Charles Griffin
Charles Griffin | |
---|---|
United States of America Union | |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1847–1867 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | V Corps |
Battles/wars |
|
Charles Griffin (December 18, 1825 – September 15, 1867) was a career officer in the
After the war, he commanded the Department of Texas during
Early life and career
Griffin was born in Granville, Ohio, the son of Apollos Griffin. He attended the nearby Kenyon College in Gambier, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, placing 23rd out of 38 in the Class of 1847.[1] Commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant, he served with the 2nd U.S. Artillery during the final campaign of the Mexican–American War.
He was promoted to
Civil War
Griffin was promoted to captain in April 1861 and led the "West Point Battery" (officially designated as Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery) at the First Battle of Bull Run in July. He received a brief furlough from the army and married Sallie Carroll, the scion of a prominent Maryland family, on December 10.
Griffin commanded his battery during the early part of the 1862
Assigned command of a
Griffin assumed command of V Corps during its final campaign and was present when Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. In August, he was assigned command of the district of Maine, with his headquarters in Portland.
On July 12, 1865, Griffin was appointed major general of volunteers to rank from April 2, 1865.[5] On July 17, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Griffin for appointment as a brevet major general in the regular army, to rank from March 13, 1865, for his service at the Battle of Five Forks and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.[6]
Postwar
Griffin mustered out of the volunteer service in January 1866 and was given the regular army rank of colonel in command of the 35th US Infantry. He briefly commanded the Department of Maine before being sent west to
He became entangled in political issues and registered both black and white voters under the Reconstruction Acts in the spring of that year. He strictly enforced the ironclad oath of allegiance (forcing men to publicly swear that they had never served the Confederacy) as the basis for jury selection. Dissatisfied with the performance of appointed Governor James W. Throckmorton, Griffin persuaded General Sheridan to remove him from office and replace him with a Republican and loyal Unionist, Elisha M. Pease. Together, they used their power and position to remove several Democratic state officeholders who had supported the Confederacy, replacing them with other Unionists.
Griffin was assigned command of the Fifth Military District, replacing Sheridan, and was ordered to report to New Orleans. However, before he could leave for Louisiana and his new headquarters, he died in September 1867 when Texas was struck by a yellow fever epidemic. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[7]
Fort Griffin on the Texas frontier was later named in his honor.
See also
Notes
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 269.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 722.
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 712.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 701.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 707.
- ^ "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (North Hill) - Lot 292" (PDF). oakhillcemeterydc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
References
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Charles Griffin from the Handbook of Texas Online