Charles Ferguson Smith (April 24, 1807 – April 25, 1862) was a career U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican War and as a Union general in the American Civil War. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... General is a high military rank, used by nearly every country in the world. ... The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-four mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the...

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1825 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery. As he rose slowly through the ranks of the peacetime army, he returned to West Point as an instructor and was appointed Commandant of Cadets as a first lieutenant, serving in that position from 1838 to 1843. Independence Hall, as it appears today. ... USMA redirects here, but this abbreviation can also mean U.S. Metric Association. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... USMA redirects here, but this abbreviation can also mean U.S. Metric Association. ... First Lieutenant is a military rank. ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

As an artillery battalion commander he distinguished himself in the Mexican War, at Palo Alto, Resaca, Monterrey, and Churubusco. He received brevet promotions to colonel for his service in these battles and ended the war as a lieutenant colonel in the regular army. He commanded the Red River expedition in Minnesota of 1856–57, and served under Albert Sidney Johnston in Utah (1857–1860). The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. ... The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846 on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas. ... Battle of Resaca Conflict American Civil War Date May 13-15, 1864 Place Gordon County and Whitfield County, Georgia Result Inconclusive The Battle of Resaca was part of the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Monterrey (September 21–September 23, 1846) was an engagement in the Mexican-American War in which General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North managed to fight US troops to a standstill at the important fortress town of Monterrey. ... Battle of Churubusco Conflict Mexican-American War Date August 20, 1847 Place Mexico City, D.F. Result U.S. victory The Battles of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Contreras (Padierna) during the Mexican-American War. ... In the US military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank. ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... The Regular Army is the name given to the permanent force of the United States Army that is maintained during peacetime. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ... Utah is one of the Four Corners states, and is bordered by: Idaho (at 42°N) and Wyoming (at 41°N and 111°W) in the north, by Colorado (at 109°W) in the east, at a single point by New Mexico to the southeast (at the Four Corners Monument... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

After the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Smith accepted a commission as brigadier general of Union volunteers (August 31, 1861), and eventually became a division commander in the Department of the Missouri under Ulysses S. Grant, who had been one of his pupils at West Point. This difficult situation was eased by Smith's loyalty to his young chief, and the old soldier led his division of raw volunteers with success at the Battle of Fort Donelson. The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-four mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought February 12–16, 1862 in the American Civil War. ...

Smith's experience, dignity, and unselfish character made him Grant's mainstay in the early days of the war. He went up the Tennessee River with Grant's first expedition, but at Savannah, Tennessee, met with a accident that seriously injured his leg. His senior brigadier led his division at the Battle of Shiloh. A riverboat passing under the Gay Street Bridge on the Tennessee River The river viewed from the top of Neyland Stadium. ... Savannah is a city located in Hardin County, Tennessee. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant Don Carlos Buell Albert S. Johnston† P.G.T. Beauregard Strength Army of West Tennessee (33,085 men) and Army of the Ohio (32,000 men) Army of the Mississippi (44,968 men) Casualties 1,754 killed...

Smith died of an infection following his leg injury and chronic dysentery at Savannah, Tennessee, and is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia. Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. ... Savannah is a city located in Hardin County, Tennessee. ...

The early close of his career in high command deprived the Union army of one of its best leaders, and his absence was nowhere more felt than on the battlefield of Shiloh, where the Federals paid heavily for the inexperience of their generals. A month before his death he had been made major general of volunteers. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

References

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain.

Supporters contend that the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910-1911) represents the sum of human knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century; indeed, it was advertised as such. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• Minnesota Historical Society account of the Red River expedition