Montgomery D. Corse

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Montgomery Corse (1816-1895) was born in Virginia in 1816, . He had worked as a banker and had been a captain in the 1st Virginia Regiment during the Mexican War. In 1860 he organized the Old Dominion Rifles and became a captain. In early 1861 he was given an appointment as major in the 6th Virginia Infantry Battalion and soon after the colonelcy of the 17th Virginia Infantry. He commanded the 17th at Blackburn's Ford during the First Battle of Manassas, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, and throughout the Seven Days.

Corse commanded the Kemper's Brigade during the Second Battle of Manassas until he was wounded. He was healthy enough to participate in the Maryland Campaign and was wounded at both South Mountain and Antietam at the head of his regiment. A new brigade was created for him and he was promoted to brigadier general on November 1. His brigade was placed in a division commanded by General George E. Pickett and was only lightly engaged at Fredericksburg. In early 1863 he accompanied General James Longstreet on an expedition to southeastern Virginia resulting of the absence of Corse and his brigade from the rest of the army during the Battle of Chancellorsville. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Corse's Brigade was detached from Pickett's Division to guard Hanover Junction, north of Richmond. Because of this, the brigade did not participate in the battle nor the disastrous assault known as Pickett's Charge.

Pickett's Division was detached from Longstreet's Corps when they were transferred to Georgia and Tennessee in late 1863, operating in western Virginia. In January 1864, Corse and his brigade participated in Pickett's operations against New Bern, North Carolina. After seeing action at Drewry's Bluff against Benjamin Butler's Bermuda Hundred operation, the brigade finally rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia and fought at Cold Harbor and through the siege of Petersburg. Following the disaster at the Battle of Five Forks, they began the retreat which would eventually end at Appomattox Courthouse. Corse himself was captured at the Battle of Saylor's Creek on April 6, 1865. Following the war he returned to his banking profession in Alexandria, Virginia.^[1]

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