William Henry French (January 13, 1815 – May 20, 1881) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 20 May is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (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 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-three 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...

French was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1837 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. He served in the Seminole Wars and Mexican War and received two brevet promotions for bravery: to captain for Cerro Gordo and to major for Contreras and Churubusco. Baltimore skyline at dusk Motto: The Greatest City in America (formerly The City That Reads; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Nickname: Charm City Mob Town B-more Location in Maryland Founded Incorporated 30 July 1729 1797  County Independent city Mayor Martin J. OMalley... Alternate meanings: West Point (disambiguation). ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Osceola, Seminole leader, detail from an 1838 lithograph The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three wars or conflicts in Florida between the Seminole Native American tribe and the United States. ... The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. ... In the US military, brevet refers to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... The Battle of Cerro Gordo was a battle of the Mexican-American War. ... Major is the name most commonly given to the military rank equivalent to NATO rank code OF-3. ... Battle of Contreras Conflict Mexican-American War Date August 20, 1847 Place Mexico City, D.F. Result U.S. victory The Battle of Contreras (also known, particularly in Mexico, as the Battle of Padierna) took place during the night of August 19–20 in the final encounters of the Mexican... 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. ...

At the start of the Civil War, French was stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas, and moved his garrison to the mouth of the Río Grande in sixteen days and sailed to Key West. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers as of September 28, 1861, and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, where he commanded a brigade of the II Corps in the Peninsula Campaign, and then the 3rd Division of the corps at the Battle of Antietam. He was promoted to major general on November 29, 1862. He led his division in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Eagle Pass is a city located in Maverick County, Texas, United States. ... The Rio Grande flowing past Albuquerque Rio Grande by Big Bend National Park,Texas Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, the river rises in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado... Key West buoy marking the Southernmost point in the continental United States is located in Key West, Florida, at the end of U.S. Highway 1. ... 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. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (272nd in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps (Second Corps) during the American Civil War. ... Map of the events of the campaign. ... The Battle of Antietam (known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South), fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought on December 13, 1862 between General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. ... The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War in 1863. ...

French commanded the District of Harpers Ferry during the Gettysburg Campaign, but shortly after General Daniel E. Sickles was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, French assumed command of the III Corps. His military reputation was ruined during the Mine Run Campaign in November 1863 when Gen. George G. Meade claimed that French's corps moved too slowly to exploit a potential advantage over Robert E. Lee. This engagement was the last for the III Corps, which was reorganized out of the Union Army in the spring of 1864, and French was mustered out of volunteer service on May 6, 1864. For the remainder of the war, he served on military boards in Washington, D.C., and ended the war with the rank of colonel (regular army) of the 4th U.S. Artillery. Harpers Ferry is the name of several places in the United States of America: Harpers Ferry, Iowa Harpers Ferry, West Virginia There was also John Browns raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia as well as a Battle of Harpers Ferry in the American Civil War. ... Eastern Theater operations in 1863, showing Chancellorsville and the Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3) The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July, 1863, during the American Civil War. ... Portrait of Daniel Sickles during the Civil War Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1825–May 3, 1914) was an American soldier, statesman and diplomat. ... Main article: Gettysburg Campaign 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 fought in North America, and is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. ... Daniel Sickles and staff after the Battle of Gettysburg There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps (or Third Corps) during the American Civil War. ... Battle of Mine Run Conflict American Civil War Date November 27–December 2, 1863 Place Orange County, Virginia Result Inconclusive The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Paynes Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ... Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 6 is the 125126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States of America. ... It has been suggested that polkovnik be merged into this article or section. ... The Regular Army is the name given to the permanent force of the United States Army that is maintained during peacetime. ...

French died in Washington, D.C., and is buried there in Rock Creek Cemetery. He was the co-author of Instruction for Field Artillery (1860). 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

References

• Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0882-7.