George Sykes

George Sykes
General George Sykes
Nickname(s)	Tardy George Slow Trot Sykes
Born	(1822-10-09)October 9, 1822 Dover, Delaware
Died	February 8, 1880(1880-02-08) (aged 57) Fort Brown, Texas
Place of burial	West Point Cemetery West Point, New York
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1842–1880
Rank	Major general (Civil War) Colonel (Post Civil War)
Commands held	V Corps 20th U.S. Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	Second Seminole War Mexican–American War American Civil War

George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War.

He graduated from the

Sykes was brevetted as a captain for actions at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. By virtue of his service in the Mexican War, Sykes became a member of the Aztec Club of 1847. Sykes continued his frontier service and Indian fighting, mainly in New Mexico, and was promoted to full captain in 1855. His final peacetime station was Fort Clark, Texas.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sykes was assigned as a major in the new 14th U.S. Infantry. At the First Battle of Bull Run he commanded the Regular Infantry Battalion, a collection of eight regular army companies from different regiments, the only regulars on the field. Sykes got command of a brigade of regulars after Bull Run, and was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on September 28. He led his regulars in the Peninsula Campaign and rose to division command in May 1862 in the newly created V Corps. His men, who often referred to themselves as "Sykes' Regulars", distinguished themselves defending their position at Gaines' Mill during the Seven Days Battles, before the Union line broke elsewhere.^[2]

Sykes was notably the only division commander in the Army of the Potomac not rewarded with a promotion to major general after the Seven Days Battles. He continued leading his division at

At the

On October 16, 1863, Sykes was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular army.

Sykes and his corps served in the

After the war, Sykes was mustered out of the volunteer service and returned to serve in the regular army in 1866. As lieutenant colonel, he served in the 5th U.S. Infantry. Sykes was promoted to colonel on January 12, 1868 and received command of the 20th U.S. Infantry. He commanded at a number of duty stations from Minnesota to Texas until he died while on duty in Texas at Fort Brown on February 8, 1880, at age 57. He was interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York.

His grandson,

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

Notes

References

• Eicher, John H., and
  ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
  .
• Reese, Timothy J., Sykes' Regular Infantry Division, 1861–1864 a History of Regular United States Infantry Operations in the Civil War's Eastern Theater. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 1990.
  ISBN 0-8995-0447-7
  .
• Tagg, Larry. The Generals of Gettysburg. Campbell, California: Savas Publishing, 1998.
  ISBN 1-882810-30-9
  .
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964.
  ISBN 0-8071-0822-7
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Sykes.

• "George Sykes". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
• Civil War Biographies: George Sykes
• Sykes' Regulars
• George Sykes, Cullum's Register, 1149

Military offices
Preceded by Charles Griffin	Commander of the Fifth Army Corps February 5, 1863 – February 5, 1863	Succeeded by George Meade
Preceded by George Meade	Commander of the Fifth Army Corps June 28, 1863 – October 7, 1863	Succeeded by Samuel W. Crawford
Preceded by Samuel W. Crawford	Commander of the Fifth Army Corps October 15, 1863 – March 23, 1864	Succeeded by Gouverneur K. Warren