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The VI Corps (Sixth Army Corps) was a corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 of 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....
 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....
.

corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting 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....
  William B. Franklin
William B. Franklin

William Buel Franklin was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable early battles in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula

The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name....
, with Maj.






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The VI Corps (Sixth Army Corps) was a corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 of 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....
 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....
.

Formation

The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting 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....
  William B. Franklin
William B. Franklin

William Buel Franklin was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable early battles in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula

The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name....
, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith
William Farrar Smith

William Farrar Smith , was a civil engineer, a member of the police commission, and Union army General officer in the American Civil War....
's Division, which was taken away from the IV Corps
IV Corps (ACW)

There were two corps of the Union Army called IV Corps during the American Civil War. They were separate units, one serving with the Army of the Potomac and the Department of Virginia in the Eastern Theater, 1862–1863, the other with the Army of the Cumberland in the Western Theater, 1863–1865....
 for this purpose. This provisional arrangement having been sanctioned by the U.S. War Department, the command received its permanent designation as the VI Army Corps, 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....
. Franklin was appointed corps commander, and Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum succeeded to the command of Franklin's Division. On June 20, 1862, the corps numbered 24,911, present and absent, with 19,405 present for duty, equipped; the corps artillery numbered 40 guns.

1862

At the Battle of Gaines' Mill
Battle of Gaines' Mill

The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
 in the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
, Slocum's Division was sent to the support of Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter
Fitz John Porter

Fitz John Porter was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General officer during the American Civil War. He is most known for his performance at the Second Battle of Bull Run and his subsequent Court-martial of Fitz John Porter....
 and became hotly engaged, losing 2,021 men out of less than 8,000 present. The Vermont brigade of Smith's (2nd) Division took a prominent part in the fight at Savage's Station
Battle of Savage's Station

The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
, the 5th Vermont losing 209 men in that action. The corps fought at other points during the Seven Days Battles, but at Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill

The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, was the sixth and last of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
 it was held in reserve. 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....
 it was partially engaged, the First New Jersey Brigade
First New Jersey Brigade

The First New Jersey Brigade is the common name for an American Civil War brigade of New Jersey infantry regiments in the Union Army Army of the Potomac....
 of Slocum's (1st) Division having a sharp fight on August 27, at Bull Run Bridge, in which it lost 339 in killed, wounded, and missing, Brig. Gen.
Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
 George W. Taylor, the brigade commander, receiving a mortal wound.

In the 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....
, Slocum's Division made a successful charge up the side 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....
 at Crampton's Gap, driving the enemy from a strong position; Slocum's loss was 533 (113 killed, 418 wounded, 2 missing). The corps was under fire again at 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....
, but was only partially engaged; the 3rd Brigade (Brig. Gen. William H. Irwin's) of Smith's Division, took an active part; however, the 7th Maine and 20th New York sustained severe losses.

Important changes in the corps now took place. It received a valuable accession by the transfer of Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch
Darius N. Couch

Darius Nash Couch was a United States Army officer, naturalist, and a Union Army Major general in the American Civil War. Couch rose to command a corps in the Army of the Potomac, and led division in both the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War and Western Theater of the American Civil War....
's Division of the IV Corps, which now became the 3rd Division of the VI Corps, with Maj. Gen. John Newton in command. General Franklin was promoted to the command of the Left Grand Division, VI and 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:...
, and General Smith succeeded to the command of the corps. General Slocum was promoted to the command of the XII Corps
XII Corps (ACW)

The XII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.The corps was formed by U.S. War Department General Order of March 13, 1862, under which the corps organization of the Army of the Potomac was first created....
, and Maj. Gen. William T. Brooks succeeded Slocum in command of the 1st Division, while Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe
Albion P. Howe

Albion Parris Howe was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Howe's contentious relationships with superior officers in the Army of the Potomac eventually led to his being deprived of Division command....
 succeeded to the command of Smith's (2nd) Division.

1863

At Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
, December 13, 1862, only a few regiments of the corps were engaged, although all were under severe artillery fire. But the corps was engaged on the same field, May 3, 1863, in an action that made it famous with a brilliant display of dash and daring. When 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....
 took the Army of the Potomac to 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....
 he left the VI Corps in front of Fredericksburg, which was still held by a strong force of the enemy. Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. His death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is often considered a well known tale of irony....
, who had succeeded to the corps command, ordered an assault on Marye's Heights, and that strong position that had defied the assaults of the previous battle, was now carried by the VI Corps at the point of the bayonet. The divisions of Newton and Howe were the ones engaged; Brooks's (1st) Division was engaged later in the day, at Salem Church
Battle of Salem Church

The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford, took place on May 3 and May 4, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville, Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War....
. The corps lost in this battle 4,589 (485 killed, 2,619 wounded, 1,485 missing). The missing ones were, for the most part, lost in the action at Salem Church. On the day before this battle, the corps returns showed a strength of 23,730, "present for duty", of whom less than 20,000 were present in action.

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....
, the divisions were commanded by Generals Wright, Howe, and Newton. They marched upwards of 37 miles in about 17 hours to reach Gettysburg on the afternoon of July 2, 1863. The 1st Division deployed and saw action at Little Round Top
Little Round Top

Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate States Army troops against the Union Army left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
 and the Wheatfield
Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day

During the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee attempted to capitalize on his first day's success....
. Despite being the largest corps in the Union army at the time, the VI Corps was mostly held in reserve to the east of Gettysburg. Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler
Alexander Shaler

Alexander Shaler was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Fredericksburg II....
's Brigade was sent into action as a support to the XII Corps; several casualties, also occurred in Brig. Gens. Henry L. Eustis
Henry L. Eustis

Henry Lawrence Eustis was a civil engineer, college professor, and soldier who served as a General officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
's and Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton

Frank Wheaton was a career military officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and Indian Wars....
's Brigades, of Newton's Division. Newton left the corps, being assigned to command the I Corps, following the death of 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...
 on the first day of the battle
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....
. During the pursuit of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's army after Gettysburg, the Vermont Brigade was engaged at Funkstown, Maryland
Battle of Williamsport

The Battle of Williamsport, also known as the Battle of Hagerstown or Falling Waters, took place from July 6 to July 16, 1863, in Washington County, Maryland, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War....
, where this one brigade, drawn out in a skirmish line of over a mile in length, alone and unassisted, repelled a determined attack of a vastly superior force, which in massed columns charged this skirmish line repeatedly. The Vermonters sustained but slight loss, as they occupied a strong, natural position.

Having returned to Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
, the corps participated in the 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....
, November 7, 1863, at Rappahannock Station
Battle of Rappahannock Station II

The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station took place on November 7, 1863, near the village of Rappahannock Station , on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, between Confederate States forces under Major General Jubal Early and Union Army forces under Major general John Sedgwick as part of the Bristoe Campaign of the American Civil War....
 in a successful assault on the enemy's entrenchments. The 6th Maine and 5th Wisconsin distinguished themselves particularly in this action, leading the storming party and carrying the works with the bayonet only. It was a success that resulted not only in a victory, but in the capture of a large number of prisoners, small arms, artillery and battle flags.

In the Mine Run Campaign the divisions were commanded by Generals Wright, Howe, and Henry D. Terry, but were not in action to any extent. The corps went into winter quarters at Brandy Station
Brandy Station, Virginia

Brandy Station is a historic unincorporated area in Culpeper County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. Its original name was Brandy. The name Brandy Station comes from the Orange and Alexandria Railroad station that was constructed in the 19th century....
.

1864

Upon the reorganization of the army, in March 1864, several changes were made. The 3rd Division was broken up, Shaler's Brigade being transferred to Horatio G. Wright's (1st) Division, while the brigades of Henry L. Eustis
Henry L. Eustis

Henry Lawrence Eustis was a civil engineer, college professor, and soldier who served as a General officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
 and Wheaton were placed in the 2nd Division, the command of which was given to General George W. Getty
George W. Getty

George Washington Getty was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War....
, who had served as a division commander in the IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)

IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi....
, and, also, in the VII Corps
VII Corps (ACW)

Two corps of the Union Army were called VII Corps during the American Civil War....
 at the Siege of Suffolk
Battle of Suffolk (Norfleet House)

}|-||}The Battle of Suffolk at the Norfleet House Battery took place from April 13 to April 15, 1863, in Suffolk, Virginia, as part of Confederate States Army Lieutenant General James Longstreet's Tidewater region of Virginia operations during the American Civil War....
.

The place of the 3rd Division was filled by the 3rd Division of the 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:*Army of Virginia:...
, that corps having been discontinued; the command of this division was given to Maj. Gen. James B. Ricketts
James B. Ricketts

James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a general in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War during the American Civil War....
.

The corps now contained 49 regiments of infantry, an artillery brigade composed of 8 batteries of light artillery (48 guns), and a battalion of heavy artillery acting as infantry; numbering in all, 24,163, "present for duty, equipped".

In the battles of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E....
 and Spotsylvania
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 Lieutenant general Ulysses S....
 of the 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....
, the VI Corps encountered the hardest contested fighting of its experience. At the Wilderness, the Vermont Brigade—Getty's Division—lost 1,232 men out of the 2,800 effectives that crossed the Rapidan River
Rapidan River

The Rapidan River is the largest tributary of the Rappahannock River in North-central Virginia. The two rivers converge just west of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia....
 on the previous day. At Spotsylvania, the Jersey Brigade of Wright's Division was engaged in a deadly struggle, the percentage of killed in the 15th New Jersey being equaled in only one instance during the whole war. General Sedgwick was killed by a sniper's bullet at Spotsylvania on May 9, which caused great distress to the soldiers of the corps, who loved and admired their "Uncle John". General Wright succeeded to the command of the corps, Brig. Gen. David A. Russell
David Allen Russell

David Allen Russell was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He was killed in action as a Brigadier general in the Union Army....
 succeeding Wright in the command of the 1st Division. On May 10, Col. Emory Upton
Emory Upton

Emory Upton was a United States Army General officer and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the American Civil War, but he also excelled at artillery and cavalry assignments....
 led a storming party of twelve picked regiments selected from the VI Corps; they carried the Confederate works in the "Mule Shoe" after a hand-to-hand fight in which bayonet wounds were freely given and received. On May 12, the entire corps fought at the "Bloody Angle", where the fighting was the among the closest and deadliest of any recorded in the Civil War. The casualties of the corps at the Wilderness were 5,035 (719 killed, 3,660 wounded, 656 missing); and at Spotsylvania, 4,042 (688 killed, 2,820 wounded, 534 missing).

In the assault at Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor

The Battle of Cold Harbor, the final battle of Union Army Lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, is remembered as one of History of the United States bloodiest, most lopsided battles....
, June 1, 1864, the corps sustained another severe loss, 2,715 of its number killed or wounded. Accompanying the army to Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War....
, it participated in the preliminary operations incidental to the investment of that stronghold. But its stay was of short duration. Lt. Gen.
Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
 Jubal A. Early's invasion of Maryland necessitated a transfer of troops to confront him, and the heroes of Marye's Heights were selected for that duty in the Valley Campaigns of 1864
Valley Campaigns of 1864

The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864....
. On July 6, Ricketts's (3rd) Division embarked at City Point
City Point, Virginia

City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia in the state of Virginia. Now extinct, the town became part of the independent city of Hopewell, Virginia in 1923....
, and, landing at Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
 on July 8, marched out to meet Early. This division took part in the Battle of Monocacy
Battle of Monocacy

}|-||}The Battle of Monocacy was fought on July 9, 1864, just outside Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, in the American Civil War....
 on the following day, and, although unable to defeat Early, checked his advance on 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, founded on July 16, 1790....
, giving the defenses their time to organize. The other two divisions embarked on July 10 and, landing at Washington, attacked Early, whose advance had reached Fort Stevens
Battle of Fort Stevens

The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought on July 11 and July 12 in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate States Army Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early and Union General Horatio Wright....
, within the city limits. The brunt of this fight fell to the lot of Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Bidwell
Daniel D. Bidwell

Daniel Davidson Bidwell was a civic leader in Buffalo, New York, before the outbreak of the American Civil War. He enlisted early in the war and then was appointed Colonel of a regiment of infantry....
's (3rd) Brigade, of Getty's (2nd) Division, every regimental commandant in this brigade, but one, being either killed or wounded.

The corps followed in pursuit of Early through Maryland, into Virginia, and up the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley

The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bound to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River and to the south by the James River ....
. Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan

Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General officer in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to Major general and his close association with Lieutenant general Ulysses S....
 was placed in command of the Army of the Shenandoah
Army of the Shenandoah

Army of the Shenandoah refers to two armies in the American Civil War:* Army of the Shenandoah * Army of the Shenandoah ...
, which was composed of the VI, VIII
VIII Corps (ACW)

The VIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War....
, and XIX Corps
XIX Corps (ACW)

XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of its service in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, though several units fought in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley....
, and its campaign in the Valley was a memorable one by reason of the victories at Third Winchester
Battle of Opequon

}|-||}The Battle of Opequon, more commonly known as the Third Battle of Winchester, was fought in Winchester, Virginia, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War....
, Fisher's Hill
Battle of Fisher's Hill

In the Battle of Fisher's Hill, Phil Sheridan had almost 30,000 men while Jubal Anderson Early had just under 10,000. Early, following the Third Battle of Winchester took a strong position....
, and Cedar Creek
Battle of Cedar Creek

The Battle of Cedar Creek, or The Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War....
. In the latter battle occurred the famous incident of Sheridan's Ride from Winchester
Winchester, Virginia

Winchester is an independent city located in the extreme northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 23,585 according to the United States Census 2000....
, followed by a defeat from which Early never recovered. General Russell was killed at Third Winchester, and Bidwell at Cedar Creek. The casualties of the corps at the Opequon aggregated 1,699 (211 killed, 1,442 wounded, 46 missing). At Cedar Creek, it lost 2,126 (298 killed, 1,628 wounded, 200 missing). Its total loss in the Shenandoah campaign, August 22 to October 20, was 4,899, out of 12,615 "present for duty", in August. General Wheaton succeeded to the command of Russell, while Brig. Gen. Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour

Truman Seymour was an a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of Brigadier general ....
 was assigned to the command of the 3rd Division, in place of General Ricketts, who was seriously wounded at Cedar Creek.

1865

In December 1864, the VI Corps returned to the Army of the Potomac in the Petersburg trenches, built their winter quarters, and went into position near the Weldon Railroad. On the April 2, 1865, the corps was assigned a prominent and important part in the final assault
Battle of Petersburg III

The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union Army assault on the Confederate States Army trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia, Virginia....
 on the fortifications of Petersburg. Then came the hot pursuit of Lee's retreating veterans in the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign

The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate States Army General Robert E....
, during which the corps fought at Sayler's Creek
Battle of Sayler's Creek

}|-||}The Battle of Sayler's Creek was fought April 6, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, in the final days of the American Civil War....
. This, the last battle for the VI Corps, was marked by the same features that had so largely characterized all its battles: dash, hard fighting (some of it with the bayonet), victory, and large captures of men, flags, guns, and material. A Confederate attack on the corps as it crossed the creek was repulsed with support from the artillery, and the counterattack broke Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell

Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E....
's line. Ewell and George Washington Custis Lee
George Washington Custis Lee

Major general George Washington Custis Lee , aka Custis Lee, was the eldest son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee.From 1850 to 1854 he attended United States Military Academy, graduating first in his class....
, oldest son of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
, were among the prisoners taken by federal forces.

The VI Corps was disbanded on June 28, 1865.

Command history

William B. Franklin
William B. Franklin

William Buel Franklin was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable early battles in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
          		 May 18, 1862 – November 16, 1862
William F. Smith
William Farrar Smith

William Farrar Smith , was a civil engineer, a member of the police commission, and Union army General officer in the American Civil War....
 November 16, 1862 – January 25, 1863
John Newton January 25, 1863 – February 5, 1863
John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. His death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is often considered a well known tale of irony....
 February 5, 1863 – April 6, 1864
James B. Ricketts
James B. Ricketts

James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a general in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War during the American Civil War....
 April 6, 1864 – April 13, 1864
John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. His death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is often considered a well known tale of irony....
 April 13, 1864 – May 9, 1864
Horatio G. Wright May 9, 1864 – July 8, 1864
* Horatio G. Wright August 6, 1864 – October 16, 1864
* James B. Ricketts
James B. Ricketts

James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a general in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War during the American Civil War....
 October 16, 1864 – October 19, 1864
* George W. Getty
George W. Getty

George Washington Getty was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War....
 October 19, 1864 – October 19, 1864
* Horatio G. Wright October 19, 1864 – December 6, 1864
Horatio G. Wright December 6, 1864 – January 16, 1865
George W. Getty
George W. Getty

George Washington Getty was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War....
 January 16, 1865 – February 11, 1865
Horatio G. Wright February 11, 1865 – June 28, 1865


 * Corps assigned to the Army of the Shenandoah
Army of the Shenandoah

Army of the Shenandoah refers to two armies in the American Civil War:* Army of the Shenandoah * Army of the Shenandoah ...
; other entries to 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....