William Francis Bartlett
William Francis Bartlett | |
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20th Massachusetts Infantry | |
Commands held | |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Other work | Manager, Tredegar Iron Works |
Signature |
William Francis Bartlett (June 6, 1840 – December 17, 1876) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and, later, an executive in the iron industry.
Bartlett enlisted as a
At the close of the war, Bartlett became the manager of several iron works, most notably the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia.[1]
Early life
Bartlett, the son of Charles Leonard Bartlett and his wife Harriett Dorothy Plummer, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and entered Harvard College in 1858. The Civil War began during his junior year and, almost immediately after hearing of the surrender of Fort Sumter, Bartlett enlisted as a private with the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia.[2]
Civil War service
Bartlett initially enlisted in the
20th Massachusetts
On August 8, 1861, Bartlett was commissioned
Hoping to avoid any further such defeats,
49th Massachusetts
After completing his degree, Bartlett chose not to re-join the 20th Massachusetts and resigned his commission on November 12, 1862.
The 49th Massachusetts was assigned in late November 1862 to the Louisiana expedition of Maj. Gen.
57th Massachusetts
While still recuperating from his wounds received in Louisiana, Bartlett began to organize, in the fall of 1863, another regiment. This unit, the
The 57th Massachusetts became part of the
Brigade command
Upon his return, Bartlett was placed in command of a brigade (1st brigade, 1st division of the IX Corps) consisting almost entirely of Massachusetts regiments.[4] During July, he played a small role in the planning of the Battle of the Crater. This was a bold attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg by digging a mine beneath Confederate entrenchments and detonating a massive amount of gunpowder to create a gap through which Union forces could assault the city. The detonation on July 30, 1864, was successful, but the Union assault was disorganized and failed. Brig. Gen. James H. Ledlie's division, of which Bartlett's brigade was a large part, led the attack. In the battle, Bartlett's prosthetic leg was shot away. Unable to retreat with the rest of his men, Bartlett was captured by Confederates.[2]
Bartlett spent two months in Libby Prison where he grew severely ill. He was eventually released through a prisoner exchange at the end of September 1864, however it was several months before he recovered from his illness.[4]
Division command
In June 1865, Bartlett returned to the army two months after the Confederate surrender. Although hostilities had ended, a large portion of the Union Army still remained on active duty and Bartlett was promoted to the command of the 1st Division of the IX Corps on June 17, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President
Post-war career
After the war, Bartlett sought employment as a manager of industrial manufacturing. He became the manager of Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia, the Pomeroy Iron Works and the Powhatan Iron Company.[2] He eventually settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he died from tuberculosis in December 1876.
In 1904, a statue of William Francis Bartlett was dedicated in the Massachusetts State House.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)
- List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
- Massachusetts in the American Civil War
Notes
References
- Bowen, James L. (1889). Massachusetts in the War, 1861–1865. Springfield, Massachusetts: Clark W. Bryan & Co. OCLC 1986476.
- ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Heidler, David S.; Heidler, Jeanne T. (2000). Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a political, social and military history. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
- Wert, Jeffrey D. (2005). The Sword of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-2506-6.
External links
- Works by or about William Francis Bartlett at Internet Archive
- "William Francis Bartlett". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 30, 2009.