Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr. (January 14, 1842 – August 18, 1920) was a Union Army officer from Kentucky during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In later life, he became a brigadier general in the U.S.

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

and Inspector General of the Army as well as a major general of volunteers in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

Early life

Breckinridge was born in 1842, a member of the prominent

Breckinridge family The Breckinridge family is a family of public figures from the United States. The family has included six members of the United States House of Representatives, two United States Senators, a cabinet member, two ambassadors, one United States Vice ...

, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. His parents were Ann Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1803–1844) and

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (March 8, 1800 – December 27, 1871) was a politician and Presbyterian minister. He was a member of the Breckinridge family of Kentucky, the son of Senator John Breckinridge. A restless youth, Breckinridge ...

(1800–1871), a Presbyterian minister, politician, public office holder and abolitionist who was one of the most distinguished divines and one of the most prolific writers of the century. His father served as a leader of the Kentucky emancipation party in 1849 and was a strong Union man in 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War.Brown, Alexander
The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy
' (1895). His cousin,

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

major general and former

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

, and his two oldest brothers fought for the Confederacy, while he and his second youngest brother Charles Henry Breckinridge fought for the Union.

Career

In August 1861, Breckinridge joined the U.S. Army and was appointed an aide-de-camp to George H. Thomas, and served with him at Mill Springs and Shiloh. While serving at

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd US Artillery. He served in the Atlanta Campaign, and was captured following the death of

James B. McPherson James Birdseye McPherson (/məkˈfərsən/) (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the general staff of Henr ...

. After being exchanged, he served out the remainder of the war as a mustering officer, and received brevet promotions to

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

(July 1864) and

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

(March 1865). He received promotions to the full ranks of captain and major in 1874 and 1881 respectively. On January 30, 1889, Breckinridge was promoted to brigadier general and Inspector General of the Army. He was promoted to Major General of volunteers in the

. He served on the staff of

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 Arm ...

in Cuba and was engaged in the battles of

El Caney El Caney (also Caney) is a small village six kilometers (four miles) to the northeast of Santiago, Cuba. "Caney" means longhouse in Taíno. Overview It was known in centuries past as the site where Hernán Cortés received a vision supposedly orde ...

and San Juan Hill, where he had a horse shot from under him. General Breckinridge retired from the Army on April 12, 1903, having been promoted to major general the day before.Hollingsworth, Randolph. "Breckinridge, Robert Jefferson" In
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History
', edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. . pp. 279–280.

Personal life

Major General Breckinridge was married to Louise Ludlow Dudley (1849–1911), daughter of Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley of Lexington, Kentucky in July 1868. Together, they were the parents of: * Mary Dudley Breckinridge (1869–1939), who married John Fore Hines (1870–1941). * Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1871–1871), who died young. * Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Jr. (1872–1898), who was washed overboard and drowned in Cuban waters while serving on the torpedo boat . * Louise Dudley Breckinridge (1874–1874), who died young. * Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley Breckinridge (1875–1914), who fought in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

and married Genevieve Pearson Mattingly (1878–1957). * Mabell Warfield Breckinridge (1877–1878), who died young. * Lucian Scott Breckinridge (1879–1941), who married Elinor Wilkinson (1879–1952). * Scott Dudley Breckinridge (1882–1941), an Olympian and physician who married Gertrude Ashby Bayne (1883–1981). * Charles Henry Preston Breckinridge (1884–1885), who died young. *

Henry Skillman Breckinridge Henry Skillman Breckinridge (May 25, 1886 – May 2, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family and served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1913 to 1916. During the Lind ...

(1886–1960), who served as the

United States Assistant Secretary of War The United States assistant secretary of war was the second–ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to thMilitary Laws of the United States "The act of Augus ...

under President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. * John P. Breckenridge (1890–1960). General Breckinridge was a member of the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

(SAR). He served as president of the District of Columbia Society in 1894 and as President General of the National Society of the SAR from 1900 until 1901. He was also a member of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

and the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

Dates of rank

* 2nd Lieutenant - 14 April 1862 * 1st Lieutenant - 1 August 1863 * Brevet Major - 13 March 1865 * Captain - 17 June 1874 * Major - 19 January 1881 * Lieutenant Colonel - 5 February 1885 * Colonel - 22 September 1885 * Brigadier General - 30 January 1889 * Major General, Volunteers - 4 May 1898 * Mustered out of Volunteers - 30 May 1898 * Major General - 11 April 1903 * Retired - 12 April 1903

References

External links