John Haskell King (February 19, 1820 – April 7, 1888) was a United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican–American War and in the American Civil War. A regular soldier with a career span of 45 years; he distinguished himself in the civil war as commanding officer of Regular Army detachments in the Western Theater.

Early life and career

John Haskell King was born in Sackets Harbor, New York, on February 19, 1820. In his adolescent years he moved to his relative Colonel Hugh Brady in Michigan, where the later was in command of

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. Being raised in a military household, his father being a militia officer and veteran of the War of 1812 as well, 17-years-old John sought a military appointment; and, in time for the army expansion due to the Seminole conflicts and Indian removals, he was directly commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company I of the 1st U.S. Infantry Regiment on December 2, 1837. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant on March 2, 1839, he served in the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

from 1839 to 1840. Taking part in the Mexican–American War he was promoted to Captain on October 31, 1846 and participated in the Siege of Vera Cruz in March 1847.Johnson, Prologue 33Warner, p.268 Captain King continued to serve on frontier duty at various posts and gained the nickname "Iron Bull" together with a reputation as hard-working and competent officer.

The 15th U.S. Infantry

In March 1861 he was stationed at San Antonio, Texas, and in defiance of the rising Texan rebels, he helped organizing Camp Green Lake and sailed with nine companies of Regulars safely to New York. He was promoted to Major and assigned to raise the new 15th U.S. Infantry Regiment on May 14, 1861. Ordered to set up headquarters at

Wheeling, Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contain ...

, he asked for permission to relocate to Ohio. Instead he was ordered to relocate to the Newport Barracks at Cincinnati, Kentucky. The regimental commander, Colonel

Fitz-John Porter Fitz John Porter (August 31, 1822 – May 21, 1901) (sometimes written FitzJohn Porter or Fitz-John Porter) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War. He is most known for his performance at the Sec ...

, held a double-commission as Brigadier General of

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

; and for most of the time Major King stayed in actual command of the regiment. In November King took the 1st Battalion of the 15th, for now being made up of 4 companies, and went to Camp Nevin. There the regular detachments were grouped as part of the brigade of

Lovell Rousseau Lovell Harrison Rousseau (August 4, 1818 – January 7, 1869) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as well as a lawyer and politician in Kentucky and Indiana. Early life and career Born near Stanford, Kentucky, on August ...

in Alexander McDowell McCook's 2nd Division of the Army of the Ohio. With additional reinforcements arriving Major King, as senior officer present, was assigned to command all regular forces in the brigade; in December already made up of 13 companies from the 15th,

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

and

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

regiments. By late February 1862 the detachment had been enlarged by another 6 companies as well as Battery H, 5th U.S. Artillery Regiment. Then King led the 844 infantrymen into 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 ...

, the battery being separated and fighting on another part of the battlefield. Shortly after the battle command of the, again enlarged, Regular Detachment developed on Lt. Col. Oliver L. Shepherd and King returned to his regiment. He led it in the Siege of Corinth and the

Kentucky Campaign The Confederate Heartland Offensive (August 14 – October 10, 1862), also known as the Kentucky Campaign, was an American Civil War campaign conducted by the Confederate States Army in Tennessee and Kentucky where Generals Braxton Bragg and ...

. When Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans took command of the new Army of the Cumberland, he took King and his battalion as his headquarters guard and personal escort; but returned them to the detachment when he formed the Regular Brigade in December. Only days later the new brigade, part of Rouseau's Division in the

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

, would distinguish itself in the bloody Battle of Stones River, though suffering severe casualties. King was wounded while leading his regiment, being shot twice in the left arm and another time in the left hand; afterwards falling from his horse dislocating a shoulder.

Higher command

While King slowly recovered, Gen. Rosecrans had nominated several officers for 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 for their services, among those the already nominated King. But instead of a brevet promotion he received a real promotion: on April 4, 1863 he was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers, backdated to November 29. The new general returned to field duty in May 1863, taking command of the Regular Brigade from the just recently assigned Brig. Gen.

Robert S. Granger Robert Seaman Granger (May 24, 1816 – April 25, 1894) was a career officer in the United States Army, reaching the brevet rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Life and military career Granger was born in Zan ...

. While the Tullahoma Campaign unfolded King was unfit to command his men in the

Battle of Hoover's Gap The Battle of Hoover's Gap (24 June 1863) was the principal battle in the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War, in which Union General William S. Rosecrans drove General Braxton Bragg’s Confederates out of Central Tennessee. Rosecrans� ...

as his hand hadn't fully healed yet. Meanwhile, he had also been made Lieutenant Colonel of the 14th U.S. Infantry Regiment though he didn't serve in the capacity. However he returned to duty with the brigade shortly afterwards and in July briefly led the division. In September, now with

Absalom Baird Absalom Baird (August 20, 1824 – June 14, 1905) was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird received the Medal of Honor for his military actions. Early life Baird was ...

leading the division, King commanded his brigade in the Battle of Chickamauga; suffering the highest loss percentage of any Union brigade in those days with 56%. He would later be brevetted to Colonel for his role in that battle.Eicher, p. 333 He then led his men into the Chattanooga Campaign in which the brigade was augmented by the 11th Michigan Infantry, 19th Illinois Infantry and

69th Ohio Infantry The 69th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 69th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Hamilton and Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio beginning in November 1861. It mustered ...

regiments; where it participated in the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...

, King missing the later due to sickness. For the greater part of the Atlanta Campaign King would command the division due to Gen.

Richard W. Johnson Richard Woodhouse Johnson (February 27, 1827April 21, 1897) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Life Personal life Richard Woodhouse Johnson was born on February 27, 1827 in Smithland, to James Johnson (1785–1837) ...

first being wounded and then being assigned to lead the corps. Afterwards the brigade, and King, stayed in the department in a relative quite assignment for the rest of the war; King frequently commanding a division. When the war ended King was breveted to Brigadier General in the regular army for the

Battle of Ruff's Station 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 ...

and to Major General in both the regulars and volunteers for his war service.

Later life

King was made Colonel of the 9th U.S. Infantry Regiment in July 1865, and was sent to the

Western Frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. In 1877 he and his men briefly went to Chicago for keeping up public order during a railroad strike. He retired in 1882 and briefly settled in his home town before moving to Washington D.C. He died there of Pneumonia on April 7, 1888, and is interred on Arlington National Cemetery. King was married to Matilda C. Davenport and had three children. Beside his widow he was only survived by a son, inventor Charles Brady King.May, p. 286

Notes

References

* Johnson, Mark W., ''That Body of Brave Men: The U.S. Regulars and the Civil War in the West'', New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. . *

Eicher, John H. John Harold Eicher () was an organic chemist, philosopher of science, historian, and author. He was a Manhattan Project scientist who worked at Columbia University to develop the first atomic bomb, and taught chemistry at Miami University in Oxfor ...

, and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders'', Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. . * May, George S., ''Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography: The Automobile Industry'', Bruccoli Clark Layman, 1990. .

External links

Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, John Haskell 1820 births 1888 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American people of the Seminole Wars Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People of Michigan in the American Civil War United States Army officers Union Army generals