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1865 General Kilpatrick is promoted
General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick is promoted to major general in the Union army. Kilpatrick served in both the eastern and western theaters of war and earned a reputation as a fearless-and, many would say, reckless--leader.
Kilpatrick was born in New Jersey in 1836. He attended West Point and graduated in 1861 alongside fellow cavalryman George Custer. He joined the 5th New York Infantry and became one of the first officers wounded in the war when he was shot at the Battle of Big Bethel, Virginia, in June 1861. By 1863, Kilpatrick was a brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac's cavalry division. His aggressive battlefield tactics were often dangerous for his troops and he earned the nickname "Kill cavalry." When the Battle of Gettysburg was winding down after Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, Kilpatrick ordered General Elon Farnsworth of his command to charge the Confederate's right flank. Farnsworth informed Kilpatrick that the position was too strong, but Kilpatrick did not relent. Farnsworth was killed in the failed attack. In early 1864, Kilpatrick led a poorly conceived raid on Richmond that was also repulsed.
Despite these blemishes on his record, Kilpatrick was selected by General William T. Sherman to command a cavalry division during the Atlanta campaign in 1864. Sherman wanted an aggressive leader to harass the Confederates. Kilpatrick attacked the Confederate supply line at Lovejoy's Station, but he did not succeed in cutting the railroad. He was wounded later at Dalton, Georgia, but he returned in time to participate in Sherman's March to the Sea and the campaign in the Carolinas in the winter and spring of 1864 and 1865.
After the war, Kilpatrick was appointed U.S. minister to Chile. He returned to the U.S. in 1868, but he resumed the post in 1880. He died in 1881 and is buried at West Point.
General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick is promoted to major general in the Union army. Kilpatrick served in both the eastern and western theaters of war and earned a reputation as a fearless-and, many would say, reckless--leader.
Kilpatrick was born in New Jersey in 1836. He attended West Point and graduated in 1861 alongside fellow cavalryman George Custer. He joined the 5th New York Infantry and became one of the first officers wounded in the war when he was shot at the Battle of Big Bethel, Virginia, in June 1861. By 1863, Kilpatrick was a brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac's cavalry division. His aggressive battlefield tactics were often dangerous for his troops and he earned the nickname "Kill cavalry." When the Battle of Gettysburg was winding down after Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, Kilpatrick ordered General Elon Farnsworth of his command to charge the Confederate's right flank. Farnsworth informed Kilpatrick that the position was too strong, but Kilpatrick did not relent. Farnsworth was killed in the failed attack. In early 1864, Kilpatrick led a poorly conceived raid on Richmond that was also repulsed.
Despite these blemishes on his record, Kilpatrick was selected by General William T. Sherman to command a cavalry division during the Atlanta campaign in 1864. Sherman wanted an aggressive leader to harass the Confederates. Kilpatrick attacked the Confederate supply line at Lovejoy's Station, but he did not succeed in cutting the railroad. He was wounded later at Dalton, Georgia, but he returned in time to participate in Sherman's March to the Sea and the campaign in the Carolinas in the winter and spring of 1864 and 1865.
After the war, Kilpatrick was appointed U.S. minister to Chile. He returned to the U.S. in 1868, but he resumed the post in 1880. He died in 1881 and is buried at West Point.
