Elliott Warren Rice (November 16, 1835 – June 22, 1887) was a general in the
Union Army during the
American Civil War. He commanded an
infantry brigade during the pivotal
Atlanta Campaign in the summer of 1864.
Early life
Rice was born in
Allegany,
Pennsylvania.
[ His family moved to Belmont, Ohio, when Rice was an infant. He was schooled in Wheeling, West Virginia (then Virginia), and Franklin College in ]Athens, Ohio
Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...
. In 1855, he moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, to study law under his brother, Samuel Allen Rice, and graduated from the University of Albany
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
Law School in 1858. He practiced law in Oskaloosa with Samuel until the Civil War broke out.[
]
Civil War
On July 24, 1861, he joined the 7th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 7th Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
The 7th Iowa Infantry was organized at Burlington, Iowa and assembled into Federal service between July 24 and August 4 ...
as a corporal. He was promoted to major on August 30, 1861. He fought at the Battle of Belmont in November, and became regimental commander when his superiors became incapacitated. There he received the first of seven war wounds. He participated in the campaigns to capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson and in the Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
, when he was promoted to colonel. He fought in the Second Battle of Corinth (October 1862) and commanded Bethel
Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
and La Grange, Tennessee
La Grange is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 133 at the 2010 census. A large area in the town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as La Grange Historic District (La ...
, leading the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XVI Corps and protected Memphis & Charleston Railroad
The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846, the gauge railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee to Stevenson, Alabama th ...
.
As a brigade commander in the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, he fought at Resaca, New Hope Church, and Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. He was appointed and confirmed as brigadier general of volunteers on June 22, 1864,XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to:
*XV Corps (British India)
*XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
*15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I
*XV Royal Bavar ...
, where he served through the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. Rice was mustered out of the volunteers on August 24, 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 Rice for appointment as a brevet
Brevet may refer to:
Military
* Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay
* Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college
* Aircre ...
major general of volunteers for war service to rank from March 13, 1865 and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.[Eicher, 2001, p. 714.]
Post war
After the war he practiced law in Washington D.C., until returning to Iowa, to his sister's home in Sioux City
Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...
, where he remained until his death. He is interred at Floyd Cemetery, Sioux City
Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...
, Woodbury County, Iowa.
See also
List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Union generals
__NOTOC__
The following lists show the names, substantive ranks, and brevet ranks (if applicable) of all general officers who served in the United States Army during the Civil War, in addition to a small selection of lower-ranke ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Elliott Warren
1835 births
1887 deaths
Lawyers from Pittsburgh
Union Army generals
People of Iowa in the American Civil War
Iowa lawyers
People from Belmont, Ohio
Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia
People from Oskaloosa, Iowa
19th-century American lawyers