Major General John Buford Jr
Major General John Buford Jr
Epitaph
~ Erected by the Voluntary Contributions of the Officers and Men of his Command ~
Description
**JOHN...Civil War Union Major General. One of the Civil War's best known cavalry commanders. He performed detailed reconnaissance during the 2nd Bull Run Campaign, where his information was ignored by superiors. Had it been heeded, the Union disaster may have been avoided. Commanded the Army of the Potomac's Reserve Cavalry division in the Chancellorsville campaign. Performed his greatest, and most well-known, feat in the opening of the Battle of Gettysburg on July I, 1863. His 2 brigades of Cavalry, fighting mostly dismounted, held off attacks by Confederate forces around the town, and allowed oncoming Union troops to take control of the high grounds south of Gettysburg. These strong defensible positions contributed largely to the Federal victory. Tragically, his months of hard fighting broke his health, and he died before the year was over. His commission of Major General was given to him just before he died. (bio by: Russ Dodge).
JOHN'S Wife... Martha "Pattie" McDowell Duke.
Resolution by his Staff:we, the staff officers of the late Major General John Buford, fully appreciating his merits as a gentleman, soldier, commander, and patriot, conceive his death to be an irreparable loss to the cavalry arm of the service. That we have been deprived of a friend and leader whose sole ambition was our success, and whose chief pleasure was in administering to the welfare, safety and happiness of the officers and men of his command.
... That to his unwearied exertions in the many responsible positions which he has occupied, the service at large is indebted for much of its efficiency, and in his death the cavalry has lost firm friend and most ardent advocate. That we are called to mourn the loss of one who was ever to us as the kindest and tenderest father, and that our fondest desire and wish will ever be to perpetuate his memory and emulate his greatness
Military Service
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Life Story
John Buford, Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. Buford is best known for having played a major role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 while in command of a division.
Buford graduated from West Point in 1848. Buford remained loyal to the United States at the beginning of the Civil War, despite having been born in the divided border state of Kentucky. He fought during the war against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia as part of the Army of the Potomac. His first command was a cavalry brigade under Major General John Pope, and he distinguished himself at Second Bull Run in August 1862, where he was wounded, and also saw action at Antietam in September and Stoneman's Raid in spring 1863.
Buford's cavalry division played a crucial role in the Gettysburg Campaign that summer. Arriving at the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on June 30 before the Confederate troops reached the place, Buford set up defensive positions. On the morning of July 1, Buford's division was attacked by a Confederate division under the command of Major General Henry Heth. His men held just long enough for Union reinforcements to arrive. After a massive three day battle, the Union troops emerged victorious. Later, Buford rendered valuable service to the Army, both in the pursuit of Robert E. Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg, and in the Bristoe Campaign that autumn, but his health started to fail, possibly from typhoid. Just before his death at age 37, he received a personal message from President Abraham Lincoln, promoting him to major general of volunteers in recognition of his tactical skill and leadership displayed on the first day of Gettysburg.