James Barnes (December 28, 1806 – February 12, 1869) was a railroad executive and a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general 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 ...

Early life

Barnes was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He attended the Boston Latin School and graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1829, in the same class as Robert E. Lee. However, at age 28 he was older than most

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

cadets upon completion, and placed fifth out of 46 cadets. He was then commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery, but spent most of his army service as an instructor of tactics and French at the Academy.Eicher, p. 116. Barnes married Charlotte Adams Sanford in 1832 (sister of John F. A. Sanford). After the birth of his second son, John Sanford Barnes, he resigned his commission on July 31, 1836, to become a railroad civil engineer and by 1839 he was superintendent of the Western Railroad, a job he would hold for 22 years.

Civil War service

On July 26, 1861, Barnes was commissioned a

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 o ...

in the 18th Massachusetts Infantry. He and his regiment joined 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 Confede ...

during the Peninsula Campaign, but saw no combat. During 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, comman ...

the 18th was assigned to guard duty in the rear, and again Barnes saw no combat. His brigade commander,

Brig. Gen. 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 ...

John Martindale, was relieved of command after the

Battle of Malvern Hill The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. ...

and Barnes became the new commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st 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 ...

on July 10, 1862. For reasons unrecorded, Barnes was not present with his brigade at the Second Battle of Bull Run and although the V Corps marched to the Battle of Antietam, it was left in reserve and once again saw no action. However, during Lee's retreat back to Virginia, Barnes saw his first combat when his brigade was attacked by the rearguard of the Confederate Army, resulting in over 200 men shot or drowned in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

and over 100 more captured. At the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, Barnes distinguished himself for the first time, leading his brigade in one of the final assaults against Confederate positions on Marye's Heights. His division commander wrote after the battle, "James Barnes ... is entitled to special notice for his coolness, energy, and marked ability." On April 4, 1863, Barnes was promoted to

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 ...

, U.S. Volunteers, with date of rank established as November 29, 1862. 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 ...

in May, Barnes' brigade was not heavily engaged. Late in the battle, his division commander, 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 campaign ...

, fell ill and Barnes assumed command of the 1st Division on May 5, 1863. In 1863 Barnes' division camped at

Union Mills, Maryland Union Mills is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The community is home to the Union Mills Homestead Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The Solomon Arter House was ...

, on its way to

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, ...

, where 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 ...

would turn out to be the most significant action in his career. The new division commander, now 61 years old (older than any other Union general present except Brig. Gen. George S. Greene), arrived early on the morning of the second day, July 2, 1863, with the rest of the V Corps. During the massive Confederate assault on the Union left flank that afternoon, one of Barnes' brigades, 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 diverted to defend the flank at

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 f ...

. The brigade performed magnificently, but Barnes had essentially nothing to do with its actions or the decision to send it there. Barnes did get personally involved with his other two brigades, who were sent to reinforce the Union line in the Wheatfield, and here his career took a fatal downward turn. He was criticized after the battle for withdrawing his two brigades under Colonels Jacob B. Sweitzer and William S. Tilton 300 yards back from the Wheatfield without permission, despite protests from the generals on his flanks. When reinforcements from the II Corps arrived, Maj. Gen.

David B. Birney David Bell Birney (May 29, 1825 – October 18, 1864) was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union general in the American Civil War. Early life Birney was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of an abolitionist from Kentucky, James G. Birney. The Bi ...

gave orders for Barnes' men to lie down while the brigade of Brig. Gen.

Samuel K. Zook Samuel Kosciuszko Zook (born Samuel Kurtz Zook, March 27, 1821 – July 3, 1863) was a Union general during the American Civil War who was mortally wounded in action at the Battle of Gettysburg. Early years Zook was born in Tredyffrin, Chester ...

marched over them. Sweitzer's brigade was sent into the Wheatfield, where it was attacked in the flank by another Confederate charge led by Brig. Gen. William T. Wofford. Aides could not find Barnes in the vicinity of his troops. Later that day, Barnes was wounded in the leg and although it healed, he would never return to combat duty. After recovering from his wound, Barnes spent the remainder of the war on garrison duty in Virginia and Maryland. This included commanding the District of St. Mary's, Maryland, which contained the

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

Point Lookout, Maryland Point Lookout State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve occupying Point Lookout, the southernmost tip of a peninsula formed by the confluence of Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River in St. Mary's County, Maryland. The state pa ...

, in the

Middle Department The Middle Department was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Middle Atlantic states. The department was created on March 22, 1862 by the Ad ...

. He was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated and on March 12, 1866 the U.S. Senate confirmed the award to Brigadier General Barnes of the honorary grade of brevet major general, U.S. Volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865.Eicher, 2001, p. 710

Postbellum career

After the war, Barnes returned to his profession of railroad civil engineering and was a member of the government commission that supervised the building of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. Barnes died in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is buried there in Springfield Cemetery, .

Notes

References

* 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 ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Tagg, Larry
''The Generals of Gettysburg''
Campbell, CA: Savas Publishing, 1998. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. . *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. ;Further reading *

External links