Seth Barton
Encyclopedia
Seth Maxwell Barton was a United States Army
officer and, then, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. He later became noted as a chemist
.
, September 8, 1829, to Thomas Bowerbank Barton. At the age of 15, he was accepted into the United States Military Academy
, graduating in 1849. Following his graduation, Barton served in various frontier
posts in New Mexico Territory
and Texas
, where he participated in campaigns against the Commanches. By 1861, Barton had become a captain in the Regular Army
.
in the Confederate army. Serving under Gen. Robert E. Lee
, Barton saw action at the battles of Cheat Mountain
and Greenbrier River
, and later with Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
as chief engineer during the Valley Campaign
in 1862.
Promoted to brigadier general in March 1862, Barton was assigned to Gen. E. Kirby Smith in the Department of East Tennessee, where for a short time during the Cumberland Gap Campaign, Barton led the 4th Brigade, consisting of Anderson's Virginia battery as well as Alabama and Georgia regiment
s. Later transferred with Maj. Gen.
Carter L. Stevenson
's division
to Vicksburg, Mississippi
, Barton was captured following the Siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.
Released following a prisoner exchange, Barton was assigned command of the Virginia brigade once led by Lewis Armistead, serving under Maj. Gen. George Pickett
. Stationed at Kinston, North Carolina
, for the remainder of the year, Barton was commanding one of the forward columns marching on New Bern
, in February 1864, when he was censured after Pickett had issued a formal complaint against him for lack of cooperation. He was transferred to Gen. Robert Ransom's command at Drewry's Bluff. However, Barton was again relieved of command following the Battle of Drewry's Bluff
when Ransom issued a similar charge, despite accounts of Barton's gallantry during the battle as well as his unit being the first to reach the Union guns. Barton's brigade was assigned to Col. Birkett D. Fry
.
Barton was later returned to command due to the intervention of other officers on his behalf and assigned to a brigade defending Richmond, Virginia
, under Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell
. He remained at Chaffin's Farm until the eventual evacuation of Richmond and joined the retreating forces under Maj. Gen. Custis Lee. Barton was captured on April 6, 1865 at the Battle of Saylors Creek along with eight other Confederate Generals. Imprisoned for three months at Fort Warren
in Boston, Massachusetts, he was released after signing a loyalty oath
to the Union
, eventually becoming one of the most prominent chemists in the United States. In 1900, while visiting his son in Washington, D.C.
, he died suddenly. He was buried in the City Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
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...
officer and, then, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
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...
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...
. He later became noted as a chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
.
Early life and career
Barton was born in Fredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg, 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...
, September 8, 1829, to Thomas Bowerbank Barton. At the age of 15, he was accepted into 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...
, graduating in 1849. Following his graduation, Barton served in various frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
posts in New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he participated in campaigns against the Commanches. By 1861, Barton had become a captain in the Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
.
Civil War Service
With the outbreak of the Civil War, he resigned his commission and joined the 3rd Arkansas Infantry as a 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...
in the Confederate army. Serving under Gen. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, Barton saw action at the battles of Cheat Mountain
Battle of Cheat Mountain
The Battle of Cheat Mountain, also known as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, took place from September 12 to 15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, Virginia as part of the Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of the Civil War in which Robert...
and Greenbrier River
Battle of Greenbrier River
The Battle of Greenbrier River, also known as the Battle of Camp Bartow, took place on October 3, 1861 in Pocahontas County, Virginia as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War....
, and later with Gen. Thomas "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=...
as chief engineer during the Valley Campaign
Valley Campaign
Jackson's Valley Campaign was Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's famous spring 1862 campaign through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia during the American Civil War...
in 1862.
Promoted to brigadier general in March 1862, Barton was assigned to Gen. E. Kirby Smith in the Department of East Tennessee, where for a short time during the Cumberland Gap Campaign, Barton led the 4th Brigade, consisting of Anderson's Virginia battery as well as Alabama and Georgia regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s. Later transferred with Maj. Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army in several antebellum wars and then in the Confederate States Army as a general in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Stevenson was born to a prominent family in...
's division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
to Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, Barton was captured following the Siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.
Released following a prisoner exchange, Barton was assigned command of the Virginia brigade once led by Lewis Armistead, serving under Maj. Gen. George Pickett
George Pickett
George Edward Pickett was a career United States Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
. Stationed at Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
, for the remainder of the year, Barton was commanding one of the forward columns marching on New Bern
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
, in February 1864, when he was censured after Pickett had issued a formal complaint against him for lack of cooperation. He was transferred to Gen. Robert Ransom's command at Drewry's Bluff. However, Barton was again relieved of command following the Battle of Drewry's Bluff
Battle of Drewry's Bluff
The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling, or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Five American warships, including the ironclads and , steamed up the James River to...
when Ransom issued a similar charge, despite accounts of Barton's gallantry during the battle as well as his unit being the first to reach the Union guns. Barton's brigade was assigned to Col. Birkett D. Fry
Birkett D. Fry
Birkett Davenport Fry was an adventurer, soldier, lawyer, cotton manufacturer, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. A survivor of four battle wounds, he commanded one of the lead brigades during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life:Fry was born in Kanawha...
.
Barton was later returned to command due to the intervention of other officers on his behalf and assigned to a brigade defending Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond 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...
, under Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
. He remained at Chaffin's Farm until the eventual evacuation of Richmond and joined the retreating forces under Maj. Gen. Custis Lee. Barton was captured on April 6, 1865 at the Battle of Saylors Creek along with eight other Confederate Generals. Imprisoned for three months at Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Massachusetts)
Fort Warren is a historic fort on the Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is pentagonal, made with stone and granite, and was constructed from 1833–1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War...
in Boston, Massachusetts, he was released after signing a loyalty oath
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
to the Union
Dates of Rank
- Captain, June 15, 1861
- Lieutenant Colonel, June 29, 1861
- Brigadier General, March 11, 1862
Post-War Life
After the war, Barton returned to Fredericksburg, where he began practicing chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, eventually becoming one of the most prominent chemists in the United States. In 1900, while visiting his son in 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. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, he died suddenly. He was buried in the City Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals