Joseph W. Fisher
Encyclopedia
Joseph Washington Fisher (October 16, 1814 – October 18, 1900) was a Pennsylvania
politician and soldier who commanded a brigade
of the Pennsylvania Reserves
in some of the most important battles of the Army of the Potomac
during the American Civil War
.
, and was educated in the local schools. He studied law and passed his bar exam. Licensed as an attorney, he established a profitable legal practice serving the Northumberland County region. He served as a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1848 to 1849.
of the 5th Pennsylvania Reserves. He was promoted to the rank of colonel
on July 1, 1862, after Col. Seneca G. Simmons was killed in battle. Fisher led the 5th Reserves at the Battle of Antietam
and the Battle of Fredericksburg
in the Reserves Division under the command of Maj. Gen.
George G. Meade. At the latter battle, Fisher succeeded to command of 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division of the I Corps
, when Brig. Gen.
Conrad Feger Jackson
was killed during Meade’s assault on the Confederate
right flank. The Reserves were removed from the field to recover from hard service in 1862, and Fisher commanded the brigade in the XXII Corps
, Department of Washington.
When two brigades of the Reserves returned to the field in 1863, commanded by Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford
, Colonels Fisher and William McCandless
led these units in the V Corps
. They fought at the Battle of Gettysburg
on the left flank of the army. Fisher’s service in that battle is controversial. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain reported that his 20th Maine Infantry and Fisher’s Brigade were sent to occupy Big Round Top
late on July 2, 1863. Chamberlain claimed that Fisher was unwilling to advance against unknown odds and that his unit, battle worn as it was, had to lead the way. Fisher’s report shows no evidence of such hesitation. He credits the 20th Maine with leading as the skirmish line because of better weapons.
Fisher continued in command of his brigade well into 1864. He fought in the Battle of the Wilderness
and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
. His last action as brigade commander was the Battle of Cold Harbor
. Fisher was mustered out with his regiment on June 15, 1864. He later served as colonel of the 195th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fisher was mustered out with that regiment on January 31, 1866. He received a Brevet
promotion to the rank of brigadier general on November 4, 1865.
from 1868 to 1869. Later, he moved to the Wyoming Territory
and served as chief justice
of the territorial courts from 1871 to 1879.
Joseph W. Fisher died in Cheyenne, Wyoming
, on October 18, 1900. He was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cheyenne.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
politician and soldier who commanded a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the Pennsylvania Reserves
Pennsylvania Reserves
The Pennsylvania Reserves were 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, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg....
in some of the most important battles of 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.-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...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The 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...
.
Early life and career
Joseph W. Fisher was born in Northumberland County, PennsylvaniaNorthumberland County, Pennsylvania
There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...
, and was educated in the local schools. He studied law and passed his bar exam. Licensed as an attorney, he established a profitable legal practice serving the Northumberland County region. He served as a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1848 to 1849.
Civil War service
When war broke out and the Pennsylvania Reserves were organized, Fisher became lieutenant colonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 5th Pennsylvania Reserves. He was promoted to the rank of colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
on July 1, 1862, after Col. Seneca G. Simmons was killed in battle. Fisher led the 5th Reserves at 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 soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
and the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The 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...
in the Reserves Division under the command of Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George G. Meade. At the latter battle, Fisher succeeded to command of 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division of the 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:...
, when Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Conrad Feger Jackson
Conrad Feger Jackson
Conrad Feger Jackson was a businessman and soldier from the state of Pennsylvania who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Fredericksburg.-Early life and career:Jackson was born in Alsace Township in Berks County,...
was killed during Meade’s assault on the Confederate
Confederate States Army
The 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...
right flank. The Reserves were removed from the field to recover from hard service in 1862, and Fisher commanded the brigade in the XXII Corps
XXII Corps (ACW)
XXII Corps was a corps in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was created on February 2, 1863, to consist of all troops garrisoned in Washington, D.C., and included three infantry divisions and one of cavalry...
, Department of Washington.
When two brigades of the Reserves returned to the field in 1863, commanded by Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford
Samuel W. Crawford
Samuel Wylie Crawford was a United States Army surgeon and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, Colonels Fisher and William McCandless
William McCandless
William McCandless was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, commanding a regiment and then a brigade in the Pennsylvania Reserve Division.-Biography:...
led these units in the V Corps
V Corps (ACW)
The 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"...
. They fought at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The 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...
on the left flank of the army. Fisher’s service in that battle is controversial. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain reported that his 20th Maine Infantry and Fisher’s Brigade were sent to occupy Big Round Top
Big Round Top
Big Round Top is a boulder-strewn hill notable as the topographic high point of the Gettysburg Battlefield and for 1863 American Civil War engagements for which Medals of Honor were awarded...
late on July 2, 1863. Chamberlain claimed that Fisher was unwilling to advance against unknown odds and that his unit, battle worn as it was, had to lead the way. Fisher’s report shows no evidence of such hesitation. He credits the 20th Maine with leading as the skirmish line because of better weapons.
Fisher continued in command of his brigade well into 1864. He fought in the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and the Battle of 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 Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. His last action as brigade commander was the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
. Fisher was mustered out with his regiment on June 15, 1864. He later served as colonel of the 195th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fisher was mustered out with that regiment on January 31, 1866. He received a Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
promotion to the rank of brigadier general on November 4, 1865.
Postbellum career
After the war, Fisher resumed his legal career. He was elected to serve in the Pennsylvania State SenatePennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
from 1868 to 1869. Later, he moved to the Wyoming Territory
Wyoming Territory
The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital...
and served as chief justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the territorial courts from 1871 to 1879.
Joseph W. Fisher died in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, on October 18, 1900. He was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cheyenne.