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Samuel Breck (general)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Breck was an officer in the United States Army
who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1897 to 1898.
to one of the oldest families in the state, Breck entered the United States Military Academy
at West Point on July 1, 1851. He graduated seventh in his class on July 1, 1855 and was brevetted second lieutenant
of artillery
. While with the 1st Artillery, he served in Florida during the Third Seminole War, Breck was promoted to second lieutenant
in the 1st Artillery July 1, 1855.
Breck served at several forts along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from 1856 to 1860. From 1856 into 1857 he was at the garrison at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. He served at Fort McHenry
in Maryland from 1857 to 1859. In 1859 he marched from Helena, Arkansas to Fort Clark, Texas
. Later in 1859 into 1860, he was again in the garrison at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina.
At Auburndale, Massachusetts
on September 23, 1857, Breck married Caroline Juliet Barrett (b. May 18, 1832), daughter of Samuel and Anne Juliet (Eddy) Barrett. They would have two children: Amelia, born August 25, 1860 at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, died in infancy; and, Samuel, born August 8, 1862 in Washington, D.C., who became a practicing physician in Boston.
From September 24, 1860 to April 26, 1861 Breck served at West Point as Assistant Professor of Geography, History and Ethics. From April 26 to December 3, 1861, he was Principal Assistant Professor of Geography, History, and Ethics, during which time he was a first lieutenant
with the 1st Artillery from April 11, 1861 to February 20, 1862. Breck was promoted to captain on November 19, 1861.
of General Irvin McDowell
’s division of the Army of the Potomac
, which defended Washington, D.C during the American Civil War
or, as it was characterized at the time by the Union, “the Rebellion of the Seceding States.”
On March 24, 1862 Breck became assistant adjutant general of the 1st Army Corps. From April 4 to June 20, 1862 he was assistant adjutant general of the Department of the Rappahannock. On April 18, 1862 he was engaged in the occupation of Falmouth, Virginia
on the north side of the Rappahannock River
opposite Fredericksburg, Virginia
He was commissioned major
, additional aide-de-camp
on May 23, 1862. In late May and early June, he was part of Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell's unsuccessful expedition to the Shenandoah Valley to intercept the Confederate forces
under General Stonewall Jackson
and cut off their avenue of retreat from Winchester, Virginia.
On July 2, 1862, Breck took the post of assistant in the adjutant general’s office in Washington, which he held until the end of the war. He was in charge of “Rolls, Returns, Books, Blanks and business pertaining to the enlisted men of the Regular and Volunteer Forces, and of the records of discontinued commands and the preparation and publication of the ‘Volunteer Army Register.’”
Samuel was successively brevetted lieutenant colonel
(September 24, 1864), colonel
(March 13, 1865) and brigadier general
(appointed March 8, 1866 and confirmed May 4, 1866 to rank from March 13, 1865 “for diligent, faithful and meritorious service in the adjutant general’s department during the rebellion”).
, Omaha, Nebraska
and the Department of Dakota
. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel assistant adjutant general February 28, 1887.
In August 1893 he returned to the Adjutant General's Department in Washington as a colonel, and on September 11, 1897, was elevated by President
William McKinley
and Secretary of War Russell Alger to Adjutant General of the U. S. Army with the rank of brigadier general. He retired in February 1898, and died in February 1918 in Brookline, Massachusetts
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1897 to 1898.
Early career
Born in Middleborough, MassachusettsMiddleborough, Massachusetts
Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,117 as of 2008.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Middleborough Center, please see the article Middleborough Center, Massachusetts....
to one of the oldest families in the state, Breck entered the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point on July 1, 1851. He graduated seventh in his class on July 1, 1855 and was brevetted second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. While with the 1st Artillery, he served in Florida during the Third Seminole War, Breck was promoted to second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 1st Artillery July 1, 1855.
Breck served at several forts along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from 1856 to 1860. From 1856 into 1857 he was at the garrison at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. He served at Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
in Maryland from 1857 to 1859. In 1859 he marched from Helena, Arkansas to Fort Clark, Texas
Fort Clark, Texas
Fort Clark was a frontier fort that later became the headquarters for the 2nd Cavalry Division.-Founding:The land that became Fort Clark was owned by Samuel A. Maverick at the time its potential for military development was recognized by William H.C. Whiting and William F. Smith in 1849...
. Later in 1859 into 1860, he was again in the garrison at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina.
At Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale is one of the 13 villages of Newton, Massachusetts. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95, and is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages as well as the city of Waltham and the...
on September 23, 1857, Breck married Caroline Juliet Barrett (b. May 18, 1832), daughter of Samuel and Anne Juliet (Eddy) Barrett. They would have two children: Amelia, born August 25, 1860 at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, died in infancy; and, Samuel, born August 8, 1862 in Washington, D.C., who became a practicing physician in Boston.
From September 24, 1860 to April 26, 1861 Breck served at West Point as Assistant Professor of Geography, History and Ethics. From April 26 to December 3, 1861, he was Principal Assistant Professor of Geography, History, and Ethics, during which time he was a first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
with the 1st Artillery from April 11, 1861 to February 20, 1862. Breck was promoted to captain on November 19, 1861.
Civil War
On November 29, 1861 Breck became staff captain—assistant adjutant generalAdjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
of General Irvin McDowell
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:...
’s division 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...
, which defended Washington, D.C 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...
or, as it was characterized at the time by the Union, “the Rebellion of the Seceding States.”
On March 24, 1862 Breck became assistant adjutant general of the 1st Army Corps. From April 4 to June 20, 1862 he was assistant adjutant general of the Department of the Rappahannock. On April 18, 1862 he was engaged in the occupation of Falmouth, Virginia
Falmouth, Virginia
Falmouth 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 the north side of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
opposite Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
He was commissioned major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, additional aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
on May 23, 1862. In late May and early June, he was part of Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell's unsuccessful expedition to the Shenandoah Valley to intercept the Confederate forces
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...
under General Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
and cut off their avenue of retreat from Winchester, Virginia.
On July 2, 1862, Breck took the post of assistant in the adjutant general’s office in Washington, which he held until the end of the war. He was in charge of “Rolls, Returns, Books, Blanks and business pertaining to the enlisted men of the Regular and Volunteer Forces, and of the records of discontinued commands and the preparation and publication of the ‘Volunteer Army Register.’”
Samuel was successively brevetted lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
(September 24, 1864), colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(March 13, 1865) and brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
(appointed March 8, 1866 and confirmed May 4, 1866 to rank from March 13, 1865 “for diligent, faithful and meritorious service in the adjutant general’s department during the rebellion”).
Later career
Breck remained in the Adjutant General's Department following the end of the war. From 1879, he served in California, New York, Washington, D. C., and Minnesota. From 1885 he served as adjutant general for various departments, including the Department of the PlatteDepartment of the Platte
The Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho...
, Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
and the Department of Dakota
Department of Dakota
A subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866 to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Department of Dakota was initially headquartered at Fort...
. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel assistant adjutant general February 28, 1887.
In August 1893 he returned to the Adjutant General's Department in Washington as a colonel, and on September 11, 1897, was elevated by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and Secretary of War Russell Alger to Adjutant General of the U. S. Army with the rank of brigadier general. He retired in February 1898, and died in February 1918 in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
.
See also
- List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
- Massachusetts in the American Civil War