Rosecrans, William S

Rosecrans, William S

▪ United States general
born Sept. 6, 1819, Kingston Township, Ohio, U.S.
died March 11, 1898, Redondo Junction, Calif.
 Union general and excellent strategist early in the American Civil War (1861–65); after his defeat in the Battle of Chickamauga (September 1863), he was relieved of his command.

      Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1842, Rosecrans served 12 years as an army officer and then resigned to become an architect and civil engineer in Ohio and Virginia. Returning to active service upon the outbreak of the war, he served under Gen. George B. McClellan and Gen. John Pope, each of whom he succeeded when he moved east to larger commands. During 1862 Rosecrans led Union forces to victory in the battles of Iuka and Corinth, Miss., after which he moved on to Nashville, Tenn., to take command of the Army of the Cumberland. He fought well at the intense but indecisive Battle of Stones River, or Murfreesboro (Dec. 31, 1862–Jan. 2, 1863).

      About this time, Rosecrans' earlier aggressive quality seemed to give way to an excess of caution and a disposition to worry and to argue with his superiors, who he felt were hampering the effectiveness of his command. Finally, on June 23, 1863, after six months of delay in the face of official pressure to take the offensive, he began an advance that forced Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg into Chattanooga, Tenn., then manoeuvred him out of the city without a battle. There his customary hesitancy vanished, and he followed Bragg, who turned upon him and precipitated the bloody Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20). An ill-advised move opened a gap in Rosecrans' lines and allowed Southern forces to pour through and put to rout part of his army, which was driven back into Chattanooga. Only the strong stand of Gen. George H. Thomas on the North's left averted complete defeat. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was now charged with the relief and defense of the besieged city; Grant promptly removed Rosecrans, ending any important role for him in the war.

      Rosecrans resigned his army commission in 1867, serving as minister to Mexico during the next two years. Later he represented California in the U.S. House of Representatives (1881–85) and served as register of the U.S. Treasury (1885–93).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rosecrans, William Starke — • American soldier and politician Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Rosecrans, William S(tarke) — (6 sep. 1819, Kingston Township, Ohio, EE.UU.–11 mar. 1898, Redondo Junction, Cal.). General estadounidense. Prestó servicios en el ejército antes de renunciar para desempeñarse como arquitecto e ingeniero civil. En la guerra de Secesión condujo… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Rosecrans, William S(tarke) — born Sept. 6, 1819, Kingston Township, Ohio, U.S. died March 11, 1898, Redondo Junction, Calif. U.S. general. He served in the army before resigning to become an architect and civil engineer. In the American Civil War he led Union forces to… …   Universalium

  • Rosecrans,William Starke — Rose·crans (rōzʹkrănz ), William Starke. 1819 1898. American Union general. After successful campaigns in West Virginia and Mississippi, he was defeated at Chickamauga, Georgia (1863), and relieved of his duties. * * * …   Universalium

  • ROSECRANS, WILLIAM STARKE —    American general, born at Kingston, Ohio; trained as an engineer, he had settled down to coal mining when the Civil War broke out; joined the army in 1861, and rapidly came to the front; highly distinguished himself during the campaigns of… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • William S. Rosecrans — William Starke Rosecrans Général William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans (6 septembre 1819 – 11 mars 1898) est un inventeur, dirigeant de la coal oil company, diplomate, politicien et officier de l US Army. Il de …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Rosecrans — William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans (* 6. November 1819 in Little Tyler Run, Delaware County, Ohio; † 11. März 1898 in Redondo Beach, Kalifornien) war ein General der Unionsarmee …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William S. Rosecrans — William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans (* 6. November 1819 in Little Tyler Run, Delaware County, Ohio; † 11. März 1898 in Redondo Beach, Kalifornien) war ein General der Unionsarmee …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rosecrans — William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans (* 6. November 1819 in Little Tyler Run, Delaware County, Ohio; † 11. März 1898 in Redondo Beach, Kalifornien) war ein General der Unionsarmee …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Starke Rosecrans — (* 6. November 1819 in Little Tyler Run, Delaware County, Ohio; † 11. März 1898 in Redondo Beach, Kalifornien) war ein General der Unionsarmee im …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”