- Gouverneur K. Warren
Infobox Military Person
name=Gouverneur Kemble Warren
born= Birth date|1830|1|8
died= Death date and age|1882|8|8|1830|1|8
placeofbirth=Cold Spring, New York
placeofdeath=Newport, Rhode Island
placeofburial=
caption=Maj. Gen. G.K. Warren
nickname=Hero of Little Round Top
allegiance=United States of America
serviceyears=1850 – 1882
rank= Major General
commands=3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps II Corps V Corps
unit=
battles=American Civil War
*Peninsula Campaign
*Battle of Fredericksburg
*Battle of Gettysburg
*Battle of Bristoe Station
*Overland Campaign
**Battle of the Wilderness
*Siege of Petersburg
*Appomattox Campaign
**Battle of Five Forks
awards=
laterwork=Gouverneur Kemble Warren (
January 8 ,1830 –August 8 ,1882 ) was acivil engineer and prominent general in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War . He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense ofLittle Round Top during theBattle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the "Hero of Little Round Top." His subsequent service as a corps commander and his remaining military career were ruined during theBattle of Five Forks , when he was relieved of command byPhilip Sheridan .Early life
Warren was born in Cold Spring, Putnam County,
New York , and named forGouverneur Kemble , a prominent local Congressman, diplomat, and industrialist. His sister,Emily Warren Roebling , would later play a significant role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.Fact|date=August 2008 He entered theUnited States Military Academy at age 16 and graduated second in his class of 44 cadets in 1850.Eicher, pp. 554-55.] He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in theCorps of Topographical Engineers . In theantebellum years he worked on theMississippi River , on transcontinental railroad surveys, and mapped the trans-Mississippi West.cite web| title =General Warren Statue| publisher =New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date =2001-08-27 |url =http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10786| accessdate =2007-06-04] He served as the engineer onWilliam S. Harney 'sBattle of Ash Hollow in theNebraska Territory in 1855, where he saw his first combat.Heidler, pp. 2062-63.] [Wittenberg, p. 116.]He took part in studies of possible transcontinental railroad routes, creating the first comprehensive map of the United States west of the Mississippi in 1857. This required extensive explorations of the vast
Nebraska Territory , includingNebraska ,North Dakota ,South Dakota , part ofMontana , and part ofWyoming . [cite web| title =Gouverneur Kemble Warren Papers, 1848-1882| publisher =New York State Library| date =2001-01-25| url =http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc10668.htm| accessdate = 2007-06-04]One region he surveyed was the Minnesota River Valley, a valley much larger than what would be expected from the low-flow
Minnesota River . In some places the valley is 5 miles (8 km) wide and 250 feet (80 m) deep. Warren first explained the hydrology of the region in 1868, attributing the gorge to a massive river, which drainedLake Agassiz between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. The great river was namedglacial River Warren in his honor after his death. [cite web| last =Upham| first =Warren| authorlink = Warren Upham| title =The Glacial Lake Agassiz| publisher =North Dakota State University Libraries| date =April 16 ,1999 | url =http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/govdocs/text/lakeagassiz/chapter1.html| accessdate = 2007-06-03]Civil War
At the start of the war, Warren was a first lieutenant and mathematics instructor at the
United States Military Academy at West Point, across theHudson River from his hometown. He helped raise a localregiment for service in the Union Army and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 5th New York Infantry onMay 14 ,1861 . Warren and his regiment saw their first combat at theBattle of Big Bethel inVirginia onJune 10 , arguably the first major land engagement of the war. He was promoted to colonel and regimental commander onSeptember 10 .In the 1862
Peninsula Campaign , Warren commanded his regiment at the Siege of Yorktown and also assisted the chief topographical engineer of theArmy of the Potomac , Brig. Gen.Andrew A. Humphreys , by leading reconnaissance missions and drawing detailed maps of appropriate routes for the army in its advance up theVirginia Peninsula . He commanded abrigade (3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps) during theSeven Days Battles and was wounded in the knee at theBattle of Gaines' Mill , although he refused to be taken from the field. At theBattle of Malvern Hill , his brigade stopped the attack of a Confederate division. He continued to lead the brigade at theSecond Battle of Bull Run , suffering heavy casualties in a heroic stand against an overwhelming enemy assault,Wittenberg, p. 117.] and at Antietam, where V Corps was in reserve and saw no combat.Warren was promoted to brigadier general on
September 26 ,1862 , and he and his brigade fought in theBattle of Fredericksburg in December. When Maj. Gen.Joseph Hooker reorganized the Army of the Potomac in February 1863, he named Warren his chief topographical engineer and then chief engineer. As chief engineer, Warren was commended for his service in theBattle of Chancellorsville .At the start of the
Gettysburg Campaign , as Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee began his invasion ofPennsylvania , Warren advised Hooker on the routes the Army should take in pursuit. On the second day of theBattle of Gettysburg ,July 2 ,1863 , Warren initiated the defense ofLittle Round Top , recognizing the importance of the undefended position on the left flank of the Union Army, and directing, on his own initiative, the brigade of ColonelStrong Vincent to occupy it just minutes before it was attacked. Warren suffered a minor neck wound during the Confederate assault.Promoted to major general after Gettysburg (
August 8 ,1863 ), Warren commanded II Corps from August 1863 until March 1864, replacing the wounded Maj. Gen.Winfield S. Hancock , and distinguishing himself at theBattle of Bristoe Station . (OnMarch 13 ,1865 , he was breveted to major general in the regular army for his actions at Bristoe Station.) During theMine Run Campaign , Warren's corps was ordered to attack Lee's Army, but he perceived that a trap had been laid and refused the order from Army commander Maj. Gen.George G. Meade . Although initially angry at Warren, Meade acknowledged that he had been right. Upon Hancock's return from medical leave, and the spring 1864 reorganization of the Army of the Potomac, Warren assumed command of V Corps. He led the V Corps through theOverland Campaign , theSiege of Petersburg , and theAppomattox Campaign .During these Virginia campaigns, Warren established a reputation of bringing his engineering traits of deliberation and caution to the role of infantry corps commander. He won the
Battle of Globe Tavern ,August 18 toAugust 20 ,1864 , cutting the Weldon Railroad, a vital supply route north to Petersburg. He also won a limited success in theBattle of Peebles' Farm in September 1864, carrying a part of the Confederate lines protecting supplies moving to Petersburg on the Boydton Plank Road.The aggressive Maj. Gen.
Philip Sheridan , a key subordinate of Lt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant , was dissatisfied with Warren's performance. He was angry at Warren's corps for supposedly obstructing roads after theBattle of the Wilderness and its cautious actions during the Siege of Petersburg. At the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign, Sheridan requested that the VI Corps be assigned to his pursuit of Lee's army, but Grant insisted that the V Corps was better positioned. He gave Sheridan written permission to relieve Warren if he felt it was justified "for the good of the service."Wittenberg, p. 119.] Grant later wrote in his "Personal Memoirs", [Grant, p. 702.]At the
Battle of Five Forks onApril 1 ,1865 , Sheridan became enraged with Warren's performance. He perceived that the V Corps moved too slowly into the attack and faulted Warren for not being at the front of his columns when Sheridan went to confront him. Warren in fact was handling dispositions of his divisions in a manner consistent with that a corps commander, and the attack by the V Corps carried the day at Five Forks, arguably the pivotal battle in the final days against Lee's army. Nevertheless, Sheridan relieved Warren of command on the spot. [Wittenberg, pp. 119-25.] He was assigned to the defenses of Petersburg and then briefly to command the Department of Mississippi.Postbellum
Humiliated by Sheridan, Warren resigned his commission as major general of volunteers in protest on
May 27 ,1865 , reverting to his permanent rank as major in the Corps of Engineers. He served as an engineer for seventeen years, building railroads, with assignments along the Mississippi River, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1879. But the career that had shown so much promise at Gettysburg was ruined. He urgently requested a court of inquiry to exonerate him from the stigma of Sheridan's action. Numerous requests were ignored or refused untilUlysses S. Grant retired from the presidency. PresidentRutherford B. Hayes ordered a court of inquiry that convened in 1879 and, after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses over 100 days, found that Sheridan's relief of Warren had been unjustified. Unfortunately for Warren, these results were not published until after his death. [Wittenberg, pp. 127-31.]Warren died in
Newport, Rhode Island , and was buried there at his request in civilian clothes and without military honors. His last words were, "The flag! The flag!" [Wittenberg, p. 129.]In memoriam
A bronze statue of Warren stands on Little Round Top in Gettysburg National Military Park, dedicated 20 years after the famous battle. Another bronze statue, by
Henry Baerer (1837 – 1908), was erected in theGrand Army Plaza ,Brooklyn, New York . It depicts Warren standing in uniform, with field binoculars on a granite pedestal, made of stone quarried at Little Round Top.The
G. K. Warren Prize is awarded approximately every four years by the National Academy of Sciences. It is funded by a gift from his daughter, Miss Emily B. Warren, in memory of her father. [cite web| title =Report of the Treasurer to the Council 1995-1996| publisher =The National of Sciences| date =1996| url =http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9238&page=10| accessdate = 2007-06-04]ee also
References
* Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Grant, Ulysses S., [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/4367 "Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant"] , Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885–86, ISBN 0-914427-67-9.
* Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., "Gouverneur Kemble Warren", "Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History", Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., W. W. Norton & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
* Warner, Ezra J., "Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders", Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
* Wittenberg, Eric J., "Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan", Potomac Books, 2002, ISBN 1-57488-548-0.Notes
Persondata
NAME = Warren, Gouverneur K.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = general in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War
DATE OF BIRTH =January 8 ,1830
PLACE OF BIRTH =Cold Spring, New York
DATE OF DEATH =August 8 ,1882
PLACE OF DEATH =Newport, Rhode Island
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