John Buford, Jr.
March 4, 1826(1826-03-04) – December 16, 1863 (aged 37)
Maj. Gen. John Buford
Place of birth	Woodford County, Kentucky
Place of death	Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	Union
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1848–63
Rank	Major General
Commands	1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac
Battles/wars	Utah War American Civil War Second Battle of Bull Run Battle of South Mountain Battle of Antietam Battle of Gettysburg Bristoe Campaign

John Buford, Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg. is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1396x2000, 829 KB)TITLE: [Portrait of Brig. ... Woodford County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Animated map of secession, Civil War and re-admission:  States of the Union  Territories of the Union (including occupied territory)  States of the Confederacy  Territories claimed by Confederacy During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the twenty-three states of the United States... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Belligerents United States Utah Territory Commanders Pres. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders John Pope Robert E. Lee James Longstreet Stonewall Jackson Strength 63,000 54,000 Casualties 1,747 killed 8,452 wounded 4,263 captured/missing 1,553 killed 7,812 wounded 109 captured/missing For other uses, see Bull Run... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Ambrose Burnside William B. Franklin Robert E. Lee Strength 28,000 18,000 Casualties 2,325 (443 killed, 1,807 wounded, 75 missing) 2,685 (325 killed, 1560 wounded, 800 missing) The Battle of South Mountain (known... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,316 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (also... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921[1] 71,699[2] Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing)[1] 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing... The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia during October and November, 1863, in the American Civil War. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921[1] 71,699[2] Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing)[1] 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing...

Early years

John Boobford was born in Woodfordhiluh County, Kentucky, but was raised in Rock Island, Illinois, from the age of eight. His father was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a political opponent of Abraham Lincoln. His family had a long military tradition. John Jr.'s grandfather, Colonel Abraham Buford (of the Waxhaw Massacre) and great uncle served in Virginia regiments during the American Revolutionary War. His half brother, Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, would become a major general in the Union Army. His cousin, Abraham Buford, would become a Cavalry brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. John Jr. attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, for one year. He graduated in the 1848 class of the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Dragoons, transferring the next year to the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. He served in Texas and the Southwest, fought against the Sioux, served on peacekeeping duty in Bleeding Kansas, and in the Utah War in 1858. He was stationed at Fort Crittenden, Utah, from 1859 to 1861.^[1][2] He was a student of the works of General John Watts de Peyster, who was a strong advocate of making the skirmish line the new line of battle.^[3] Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Abraham Buford (July 21, 1747-June 30, 1833) was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, most known as commanding officer during the Waxhaw Massacre. Born in Culpeper County, Virginia, Buford quickly organized a company of minutemen upon the outbreak of war in 1775, eventually rising to the... Combatants Britain 17th Lancers{then called Dragoons} British Legion (1778) United States 3rd Virginia Detachment composed of 2nd and 7th Virginia Regiments Commanders Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton Colonel Abraham Buford Strength 270 400 Casualties 5 killed 12 wounded {11 horses killed 19 horses wounded} 113 killed 150 wounded and paroled... This article is about military actions only. ... Napoleon Bonaparte Buford (1807-83) was an American soldier and railroad executive. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... 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. ... A group of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. ... Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. ... USMA redirects here. ... 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. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... The Sioux (pronounced ) are a Native American and First Nations people. ... Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in history as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving Free-Staters (anti-slavery) and pro-slavery Border Ruffian elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri... Belligerents United States Utah Territory Commanders Pres. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For his son, see John Watts de Peyster Jr. ...

Civil War

When Civil War broke out, Buford returned to the East from his post in Utah. He was regarded as a man who drove himself too hard, which might have contributed to his success. He had relatives who fought for the South, and upon receiving an offer of a commission in the Confederate Army, legend has it he crumpled it up and threw it on the ground, declaring that he would "live and die under the flag of the Union."^[4] In November 1861, he was appointed assistant inspector general with the rank of major, and, in July 1862, after having served for several months in the defense of Washington, was raised to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers. In 1862, he was given his first position, under Maj. Gen. John Pope, as commander of the II Corp's Cavalry Brigade of the Union Army of Virginia, which fought with distinction at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Buford personally led a charge late in the battle, but was wounded in the knee by a spent bullet. The injury was painful but not serious, although some Southern newspapers reported that he had been killed. He returned to active service, and served as chief of cavalry to Maj. Gens. George B. McClellan and Ambrose E. Burnside. Unfortunately, this assignment was nothing more than a staff position and he chafed for a field command. In McClellan's Maryland Campaign, he again served as chief of cavalry in the Army of the Potomac and was in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, replacing Brig. Gen. George Stoneman on McClellan's staff. Under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, however, Buford was given the Reserve Brigade of regular cavalry in the 1st Cavalry Division, Army of the Potomac. For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Major General John Pope John Pope (March 18, 1822 – September 23, 1892) was a career Army officer and general in the American Civil War. ... The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders John Pope Robert E. Lee James Longstreet Stonewall Jackson Strength 63,000 54,000 Casualties 1,747 killed 8,452 wounded 4,263 captured/missing 1,553 killed 7,812 wounded 109 captured/missing For other uses, see Bull Run... For the 1960s commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, see George McClellan (police commissioner). ... Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ... Confederate dead at Antietam The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, of September 1862 is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Ambrose Burnside William B. Franklin Robert E. Lee Strength 28,000 18,000 Casualties 2,325 (443 killed, 1,807 wounded, 75 missing) 2,685 (325 killed, 1560 wounded, 800 missing) The Battle of South Mountain (known... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,316 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (also... Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ... Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879), known as Fighting Joe, was a career U.S. Army officer and a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ...

After the Battle of Chancellorsville, Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton was given command of the Cavalry Corps, although Hooker later agreed that Buford would have been the better choice. In the Gettysburg Campaign, Buford, who had been promoted to command of the 1st Division, is credited with selecting the field of battle at Gettysburg. Buford's division was the first to arrive at Gettysburg and they successfully held off Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's Confederate division. This holding action allowed Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds's I Corps to hold the high ground west of town in relief of Buford's division. Buford's actions allowed the Union army to beat the Confederate's to the heights outside of Gettysburg, which put Lee's army at a considerable disadvantage. Afterwards, Buford's troopers were sent by Pleasonton to Emmitsburg, Maryland, to resupply and refit, an ill-advised decision that uncovered the Union left flank. They saw no more action at the eventual Gettysburg victory, of which Buford had been a key component. Belligerents United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy) Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson† Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties and losses 17,197 (1,606 killed, 9,672 wounded, 5,919 missing)[2] 12,764 (1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded, 2,018 missing)[2] The Battle of Chancellorsville... Alfred Pleasonton Alfred Pleasonton was a U.S. Army officer and general of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. ... Meade and Lee of Gettysburg Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3); cavalry movements shown with dashed lines. ... Gettysburg is a borough 38 miles (68 km) south by southwest of Harrisburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seatGR6. ... 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. ... A group of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. ... John Fulton Reynolds (September 20, 1820 – July 1, 1863) was a career U.S. Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. ... I Corps (First Corps) was the designation of four different corps_sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Emmitsburg was founded in 1785 and is located in Frederick County, Maryland, just south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. ...

Buford pursued the Confederates to Warrenton, Virginia, and was afterward engaged in many operations in central Virginia, rendering a particularly valuable service in covering Maj. Gen. George Meade's retrograde movement in the October 1863 Bristoe Campaign. Street scene, Warrenton, Virginia, ca. ... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a career U.S. Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses. ... The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia during October and November, 1863, in the American Civil War. ...

"The hero at Oak Ridge was John Buford... he not only showed the rarest tenacity, but his personal capacity made his cavalry accomplish marvels, and rival infantry in their steadfastness... Glorious John Buford!"

– Maj. Gen. John Watts de Peyster on Buford's Dragoon Tactics^[5] For his son, see John Watts de Peyster Jr. ... For other uses, see Dragoon (disambiguation). ...

Death and legacy

Buford was stricken with typhoid fever and died in Maj. Gen. George Stoneman's home at Washington, D.C. He was promoted to major general on his deathbed, but effective July 1, 1863, the day he fought so effectively at Gettysburg.^[6] He is buried in West Point Cemetery. For a similar disease with a similar name, see typhus. ... Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... West Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. ...

In 1866, a military fort established on the Missouri-Yellowstone confluence in what is now North Dakota, was named Fort Buford after the general. Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th in the US  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Fort Buford was a former United States Army base located at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in the state of North Dakota. ...

In 1895, a bronze statue of Buford designed by artist James E. Kelly was dedicated on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Engraving by Kelly of George G. Meade and the Council of War at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. ... Gettysburg Map The Gettysburg Battlefield was the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1 to July 3, 1863, in and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Adams County, which had approximately 2,400 residents at the time. ...

In popular media

Buford was portrayed by Sam Elliott in the 1993 film Gettysburg, based on Michael Shaara's novel, The Killer Angels. Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American film and television actor. ... Gettysburg is a 1993 movie that dramatizes the decisive Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. ... The Killer Angels (1974) is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. ...

Buford is a character in the alternate-history novel Gettysburg, written by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen. Alternate history (fiction) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Newton Leroy Gingrich, (born June 17, 1943), served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. ... William R. Forstchen (born 1950) is an associate professor of history at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. ...

References

• Bielakowski, Alexander M., "John Buford", Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., W. W. Norton & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Longacre, Edward G., General John Buford: A Military Biography, Combined Publishing, 1995, ISBN 0-938289-46-2.
• Petruzzi, J. David, "Buford's Boys" website
• Petruzzi, J. David, "John Buford: By the Book," America's Civil War Magazine, July 2005.
• Petruzzi, J. David, "Opening the Ball at Gettysburg: The Shot That Rang for Fifty Years," America's Civil War Magazine, July 2006.
• Petruzzi, J. David, "The Fleeting Fame of Alfred Pleasonton," America's Civil War Magazine, March 2005.
• Proceedings of the Buford Memorial Association (New York, 1895)
• History of the Civil War in America (volume iii, p.545)
• This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.

The New International Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia first published in the 1910s. ... 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. ...

Notes