For the British shipbuilder and founder of Harland and Wolf see: Edward Harland

Edward Harland

Sir Edward James Harland, 1st Baronet was a British shipbuilder and politician. Born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy. In 1846, aged 15, he took an apprenticeship at the engineering works of Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle upon Tyne...

Edward Harland (June 24, 1832 – March 9, 1915) was a Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 general during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He was associated with early battles of the IX Corps as well as Union involvement in North Carolina and the Tidewater region of Virginia

Tidewater region of Virginia

The Tidewater region of Virginia is the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia formally known as Hampton Roads. The term tidewater may be correctly applied to all portions of any area, including Virginia, where the water level is affected by the tides...

.

Early life

Harland was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 in 1853. He was admitted to the bar and was practicing law

Practice of law

In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...

 prior to the Civil War.

Civil War

In 1861 Harland became captain in the 3rd Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and fought at the First Battle of Bull Run

First Battle of Bull Run

First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...

. On October 5, 1861, he was appointed colonel of the 8th Connecticut Infantry

8th Connecticut Infantry

The 8th Connecticut Infantry was an infantry regiment that fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War.- History :The regiment was organized at Camp Buckingham, Hartford, in September, 1861, It was first commanded by Colonel Edward Harland of Norwich. The regiment left Hartford October...

 and served in Ambrose E. Burnside's North Carolina Expedition. In July 1862 he returned to Virginia with Burnside where his regiment became part of the newly formed IX Corps. Harland was placed in command of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, IX Corps and led it at the battles of South Mountain

Battle of South Mountain

The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...

 and Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...

.

At the Battle of Antietam, Harland's brigade participated in the actions around Burnside Bridge

Burnside Bridge

The Burnside Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.-Design:Including approaches, the Burnside has a total length of and a center span. While lowered this span is normally above the river. The deck is made of concrete, which contributes to its being one of...

 and Antietam Creek

Antietam Creek

Antietam Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the United States, a region known as the Hagerstown Valley...

. His division commander, Brig. Gen. Isaac P. Rodman

Isaac P. Rodman

Isaac Peace Rodman was a Rhode Island banker and politician, and a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civil War, mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam.-Early life and career:...

, was sent on a flanking maneuver

Flanking maneuver

In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...

 across Snavely's Ford. Around 1 p.m. Rodman's troops were eventually able to cross the ford and flank the Confederates under Robert Toombs. As the division moved toward Sharpsburg, General Rodman was mortally wounded and removed from the field. Harland, being the senior ranking colonel, assumed command of the 3rd Division.

Harland remained in command of the division until he was replaced by Brig. Gen. George W. Getty

George W. Getty

George Washington Getty was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War....

. Harland returned to command the 2nd Brigade and led it at the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

. Sometime after Fredericksburg, Harland was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, effective November 29, 1862. In March 1863 Getty's division was sent to the VII Corps in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Harland's brigade now became the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, VII Corps during the siege of Suffolk

Siege of Suffolk

The Siege of Suffolk was fought around Suffolk, Virginia, from April 11 to May 4, 1863, during the American Civil War.-Background:In 1863 Lt. Gen. James Longstreet was placed in command of the Confederate Department of Virginia and North Carolina. Longstreet was given four objectives: 1) to...

. After the Confederates lifted the siege, Harland was transferred to the XVIII Corps in North Carolina for the second half of 1863. He commanded the Sub-district of Pamlico for a short time before he was assigned to command the Defenses of New Bern in July 1864. He remained in command at New Bern until January 1865 when Union forces under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield were moving inland from Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

, to link up with the armies of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. Harland’s forces became the 1st Brigade, 1st Division in Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox's Provisional Corps and fought at the Battle of Wyse Fork

Battle of Wyse Fork

The Battle of Wyse Fork was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory.-Background:...

.

Postbellum career

Harland resigned from the army on June 22, 1865, and resumed his law practice. He served as a state legislator in Connecticut and was active in the militia, becoming the state's adjutant general. He also served as a judge and banker before dying in his hometown of Norwich.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals