Jacob B. Sweitzer
Encyclopedia
Jacob Bowman Sweitzer was a Pennsylvania
lawyer and soldier who commanded a regiment
and then a brigade
in the Army of the Potomac
in the American Civil War
. He and his men were significantly engaged at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg
, where they reinforced and helped temporarily stabilize the Union
defensive line on the second day of fighting.
, on July 4, 1821. His brother, Nelson Bowman Sweitzer, who became a career army officer, was born in Brownsville seven years later. Jacob Sweitzer studied at Jefferson College
, graduating in 1843.
He later studied law, passed the bar exam, and established a legal practice.
of the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry on July 4, 1861. He became lieutenant colonel
on November 17 of that year and colonel
on June 27, 1862. Sweitzer served in the Seven Days Battles
, being wounded and captured at the Battle of Gaines Mill. After being exchanged on August 15, 1862, he led his regiment in the First Division, V Corps
at the Second Battle of Bull Run
and at Antietam
in the brigade of Brig. Gen. Charles Griffin.
When Griffin became commander of the First Division, Sweitzer was temporarily his successor in brigade command, including at the Battle of Fredericksburg
. Subsequently, Sweitzer returned to his regimental role. He resumed command of the brigade at the Battle of Chancellorsville
, succeeding Col. James McQuade. (McQuade was senior to Sweitzer, but he had missed Fredericksburg.)
. Sweitzer’s brigade and that of Col. William S. Tilton
went into action between the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard. (The Third Brigade, under Col. Strong Vincent
was detached and sent to Little Round Top
.) The two brigades were deployed at a perpendicular angle to one another, which made their position hard to maintain under attack. After enduring Confederate assaults, General Barnes decided to withdraw from an exposed position. Sweitzer’s report describes the order to withdraw as “peremptory.”
Sweitzer’s command, however, was sent back into the fight, entering the Wheatfield. It was flanked, however, by Confederate Brig. Gen. William T. Wofford
’s brigade, suffering serious losses. Col. Harrison Jeffords
of the 4th Michigan Infantry was killed when Confederate soldiers tried to capture his regiment’s flag. The brigade withdrew toward Little Round Top and was positioned in that vicinity for the remainder of the battle. It later participated in the retreat of the Confederate army. Sweitzer had only three regiments present, one—the 9th Massachusetts Regiment—being on detached duty. He reported that his regiments lost 466 out of 1,010 present on the field.
Sweitzer retained his brigade in the autumn of 1863, participating in the earlier stages of Bristoe Campaign
and in the Mine Run Campaign.
’s Overland Campaign
, Sweitzer retained brigade command in Griffin’s First Division. His brigade absorbed Tilton’s 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Sweitzer led the brigade at the Battle of the Wilderness
and the Battle of Spotsylvania. Sweitzer distinguished himself at the Battle of North Anna
, holding the exposed right flank of V Corps during a Confederate attack near Jericho Mills. He also commanded these troops at the Battle of Cold Harbor
and the early stages of the Siege of Petersburg
.
Sweitzer was mustered out with his regiment on July 13, 1864. He received a brevet
promotion to the rank of brigadier general
for “war service” on March 13, 1865.
. He resumed legal practice in Pittsburgh. Sweitzer died on November 9, 1881, and was buried at Allegheney Cemetery.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
lawyer and soldier who commanded a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
and then a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
in 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...
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...
. He and his men were significantly engaged at the 1863 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...
, where they reinforced and helped temporarily stabilize the 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...
defensive line on the second day of fighting.
Early life
Jacob Sweitzer was born in Brownsville, PennsylvaniaBrownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
, on July 4, 1821. His brother, Nelson Bowman Sweitzer, who became a career army officer, was born in Brownsville seven years later. Jacob Sweitzer studied at Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
, graduating in 1843.
He later studied law, passed the bar exam, and established a legal practice.
Civil War
Sweitzer was named majorMajor (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...
of the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry on July 4, 1861. He became 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 November 17 of that year and 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...
on June 27, 1862. Sweitzer served in the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, being wounded and captured at the Battle of Gaines Mill. After being exchanged on August 15, 1862, he led his regiment in the First Division, V Corps
V Corps (ACW)
The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
at 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...
and at 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...
in the brigade of Brig. Gen. Charles Griffin.
When Griffin became commander of the First Division, Sweitzer was temporarily his successor in brigade command, including 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...
. Subsequently, Sweitzer returned to his regimental role. He resumed command of the brigade at 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...
, succeeding Col. James McQuade. (McQuade was senior to Sweitzer, but he had missed Fredericksburg.)
Gettysburg
At the Battle of Gettysburg, the V Corps arrived early on July 2, 1863, after a hard march from Unionville, Maryland. The First Division, temporarily led by Brig. Gen. James Barnes, was sent to the left flank to aid III CorpsIII Corps (ACW)
There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*In the Army of Virginia:**Irvin McDowell ;**James B...
. Sweitzer’s brigade and that of Col. William S. Tilton
William S. Tilton
William Stowell Tilton was an American businessman and soldier who led a regiment, and occasionally a brigade, in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War...
went into action between the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard. (The Third Brigade, under Col. Strong Vincent
Strong Vincent
Strong Vincent was a lawyer who became famous as a U.S. Army officer during the fighting on Little Round Top at the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, where he was mortally wounded.-Early life:...
was detached and sent to 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....
.) The two brigades were deployed at a perpendicular angle to one another, which made their position hard to maintain under attack. After enduring Confederate assaults, General Barnes decided to withdraw from an exposed position. Sweitzer’s report describes the order to withdraw as “peremptory.”
Sweitzer’s command, however, was sent back into the fight, entering the Wheatfield. It was flanked, however, by Confederate Brig. Gen. William T. Wofford
William T. Wofford
William Tatum Wofford was an officer during the Mexican-American War and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
’s brigade, suffering serious losses. Col. Harrison Jeffords
Harrison Jeffords
Harrison Jeffords was the colonel of the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War...
of the 4th Michigan Infantry was killed when Confederate soldiers tried to capture his regiment’s flag. The brigade withdrew toward Little Round Top and was positioned in that vicinity for the remainder of the battle. It later participated in the retreat of the Confederate army. Sweitzer had only three regiments present, one—the 9th Massachusetts Regiment—being on detached duty. He reported that his regiments lost 466 out of 1,010 present on the field.
Sweitzer retained his brigade in the autumn of 1863, participating in the earlier stages of 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 in the Mine Run Campaign.
After Gettysburg
When the Army of the Potomac was reorganized preceding Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
’s 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...
, Sweitzer retained brigade command in Griffin’s First Division. His brigade absorbed Tilton’s 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Sweitzer led the brigade at 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...
and the Battle of Spotsylvania. Sweitzer distinguished himself at 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...
, holding the exposed right flank of V Corps during a Confederate attack near Jericho Mills. He also commanded these troops 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...
and 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...
.
Sweitzer was mustered out with his regiment on July 13, 1864. He received a 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...
promotion to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
for “war service” on March 13, 1865.
Postbellum activities
After leaving the army, Sweitzer settled in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He resumed legal practice in Pittsburgh. Sweitzer died on November 9, 1881, and was buried at Allegheney Cemetery.