Greenleaf T. Stevens
Encyclopedia
Greenleaf T. Stevens commanded the 5th Maine Battery
in the American Civil War
. His battery is commemorated by a monument on Stevens' Knoll, named for him, on the Gettysburg Battlefield
. It was among the first parts of the battlefield purchased for preservation.
, a town in Kennebec County, on August 20, 1831. He was the youngest son of Daniel and Mahala (Smith) Stevens. Greenleaf Stevens was educated in local schools and taught school before reading law with the Honorable Samuel Titcomb of Augusta, Maine
. Stevens became a lawyer, practicing in Belgrade and Augusta after being admitted to the local bar in 1860. He also attended the Harvard Law School
, graduating in July 1861; and he was about 30 years old at the outbreak of the Civil War.
in I Corps, when it was III Corps of the Army of Virginia
. The 5th Maine participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
, one of its guns helping cover the army’s retreat.http://www.thompsons-battery-c.org/thompsonhistory1.htm. When the division was assigned to BG John Gibbon
, it served on the left flank at the Battle of Fredericksburg
.
In the Battle of Chancellorsville
, the 5th Maine, attached to the second division under BG John C. Robinson
, was moving to join I Corps when it was ordered to a post near the Chancellor House supporting II Corps where it was under fire from Confederate guns. The battery was credited with helping 1st division II Corps withdraw from a dangerous position. Cpt Leppien was mortally wounded, and Lt Edmund Kirby was too. Lt Stevens took over command. He was wounded by a shell fragment on May 3, 1862; but he retained command of the battery.http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm The battery lost a quarter of its personnel killed or wounded. (Stevens reported for the battery on May 8, 1863.)
Stevens succeeded to command of the 5th Maine Battery after Chancellorsville, being promoted to the rank of captain on June 21. The battery was transferred to the newly-created artillery brigade of I Corps at the end of May. Stevens led the battery at the Battle of Gettysburg
, serving near the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary on July 1. It served near the left of the Seminary building, and it then moved to its right to cover the Chambersburg Pike. The Confederate brigade of BG Alfred Moore Scales
came close to Stevens' guns before being repulsed. BG James S. Wadsworth
ordered the battery to withdraw as the Union line on Seminary Ridge began to collapse from its left flank rightward. Col Charles S. Wainwright
the I Corps chief of artillery countermanded the order and then reinstated it. The battery withdrew through the town of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill under the cover of heavy smoke from their own gunfire.
The 5th Maine Battery was positioned by MG Winfield Scott Hancock
on the knoll between Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill known as McKnight’s Hill and now named for Stevens. Col Wainwright ordered Stevens to remove fence rails behind his position in case the battery had to retreat. It remained there on July 2 and 3, covering the north approach to Culp's Hill. Cpt Stevens was wounded in the legs by a Confederate sharpshooter on July 2, and Lt Edward Whittier commanded for the remainder of the battle. Under his direction, the battery exchanged fire with Confederate guns on Benner’s Hill, part of a barrage that effectively suppressed the Confederate gunner's fire. The 5th Maine Battery received little fire in return, as the Confederates fired at East Cemetery Hill. Both Stevens and Whittier used a French "ordinance glass" as a range finder to improve the performance of their guns.
When two brigades from the division of MG Jubal Early attacked East Cemetery Hill late on July 2, the battery fired into the advancing Confederate formation. Uneven terrain and gathering darkness probably limited the effectiveness of the battery’s fire. However, the brigade of Col Isaac E. Avery
lacked sufficient punch in all of its attack, partly because of this fire, which hit the left flank of the Confederate advance. (The guns fired over the heads of the 33rd Massachusetts Infantry, startling these troops.). Apart from Capt Stevens, one lieutenant and 11 men were wounded. Another 6 were lost to the enemy during the retreat on the first day of the battle.http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/exhibits/5th%20Maine%20Battery.html
Stevens returned to command in time for the Bristoe Campaign
and the Battle of Mine Run
, remaining in the artillery brigade of I Corps. When the Army of the Potomac
was reorganized before the Overland Campaign
of 1864, the 5th Maine Battery was assigned to the Reserve Artillery. In that formation it took part in the Battle of the Wilderness
, although little engaged. The battery was assigned to the artillery brigade of VI Corps under MG Horatio G. Wright on May 17, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
. The battery supported infantry of VI Corps during the Battle of North Anna
as well. At the Battle of Cold Harbor
, Stevens was able to place his guns in earthworks near the Gaines Mill Road to support the VI Corps line. On June 3, Stevens had his gunners fire canister at the Confederate works to support Wright's attack. Stevens also reported silencing a Confederate battery.
The battery participated in the early stages of the Siege of Petersburg
. It served on an expedition to Reams Station before leaving the Petersburg front. On July 10, 1864 Stevens' battery was sent to the defenses of Washington, D. C.. The battery served in VI Corps operations as far as Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
for the remainder of July.
Cpt Stevens served in the Army of the Shenandoah under MG Philip Sheridan
. This included serious fighting at the Battle of Opequan and the Battle of Cedar Creek
. At Opequan, the 5th Maine supported the advance of first division VI Corps. The guns were advanced four times toward Winchester as the battle progressed. At Cedar Creek, Stevens' battery covered the right flank of second division VI Corps when it made its final stand against the Confederate assault. Both Wright and Sheridan recommended Stevens for promotion for his efforts.http://www.onlinebiographies.info/me/rmm/stevens-gt.htm
The 5th Maine Battery remained in the Army of the Shenandoah, in the artillery brigade commanded by Maj Albert W. Bradbury, to the end of the war. Stevens was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 6, 1865. He had received brevet
rank of major on February 14, 1865 to rank from October 19, 1864.http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm
Stevens married Mary A. Yeaton. They had four children, but only son Don Carlos, a Unitarian minister, survived him. Stevens died on December 24, 1918 and was buried in Woodside Cemetery in Belgrade.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6036822
5th Maine Battery
5th Maine Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th Maine Battery was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on December 4, 1861....
in 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...
. His battery is commemorated by a monument on Stevens' Knoll, named for him, on the Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
. It was among the first parts of the battlefield purchased for preservation.
Pre War
Greenleaf Thurlow Stevens was born in Belgrade, MaineBelgrade, Maine
Belgrade is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,978 at the 2000 census. Belgrade's population, however, approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps located on the shores of Great Pond, Long Pond and Messalonskee...
, a town in Kennebec County, on August 20, 1831. He was the youngest son of Daniel and Mahala (Smith) Stevens. Greenleaf Stevens was educated in local schools and taught school before reading law with the Honorable Samuel Titcomb of Augusta, Maine
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
. Stevens became a lawyer, practicing in Belgrade and Augusta after being admitted to the local bar in 1860. He also attended the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, graduating in July 1861; and he was about 30 years old at the outbreak of the Civil War.
Civil War Service
Stevens was commissioned a lieutenant in the 5th Maine Battery on January 31, 1862. The battery spent early 1862 drilling before going into the field.http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm Cpt George F. Leppien commanded the battery. It was attached to the division of BG James B. RickettsJames B. Ricketts
James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general in the Eastern Theater during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
in I Corps, when it was III Corps of the Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia
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. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E...
. The 5th Maine participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
, one of its guns helping cover the army’s retreat.http://www.thompsons-battery-c.org/thompsonhistory1.htm. When the division was assigned to BG John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
, it served on the left flank 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...
.
In the Battle of Chancellorsville
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...
, the 5th Maine, attached to the second division under BG John C. Robinson
John C. Robinson
John Cleveland Robinson had a long and distinguished career in the United States Army, fighting in numerous wars and culminating his career as a Union Army brigadier general of volunteers and brevet major general of volunteers in the American Civil War. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated...
, was moving to join I Corps when it was ordered to a post near the Chancellor House supporting II Corps where it was under fire from Confederate guns. The battery was credited with helping 1st division II Corps withdraw from a dangerous position. Cpt Leppien was mortally wounded, and Lt Edmund Kirby was too. Lt Stevens took over command. He was wounded by a shell fragment on May 3, 1862; but he retained command of the battery.http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm The battery lost a quarter of its personnel killed or wounded. (Stevens reported for the battery on May 8, 1863.)
Stevens succeeded to command of the 5th Maine Battery after Chancellorsville, being promoted to the rank of captain on June 21. The battery was transferred to the newly-created artillery brigade of I Corps at the end of May. Stevens led the battery 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...
, serving near the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary on July 1. It served near the left of the Seminary building, and it then moved to its right to cover the Chambersburg Pike. The Confederate brigade of BG Alfred Moore Scales
Alfred Moore Scales
Alfred Moore Scales was a North Carolina state legislature, Confederate general in the American Civil War and the 45th Governor of the US state of North Carolina from 1885 to 1889, and Congressman.-Early life:...
came close to Stevens' guns before being repulsed. BG James S. Wadsworth
James S. Wadsworth
James Samuel Wadsworth was a philanthropist, politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was killed in battle during the Battle of the Wilderness of 1864.-Early years:...
ordered the battery to withdraw as the Union line on Seminary Ridge began to collapse from its left flank rightward. Col Charles S. Wainwright
Charles S. Wainwright
Charles Shiels Wainwright was a produce farmer in the state of New York and an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played an important role in the defense of Cemetery Hill during the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, where his artillery helped repel a Confederate...
the I Corps chief of artillery countermanded the order and then reinstated it. The battery withdrew through the town of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill under the cover of heavy smoke from their own gunfire.
The 5th Maine Battery was positioned by MG Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
on the knoll between Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill known as McKnight’s Hill and now named for Stevens. Col Wainwright ordered Stevens to remove fence rails behind his position in case the battery had to retreat. It remained there on July 2 and 3, covering the north approach to Culp's Hill. Cpt Stevens was wounded in the legs by a Confederate sharpshooter on July 2, and Lt Edward Whittier commanded for the remainder of the battle. Under his direction, the battery exchanged fire with Confederate guns on Benner’s Hill, part of a barrage that effectively suppressed the Confederate gunner's fire. The 5th Maine Battery received little fire in return, as the Confederates fired at East Cemetery Hill. Both Stevens and Whittier used a French "ordinance glass" as a range finder to improve the performance of their guns.
When two brigades from the division of MG Jubal Early attacked East Cemetery Hill late on July 2, the battery fired into the advancing Confederate formation. Uneven terrain and gathering darkness probably limited the effectiveness of the battery’s fire. However, the brigade of Col Isaac E. Avery
Isaac E. Avery
Isaac Erwin Avery was a planter and an officer in the Confederate States Army. He died at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War...
lacked sufficient punch in all of its attack, partly because of this fire, which hit the left flank of the Confederate advance. (The guns fired over the heads of the 33rd Massachusetts Infantry, startling these troops.). Apart from Capt Stevens, one lieutenant and 11 men were wounded. Another 6 were lost to the enemy during the retreat on the first day of the battle.http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/exhibits/5th%20Maine%20Battery.html
Stevens returned to command in time for the Bristoe Campaign
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
and the Battle of Mine Run
Battle of Mine Run
The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign , was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War....
, remaining in the artillery brigade of I Corps. When the 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...
was reorganized before 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...
of 1864, the 5th Maine Battery was assigned to the Reserve Artillery. In that formation it took part in the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, although little engaged. The battery was assigned to the artillery brigade of VI Corps under MG Horatio G. Wright on May 17, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. The battery supported infantry of VI Corps during the Battle of North Anna
Battle of North Anna
The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
as well. At the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, Stevens was able to place his guns in earthworks near the Gaines Mill Road to support the VI Corps line. On June 3, Stevens had his gunners fire canister at the Confederate works to support Wright's attack. Stevens also reported silencing a Confederate battery.
The battery participated in the early stages of 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...
. It served on an expedition to Reams Station before leaving the Petersburg front. On July 10, 1864 Stevens' battery was sent to the defenses of Washington, D. C.. The battery served in VI Corps operations as far as Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
for the remainder of July.
Cpt Stevens served in the Army of the Shenandoah under MG Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
. This included serious fighting at the Battle of Opequan and the Battle of Cedar Creek
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...
. At Opequan, the 5th Maine supported the advance of first division VI Corps. The guns were advanced four times toward Winchester as the battle progressed. At Cedar Creek, Stevens' battery covered the right flank of second division VI Corps when it made its final stand against the Confederate assault. Both Wright and Sheridan recommended Stevens for promotion for his efforts.http://www.onlinebiographies.info/me/rmm/stevens-gt.htm
The 5th Maine Battery remained in the Army of the Shenandoah, in the artillery brigade commanded by Maj Albert W. Bradbury, to the end of the war. Stevens was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 6, 1865. He had received brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, 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 except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
rank of major on February 14, 1865 to rank from October 19, 1864.http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm
Post war
Stevens served in the Maine Legislature. He served in the House of Representatives in 1875 and in the senate in 1877-1878. Beginning in 1888, Maj Stevens served two terms as sheriff of Kennebec County before becoming probate judge in 1892. Judge Stevens also served on Maine’s commission for monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield. http://all-biographies.com/soldiers/greenlief_thurlow_stevens.htm He also was involved in his battery's veterans' association.Stevens married Mary A. Yeaton. They had four children, but only son Don Carlos, a Unitarian minister, survived him. Stevens died on December 24, 1918 and was buried in Woodside Cemetery in Belgrade.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6036822