Jacob Bowman Sweitzer (July 4, 1821 – November 7, 1888) was a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

lawyer and soldier who commanded a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

and then a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

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 th ...

. He and his men were significantly engaged at the 1863

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, where they reinforced and helped temporarily stabilize the

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 ...

defensive line on the second day of fighting.

Early life

Jacob Bowman Sweitzer was born July 4, 1821, in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Henry Sweitzer 1780-1852, and Ann Elliott Bowman 1790-1876. His Paternal ancestors were George Ludwig "Lewis" Sweitzer 1740-1795, and Conrad Sweitzer/Schweitzer 1706-1770, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749, from Germany. His brother, Nelson Bowman Sweitzer, who became a career army officer, was born in Brownsville seven years later. Jacob Sweitzer studied at Jefferson College, graduating in 1843. He later studied law, passed the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

, and established a legal practice.

Civil War

Sweitzer was named

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the

62nd Pennsylvania Infantry The 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania beginning July 4, 1861 and mustered ...

on July 4, 1861. He became

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on November 17 of that year and

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 of ...

on June 27, 1862. Sweitzer served in the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

, being wounded and captured at the

Battle of Gaines's Mill A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. After being exchanged on August 15, 1862, he led his regiment in the First Division,

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

and at

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...

in the brigade of Brig. Gen.

Charles Griffin Charles Griffin (December 18, 1825 – September 15, 1867) was a career officer in the United States Army and a Union general in the American Civil War. He rose to command a corps in the Army of the Potomac and fought in many of the key campaigns ...

. When Griffin became commander of the First Division, Sweitzer was temporarily his successor in brigade command, including at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

. Subsequently, Sweitzer returned to his regimental role. He resumed command of the brigade at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, succeeding Col. James McQuade. (McQuade was senior to Sweitzer, but he had missed Fredericksburg.)

Gettysburg

At the Battle of Gettysburg, the V Corps arrived early on July 2, 1863, after a hard march from Unionville, Maryland. The First Division, temporarily led by Brig. Gen. James Barnes, was sent to the left flank to aid

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

. Sweitzer’s brigade and that of Col. William S. Tilton went into action between the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard. (The Third Brigade, under Col.

Strong Vincent Strong Vincent (June 17, 1837 – July 7, 1863) was a lawyer who became famous as a U.S. Army officer during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded while leading his brigade during the fighting at Little Round Top on the second day of ...

was detached and sent to

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left fla ...

.) The two brigades were deployed at a perpendicular angle to one another, which made their position hard to maintain under attack. After enduring Confederate assaults, General Barnes decided to withdraw from an exposed position. Sweitzer’s report describes the order to withdraw as "peremptory". Sweitzer’s command, however, was sent back into the fight, entering the Wheatfield. It was flanked, however, by Confederate Brig. Gen.

William T. Wofford William Tatum Wofford (June 28, 1824 – May 22, 1884) was an officer during the Mexican–American War and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life and career Wofford was born near Toccoa in Habersham C ...

's brigade, suffering serious losses. Col. Harrison Jeffords of the 4th Michigan Infantry was killed when Confederate soldiers tried to capture his regiment’s flag. The brigade withdrew toward Little Round Top and was positioned in that vicinity for the remainder of the battle. It later participated in the retreat of the Confederate army. Sweitzer had only three regiments present (the 9th Massachusetts Regiment was on detached duty). He reported that his regiments lost 466 out of 1,010 present on the field. Sweitzer retained his brigade in the autumn of 1863, participating in the earlier stages of Bristoe Campaign and in the

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union A ...

After Gettysburg

When the Army of the Potomac was reorganized preceding Lt. Gen.

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 ...

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

, Sweitzer retained brigade command in Griffin’s First Division. His brigade absorbed Tilton’s

22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. The 22nd Massachusetts was organized by Senator Henry Wilson (future Vice-President during the Ulysses Grant administrati ...

. Sweitzer led the brigade at the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

and the

Battle of Spotsylvania The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

. Sweitzer distinguished himself at the

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North ...

, holding the exposed right flank of V Corps during a Confederate attack near Jericho Mills.Rhea, pp. 304, 305 ap 307-312, 313 ap 317. He also commanded these troops at the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

and the early stages of the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. Sweitzer was mustered out with his regiment on July 13, 1864. He received 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 ...

promotion to the rank of

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 ...

for "war service" on March 13, 1865.

Postbellum activities

After leaving the army, Sweitzer settled in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He resumed legal practice in Pittsburgh. Sweitzer died on November 7, 1888, and was buried at

Allegheny Cemetery Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a historic rural cemetery. The non-sectarian, wooded hillside park is located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, and boun ...

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * Pfanz, Harry W., ''Gettysburg: The Second Day'', Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987. * Rhea, Gordon C., ''To the North Anna River: Grant and Lee, May 13–25, 1864'', Baton Rouge:

Louisiana State University Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of American Univer ...

, 2000.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweitzer, Jacob B. Union Army colonels People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War People from Brownsville, Pennsylvania Lawyers from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania lawyers Washington & Jefferson College alumni 1821 births 1888 deaths Burials at Allegheny Cemetery 19th-century American lawyers