Thomas W. Egan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wilberforce Egan was a Union Army
officer who led the Mozart Regiment during most of the American Civil War
, later becoming a general.
, called the Mozart Regiment, in April 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War, as a private. (The regiment was sponsored by the Democratic Party
's Mozart Hall Committee.) Egan was made lieutenant colonel on June 14, 1861.
Lieutenant Colonel Egan participated in most of the major battles of the Army of the Potomac
. Initially, the Mozart Regiment served in first division III Corps
. Col. Egan is reported to have arrested the colonel of the regiment for misconduct at the Battle of Fair Oaks in May 1862. In June 1862, Egan was promoted to the rank of colonel. He led the regiment at the Second Battle of Bull Run
, the Battle of Chantilly
and the Battle of Chancellorsville
. At Chancellorsville, Colonel Egan became acting commander of first brigade first division III Corps, when Brigadier General Charles K. Graham
was assigned to command of the third division following the death of Major General Amiel W. Whipple. At the Battle of Gettysburg
on July 2, 1863, Colonel Egan, once more leading his regiment, was wounded in action near Devil's Den
, being hit in a leg; and the regiment’s monument stands near that site. http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/monuments/pages/sr210.html The Mozart Regiment lost 150 of 431 troops engaged. Egan also led the Mozart Regiment in the Mine Run Campaign during the autumn of 1863.
Just before Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant
's Overland Campaign
of 1864, III Corps was dissolved. First division became third division II Corps
. Egan led his regiment in the Battle of the Wilderness
. He became commander of a brigade during the Battle of Spotsylvania, after Brigadier General J. H. Hobart Ward
was relieved for drunkenness on the night of May 12, 1864. His command was involved in a counterattack against the Confederates during the fighting at Harris Farm. Egan led the brigade at the Battle of North Anna
, attacking Henagan's Redoubt. He also led it at the Battle of Cold Harbor
. Egan was wounded during the Second Battle of Petersburg in June 1864, suffering slight paralysis as a result.
Colonel Egan received his commission as brigadier general on September 3, 1864. (Secretary of War Edwin Stanton personally handed him his commission.) At the Battle of Boydton Plank Road
on October 27, he commanded the second division II Corps in place of Brigadier General John Gibbon
. Egan was seriously wounded on November 14, 1864. The wound disabled his right arm. On recovering, he was given a division in the Army of the Shenandoah on the request of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
. On December 12, 1864, President
Abraham Lincoln
nominated Egan for appointment to the brevet
grade of major general
of volunteers to rank from October 27, 1864 for his service at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on February 14, 1865.
. Brigadier General Egan died in New York City on February 24, 1887. According to the New York Times, General Egan was struck down by epilepsy
while staying at the International Hotel in New York City
. He was taken to the Chambers Street Hospital, a charity hospital, where he died.
Union Army
The 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...
officer who led the Mozart Regiment during most of 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...
, later becoming a general.
Early life
Egan was born in New York City of Irish immigrant parents in 1836. Little is known about his life before the Civil War. He is believed to have married an actress and fathered a child who died young.Military Career
Egan joined the 40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Mozart Regiment" or the "Constitution Guard", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
, called the Mozart Regiment, in April 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War, as a private. (The regiment was sponsored by the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
's Mozart Hall Committee.) Egan was made lieutenant colonel on June 14, 1861.
Lieutenant Colonel Egan participated in most of the major 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...
. Initially, the Mozart Regiment served in first division III Corps
III Corps (ACW)
There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*In the Army of Virginia:**Irvin McDowell ;**James B...
. Col. Egan is reported to have arrested the colonel of the regiment for misconduct at the Battle of Fair Oaks in May 1862. In June 1862, Egan was promoted to the rank of colonel. He led the regiment at the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
, the Battle of Chantilly
Battle of Chantilly
The 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...
and the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The 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...
. At Chancellorsville, Colonel Egan became acting commander of first brigade first division III Corps, when Brigadier General Charles K. Graham
Charles K. Graham
Charles Kinnaird Graham was a sailor in the antebellum United States Navy, attorney, and later a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As a civil engineer, he helped plan and lay out Central Park in New York City.-Early years and education:Graham was born in New York...
was assigned to command of the third division following the death of Major General Amiel W. Whipple. 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 July 2, 1863, Colonel Egan, once more leading his regiment, was wounded in action near Devil's Den
Devil's Den
Devils Den is a boulder-strewn Gettysburg Battlefield hill used by artillery and infantry during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day...
, being hit in a leg; and the regiment’s monument stands near that site. http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/monuments/pages/sr210.html The Mozart Regiment lost 150 of 431 troops engaged. Egan also led the Mozart Regiment in the Mine Run Campaign during the autumn of 1863.
Just before Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
of 1864, III Corps was dissolved. First division became third division II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There 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...
. Egan led his regiment 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...
. He became commander of a brigade during the Battle of Spotsylvania, after Brigadier General J. H. Hobart Ward
J. H. Hobart Ward
John Henry Hobart Ward , most commonly referred to as J.H. Hobart Ward, was a career United States Army soldier who fought in the Mexican–American War and served in the New York state militia...
was relieved for drunkenness on the night of May 12, 1864. His command was involved in a counterattack against the Confederates during the fighting at Harris Farm. Egan led the brigade at the Battle of North Anna
Battle of North Anna
The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
, attacking Henagan's Redoubt. He also led it at 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...
. Egan was wounded during the Second Battle of Petersburg in June 1864, suffering slight paralysis as a result.
Colonel Egan received his commission as brigadier general on September 3, 1864. (Secretary of War Edwin Stanton personally handed him his commission.) At the Battle of Boydton Plank Road
Battle of Boydton Plank Road
-References:****...
on October 27, he commanded the second division II Corps in place of Brigadier General John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
. Egan was seriously wounded on November 14, 1864. The wound disabled his right arm. On recovering, he was given a division in the Army of the Shenandoah on the request of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
. On December 12, 1864, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
nominated Egan for appointment to the 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...
grade of major general
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...
of volunteers to rank from October 27, 1864 for his service at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on February 14, 1865.
Later Life
General Egan was mustered out of the service, January 15, 1866, and subsequently lived in New York City. He served as deputy collector of customs for the port of New York. He also belonged to the Grand Army of the RepublicGrand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
. Brigadier General Egan died in New York City on February 24, 1887. According to the New York Times, General Egan was struck down by epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
while staying at the International Hotel in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was taken to the Chambers Street Hospital, a charity hospital, where he died.