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Joseph Bailey (general)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bailey was a civil engineer who served as a general in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
. He earned a civil engineering
degree at the University of Illinois, then moved to Wisconsin
and became a civil engineer and lumberman. Politically, he was a Democrat.
Benjamin F. Butler
's Army of the Gulf
, which occupied New Orleans
after Admiral David Farragut
captured the city in April 1862. Bailey was named acting chief engineer for the city of New Orleans shortly after its occupation.
Promoted to major
in May 1863, Bailey contributed to the Union Army's engineering activities in support of the Siege of Port Hudson
. In August 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
when the regiment was redesignated as the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment.
are considered the reason the campaign did not result in the loss of the entire 30,000-man Army of the Gulf. Having landed his forces at Simmesport, Louisiana
in March with the intention of moving north along the Red River
some 200 miles to capture Shreveport
, the headquarters of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith
, Banks was repulsed at the Battle of Mansfield
on April 8, 1864, by Confederate General Richard Taylor
and his force of just 12,000 men.
Retreating down the Red River, Banks found the low river level at Alexandria
prohibited the passage of Commander David Dixon Porter
's fleet
of ten Federal gunboats, part of the Union Army's Mississippi Squadron. Hounded by Taylor's forces in the rear, Banks faced the humiliating necessity of abandoning Porter's fleet. Without the fleet's supporting fire power, his entire Army would risk capture before it could return to safety in New Orleans.
Resigned to his fate, Banks reluctantly listened to Porter's suggestion to give Bailey's idea a try. Bailey suggested building a winged dam, similar to those he had built as a Wisconsin lumberman. The dam, Bailey argued, would raise the level of the river. When it was high enough to carry Porter's fleet over the falls, Bailey would blow up the dam, and the fleet would be saved.
Persuaded by Porter, Banks agreed to the plan. For ten days, 10,000 troops worked feverishly on both banks of the River to build the dam. Finally, on May 10, 1864, the river rose, the dam was broken, and the fleet floated past. Porter's fleet and Banks' army were saved. The ruins of "Bailey's Dam" can be seen to this day in Alexandria.
A grateful United States Congress voted Bailey the Thanks of Congress
, making him only one of fifteen men to receive such an honor during the Civil War. He was the only person to receive the honor who did not command a corps
or division
at the time.
. However, he was soon assigned to command the Engineer Brigade in the XIX Corps
in the Department of the Gulf from June through August. He then commanded the District of West Florida from August until November, when he was sent back to Louisiana
to take charge of the District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson. He held other commands in the Western Theater
, including command of a cavalry division and an engineer brigade for a corps in the Military Division of West Mississippi until the war's end.
On November 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln
appointed Bailey brigadier general of volunteers to rank from November 19, 1864 and submitted this nomination to the Senate on December 12, 1864 and again on March 7, 1865. The first nomination expired without U.S. Senate confirmation on March 4, 1865 and Bailey resigned from the service on July 7, 1865 before the Senate acted on the second nomination. After Bailey was out of the service, on January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson
nominated Bailey again for appointment to the grade of brigadier general to rank from November 10, 1864 and the U.S. Senate finally confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1866. On March 28, 1867, President Johnson nominated Bailey posthumously for the award of the brevet
grade of major general
of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 30, 1867.
by two brothers he had arrested (but failed to disarm) for stealing a hog. Despite a $3,000 reward, the killers, former bushwhacker
s Lewis and Perry Pixley, were never brought to justice. A third suspect was lynched.
General Bailey was buried with Masonic honors in the military cemetery at Fort Scott, Kansas
. His remains were later moved to Evergreen Cemetery, where he rests next to his wife.
A monument to his memory stands in Malta, Ohio
, and he is the subject of a recent biography, Hero of the Red River - The Life and Times of Joseph Bailey.
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...
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...
.
Early life
Bailey was born near the town of Pennsville in Morgan County, OhioMorgan County, Ohio
**----...
. He earned a civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
degree at the University of Illinois, then moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and became a civil engineer and lumberman. Politically, he was a Democrat.
Civil War
Bailey entered the Union Army at the beginning of the war as captain of Company D of the 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment. He served as part of Major GeneralMajor 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...
Benjamin F. Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
's Army of the Gulf
Army of the Gulf
The Army of the Gulf was a Union army that served in the general area of the Gulf states controlled by Union forces. It mainly saw action in Louisiana and Alabama.-History:...
, which occupied New Orleans
New Orleans in the Civil War
New Orleans, in Louisiana, was the largest city in the Southern States during the American Civil War. It provided thousands of troops for the Confederate States Army, as well as several leading officers and generals...
after Admiral David Farragut
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
captured the city in April 1862. Bailey was named acting chief engineer for the city of New Orleans shortly after its occupation.
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...
in May 1863, Bailey contributed to the Union Army's engineering activities in support of the Siege of Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
. In August 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...
when the regiment was redesignated as the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment.
Red River Campaign
Bailey's engineering skills during Major General Nathaniel P. Banks' ill-fated 1864 Red River CampaignRed River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
are considered the reason the campaign did not result in the loss of the entire 30,000-man Army of the Gulf. Having landed his forces at Simmesport, Louisiana
Simmesport, Louisiana
Simmesport is a town in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,239 at the 2000 census.During the American Civil War, Union General Nathaniel P. Banks was superseded in command by E.R.S. Canby. General Ulysses S. Grant had sought Banks' removal for months, but U.S....
in March with the intention of moving north along the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
some 200 miles to capture Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, the headquarters of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
, Banks was repulsed at the Battle of Mansfield
Battle of Mansfield
The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, occurred on April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces commanded by Richard Taylor attacked a Union army commanded by Nathaniel Banks a few miles outside the town of Mansfield, near Sabine Crossroads...
on April 8, 1864, by Confederate General Richard Taylor
Richard Taylor (general)
Richard Taylor was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was the son of United States President Zachary Taylor and First Lady Margaret Taylor.-Early life:...
and his force of just 12,000 men.
Retreating down the Red River, Banks found the low river level at Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
prohibited the passage of Commander David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
's fleet
Mississippi River Squadron
The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was then known as the Western Gunboat Flotilla and sometimes as the...
of ten Federal gunboats, part of the Union Army's Mississippi Squadron. Hounded by Taylor's forces in the rear, Banks faced the humiliating necessity of abandoning Porter's fleet. Without the fleet's supporting fire power, his entire Army would risk capture before it could return to safety in New Orleans.
Resigned to his fate, Banks reluctantly listened to Porter's suggestion to give Bailey's idea a try. Bailey suggested building a winged dam, similar to those he had built as a Wisconsin lumberman. The dam, Bailey argued, would raise the level of the river. When it was high enough to carry Porter's fleet over the falls, Bailey would blow up the dam, and the fleet would be saved.
Persuaded by Porter, Banks agreed to the plan. For ten days, 10,000 troops worked feverishly on both banks of the River to build the dam. Finally, on May 10, 1864, the river rose, the dam was broken, and the fleet floated past. Porter's fleet and Banks' army were saved. The ruins of "Bailey's Dam" can be seen to this day in Alexandria.
A grateful United States Congress voted Bailey the Thanks of Congress
Thanks of Congress
The Thanks of Congress are a series of formal resolutions passed by the United States Congress originally to extend the government's formal thanks for significant victories or impressive actions by American military commanders and their troops. Although it began during the American Revolutionary...
, making him only one of fifteen men to receive such an honor during the Civil War. He was the only person to receive the honor who did not command a corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
or division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
at the time.
Promotion to general
In June 1864, Bailey became the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry's colonelColonel (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...
. However, he was soon assigned to command the Engineer Brigade in the XIX Corps
XIX Corps (ACW)
XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of its service in Louisiana and the Gulf, though several units fought in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley....
in the Department of the Gulf from June through August. He then commanded the District of West Florida from August until November, when he was sent back to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to take charge of the District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson. He held other commands in the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
, including command of a cavalry division and an engineer brigade for a corps in the Military Division of West Mississippi until the war's end.
On November 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
appointed Bailey brigadier general of volunteers to rank from November 19, 1864 and submitted this nomination to the Senate on December 12, 1864 and again on March 7, 1865. The first nomination expired without U.S. Senate confirmation on March 4, 1865 and Bailey resigned from the service on July 7, 1865 before the Senate acted on the second nomination. After Bailey was out of the service, on January 13, 1866, President 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...
nominated Bailey again for appointment to the grade of brigadier general to rank from November 10, 1864 and the U.S. Senate finally confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1866. On March 28, 1867, President Johnson nominated Bailey posthumously for the award of the 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...
grade of 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 volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 30, 1867.
Last years
Joseph Bailey survived the war by less than two years. In October 1865, he moved with his wife and children to Vernon County, Missouri, where he was elected sheriff. He was shot and killed on March 21, 1867 near Nevada, MissouriNevada, Missouri
Nevada is a city in Vernon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2011 census. It is the county seat of Vernon County. Nevada is the home of Cottey College, a junior college for women operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood....
by two brothers he had arrested (but failed to disarm) for stealing a hog. Despite a $3,000 reward, the killers, former bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
s Lewis and Perry Pixley, were never brought to justice. A third suspect was lynched.
General Bailey was buried with Masonic honors in the military cemetery at Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
. His remains were later moved to Evergreen Cemetery, where he rests next to his wife.
A monument to his memory stands in Malta, Ohio
Malta, Ohio
Malta is a village in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 696 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Malta is located at...
, and he is the subject of a recent biography, Hero of the Red River - The Life and Times of Joseph Bailey.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)