John Buford

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

John Buford

John Buford, Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was 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....
cavalry

Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
officer 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....
, with a prominent role at the start of 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....
.

rd was born in Woodford County, Kentucky

Woodford County, Kentucky

Woodford County is a county located in the heart of the Bluegrass region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 23,208. Its county seat is Versailles, Kentucky....
, but was raised in Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,684 at the United States Census 2000....
, from the age of eight. His father was a prominent Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party . It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world....
politician in Illinois and a political opponent of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
. His family had a long military tradition. John Jr.'s grandfather, Colonel Abraham Buford

Abraham Buford

Abraham Buford was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, best known as the commanding officer of the men killed in the "Waxhaw Massacre"....
(of the Waxhaw Massacre

Waxhaw massacre

}|-||-||}The Battle of Waxhaws is the name of a battle that took place during the American Revolution on May 29, 1780, in Lancaster, South Carolina, between a Patriot force led by Abraham Buford and a mainly Loyalist force led by Banastre Tarleton....
) and great uncle served in Virginia regiments during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'John Buford'

Start a new discussion about 'John Buford'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

John Buford, Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was 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....
cavalry

Cavalry

American Civil War

Battle of Gettysburg

Early years

Buford was born in Woodford County, Kentucky

Woodford County, Kentucky

Rock Island, Illinois

Democratic Party (United States)

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Buford

Abraham Buford was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, best known as the commanding officer of the men killed in the "Waxhaw Massacre"....
(of the Waxhaw Massacre

Waxhaw massacre

American Revolutionary War

Napoleon Bonaparte Buford

Napoleon Bonaparte Buford was an United States soldier, Union Army general in the American Civil War, and railroad executive....
, would become a 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....
in the Union Army

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....
. His cousin, Abraham Buford

Abraham Buford II

Brigadier General Abraham "Abe" Buford II was a soldier and Thoroughbred Horse breeding. Born in Woodford County, Kentucky, his origins were a Huguenot family named Beaufort who fled persecution in France and settled in England before emigrating to America in 1635....
, would become a cavalry brigadier general in the Confederate States Army

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....
.

John Jr. attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census , the city population was 33,706. It is the county seat of Knox County....
, for one year. He graduated in the 1848 class of 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....
and was commissioned 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 1st U.S. Dragoons, transferring the next year to the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. He served in Texas and the Southwest, fought against the Sioux

Sioux

Sioux are a Native Americans in the United States and First Nations people. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many dialects....
, served on peacekeeping duty in Bleeding Kansas

Bleeding Kansas

Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in history of Kansas as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving Free-Stater s and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S....
, and in the Utah War

Utah War

The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition or Buchanan's Blunder, was an armed dispute between Latter-day Saint settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government....
in 1858. He was stationed at Fort Crittenden

Camp Floyd

Camp Floyd was a short-lived U.S. Army post near Fairfield, Utah, United States. The site is now a Utah state park....
, Utah

Utah

The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
, from 1859 to 1861. He was a student of the works of General John Watts de Peyster

John Watts de Peyster

John Watts de Peyster, Sr. was an author on the art of war, philanthropist, and early Adjutant General of the New York National Guard. He served in the New York State Militia during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War....
, who was a strong advocate of making the skirmish line the new line of battle.

Civil War

When Civil War broke out, Buford returned to the East from his post in Utah. He was regarded as a man who drove himself too hard, which might have contributed to his success. He had relatives who fought for the South, and upon receiving an offer of a commission in the Confederate Army, legend has it he crumpled it up and threw it on the ground, declaring that he would "live and die under the flag of the Union."

In November 1861, he was appointed assistant inspector general with the rank of major, and, in July 1862, after having served for several months in the defense of Washington

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....
, was raised to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers. In 1862, he was given his first position, under Maj. Gen.

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....
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....
, as commander of the II Corp's Cavalry Brigade of the Union 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....
, which fought with distinction 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....
. Buford personally led a charge late in the battle, but was wounded in the knee by a spent bullet. The injury was painful but not serious, although some Southern newspapers reported that he had been killed. He returned to active service, and served as chief of cavalry to Maj. Gens. George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
and Ambrose E. Burnside. Unfortunately, this assignment was nothing more than a staff position and he chafed for a field command. In McClellan's Maryland Campaign

Maryland Campaign

The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, of September 1862 is widely considered one of the major Turning Point of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, he again served as chief of cavalry in 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....
and was in the battles of South Mountain

Battle of South Mountain

The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's Gap, Turner's Gap, and Fox's Gaps....
and 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....
, replacing Brig. 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....
on McClellan's staff. Under 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....
, however, Buford was given the Reserve Brigade of regular cavalry in the 1st Cavalry Division, 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....
.

After the Battle of 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....
, Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton

Alfred Pleasonton

Alfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General officer of Union Army cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Battle of Brandy Station....
was given command of the Cavalry Corps, although Hooker later agreed that Buford would have been the better choice. Buford first led his division at the Battle of Brandy Station

Battle of Brandy Station

The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil....
. In the Gettysburg Campaign

Gettysburg Campaign

File:Meade and Lee.jpgThe Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate States Army Full General Robert E....
, Buford, who had been promoted to command of the 1st Division, is credited with selecting the field of battle at Gettysburg

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg is a city located in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. Although known primarily as an attraction because of its proximity to the Gettysburg Battlefield, site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the town is also known for its institutions of higher learning, namely the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, founded in 1826, and Gettys...
. Buford's division was the first to arrive at Gettysburg and they successfully held off Maj. Gen. Henry Heth

Henry Heth

Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer in the American Civil War. He is best-remembered for precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, accomplished inadvertently while sending some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village, according to his...
's Confederate

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....
division. This holding action allowed Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds

John F. Reynolds

John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a General officer in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, despite having a relatively limited amount of combat experience in the war, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was kill...
's I Corps

I Corps (ACW)

I 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:...
to hold the high ground west of town in relief of Buford's division. Buford's actions allowed the Union army to beat the Confederates to the heights outside of Gettysburg, which put Lee's army at a considerable disadvantage. Afterward, Buford's troopers were sent by Pleasonton to Emmitsburg, Maryland

Emmitsburg, Maryland

Emmitsburg was founded in 1785 and is in Frederick County, Maryland, Maryland, just south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania....
, to resupply and refit, an ill-advised decision that uncovered the Union left flank. They saw no more action at the eventual Gettysburg victory, of which Buford had been a key component.

Buford pursued the Confederates to Warrenton, Virginia

Warrenton, Virginia

Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fauquier County, Virginia....
, and was afterward engaged in many operations in central Virginia, rendering a particularly valuable service in covering Maj. Gen. George Meade

George Meade

George Gordon Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses....
's retrograde movement in the October 1863 Bristoe Campaign

Bristoe Campaign

The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Major General#United States George G....
.

Death and legacy

Buford was stricken with 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....
and died in Maj. Gen. George Stoneman

George Stoneman

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 was promoted to major general on his deathbed, but effective July 1, 1863, the day he fought so effectively at Gettysburg. He is buried 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....
.

In 1866, a military fort established on the Missouri-Yellowstone confluence in what is now North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States and Western United States regions of the United States of America. North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the US; it is the 48th most populous, with just over 640,000 residents as of 2006....
, was named Fort Buford

Fort Buford

Fort Buford was a former United States Army base located at the confluence of the Missouri River and Yellowstone Rivers in the state of North Dakota....
after the general. The town of Buford, Wyoming

Buford, Wyoming

Buford is an unincorporated area in Albany County, Wyoming, Wyoming, United States. It is located between Laramie, Wyoming and Cheyenne, Wyoming on Interstate 80....
, was renamed in the general's honor.

In 1895, a bronze statue of Buford designed by artist James E. Kelly

James E. Kelly (artist)

James Edward Kelly was an United States sculptor and illustrator who specialized in depicting people and events of American wars, particularly the American Civil War....
was dedicated on the Gettysburg Battlefield

Gettysburg Battlefield

The Gettysburg Battlefield was the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Adams County, Pennsylvania, which had approximately 2,400 residents at the time....
.

In popular media

Buford was portrayed by Sam Elliott

Sam Elliott

Samuel Pack Elliott is an American actor. In films, he is often characterized by his rangy physique, thick horseshoe moustache and gruff speaking voice....
in the 1993 film Gettysburg
Gettysburg (film)

Gettysburg is a 1993 film that dramatizes the decisive Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, who also wrote the screenplay, a close adaptation of Michael Shaara's 1974 novel The Killer Angels, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975....
, based on Michael Shaara

Michael Shaara

Michael Shaara was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as an airborne infantry officer in the Korean War....
's novel, The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975 in literature. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 29, 1863, as the troops of both the United States of America and the Confederate States of America move into bat...
.

Buford is a character in the alternate-history

Alternate history (fiction)

Alternate history or alternative history is a Genre of speculative fiction and historical fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world....
novel Gettysburg, written by Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich

Newton "Newt" Leroy Gingrich is an American politician and author, who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
and William Forstchen.

John Buford

Early years

Civil War

Death and legacy

In popular media

See also