III Corps (Union Army)
There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps (or Third Army Corps) during the American Civil War.
Three were short-lived:
- In the Army of Virginia, a temporary designation of the command better known as I Corps (Army of the Potomac)::
- Irvin McDowell (June 26 – September 5, 1862);
- James B. Ricketts (September 5–6, 1862);
- Joseph Hooker (September 6–12, 1862)
- In the Army of the Ohio:
- Charles C. Gilbert (September 29 – October 24, 1862)
- In the Army of the Cumberland:
- Charles C. Gilbert (October 24 – November 5, 1862)
The other, the III Corps, Army of the Potomac (March 13, 1862 – March 24, 1864), is the subject of this article.
Corps history
The III Corps included in its organization the famous Kearny Division; also, Hooker's Division, the Excelsior Brigade, the Second Jersey Brigade, and other well known commands. Its brilliant record is closely interwoven with the history of the Virginia campaigns of 1862–1863, in which it fought during two eventful years.
Peninsula campaign: March–July 1862
The Corps was organized March 13, 1862, commanded by Major General
Upon the evacuation of
At
The corps made the opening fight in the Seven Days Battles, at Oak Grove, June 25, fighting again at Glendale on June 30, and at Malvern Hill on July 1; its losses in these engagements aggregated 158 killed, 1,021 wounded, and 794 missing; total, 1,973. The heaviest loss occurred in John C. Robinson's Brigade of Kearny's Division; the 1st New York, Berry's Brigade, also encountered a hot fire at Glendale.
Northern Virginia campaign: July–September 1862
Upon the withdrawal from the front of
Fredericksburg: November–December 1862
After Second Bull Run, the III Corps was severely understrength and so during the Maryland Campaign in September, it was left behind in Washington DC to rest and refit. In October, Samuel Heintzelman was removed from command. In November it rejoined the Army of the Potomac, now under
Chancellorsville & Gettysburg: May–July 1863
On May 1, 1863, the corps broke camp and marched to
The depleted ranks were still further lessened by the loss of four New York regiments whose two years term of enlistment had expired; in addition, the division of nine month troops had gone home. The corps was accordingly consolidated into two divisions; the 1st under General David B. Birney, and the 2nd under General Andrew A. Humphreys, an able officer who had distinguished himself as a division commander at Fredericksburg.
At Gettysburg, the corps took a prominent part in the battle of the second day, July 2, 1863. Acting against orders, General Sickles moved the corps from its assigned defensive position on Cemetery Ridge to an indefensible position about a mile forward, centered on the Peach Orchard. Sickles wanted to occupy the slightly higher ground there, but the corps was forced to defend a salient that was too long for its size. When it was attacked by two Confederate divisions, it was virtually demolished and had to be reinforced throughout the day from other corps. It did exact a fearful price from its assailants, however. Its losses at Gettysburg were 578 killed, 3,026 wounded, and 606 missing; total, 4,210 out of less than 10,000 actually engaged. The morning report showed 11,924 present for duty equipped. General Sickles was seriously wounded, losing a leg; he left the corps and active military service, and General Birney succeeded temporarily to the command.
Autumn 1863
On July 14, the battered III Corps was strengthened by the addition of Maj. Gen
In the
Army reorganization: March 1864
On March 23, 1864, the War Department ordered the discontinuance of the III and
The 1st and 2nd Divisions were transferred to the
Command history
Samuel P. Heintzelman | March 13 – October 30, 1862 |
George Stoneman | October 30, 1862 – February 5, 1863 |
Daniel E. Sickles
|
February 5 – May 29, 1863 |
David B. Birney | May 29 – June 3, 1863 |
Daniel E. Sickles
|
June 3 – July 2, 1863 |
David B. Birney | July 2–7, 1863 |
William H. French | July 7, 1863 – January 28, 1864 |
David B. Birney | January 28 – February 17, 1864 |
William H. French | February 17 – March 24, 1864 |
References
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Fox, William F., Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, reprinted by Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, Ohio, 1993, ISBN 0-685-72194-9.