Isham Nicholas Haynie was a lawyer, politician, soldier and officer in the Union Army 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 ...

. He was colonel of the 48th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh.

Early life

Haynie was born in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, Tennessee, later to become site of the battle of Fort Donelson, which Haynie would take part in. At a young age he moved to Illinois where he worked as a farmer before volunteering for service in 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 ...

. He was appointed first lieutenant of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered out of volunteer services in 1848. Following the Mexican War, Haynie graduated from Kentucky Law School in 1852. Returning to Illinois, he served as a lawyer and Illinois Legislator. In 1860 Haynie was a presidential elector who voted for

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

Civil war

On November 10, 1861, Haynie was appointed colonel of the 48th Illinois Infantry. Haynie's regiment was attached to the District of Cairo. When

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

organized his expedition to Fort Henry, Haynie became part of William H. L. Wallace's brigade in John A. McClernand's division. He participated in the capture of Fort Henry.

Fort Donelson

A week later Haynie was involved in the investment of Fort Donelson. On February 13, a Confederate battery had been plaguing the Union position. McClernand order an assault on the battery despite orders not to bring on a general engagement. McClernand chose his 3rd Brigade under Colonel William R. Morrison to lead the attack. Morrison's brigade consisted of only two regiments and McClernand decided to temporarily attach Haynie's 48th Illinois to Morrison's brigade. As final preparations were made, Haynie realized he was now the ranking officer in the brigade. Morrison willingly consented stating it was no time to argue about rank. To that Haynie replied "Colonel, lets take it together." The two colonels led the men forward. Morrison was struck in the hip, taking him off the field and removing any command ambiguity between him and Haynie. The attack failed and the survivors returned to their lines. Colonel

Leonard F. Ross Leonard Fulton Ross (July 18, 1823 – January 17, 1901) was an American lawyer, probate judge, and stock raiser who served as a first lieutenant in the Mexican-American War and as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. Early lif ...

was appointed the new permanent commander of Morrison's brigade and Haynie returned with his regiment to Wallace's brigade. McClernand and Grant were both eager to forget about the incident, but years later McClernand claimed to Haynie's son he wanted Haynie to lead the charge because he felt him an "abler soldier".

Shiloh

Following the reorganization of the Union Army following the Battle of Fort Donelson Haynie remained in command of his regiment but the brigade was now commanded by Colonel

C. Carroll Marsh Charles Carroll Marsh was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He served with distinction early in the war at the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh. He is commonly referred to as "C. Carrol Marsh" in official reports. Early lif ...

as W.H.L. Wallace was promoted to division command. During the fighting on April 6 around Shiloh Church, Haynie was struck in the left thigh and forced to turn over command of the regiment.

Later service

On November 29, 1862 Haynie was appointed Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers pending the confirmation of the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, having recovered from his Shiloh wound, he was appointed to command of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XVII Corps. On March 4, 1863 his commission as Brigadier General expired having never been confirmed by the Senate. Haynie resigned from the army two days later on March 6.Eicher p.600 Returning to Illinois he served as adjutant general of the Illinois State Militia. Haynie died on May 22, 1868, in Springfield, Illinois.

References

* Cooling, Benjamin Franklin, ''The Campaign for Fort Donelson'', U.S. National Park Service and Eastern National, 1999, . * Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...