Maj. Gen. David Birney
Born: May 28, 1815
Huntersville, Alabama
Died: October 18, 1864
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 31, 1861: Colonel
February 17, 1862: Brigadier General
May 20, 1863: Major General
Father published an anti-slavery newspaper forcing them to move to Michigan and then to Philadelphia
1861: Entered the Union Army after Fort Sumter of the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a unit he raised on his own expense
Prior to the war, was studying military tactics
August 31, 1861: Promoted to Colonel
February 17, 1862: Promoted to Brigadier General
Commanded a Brigade in Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny's Division of the III Corps and led them through the Peninsula Campaign
At the Battle of Seven Pines, was accused of disobeying his commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel Heintzelman. Birney was court martialed, but with strong testimony from Gen. Kearny, was acquitted and restored to command.
25 June - 1 July 1862: Battle of Seven Days
30 June 1862: Battle of Glendale
29-30 August 1862: 2nd Battle of Bull Run
1 September 1862: Battle of Chantilly
Missed the Battle of Antietam as he was stationed in Washington, D.C.
13 December, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg
1-4 May, 1863: Battle of Chancellorsville
20 May 1863: Promoted to Major General
1-3 July, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg - After Sickles was injured, Birney assumed command of the corps
May 4-June24, 1864: Overland Campaign - Division Commander in the II Corps
5-7 May 1864: Battle of the Wilderness
8-21 May 1864: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - Wounded by a shell fragment
23 July 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor
9 June 1864 - 24 March 1865: Siege of Petersburg
During the Siege of Petersburg, became ill with diarrhea. It started as a minor complaint but in September, he health too a turn for the worse.
7 October 1864: was so sick, had to be transported in an ambulance. Corps Medical Director sent him home and he was taken to Philadelphia where he became delirious. His condition was diagnosed as typomalaria.
18 October 1864: Died from uncontrollable gastrointestinal bleeding
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 64-65
David B. Birney.24 January 2022. web. 25 May 2022.
Warner, Ezra J. General in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1964. p 34-35