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Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams

 

 

 

Born: September 29, 1810

Sayhawk, Connecticut

Died: December 21, 1878

Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

 

1847: Colonel

1859: Major

May 17, 1861: Brigadier General

Jan. 12, 1865: Brevet Major General

Maj. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams

1831: Graduated Yale University in Law

1842: Wayne County Michigan Probate Judge

1836: Joined a company in Michigan Militia

1847: Appointed Lieut. Col. of 1st Michigan Infantry - Too late for the Mexican/American War

1859: Major in Detroit Light Guard

1861: Involved in training the first army volunteers in Michigan

May 17, 1861: Appointed to Brig. Gen. of Volunteers

October 1861 - March 1862: Brigade Commander in Gen. Banks division of the Army of the Potomac

March 13, 1862: Assumed division command in the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac

April to June 1862: Department of the Shenandoah

May 25, 1862: 1st Battle of Winchester

June 26,1862: Transferred to the Army of Virginia under Maj. Gen. Pope for the Northern Campaign

August 9, 1862: Battle of Cedar Creek

Rejoined the Army of the Potomac as 1st Division of the XII Corps and marched north in the Maryland Campaign

September 17, 1862: Engaged "Stonewall" Jackson at Antietam

Assumed command of the Corps after Maj. Gen. Mansfield was killed in early action of the battle of Antietam. Corps suffered 25% casualties against Jackson

Was replaced by Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum immediately after the battle

​May 2, 1863: Stonewall Jackson's Corps executed a surprise flanking movement in the Battle of Chancellorsville smashing the right flank of the Army of the Potomac severely damaging the XI Corps. The neighboring division under Williams entrenched hastily and stopped the Confederate advance

July 1, 1863: Arrived and occupied Benner's Hill east of Gettysburg

July 2, 1863: XII Corps takes up position on Culp's Hill

Was ordered by Maj. Gen. Meade to transfer his entire corps to the vicinity of Little Round Top. Convinced Meade the importance of Culp's Hill and managed to maintain on brigade there

Joined Gen. Sherman as part of the XX Corps in the Atlanta Campaign

May 26, 1864: Wounded in the arm at Battle of New Hope Church (Dallas, GA)

Sherman's March to the Sea

Carolina's Campaign

March 19, 1865: Battle of Bentonville

June 12, 1865: Brevet promotion to Major General

Military administrator of Arkansas

January 15, 1862: Left the Service

U. S. Minister to San Salvador until 1869

1870: Failed campaign for Governor of Michigan

March 4, 1875: Elected to U. S. Congress of Michigan's 1st Congressional District till his death on December 21, 1878

Alpheus S. Williams. 15 Oct. 2019. web. 2 Mar 2020.

Boatner, Mark M III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay Co., 1967. p 926-927

Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge, La: Louisiana State, 1964. p 559-560

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