George Francis McGinnis (19 March 1826 – 29 May 1910) was a volunteer soldier during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and a

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General during 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 th ...

Early life

McGinnis was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother died when he was an infant and he lived with his aunt for a time.Indiana's Prominent Civil War Personalities
/ref> At age 11 he and his father moved to Ohio where his father became a hatter. It was during his time in Ohio that

war with Mexico War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

broke out and George volunteered his services. Commissioned as a lieutenant in the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he was mustered out of the volunteers with the rank of captain in 1848; and returned to Ohio to take up hatting.

Civil War

Western Virginia

Immediately after the Civil War began, McGinnis volunteered for service in the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment being raised by Col.

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...

for 3-month service. Within a month he rose from private to captain and then, on 25 April, lieutenant colonel. McGinnis and the 11th Indiana took part in Wallace's raid on

Romney, West Virginia Romney is a town in and the county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2020 census. History Established by consecutive acts of the Virginia House of Burgesses and approved by the governor on ...

, on 13 June 1861.

Fort Donelson and Shiloh

The 3-month enlistment ran out, but the regiment was re-mustered, and on 31 August 1861, McGinnis was again made lieutenant colonel with Wallace as colonel. Due to the style of training, the regiment became known as "Wallace's Zouaves". On 3 September, Wallace was promoted to brigadier general and McGinnis became colonel of the regiment.Eicher p.378 McGinnis led the regiment during the capture of Fort Henry and then overland toward Fort Donelson. During the Battle of Fort Donelson, his regiment was temporarily attached to Lew Wallace's division and fought in the counterattack on the Union right. He received the praise of Lew Wallace for his actions that battle. McGinnis also led his regiment in the following battles of Shiloh and

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

Vicksburg

On 4 April 1863, McGinnis was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from 29 November 1862.Brig. Gen. George F. McGinnis
/ref> He was in command of a brigade in the District of Eastern Arkansas. After a time of garrison duty, McGinnis was appointed to command the 1st Brigade in

Alvin P. Hovey Alvin Peterson Hovey (September 6, 1821 – November 23, 1891) was a Union (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, an Indiana Supreme Court justice, congressman, and the List of governors of Indiana, 21st governor of I ...

's 12th Division of the XIII Corps, commanded by

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 ...

. McGinnis's brigade was heavily engaged in the

Battle of Champion Hill The Battle of Champion Hill of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confe ...

and fought with distinction. During the

siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

, his troops occupied a length of siege lines in the center of the Union army near Fort Garrott. A bronze plaque of McGinnis is located near this spot. After the fall of Vicksburg, McGinnis fell upon a series of insignificant commands. This was possibly due to his connection with McClernand and Wallace, both of whom had become unpopular with Ulysses S. Grant and the regular army officers of the Army of the Tennessee. More significantly, McGinnis belonged to the XIII Corps, which was assigned to the Department of the Gulf. The Department of the Gulf had become relatively quiet after the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. McGinnis rose to command of the 3rd Division and held that command during most of 1864. During the winter of 1864–1865 he was transferred to command the "Forces on the White River" in the Department of Arkansas. This was essentially a brigade-sized command guarding the mouth of the White River.

Later life

McGinnis was mustered out of the volunteer services on 24 August 1865. He moved to Indianapolis and ran a

fiduciary A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (person or group of persons). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or other assets for another person. One party, for exampl ...

business and served in various local political positions. From 1867 to 1871 he served as the Marion County auditor and then from 1900 was appointed postmaster of Indianapolis. He died on 29 May 1910, in Indianapolis, and is buried in that city's

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

References

* Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .

External links

*
Gen. George F. McGinnis, ''Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Indianapolis and Vicinity''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGinnis, George Francis 1826 births 1910 deaths Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery County auditors in the United States County officials in Indiana Union Army generals People of Indiana in the American Civil War Politicians from Boston 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Massachusetts