Albert Lindley Lee (January 16, 1834 – December 13, 1907) was a lawyer,

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the st ...

judge, and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Early life and career

Albert Lee was born in Fulton, New York. His parents were Moses Lee and Ann (Case) Lee. At the age 10 years old, Lee was involved in an accident with an Oak Tree that left him mildly injured. Lee was educated at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, and graduated in 1853. He was admitted into the bar and practiced in New York. In 1858, Lee moved to Kansas. When he arrived he became one of the founders of the Elwood Free Press. In 1859, he was elected a district judge, and when the

began Lee was serving as a justice of the

Civil War and later life

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lee joined the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. Lee became a major in the 7th Kansas Cavalry, in October 1861. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the regiment and took part in

Henry W. Halleck Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...

's capture of Corinth, Mississippi. Shortly after the fall of that city, Lee commanded the 2nd Brigade in the Cavalry Division of the

Army of the Mississippi Army of the Mississippi was the name given to two Union armies that operated around the Mississippi River, both with short existences, during the American Civil War. History 1862 The first army was created on February 23, 1862, with Maj. Gen ...

and participated in the battle of Corinth. On November 29, 1862, he received a promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the Volunteer Army. He continued leading cavalry brigades in the

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

before he was appointed Chief-of-Staff to the XIII Corps under Maj. Gen.

John A. McClernand John Alexander McClernand (May 30, 1812 – September 20, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a member of the United States H ...

. Lee served as chief-of-staff through much of the Vicksburg campaign, serving at the battles of Port Gibson,

Champion Hill Champion Hill is a football stadium in East Dulwich in the London Borough of Southwark. It is the home ground of Dulwich Hamlet. History Dulwich Hamlet began playing at the ground in 1912. 'The Hill' was formerly one of the largest amateur grou ...

and Big Black River. During the fighting at the Big Black River, Peter J. Osterhaus was wounded and Lee was chosen to take his place in command of the 9th Division, XIII Corps. Lee's first infantry command was short lived as Osterhaus was able to resume command the following day.Johnson's/Brown's section "LEE" However, the commander of the 9th Division's 1st Brigade,

Theophilus T. Garrard Theophilus Toulmin Garrard (June 7, 1812 – March 15, 1902) was a politician, Union general in the American Civil War, farmer, and businessman. Early life and career Garrard was born in Clay County, Kentucky near Manchester at the Goose C ...

, went on sick leave the same day and Lee assumed command his brigade just in time to lead it into action during the May 19 assault on Vicksburg. During the assault Lee was wounded in the head and turned over command of the brigade. He sat out the rest of the siege recovering from wounds until late in the summer when he returned to division command in the XIII Corps. In August 1864 he was placed in command of the Cavalry Division of the

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was co ...

. He led the cavalry forces during

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

' Red River Campaign. In the last month of the war, he led a raid against Clinton near Baton Rouge,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and defeated a weak Confederate force there. John D. Winters, ''The Civil War in Louisiana'', Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, , p. 413 Lee resigned from the army on May 4, 1865. After his resignation, Lee became an editor for a New Orleans newspaper. He then became a banker, and did business in New York. He stayed involved in the Republican Party, throughout his life. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, on December 31, 1907.Blackmar's pg. 299

Notes

References

*Blackmar, Frank W.; ''"Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ..."'', Standard Publishing Chicago, (1912) *Johnson, Rossiter, Brown, John Howard; ''"Volume 6 of The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans"'', The Biographical Society, (1904) *
Lee, Albert Lindley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Albert Lindley 1834 births 1907 deaths Union Army generals People of Kansas in the American Civil War People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Fulton, Oswego County, New York

Early life and career

Civil War and later life

See also

Notes

References