Freeman McGilvery
Encyclopedia
Freeman McGilvery was a United States Army
artillery
officer during the American Civil War
. He gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg
for taking the initiative to piece together a line of guns that greatly contributed to the Union
victory.
. Born with a love for the sea, he was a sailor and then a ship master. He was in Brazil
at Rio de Janeiro
when the Civil War erupted. He soon returned home and raised the 6th Maine Battery
, which first saw action at the battles of Cedar Mountain
and Sulfur Springs in Western Virginia
. At the Battle of Antietam
, McGilvery's battery supported the attack of the XII Corps. On February 5, 1863, he was promoted to major
and given command of the First Volunteer Brigade in the Artillery Reserve in the Union Army of the Potomac
, which he commanded during the Chancellorsville Campaign
.
During the Gettysburg Campaign
, on June 23, 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
. On July 2, the second day of the battle of Gettysburg, McGilvery discovered a wide and undefended gap in the Union line along the southern end of Cemetery Ridge
, north of Little Round Top
. McGilvery patched together a line of artillery from various commands to fill the gap. Initially without infantry support, McGilvery's "Plum Run line" of fieldpieces was instrumental in halting the final Confederate advance toward the Union center. On July 3, the lengthy artillery line assisted in the repulse of Pickett's Charge
, and in particular stopped the supporting attack of Confederate brigades under Cadmus Wilcox and David Lang
.
Promoted to colonel
in September 1863, he continued to command his Artillery Reserve brigade until May 1864. He replaced Robert O. Tyler
in command of the army’s reserve artillery and its ammunition train. He served with distinction in this role during the Overland Campaign
and the Siege of Petersburg
. On August 9, 1864, he was promoted to Chief of Artillery for the X Corps, commanding fifteen batteries. Only a week later, at the Battle of Deep Bottom, he was slightly wounded in a finger. The wound did not heal properly, and surgeons performed an amputation, during which McGilvery died from an overdose of chloroform
being used as an anesthesia
. His body was returned to his native Maine and buried in the Village Cemetery in Searsport
.
in Maine was also named for McGilvery. In 2001, the Maine state legislature passed an act designating the first Saturday in September as Colonel Freeman McGilvery Day.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
officer 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 gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
for taking the initiative to piece together a line of guns that greatly contributed to the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
victory.
Biography
McGilvery was born in Prospect, MaineProspect, Maine
Prospect is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 642 at the 2000 census.The most prominent landmark in Prospect is Fort Knox, a large 19th-century fort...
. Born with a love for the sea, he was a sailor and then a ship master. He was in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
at Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
when the Civil War erupted. He soon returned home and raised the 6th Maine Battery
6th Maine Battery
6th Maine Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th Maine Battery was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on January 1, 1862 under the command of Captain Freeman McGilvery.The battery was attached...
, which first saw action at the battles of Cedar Mountain
Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
and Sulfur Springs in Western Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. At the Battle of 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...
, McGilvery's battery supported the attack of the XII Corps. On February 5, 1863, he was promoted to major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
and given command of the First Volunteer Brigade in the Artillery Reserve in the Union Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, which he commanded during the Chancellorsville Campaign
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
.
During the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, on June 23, 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
. On July 2, the second day of the battle of Gettysburg, McGilvery discovered a wide and undefended gap in the Union line along the southern end of Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the Union Army during the battle, roughly the center of...
, north of Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
. McGilvery patched together a line of artillery from various commands to fill the gap. Initially without infantry support, McGilvery's "Plum Run line" of fieldpieces was instrumental in halting the final Confederate advance toward the Union center. On July 3, the lengthy artillery line assisted in the repulse of Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
, and in particular stopped the supporting attack of Confederate brigades under Cadmus Wilcox and David Lang
David Lang (colonel)
David Lang was a land surveyor, Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War, civil engineer, and Florida politician.-Early life:...
.
Promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in September 1863, he continued to command his Artillery Reserve brigade until May 1864. He replaced Robert O. Tyler
Robert O. Tyler
Robert Ogden Tyler was an American soldier who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Artillery Reserve of the Army of the Potomac, including at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, where many of his batteries played...
in command of the army’s reserve artillery and its ammunition train. He served with distinction in this role during the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
and the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
. On August 9, 1864, he was promoted to Chief of Artillery for the X Corps, commanding fifteen batteries. Only a week later, at the Battle of Deep Bottom, he was slightly wounded in a finger. The wound did not heal properly, and surgeons performed an amputation, during which McGilvery died from an overdose of chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
being used as an anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
. His body was returned to his native Maine and buried in the Village Cemetery in Searsport
Searsport, Maine
Searsport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,641 at the 2000 census. Searsport includes the village of North Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine." -History:...
.
Memorialization
Fort McGilvery, part of the Union earthworks at Petersburg constructed later during the siege, was named in his memory. The antebellum Post #30 of the Grand Army of the RepublicGrand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
in Maine was also named for McGilvery. In 2001, the Maine state legislature passed an act designating the first Saturday in September as Colonel Freeman McGilvery Day.