George Henry Gordon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Henry Gordon (July 19, 1823 – August 30, 1886) was an American lawyer and a Union general in the American Civil War.

Gordon was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1846, and served in the southern campaign in the Mexican-American War, earning the brevet of first lieutenant for Cerro Gordo. He resigned from the army in 1854. After taking a course in the Harvard Law School, he practiced law in Boston.

When the Civil War erupted in 1861, he organized and became colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry regiment. Gordon became a brigadier general of volunteers in 1862 and fought in various battles, and on April 9, 1865, was breveted major general of volunteers. He served in the army until August 24, 1865.

Gordon commanded a brigade in XII Corps, Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Antietam, becoming acting division commander when Alpheus Williams became acting corps commander. He also took commander of first division XI Corps following the Battle of Gettysburg and was transferred with it to the Department of the South. There he commanded troops on Folly Island, South Carolina.

After the war, he practiced law in Boston. He published the following books:

• History of the Second Massachusetts Regiment (1876)
• History of the Campaign of the Army of Virginia under Gen. John Pope from Cedar Mountain to Alexandria (1880)
• A War Diary of the Events of the War of the Great Rebellion, 1863-65 (1882)
• Brook Farm to Cedar Mountain (1883)

Gordon died in Framingham, Massachusetts, and is buried in Framingham Centre.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.