''This article refers to the US Union General. For the English Historian, see

James Williamson (historian) James Alexander Williamson (1886 – 31 December 1964) was a prominent English writer on maritime history and expert on the John Cabot voyages. He also wrote many other books on explorers, exploration and discovery. James Williamson wrote of James ...

'' James A. Williamson (February 8, 1829 – September 7, 1902) was a politician and lawyer who served in 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 ...

army during 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 ...

, rising to the rank of brigadier general. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions at the

Battle of Chickasaw Bayou The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle of Walnut Hills, fought December 26–29, 1862, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton repulse ...

Biography

Williamson was born in Columbia, Kentucky in 1829. When he was fifteen years old his family moved to Iowa, where he worked as a farmer, before studying law and being admitted to the bar. In the years prior to the Civil War he served as the chairman of the Iowa State Democratic Committee. When the Civil War began Williamson volunteered in the 4th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Serving as a

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 ...

he fought at the

battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Federal forces, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, moved south ...

where he was wounded on the first day of fighting there. On March 4, 1862 he was promoted to

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 ...

and then on July 21, 1862 to

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 ...

of the 4th Iowa. Colonel Williamson and his regiment spent the fall of 1862 on garrison duty at

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...

. In December Williamson was part of

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

's force which attacked the Confederate forces at the

Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle of Walnut Hills, fought December 26–29, 1862, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton repulse ...

. Williamson was again wounded and for his services here was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor in 1895. Williamson recovered in time to take part in the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

and the following

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

. After the fall of the city, he assumed command of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XV Corps until September, 1863 then commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XV Corps at the Battle of Chattanooga. Williamson's division, commanded by

Peter J. Osterhaus Peter Joseph Osterhaus (January 4, 1823 – January 2, 1917) was a German-American Union Army general in the American Civil War and later served as a diplomat. Early life Osterhaus was born in Koblenz, Rhenish Prussia, the son of Eleanora (Kraeme ...

was temporarily attached to the forces under

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

and took part in the

Battle of Lookout Mountain The Battle of Lookout Mountain also known as the Battle Above The Clouds was fought November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assaulted Lookout Mountain, Chattan ...

. The division was returned to the

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and Williamson led the 2nd Brigade during the Atlanta Campaign. At the

Battle of Jonesborough The Battle of Jonesborough (August 31–September 1, 1864) was fought between Union Army forces led by William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces under William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. On the first ...

he was wounded in the hand. On December 19, 1864 he received a brevet promotion to brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers, on January 13, 1865 a full promotion to brigadier general and on March 13, 1865 a brevet promotion to major general of volunteers. Briefly during the summer of 1865 he commanded the District of St. Louis and was mustered out of the volunteer service on August 24, 1865, but was on an inspection tour of army posts in the West and did not find out until he returned in October 1865. In 1864 Williamson had been elected chairman of the Iowa delegation to the National Republican Convention in Baltimore, but did not attend due to duty to the army. After the War he resumed his law practice in Iowa. He served as Commissioner of the

General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department o ...

from 1876 to 1881. During this time he served as chairman of the Public Land Commission, which was created by Congress in 1879. He later became President of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad. He was in

Jamestown, Rhode Island Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the u ...

when he died on September 7, 1902.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Colonel, 4th Iowa Infantry. Place and Date: At Chickasaw Bayou, Miss., 29 December 1862. Entered service at: Des Moines, Iowa. Born: 8 February 1829, Columbia, Adair County, Ky. Date of issue: 17 January 1895. ;Citation Led his regiment against a superior force, strongly entrenched, and held his ground when all support had been withdrawn.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
A Civil War Biography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, James Alexander 1829 births 1902 deaths Union Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery General Land Office Commissioners American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Columbia, Kentucky Iowa Republicans Iowa Democrats

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References

External links