Charles Lane Fitzhugh (August 22, 1838 – September 16, 1923) was a
Union Army colonel during the
American Civil War, who was later appointed a
brevet brigadier general of volunteers for gallantry, energy and ability and a brevet brigadier general in the regular U.S. Army for gallant and meritorious services in the field during the war.
Early life
Fitzhugh was born on August 22, 1838 in
Oswego, New York
Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...
. He attended
Yale University before being appointed a cadet at the
United States Military Academy.
[Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 236.]
Military career
Fitzhugh was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1859, but left in September 1861 before finishing to join the Union war effort.
He was commissioned as a
first lieutenant in the 4th United States Regular
Artillery in October 1861, and served as an
Aide-de-Camp to
major general Don Carlos Buell between 1861 and 1863, including during the April 1862
Shiloh Campaign.
Fitzhugh then led the 4th Regular Artillery's Battery C, commanding it in all the
Army of the Potomac's 1864 battles and campaigns in
Virginia. On December 24, 1864, he was commissioned a
Colonel of Volunteers, and was given command of the
6th New York Cavalry Regiment
The 6th New York Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 6th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry and nicknamed the "2nd Ira Harris Guards", was a cavalry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The majority of its fighting was in Vir ...
on February 18, 1865.
His direct role with the unit, though, was nominal; he was promoted specifically to command the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division of Major General
Philip Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah. He led the
brigade from January 15, 1865 through to the end of the war on May 29, 1865.
From May 29, 1865, to June 17, 1865, he was given command of Brigade 2, Division 1, Cavalry, XXII Corps, Department of Washington.
On June 17, 1865 he was appointed in charge of the 2nd New York Provisional Cavalry (a "holding" unit for soldiers awaiting muster out) before being mustered out the volunteer service himself on August 6, 1865.
On January 13, 1866,
President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
nominated Fitzhugh for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers for "gallantry, energy and ability" to rank from March 13, 1865 and the
United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. On July 17, 1866, President Johnson nominated Fitzhugh for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general in the U.S.
Regular Army for "gallant and meritorious services in the field during the war" to rank from March 13, 1866 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.
[Eicher, 2001, p. 733.]
Reverting to Regular Army rank of lieutenant, he served in the
postbellum
may refer to:
* Any post-war period or era
* Post-war period following the American Civil War (1861–1865); nearly synonymous to Reconstruction era (1863–1877)
* Post-war period in Peru following its defeat at the War of the Pacific (1879†...
forces until he resigned on May 21, 1868.
He then engaged in steel manufacturing until his retirement.
He died at age at 85 in 1923 at
Cobourg
Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...
,
Ontario,
Canada.
He is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery.
See also
*
List of American Civil War brevet generals (Union)
Notes
References
* Eicher, John H., and
David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
* Hunt, Roger D. and Jack R. Brown, ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.'' Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. .
External links
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzhugh, Charles
1838 births
1923 deaths
Union Army colonels
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
United States Army generals
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War