Benjamin S. Roberts

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Benjamin Stone Roberts
Benjamin S. Roberts - Brady-Handy.jpg
Benjamin Stone Roberts
Born(1810-11-18)November 18, 1810
Manchester, Vermont
DiedJanuary 29, 1875(1875-01-29) (aged 64)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial
Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service / branch United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1835–1839, 1846–1870
Rank Union Army major general rank insignia.svg Brevet major general
Battles / wars Mexican–American War

American Civil War

Indian Wars

Benjamin Stone Roberts (November 18, 1810 – January 29, 1875) was an American lawyer, civil engineer, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Contents

Early life

Roberts was born in Manchester, Vermont. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1835, ranking near the bottom of his class (53rd out of 56). He resigned four years later to pursue a career in civil engineering on railroads in New York and overseas in Russia. After his return from Russia, he settled in Iowa, where he practiced law.

Mexican-American War

In 1846, at the beginning of the Mexican–American War, Roberts was reappointed a first lieutenant, Mounted Rifles, in the Regular Army. He was promoted to captain in 1847, and saw action at Veracruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and the capture of Mexico City, Matamoros and the Galajara pass. At Churubusco, he was brevetted major for leading an advance party of stormers. He received a further brevet, to lieutenant colonel in 1847 for gallantry during the war. After the close of hostilities, he served on the frontier and in Washington, D.C.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Roberts was major of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry. He served in Arizona and New Mexico in 1861 and 1862. He was promoted to brigadier general of Volunteers on July 16, 1862, and assigned to General John Pope's staff as Chief of Cavalry and Inspector General for the Army of Virginia during the Northern Virginia Campaign. After Pope's defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Roberts was manipulated by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to prefer charges of disloyalty, disobedience and misconduct against Fitz John Porter, and testified at the subsequent court-martial, which ruined Porter's career.

After Porter's court-martial, Roberts was briefly reassigned to Acting Inspector General of Pope's Department of the Northwest before being recalled to Washington in February 1863. Robert served the spring of 1863 commanding an independent brigade in West Virginia as part of the VIII Corps and the Middle Department, before being sent back to the Department of the Northwest in May, to command the District of Iowa for the remainder of the year.

In 1864, he commanded the District of Carrollton, Louisiana, as part of the XIX Corps and ended the year as Chief of Cavalry for the Union Army's Department of the Gulf. He was subsequently sent to oversee the District of West Tennessee in 1865, where on March 13, 1865, he was brevetted major general, Volunteers, for gallant and meritorious service during the war.

Later life

Roberts continued to serve in the Regular Army, as lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Cavalry, until 1868, then taught military science at Yale University until his retirement on December 15, 1870. He died in Washington, D.C., and was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery there. He was later reinterred at Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvin McDowell</span> American army officer (1818–1885)

Irvin McDowell was an American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command of the I Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He fought unsuccessfully against Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's troops during the Valley Campaign of 1862 and was blamed for contributing to the defeat of United States troops at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Pope (general)</span> United States Army (1822–1892)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief stint in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitz John Porter</span> American Union Army general

Fitz John Porter was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War. He is most known for his performance at the Second Battle of Bull Run and his subsequent court martial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silas Casey</span> American Union Army general

Silas Casey was a career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George W. Getty</span> United States Army general (1819-1901)

George Washington Getty was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel D. Sturgis</span> United States Army general (1822–1889)

Samuel Davis Sturgis was a senior officer of the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican War, Civil War, and Indian Wars, he attained the rank of brevet major general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel P. Heintzelman</span> U.S. Army General

Samuel Peter Heintzelman was a United States Army general. He served in the Seminole War, the Mexican–American War, the Yuma War and the Cortina Troubles. During the American Civil War he was a prominent figure in the early months of the war rising to the command of a corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innis N. Palmer</span>

Innis Newton Palmer was a career officer in the United States Army, serving in the Mexican–American War, the Civil War, and on the Western frontier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Irvin Gregg</span> United States Army officer (1826–1892)

John Irvin Gregg was a career U.S. Army officer. He fought in the Mexican–American War and during the American Civil War as a colonel and near the end of the war as a brevet general in the Union army. In 1866, he was nominated and confirmed as a brevet major general of volunteers and a brevet brigadier general in the Regular Army, both to rank from March 13, 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James B. Ricketts</span> American Civil War Union general (1817–1887)

James Brewerton Ricketts was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general during the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles B. Stoughton</span> American military officer and attorney from Vermont

Charles Bradley Stoughton was an officer and regimental commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsena R. Patrick</span>

Marsena Rudolph Patrick was a college president and an officer in the United States Army, serving as a general in the Union volunteer forces during the American Civil War. He was the provost marshal for the Army of the Potomac in many of its campaigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Porter Hatch</span> US Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient (1822–1901)

John Porter Hatch was a career American soldier who served as general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received a Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at the September 1862 Battle of South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Gamble Pitcher</span> Superintendent of the US Military Academy 1866–1870

Thomas Gamble Pitcher was an American army officer who served as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy from 1866 until 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Brooke Alexander</span>

Edmund Brooke Alexander was an officer in the United States Army in the Mexican-American War through the American Civil War who rose to the rank of brevet Brigadier General in 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Lafayette Elliott</span> American general

Washington Lafayette Elliott was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He led a division of IV Corps at the Battle of Nashville in 1864. In 1866, he was awarded the honorary grade of brevet major general, U.S. Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas J. McKean</span> American politician

Thomas Jefferson McKean was an American engineer, soldier, politician, and farmer. A West Point graduate, he fought in the United States Army during the Seminole Wars, in the Mexican–American War, and he served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel H. Starr</span> United States Army officer (1810–1891)

Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service. Despite his rough demeanor he was a religious man and reflective of the times he served.

James Vote (Voty) Bomford was a soldier in the United States military and a Union officer in the Civil War, and retired with the rank of Brigadier General. He graduated from Norwich University in 1828 and from West Point in 1832, and was a colonel in the 8th United States Infantry. Bomford was twice wounded in action at Perryville and served in the Mexican–American War. His father was George Bomford, an inventor and military officer in the United States Army, who invented the Columbiad cannon. His son, also named George, was expelled but allowed to retire following his involvement in the Eggnog Riot at West Point. George did enter the military and retired as a captain.

Joseph Nelson Garland Whistler was a career United States Army officer. He served in the Mexican–American War and received a brevet appointment for distinguished service in the Battle of Contreras and the Battle of Churubusco. At the beginning of the American Civil War, Whistler was among the U.S. Regular Army officers taken prisoner by Confederates in Texas in April 1861 and paroled but was not exchanged until August 15, 1862. In 1863, he became colonel of the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment. He received a promotion and four brevet appointments in the regular army for his service during the Overland Campaign, specifically the Battle of North Anna, and the Siege of Petersburg, specifically the Second Battle of Petersburg. He was nominated on January 13, 1866 and confirmed on March 12, 1866 for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1866. He retired in on October 19, 1886 as colonel of the 15th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

References