that corps.
Command history
Samuel P. HeintzelmanSamuel Peter Heintzelman was a United States Army General. He served in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, the Yuma War, the Cortina Troubles, and the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps....
|
March 13, 1862 – October 30, 1862 |
George StonemanGeorge Stoneman, Jr. was a career United States Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the 15th Governor of California between 1883 and 1887.-Early life:...
|
October 30, 1862 – February 5, 1863 |
| Daniel E. Sickles |
February 5, 1863 – May 29, 1863 |
David B. BirneyDavid Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.-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...
|
May 29, 1863 – June 3, 1863 |
| Daniel E. Sickles |
June 3, 1863 – July 2, 1863 |
David B. BirneyDavid Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.-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...
|
July 2, 1863 – July 7, 1863 |
William H. FrenchWilliam Henry French was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General in the American Civil War. He rose to temporarily command a corps within the Army of the Potomac, but was relieved of active field duty following poor performance during the Mine Run Campaign in late 1863.-Early...
|
July 7, 1863 – January 28, 1864 |
David B. BirneyDavid Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union General in the American Civil War.-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...
|
January 28, 1864 – February 17, 1864 |
William H. FrenchWilliam Henry French was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General in the American Civil War. He rose to temporarily command a corps within the Army of the Potomac, but was relieved of active field duty following poor performance during the Mine Run Campaign in late 1863.-Early...
|
February 17, 1864 – March 24, 1864 |