Thomas E. G. Ransom
Encyclopedia
Thomas Edwin Greenfield Ransom (November 29, 1834 – October 29, 1864) was a surveyor, civil engineer
, real estate speculator, and a general in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
, son of Colonel Truman B. Ransom, who was killed in action at the Battle of Chapultepec
during the Mexican-American War, when the younger was only 14 years old. The father was remembered by a participant in that battle, Adjutant General Drum of the Regular Army, as "by all odds the most brilliant man under fire I have ever seen." His son, Thomas, entered Norwich University
in 1848, where he remained three years, then went to Illinois
, where he engaged in civil engineering and real estate speculation. He initially lived with his uncle, George Gilson, then mayor of Peru
, an Illinois River town in LaSalle County. Ransom was known as the "boy surveyor" of LaSalle County. During that period, he was joined by his close friend and fellow Norwich University graduate, Grenville M. Dodge, who would later win fame as a Civil War general and the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad.
As the Civil War began, Ransom was in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad, living in Fayette County.
In response to President Abraham Lincoln
's call for troops in 1861, Ransom raised a body of soldiers that became Company E of the 11th Illinois Infantry, and was elected its captain on April 6, 1861, then major
on June 4. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel
of the regiment
July 30, and colonel
on February 15, 1862. He was commissioned brigadier general
on November 9, 1862, and in January 1863, took command of a brigade in General (McArthur's) Sixth division of McPherson's XVII Corps
.
Ransom was wounded four times: in a skirmish near Charleston, Missouri, on August 20, 1861; at the Fort Donelson
in February 1862; severely (in the head) during the Battle of Shiloh
on April 6, 1862; and at the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads, Louisiana, on April 4, 1864. His wounds at the latter engagement were so severe that he was evacuated to Chicago
for treatment.
At various times, he commanded divisions of XIII
, XVI
and XVII Corps
. He led XVII Corps in the pursuit of a Confederate force through North Georgia
into Alabama
. Returning to Georgia in October, he was taken severely ill with dysentery, but remained in command and on the field until too weak to go further. When told that he had but a few hours to live, he answered: "I am not afraid to die, I have met death too often to be afraid of it now."
General Ransom is buried in Rosehill Cemetery
in Chicago.
Ransom's memory was cherished by many prominent Union Generals including Grant and Sherman. Edward G. Longacre notes in his 2006 history, General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man, that the stoic Grant wept upon hearing of young Ransom's death. (Page 252) Ransom's close friend, General Grenville Dodge, recalled how, even years later, President Grant would frequently talk about young Ransom with great affection and respect. General William Tecumseh Sherman kept a photograph of General Ransom on the wall of his office 20 years after the war. After his death, the community of Ransom, Illinois
, was named in his honor.
1. "A rash, brave fellow." Colonel W. H. L. Wallace, 11th Illinois Infantry. August 23, 1861 at Bird's Point, Missouri
.
2. "Retiring and unostentatious. There was no strut about him. He was simple in his manners--quiet, unobtrusive..His power was always in reserve...and the deeper the peril, the more capable did he show himself." Reverend W. H. Ryder of Chicago, 1866.
3. "Ordinarily, he is of a quiet, modest disposition; but when in battle he becomes tiger like, fearing nothing and becoming terrible in action." Freeport (Illinois) Journal. May 4, 1864.
4. "Although reeling in the saddle, and streaming with blood from a previous wound, (Ransom) performed prodigies of valor." General John McClernand, his division commander at Shiloh. April 6, 1862.
5. "Other men shine but Ransom blazes!" Judge T. Lyle Dickey of Ottawa, Illinois, former commander of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. March 2, 1863.
6. "Ransom shone, as usual, above all the others. There are none like him in this battle...always where the danger was greatest, always cool and confident." Captain Cyrus Dickey, llth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, summer 1863 in the siege works at Vicksburg.
7. A soldier with "a record never surpassed, and hardly equaled in the history of this or any other war." Chicago Tribune. June 6, 1863.
8. "I saw Ransom during the assault of the 22nd of May 1863...I then marked him as of the kind of whom heroes are made." General William Tecumseh Sherman
. June 20, 1884. St. Louis.
9. "He has always proved himself the best man I have ever had to send on expeditions. He is a live man and of good judgement." General U. S. Grant. Official Records (ORs).
10. "Wounds are nothing new to this gallant officer, who bears ugly scars about his person, the tokens of Rebel attentions." William Osman, editor of the Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader. May 21, 1864.
11. "His manners were gentlemanly and tempered with kindness, but he gave the idea of great decision of character." General Oliver Otis Howard. Atlanta campaign. Summer of 1864.
12. "Do you know that young man?" Sherman remarked to an aide during the Atlanta campaign. "That is General Ransom, rising man, rising man; one of the best officers in the service; been shot all to pieces, but it doesn't hurt him." General William Tecumseh Sherman.
13. "General Ransom was much beloved by all who knew him, and this army has lost one of its most useful officers and brightest ornaments...We will cherish his bright memory and strive to attain his irreproachable character." General O. O. Howard. November 1, 1864 Field Order relating to Ransom's death.
14. "That the General's death caused the utmost sorrow throughout the Army of the Tennessee, I need not say. Since the death of General McPherson, no man has so completely possessed the affections of the Army as did General Ransom." Lt. Joseph D. Tredway, 23rd Wisconsin Infantry, aide-de-camp to General Ransom in an undated letter to the General's mother, Margaret Ransom of New York City.
Note: Quotations taken from "Hard Dying Men" by James Huffstodt. Heritage Books, Inc., 1991.
W. T. Sherman, General W. T. The Vermont Boy Who Volunteered in 1861, Served Bravely, was Wounded Grievously, and Died for the Union, Eulogy of General T.E.G. Ransom given before Ransom Post No. 131, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), St. Louis, Missouri, June 20, 1884, Washington National Tribune, June 1884.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, real estate speculator, and a general in the Union Army
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...
.
Biography
Ransom was born in Norwich, VermontNorwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
, son of Colonel Truman B. Ransom, who was killed in action at the Battle of Chapultepec
Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec, in September 1847, was a United States victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.-Background:On September 13, 1847, in the costly Battle of Molino del Rey, U.S...
during the Mexican-American War, when the younger was only 14 years old. The father was remembered by a participant in that battle, Adjutant General Drum of the Regular Army, as "by all odds the most brilliant man under fire I have ever seen." His son, Thomas, entered Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
in 1848, where he remained three years, then went to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, where he engaged in civil engineering and real estate speculation. He initially lived with his uncle, George Gilson, then mayor of Peru
Peru, Illinois
Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, an Illinois River town in LaSalle County. Ransom was known as the "boy surveyor" of LaSalle County. During that period, he was joined by his close friend and fellow Norwich University graduate, Grenville M. Dodge, who would later win fame as a Civil War general and the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad.
As the Civil War began, Ransom was in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad, living in Fayette County.
In response to 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...
's call for troops in 1861, Ransom raised a body of soldiers that became Company E of the 11th Illinois Infantry, and was elected its captain on April 6, 1861, then 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...
on June 4. He was commissioned 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...
of the 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...
July 30, 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 February 15, 1862. He was commissioned 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...
on November 9, 1862, and in January 1863, took command of a brigade in General (McArthur's) Sixth division of McPherson's XVII Corps
XVII Corps (ACW)
XVII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized December 18, 1862 as part of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee. It was most notably commanded by Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson and Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair II, and served in the Western...
.
Ransom was wounded four times: in a skirmish near Charleston, Missouri, on August 20, 1861; at the Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
in February 1862; severely (in the head) during the Battle of 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...
on April 6, 1862; and at the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads, Louisiana, on April 4, 1864. His wounds at the latter engagement were so severe that he was evacuated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for treatment.
At various times, he commanded divisions of XIII
XIII Corps (ACW)
XIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first led by Ulysses S. Grant and later by John A. McClernand and Edward O.C. Ord...
, XVI
XVI Corps (ACW)
The XVI Army Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The corps rarely fought as one unified unit, as its divisions were often scattered across the country.-Creation and Vicksburg:...
and XVII Corps
XVII Corps (ACW)
XVII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized December 18, 1862 as part of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee. It was most notably commanded by Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson and Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair II, and served in the Western...
. He led XVII Corps in the pursuit of a Confederate force through North Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
into Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Returning to Georgia in October, he was taken severely ill with dysentery, but remained in command and on the field until too weak to go further. When told that he had but a few hours to live, he answered: "I am not afraid to die, I have met death too often to be afraid of it now."
General Ransom is buried in Rosehill Cemetery
Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago
Rosehill Cemetery is a Victorian era cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. The name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the area was previously called "Roe's Hill", named for nearby farmer Hiram Roe...
in Chicago.
Ransom's memory was cherished by many prominent Union Generals including Grant and Sherman. Edward G. Longacre notes in his 2006 history, General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man, that the stoic Grant wept upon hearing of young Ransom's death. (Page 252) Ransom's close friend, General Grenville Dodge, recalled how, even years later, President Grant would frequently talk about young Ransom with great affection and respect. General William Tecumseh Sherman kept a photograph of General Ransom on the wall of his office 20 years after the war. After his death, the community of Ransom, Illinois
Ransom, Illinois
Ransom is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 409 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is part of the subregion known as Streatorland.-History:...
, was named in his honor.
Quotes about Thomas E. G. Ransom
GENERAL THOMAS E. G. RANSOM IN THE WORDS OF THOSE WHO KNEW HIM:1. "A rash, brave fellow." Colonel W. H. L. Wallace, 11th Illinois Infantry. August 23, 1861 at Bird's Point, Missouri
Bird's Point, Missouri
Bird's Point is an unincorporated community in Mississippi County, Missouri. It lies on an island or former island in the Mississippi River, near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and is situated directly across from Cairo, Illinois. This is the point where the U.S...
.
2. "Retiring and unostentatious. There was no strut about him. He was simple in his manners--quiet, unobtrusive..His power was always in reserve...and the deeper the peril, the more capable did he show himself." Reverend W. H. Ryder of Chicago, 1866.
3. "Ordinarily, he is of a quiet, modest disposition; but when in battle he becomes tiger like, fearing nothing and becoming terrible in action." Freeport (Illinois) Journal. May 4, 1864.
4. "Although reeling in the saddle, and streaming with blood from a previous wound, (Ransom) performed prodigies of valor." General John McClernand, his division commander at Shiloh. April 6, 1862.
5. "Other men shine but Ransom blazes!" Judge T. Lyle Dickey of Ottawa, Illinois, former commander of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. March 2, 1863.
6. "Ransom shone, as usual, above all the others. There are none like him in this battle...always where the danger was greatest, always cool and confident." Captain Cyrus Dickey, llth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, summer 1863 in the siege works at Vicksburg.
7. A soldier with "a record never surpassed, and hardly equaled in the history of this or any other war." Chicago Tribune. June 6, 1863.
8. "I saw Ransom during the assault of the 22nd of May 1863...I then marked him as of the kind of whom heroes are made." General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
. June 20, 1884. St. Louis.
9. "He has always proved himself the best man I have ever had to send on expeditions. He is a live man and of good judgement." General U. S. Grant. Official Records (ORs).
10. "Wounds are nothing new to this gallant officer, who bears ugly scars about his person, the tokens of Rebel attentions." William Osman, editor of the Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader. May 21, 1864.
11. "His manners were gentlemanly and tempered with kindness, but he gave the idea of great decision of character." General Oliver Otis Howard. Atlanta campaign. Summer of 1864.
12. "Do you know that young man?" Sherman remarked to an aide during the Atlanta campaign. "That is General Ransom, rising man, rising man; one of the best officers in the service; been shot all to pieces, but it doesn't hurt him." General William Tecumseh Sherman.
13. "General Ransom was much beloved by all who knew him, and this army has lost one of its most useful officers and brightest ornaments...We will cherish his bright memory and strive to attain his irreproachable character." General O. O. Howard. November 1, 1864 Field Order relating to Ransom's death.
14. "That the General's death caused the utmost sorrow throughout the Army of the Tennessee, I need not say. Since the death of General McPherson, no man has so completely possessed the affections of the Army as did General Ransom." Lt. Joseph D. Tredway, 23rd Wisconsin Infantry, aide-de-camp to General Ransom in an undated letter to the General's mother, Margaret Ransom of New York City.
Note: Quotations taken from "Hard Dying Men" by James Huffstodt. Heritage Books, Inc., 1991.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
Further reading
- Huffstodt, Jim. Hard dying men: the story of General W. H. L. Wallace, General T. E. G. Ransom, and their "Old Eleventh" Illinois Infantry in the American Civil War (1861–1865), Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1991.
W. T. Sherman, General W. T. The Vermont Boy Who Volunteered in 1861, Served Bravely, was Wounded Grievously, and Died for the Union, Eulogy of General T.E.G. Ransom given before Ransom Post No. 131, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), St. Louis, Missouri, June 20, 1884, Washington National Tribune, June 1884.