William P. Sanders

William P. Sanders

William Price Sanders (August 12, 1833 – November 19, 1863) was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War, who died at the Siege of Knoxville.

Birth and early years

William Sanders was born near Frankfort, Kentucky to wealthy attorney Lewis Sanders (Saunders), Jr., (born circa 1797) and his wife Margaret H. Sanders (born circa 1804). His family moved circa 1839 to Natchez, Mississippi, where he was raised. He was a cousin of Jefferson Davis, and his sister Elizabeth Jane married attorney, mining magnet and thoroughbred horse breeder James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 13, 1914), a business partner of George Hearst and the owner of Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. (The Haggin family lived next door to the Sanders family in Natchez. [1850 Federal Census, Mississippi, Adams County, City of Natchez South, Page 4A.] William Price Sanders went by the nickname "Doc", but he did not have a medical degree. He was purportedly named in honor of his uncle, a physician. NOTE: Presumably Lewis Bennett P. Sanders, M.D. [Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 41, Number 134, January 1943, pages 44-62. (Leavy, William A. "Part Four: A Memoir of Lexington and Its Vicinity")]

Military career

"Doc" Price attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1852 to 1856, but was not an outstanding cadet, graduating 41st in his class. West Point Superintendent Robert E. Lee wrote a May 1854 letter announcing Sanders dismissal, but he managed to avoid dismissal with the help of the U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Sanders graduated in 1856, and served in the western territories (including Utah). He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Dragoons on July 1, 1856. He became second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons on May 27, 1857.

Despite a pre-war reputation for being sympathetic to the South, Sanders remained loyal to the Union. He was promoted to first lieutenant on May 10, 1861. He soon rose to the rank of captain and was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on May 14, 1861. On August 2, 1861, he was transferred to the 6th U.S. Cavalry, where he participated in the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam. After Antietam, Ambrose Burnside gave him a command in the Department of the Ohio, resulting in his transfer to Cincinnati, Ohio. Burnside then decided to have Colonel Sanders lead a raid into East Tennessee, where he was to scout out the enemy, as well as disrupt communication and transportation networks. He also pursued Morgan's Raiders. Sanders later returned to Kentucky, where he was promoted to brigadier general on October 18, 1863, although this appointment was never confirmed by the Senate. [Eicher, pp. 609-10.]

Sanders next moved with his forces to Knoxville, where he arrived September 3, 1863. On November 18, Sanders was struck in the side by forces under the command of Confederate Colonel E.P. Alexander, an acquaintance of Sanders. The sharpshooter is believed to have been in the tower of Bleak House. Sanders was taken to the Lamar House, where he died the next day.

Sanders was initially buried in the cemetery of Second Presbyterian Church under cover of darkness, but his remains were later moved to the Chattanooga National Cemetery. He was a bachelor at the time of his death, but was dating Sue Boyd, a Knoxville relative of Confederate spy Belle Boyd. Miss Boyd is not believed to have betrayed him, and is reported to have mourned his death.

The Battle of Fort Sanders, part of the Knoxville Campaign, occurred approximately 10 days after his death.

Namesakes and honors

Union "Fort Loudon" was renamed "Fort Sanders" in his memory. Knoxville's Fort Sanders neighborhood and Fort Sanders Presbyterian Hospital, both of which are located on the site of the fort, are also named after him. In addition, the Sons of Union Veterans has a chapter in East Tennessee named in memory of "Colonel William P. Sanders". An historic marker on Kingston Pike denotes the location where he was mortally wounded. Ironically, the marker is on the property of Second Presbyterian Church, which relocated from downtown Knoxville to the place where William Sanders was hit.

ee also

*List of American Civil War generals

References

* Alexander, Edward P., and Gallagher, Gary W. (editor), "Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander", University of North Carolina Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8078-4722-4.
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Heitman, Francis, "Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903." (US Government Printing Office, Washington, 1903).
* Law Notice, The Louisianian and Journal of Commerce, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 4, 1839
* Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 41, Number 134, January 1943, pages 44-62 (Leavy, William A. "Part Four: A Memoir of Lexington and Its Vicinity")

Notes

External links

* [http://www.discoveret.org/kcwrt/history/sanders99D.htm Sanders Bio]
* [http://www.generalsandbrevets.com/ngs/sanders.htm Sanders Photos]
* [http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/ung_s.html Union General's Stats: Sanders]
* [http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=397 Antietam on the Web: Sanders]
* [http://www.homestead.com/ohio45/knoxville.html Ohio 45th Battle Account]
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/loudon/military/civilwar/cwar.html Loudon Co. Campaign]
* [http://www.knoxcotn.org/military/civilwar/index.html Bleak House Sharpshooter]
* [http://www.knoxcotn.org/churches/2ndpres/index.html 2nd Presbyterian Church History]
* [http://theoldentimes.com/lewissanders02041839ky-ms.html Louisianian Law Notice]

Persondata
NAME= Sanders, William P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Edward Sanders — VC, DSO (7 February 1883 14 August 1917) was a New Zealander recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.Born in Auckland on …   Wikipedia

  • William J. Sanders — is a vertebrate paleontologist and Research Scientist/Preparator at the University of Michigan. He has written a number of papers on fossil elephants …   Wikipedia

  • William David Sanders — Infobox Person name = William Sanders image size= 150px birth date = October 22, 1951 birth place = Eldorado, Illinois, U.S. death date = death date and age|1999|4|20|1951|10|22 death place = Columbine, Colorado, U.S.William David Dave Sanders… …   Wikipedia

  • Sanders (surname) — Sanders is a surname, and may refer to:* Adrian Sanders (born 1959), a UK politician * Ajai Sanders (born 1974), an American actress and stand up comedian * Alex Sanders: ** Alex Sanders (1926–1988), a Wiccan Priest ** Alex Sanders (actor) (born… …   Wikipedia

  • William Sanders — may refer to: * William Sanders (writer) (born 1942) * William Sanders (statistician) * William Sanders (businessman) (born 1941) * William David Sanders (1951 1999), U.S. teacher and victim of Columbine High School massacre * William Edward… …   Wikipedia

  • William Sanders (businessman) — William D. Sanders (born 1941) is an innovativecite book | first=Steve | last=Bergsman | year=2006 | title=Maverick Real Estate Financing: The Art of Raising Capital and Owning Properties Like Ross, Sanders and Carey | publisher=Wiley | id=ISBN… …   Wikipedia

  • William Sanders (statistician) — Dr. William L. Sanders is a senior research fellow with the University of North Carolina system and is manager of value added assessment and research for SAS Institute Inc. in Cary, North Carolina He developed the Tennessee Value Added Assessment …   Wikipedia

  • William Sanders Scarborough — (February 16, 1852 September 9, 1926) is generally thought to be the first African American classical scholar. Scarborough served as president of Wilberforce University between 1908 and 1920 after having been born into slavery. He wrote a popular …   Wikipedia

  • William Sanders (writer) — William Sanders (born April 28, 1942) is an American science fiction writer, primarily of short fiction, and is the senior editor of the online science fiction magazine Helix SF.Sanders has written several novels, including Journey to Fusang… …   Wikipedia

  • William J. Jefferson — William Jennings „Bill“ Jefferson (* 14. März 1947 in Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana) ist ein ehemaliger US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1991 und 2009 vertrat er den Bundesstaat Louisiana im US Repräs …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”