William Birney
William Birney | |
---|---|
Born | Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. | May 28, 1819
Died | August 14, 1907 Forest Glen, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 88)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | United States of America Union |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1865 |
Rank | Brigadier General Brevet Major General |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Birney (May 28, 1819 – August 14, 1907) was an American professor, Union Army general during the American Civil War, attorney and author. An ardent abolitionist, he was noted for encouraging thousands of free black men to join the Union army.
Birney was a son of prominent
Birth and early years
William Birney was born May 28, 1819, on his father's
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Birney entered the Union Army on May 22, 1861, as a captain in the 1st New Jersey Infantry Regiment.[1] He first saw combat in the First Battle of Bull Run. Promoted to major of the 4th New Jersey Infantry Regiment, he participated in the battles of Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, and, as a colonel, Chancellorsville. In 1863–64, he was appointed as one of three superintendents in charge of enlisting colored troops into the Union army, and in that capacity organized seven regiments. He was named Colonel of the 22nd U.S. Colored Troops. On June 9, 1863, he was commissioned as a brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from May 22, 1863, and assigned to Maryland to recruit more black troops.[2][3] In 1864, he marched his regiments to fight in South Carolina as a part of the Department of the South. They fared poorly, but did much better work in campaigns in Florida, including the Battle of Olustee.[citation needed]
Birney's brigade was transferred to
On July 20, 1866, President of the United States Andrew Johnson nominated Birney for appointment to the grade of brevet major general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on July 26, 1866.[4]
Birney resided in Florida for several years after the war before moving north in 1874 to establish a law practice in Washington, D.C.[5] He served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and as a school board trustee until 1886. He wrote profusely on the subjects of religion and history and authored a biography of his father, James G. Birney and His Times; the Genesis of the Republican Party, in 1890.[6][7]
Birney died at his home in Forest Glen, Maryland, on August 14, 1907, and was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.).[1][8]
See also
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1. p. 132.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1. p. 718.
- ^ His nomination as brigadier general was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate until April 18, 1864. Eicher, 2001, p. 718.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 710.
- ^ Hopkins McDonald, Alexander (1951). The Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 4. Americana Corporation. p. 11.
- ^ Cirillo, Frank J. (November 5, 2019). "William Birney and the Abolitionist Memory Wars". Perspectives on History. American Historical Association. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Birney, William (1890). James G. Birney and His Times: The Genesis of the Republican Party. Bergman Publishers.
- ^ "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C." (PDF). oakhillcemeterydc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
References
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
- Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7
- On-line biography of Birney