James W. Forsyth
Encyclopedia
James William Forsyth was a U.S. Army officer and general. He was primarily a Union staff officer during the American Civil War
and cavalry regimental commander during the Indian Wars
.
, where he attended the local schools. He attended West Point from 1851 to 1856 and received a commission as second lieutenant in Co. D, 9th U.S. Infantry. He was instrumental in the completion of the frontier fort at San Juan Island and served as the company's acting commander when Captain George E. Pickett was away on leave. After serving in Washington Territory at Fort Bellingham and Camp Pickett, Suan Juan Island, Forsyth was promoted to first lieutenant in 1861 and returned to the East to command Union forces in the Civil War.
Forsyth joined the Union Army
as colonel of the 64th Ohio Infantry
. He was temporarily in command of a brigade during Don Carlos Buell
's march to the relief of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant at Shiloh
. However, the day before the battle began the brigade's regular commander, James A. Garfield, returned and Forsyth did not participate in the actual battle.
In 1862 he transferred to the Army of the Potomac
where he served as the assistant U.S. inspector general
during the Peninsular Campaign. During the Maryland Campaign
he was assigned as aide-de-camp
to Joseph K. F. Mansfield
until the latter's untimely death at the battle of Antietam
. Forsyth then became provost marshal
to the Army of the Potomac
at the battle of Fredericksburg
.
In 1863 Forsyth transferred back to the Western Theater to serve as adjutant
to Philip H. Sheridan at Chickamauga
. Forsyth was brevetted
to major in the Regular Army for his service Chickamauga. When Sheridan transferred to the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps, Forsyth followed as his chief of staff. He participated in this capacity during the Overland Campaign
. He was subsequently chief of staff of the Army of the Shenandoah during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864
and chief of staff to the Union Cavalries during the Appomattox Campaign
. He received brevets to lieutenant colonel, U.S.A. for Cedar Creek
, colonel, U.S.A. for Five Forks
and brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers, for the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
On May 19, 1865, President
Andrew Johnson
appointed Forsyth a full grade brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers to rank from May, 19, 1865 and nominated Forsyth for this appointment on January 13, 1866. The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1866, notwithstanding that Forsyth was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866. On July 17, 1866, President Johnson nominated Forsyth for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general, U.S.A. (regular army) to rank from April 9, 1865 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.
Forsyth served on the Sheridan's staff along with Wesley Merritt
, Thomas Devin
, and George A. Custer. Later, all of these men would become famous Indian fighters.
In 1878 Forsyth commanded the 1st U.S. Cavalry in the Bannock War
, having considerable success in this role. In 1885 Forsyth was in command of Fort Maginnis, Montana where the army was monitoring the Crow, Cree, and the Gros Ventres (Atsina) Indians.
On July 11, 1886, alfer a leave of absence of two months, Forsyth was promoted to Colonel of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, assumed command of the regiment July 26, 1886, at Fort Meade, South Dakota
and marched to Fort Riley
, Kansas, where he arrived September 8, 1887, where he remained in command until Nov. 10th, 1890, during which time he organized and developed the system of instruction for light artillery and cavalry for the School of Application for Infantry and Cavalry. Forsyth was in command of the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre
on December 29, 1890.
On November 9, 1894, Brig. Gen. Alexander McDowell McCook
was appointed major general
of the United States Army to hold the rank vacated by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard
and Col. Forsyth was promoted to the rank of brigadier general
to succeed McCook and was appointed commander of the Department of California.
In 1897 Brigadier General Forsyth was promoted to major general to succeed Maj. Gen. Frank Wheaton
.
Forsyth married the daughter of Ohio Governor William Dennison
. The couple had four children. He died on October 24, 1906 in Columbus, Ohio
, and is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery.
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...
and cavalry regimental commander during the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
.
Early life
Forsyth was born in Maumee, OhioMaumee, Ohio
Maumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was also declared an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2006.-Geography:...
, where he attended the local schools. He attended West Point from 1851 to 1856 and received a commission as second lieutenant in Co. D, 9th U.S. Infantry. He was instrumental in the completion of the frontier fort at San Juan Island and served as the company's acting commander when Captain George E. Pickett was away on leave. After serving in Washington Territory at Fort Bellingham and Camp Pickett, Suan Juan Island, Forsyth was promoted to first lieutenant in 1861 and returned to the East to command Union forces in the Civil War.
Civil War
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...
as colonel of the 64th Ohio Infantry
64th Ohio Infantry
The 64th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 64th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Buckingham in Mansfield, Ohio and mustered in for three years service on November 9, 1861 under the command of Colonel J. W. Forsyth...
. He was temporarily in command of a brigade during Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
's march to the relief of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant at Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. However, the day before the battle began the brigade's regular commander, James A. Garfield, returned and Forsyth did not participate in the actual battle.
In 1862 he transferred to 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...
where he served as the assistant U.S. inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
during the Peninsular Campaign. During the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
he was assigned as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Joseph K. F. Mansfield
Joseph K. Mansfield
Joseph King Fenno Mansfield was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, and a Union general in the American Civil War, mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam.-Early life:...
until the latter's untimely death 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...
. Forsyth then became provost marshal
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
to 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...
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 1863 Forsyth transferred back to the Western Theater to serve as adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
to Philip H. Sheridan at Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
. Forsyth was brevetted
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...
to major in the Regular Army for his service Chickamauga. When Sheridan transferred to the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps, Forsyth followed as his chief of staff. He participated in this capacity 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...
. He was subsequently chief of staff of the Army of the Shenandoah during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
and chief of staff to the Union Cavalries during the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. He received brevets to lieutenant colonel, U.S.A. for 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...
, colonel, U.S.A. for Five Forks
Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the "Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan against...
and brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers, for the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
On May 19, 1865, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
appointed Forsyth a full grade brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers to rank from May, 19, 1865 and nominated Forsyth for this appointment on January 13, 1866. The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1866, notwithstanding that Forsyth was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866. On July 17, 1866, President Johnson nominated Forsyth for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general, U.S.A. (regular army) to rank from April 9, 1865 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.
Forsyth served on the Sheridan's staff along with Wesley Merritt
Wesley Merritt
Wesley Merritt was a general in the United States Army during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He is noted for distinguished service in the cavalry.-Early life:...
, Thomas Devin
Thomas Devin
Thomas Casimer Devin was an United States Army officer and general. He commanded Union cavalry during the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
, and George A. Custer. Later, all of these men would become famous Indian fighters.
Promotions
- 1st Lieutenant 3/15/1861
- Captain 10/24/1861
- Major 9/20/1863 by Brevet (Chickamauga, Georgia)
- Major 4/7/1864 (Major & Asst Adjutant General)
- Lt. Colonel 4/19/1864 (Lieut Colonel & Asst Inspector General)
- Lt. Colonel 10/19/1864 by Brevet (Cedar Creek, Virginia)
- Brigadier General 10/19/1864 by Brevet (Cedar Creek, Virginia)
- Colonel 4/1/1865 (Five Forks, Virginia)
- Brigadier General 4/9/1865 by Brevet (for action at Five Forks)
- Brigadier General 5/9/1865 (for action in the Valley Campaign)
Indian Wars
Forsyth remained in the Regular Army after the end of the Civil War. He commanded a brigade of cavalry for two years and was a strong supporter of African Americans and buffalo soldiers. He then joined Sheridan again in 1867, and moved with him when he became commander of the Department of the Missouri in 1866. Forsyth served first as the department's secretary and then as inspector, with an appointment in the cavalry. He took part in military campaigns against the Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa Indians in 1868-69. Forsyth went to Europe in 1870 as an official observer of the Franco-Prussian War.In 1878 Forsyth commanded the 1st U.S. Cavalry in the Bannock War
Bannock War
The Bannock War was a series of conflicts in 1878 between various Bannock, Northern Shoshone and Paiute tribes against the United States.- Background :...
, having considerable success in this role. In 1885 Forsyth was in command of Fort Maginnis, Montana where the army was monitoring the Crow, Cree, and the Gros Ventres (Atsina) Indians.
On July 11, 1886, alfer a leave of absence of two months, Forsyth was promoted to Colonel of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, assumed command of the regiment July 26, 1886, at Fort Meade, South Dakota
Fort Meade (South Dakota)
Fort George Gordon Meade was established in 1878 as a cavalry fort to protect the new settlements in the northern Black Hills, especially the nearby gold mining area around Deadwood. Several stage and freighting routes passed through Fort Meade enroute to Deadwood.For most of the past 120 years,...
and marched to Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas, where he arrived September 8, 1887, where he remained in command until Nov. 10th, 1890, during which time he organized and developed the system of instruction for light artillery and cavalry for the School of Application for Infantry and Cavalry. Forsyth was in command of the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
on December 29, 1890.
On November 9, 1894, Brig. Gen. Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
was appointed major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of the United States Army to hold the rank vacated by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard
Oliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
and Col. Forsyth was promoted 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...
to succeed McCook and was appointed commander of the Department of California.
In 1897 Brigadier General Forsyth was promoted to major general to succeed Maj. Gen. Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton was a career military officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and Indian Wars.-Early life and career:...
.
Forsyth married the daughter of Ohio Governor William Dennison
William Dennison (Ohio governor)
William Dennison, Jr. was a Whig and Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 24th Governor of Ohio and as U.S...
. The couple had four children. He died on October 24, 1906 in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery.
Promotions
- Major 7/28/1866
- Lt. Colonel 4/4/1878 (1st Cavalry)
- Colonel 6/11/1886
- Brigadier General 11/9/1894 (Dept of California)
- Major General 5/12/1897
See also
- List of American Civil War generals