Henry Heth

Henry Heth (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 4 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies dies and is succeeded by his son Francis I of the Two Sicilies. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 95 days remaining. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ...

Heth was born in Chesterfield County, Virginia, a cousin of George Pickett. His name was pronounced as "Heeth" and he usually went by "Harry". He was one of the few generals whom Robert E. Lee called by his first name. Heth graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at the bottom of his class in 1847; he was wounded at West Point in 1846 with a bayonet stab to his leg. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 1st U.S. Infantry regiment. His antebellum career was served primarily in western posts, some as a quartermaster, and he eventually achieved the rank of captain. Chesterfield County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... Categories: People stubs | 1825 births | 1876 deaths | Confederate Army generals | U.S. Army officers ... For the author of Inherit the Wind and other works, see Robert Edwin Lee. ... Alternate meanings: West Point (disambiguation). ... Events January January 4 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government. ... Alternate meanings: West Point (disambiguation). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... A quartermaster, in the United States Army, is a soldier or unit which specializes in supplying and provisioning troops in the field. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ...

After Fort Sumter, Heth resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederate States Army. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served for a brief time as Lee's quartermaster in the Virginia Provision Army, but that time was influential for his career, because Lee looked out for Harry for the rest of the war. He spent the remainder of 1861 in the Kanawha Valley in western Virginia in the 5th and 45th Virginia Infantry regiments. He was promoted to brigadier general on January 6, 1862, and sent west to the Department of East Tennessee, to serve under Kirby Smith. He commanded a division in the Perryville Campaign, but arrived too late for combat in the bloody Battle of Perryville. Before the attack Map detailing the location of Fort Sumter Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina harbor, was named after General Thomas Sumter. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February, 1861, to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when eleven southern states seceded from the United States. ... 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. ... 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. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January-March January 10 - End of term for John Gately Downey, 7th Governor of California. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Other U.S. States Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen Official languages English Area 109,247 km² (36th)  - Land 106,846 km²  - Water 2,400 km² (2. ... Portrait of Edmund Kirby Smith during the Civil War Edmund Kirby Smith (1824–1893) was a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the western Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. ... Battle of Perryville Conflict American Civil War Date October 8, 1862 Place Boyle County, Kentucky Result Union strategic victory The Battle of Perryville was an important but largely neglected encounter in the American Civil War. ...

In March, 1863, Lee brought Heth back into his command, the Army of Northern Virginia, as a brigade commander in A.P. Hill's division. He fought in the Battle of Chancellorsville, showing aggressive, but misguided, qualities in his first large-scale combat, attacking without reserves against a Union force emerging from the Wilderness. He assumed temporary command of the division when Hill was wounded. Following the death of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Lee reorganized his army into three corps, promoting Hill to the Third Corps. Heth retained his division command and was promoted to major general on May 24, 1863. For alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9, 1825 _ April 2, 1865), was a Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. ... Battle of Chancellorsville Conflict American Civil War Date April 30 – May 6, 1863 Place Spotsylvania County Result Decisive Confederate victory The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War in 1863. ... The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ... For the 1960s country music artist, see Stonewall Jackson (musician); for the submarine, see USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634). ... This article is about a military unit. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Heth's division made history by inadvertently starting the Battle of Gettysburg. Marching west from Cashtown on July 1, 1863, Heth sent two brigades ahead in a reconnaissance in force. His memoirs referred to sending them in a search for shoes in Gettysburg, but this is an apocryphal story; Heth knew that Jubal A. Early had been in Gettysburg a few days earlier and any available shoes would have been taken at that time. Besides, sending two brigades on such a scavenger hunt would have been wasteful. Heth's true motivation remains hidden to history. The brigades made contact with Union cavalry under John Buford and spread out into battle formation. Battle of Gettysburg Conflict American Civil War Date July 1–3, 1863 Place Adams County Result Union victory The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever conducted in North America... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... An army unit consisting of mounted soldiers are commonly known as cavalry. ... John F. Buford (March 4, 1826 - December 16, 1863) was an American cavalry officer during the American Civil War. ...

Lee had ordered A.P. Hill to avoid a general engagement with the enemy before he could assemble his full army, but Heth's actions had now rendered that order moot. They were engaged and Union reinforcements started arriving quickly. Heth's decision to deploy his two brigades before the arrival of the rest of his division was an error as well; they were repulsed in hard fighting against a crack division of the Army of the Potomac's I Corps, including the famously tenacious Iron Brigade. After a lull in fighting, Heth brought two more brigades into the fray in the afternoon and the Union forces were driven back to Seminary Ridge, but principally because the Union corps' right flank was crushed by Richard S. Ewell's corps coming in from the north. Finally, Heth attacked again in conjunction with the division of Robert E. Rodes and the Union corps was routed, retreating back through town to Cemetery Hill. But Confederate losses were severe; Heth should have better coordinated his attack with the division of Dorsey Pender. Heth was wounded during the attack when a bullet struck him in the head. Fortunately for him, he was wearing a hat that was too large and stuffed with papers to make it fit. The papers probably deflected the bullet to avoid a fatal wound, but Heth was knocked unconscious and effectively out of the battle. Parts of his division saw more action two days later in Pickett's Charge and he recovered enough to command during the retreat back to Virginia and the minor engagements of the fall of 1863. Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... Unit crest of the United States Army I Corps, Americas Corps. ... The Iron Brigade was a unit during the American Civil War that was noted for its ability to withstand almost any fire, and its regiments combined took the highest casualty percentage of the war. ... Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 - January 25, 1872) was a Confederate military officer during the American Civil War. ... Robert E. Rodes Robert Emmett Rodes ( March 29, 1829 – September 19, 1864) was a railroad civil engineer and a promising young Confederate general in the American Civil War, killed in battle in the Shenandoah Valley. ... Cemetery Hill is a small part of the battleground at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that was distinguished because of its tactical value as having high ground over the city of Gettysburg. ... William Dorsey Pender William Dorsey Pender (February 2, 1834 – July 18, 1863) was one of the youngest, and most promising, generals fighting for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Harry Heth commanded his division through the 1864 Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the retreat to Appomattox Court House, where he surrendered with Lee on April 9, 1865. After the war he worked in the insurance business and later served the government as a surveyor and in the Office of Indian Affairs. He died in Washington, D.C. and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Events January - March January 21 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign starts. ... Ulysses S. Grant Robert E. Lee The Overland Campaign, or Grants Overland Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June, 1864, in the American Civil War. ... Troops in the Siege of Petersburg faced the usual siege armaments — projectiles of all shapes and sizes and attacks on fortifications — but the Union added underground explosives to the mix. ... The court house The Appomattox Court House is a historic court house located in Appomattox, Virginia famous as the site of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Hollywood Cemetery is in Richmond, Virginia. ... Richmond is the capital of Virginia, a state (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. ...

Heth was the author of A System of Target Practice (1858) and The Memoirs of Henry Heth (posthumous, 1974). 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

References

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
• Tagg, Larry: The Generals of Gettysburg, Savas Publishing, 1998, ISBN 1-882810-30-9 (http://www.rocemabra.com/~roger/tagg/generals/)