Tully McCrea (July 23, 1839 – September 5, 1918) was a career

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

artillery officer and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (Class of 1862) who served 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 was promoted multiple times for gallant and meritorious service in battle, rising during the course of the war from the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

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 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 ...

. McCrea commanded Battery I, 1st U.S. Artillery at the

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 ...

after his commanding officer, Lieutenant George A. Woodruff, was mortally wounded.

Biography

Civil War service

McCrea was born in Mississippi, from where he was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1858 as a member of the Class of 1862. He graduated 14th out of 28 cadets. Upon graduation in June 1862, the American Civil War was already in progress: McCrea was commissioned as a second lieutenant with Battery I, 1st U.S. Artillery and sent to join the Peninsula Campaign, then underway in Virginia. He was breveted to the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

citing "gallant and meritorious service" at the

Battle of 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 G ...

on September 17, 1862. McCrea was engaged with Battery I at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville; at Gettysburg, he assumed command of the battery after his commanding officer was mortally wounded in action. For this service, he was again breveted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on July 3, 1863. Following Gettysburg, he was transferred to Battery K and later Battery M, 1st U.S. Artillery, sent to the Carolinas and Florida. He participated in the Battle of Olustee, where he was severely wounded in action when shot through the legs. He was brevetted once more to the rank of major on February 20, 1864, for his service at Olustee. The severity of his wounds compelled him to take a leave of absence which lasted throughout most of 1864; upon his return to active duty, McCrea was an instructor at West Point.

Post-war life and career

Post-war, McCrea was promoted to the permanent rank of captain and attached to the 42nd U.S. Infantry in 1866 on mustering duty. In 1870, McCrea rejoined the 1st U.S. Artillery, and later transferred to the

5th U.S. Artillery The 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery Branch (United States), Air Defense Artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1861 in the Regular Army (United States), Regular Army as the 5th Regiment of Arti ...

where he was promoted to the rank of major in 1888 and lieutenant colonel in 1898. He commanded multiple garrison posts across the United States, including Fort Columbus, New York,

Fort Slocum, New York Fort Slocum, New York was a US military post which occupied Davids Island in the western end of Long Island Sound in the city of New Rochelle, New York from 1867 to 1965. The fort was named for Major General Henry W. Slocum, a Union corps comman ...

, Fort Hancock, New Jersey, Fort Wadsworth, New York, and Fort Canby, Washington. McCrea was promoted to colonel of the 6th U.S. Artillery in July 1900. After more than forty years of military service, he retired on February 22, 1903–one day after he was promoted 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 ...

Personal life

McCrea was married to Harriet "Hattie" Camp in 1868. They had a daughter, Mary Alice, born in 1870. Alice McCrea was married to Lieutenant William Harvey Tschappat, 5th U.S. Artillery, in July 1898. McCrea's wife died in 1917, after which he moved in to his daughter and son-in-law's home at West Point, New York. McCrea died on September 5, 1918, at West Point, New York at the age of 79.

Notes

References

* Cullum, George W. ''Biographical Registers of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy.'' Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891. * Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903''. Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. *McEnany, Brian R. ''For Brotherhood and Duty: The Civil War History of the West Point Class of 1862.'' Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2015.
Commanding Officers of Battery I, 1st U.S. Artillery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randol, Alanson Merwin 1839 births 1918 deaths Union Army colonels United States Army generals United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni Burials at West Point Cemetery