Robert Charles Tyler (December 4, 1832 – April 16, 1865) was a Confederate Brigadier General during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. He was the last general killed in the conflict. He commanded the 15th Tennessee Infantry at Belmont and Shiloh, and then led the 15th-37th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry into battle at

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

. Commanding a brigade at

Missionary Ridge Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, a ...

, he lost a leg. He was killed at the

Battle of West Point The Battle of West Point, Georgia (April 16, 1865), formed part of the Union campaign through Alabama and Georgia, known as Wilson's Raid, in the final full month of the American Civil War. The rail junction of West Point was one of the two Ch ...

, Georgia, one of the last battles of the war, defending an earthworks named Fort Tyler after him.

Early life

Robert Charles Tyler was born Reuben Cutler Tyler, December 4, 1832, the son of Reuben and Elizabeth Billings Tyler of Hardwick, Massachusetts. The father was a farmer and deacon of the local Congregationalist church. He's living with his parents in Hardwick in 1850, but by 1852 he moved to Yolo County, California, being listed as a "farmer," born Massachusetts, on the 1852 California state census. By 1855 he's living in Sonoma County, California, and is being sued for debts. He served as a first lieutenant in William Walker's

filibustering A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...

army and fought in Nicaragua during the Campaign of 1856–57. About this time he started being referred to as "R. Charles" or "Robert Charles" Tyler, perhaps in order to evade his California creditors. Briefly settling to Baltimore, he worked there as a clerk in 1859. Just prior to the Civil War moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

working as a clerk. In 1859 he helped organize the

Knights of the Golden Circle The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle ( es, Círculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. T ...

, being chosen quartermaster general at the KGC's 1860 national convention. In 1860 KGC founder George W. Bickley helped "Reuben C. Tyler" of Baltimore, and other KGC officers, obtain passports, possibly in connection with another filibustering attempt. Missing or conflicting sources make both his early life and his military career in the early civil war years unsure.

Civil War

When the American Civil War erupted, Tyler joined the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company D of the 15th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, and was promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant the same date. Within early 1861 Tyler was promoted to the position of Regimental Quartermaster, and is said to have been Quartermaster-General on the staffs of Generals

Benjamin F. Cheatham Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Cheatham (October 20, 1820 – September 4, 1886) was a Tennessee planter, California gold miner, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Army of Tennessee, inflicting ...

and

Gideon Pillow Gideon Johnson Pillow (June 8, 1806 – October 8, 1878) was an American lawyer, politician, speculator, slaveowner, United States Army major general of volunteers during the Mexican–American War and Confederate brigadier general in the Ameri ...

with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and later as

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel shortly before the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S. president, ...

as his predecessor resigned, Tyler commanded the regiment during the battle as Colonel Charles M. Carroll was absent. Tyler retained command of the regiment till the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

. Losing three horses under him, he was wounded himself on April 7. His services were officially noted by Tyler's brigade commander, Brigadier

Bushrod Johnson Bushrod Rust Johnson (October 7, 1817 – September 12, 1880) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War and an officer in the United States Army. As a university professor he had been active in the state militias of Kentucky and Tenn ...

. Stationed at Corinth the 15th Tennessee reorganized, and Tyler was elected to become Colonel of the regiment. Partially due to his wounds, by order of General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Wester ...

he served as Provost-Marshal General of the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

during the Confederate Heartland Offensive. After the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Am ...

, the depleted 15th Tennessee was consolidated with the

37th Tennessee Infantry Regiment The 37th Tennessee Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Tennessee that served with the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in Knoxville in late 1861. It was composed mainly of men from counties ...

and Tyler was selected by General Bragg to command the 15th-37th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, which he led into the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. ...

. Capturing four guns on September 19, Tyler was slightly wounded in the assault on the next day. When after the battle Brigadier

William B. Bate William Brimage Bate (October 7, 1826March 9, 1905) was a planter and slaveholder, Confederate officer, and politician in Tennessee. After the Reconstruction era, he served as the 23rd governor of Tennessee from 1883 to 1887. He was elected to th ...

was elevated to division command, Tyler took command of the brigade. Tyler then had command not only his own 15-37th Tennessee, but also the 10th, 20th and 30th Tennessee Regiments, as well as the 1st Tennessee Battalion, the 4th Georgia Battalion and the 37th Georgia Regiment. In the ensuing Chattanooga Campaign Tyler's (Bate's) brigade was posted on

, right in the center of the Confederate second line near Bragg's headquarters. During the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division o ...

the brigade initially held its position against Wagner's brigade, but was dislodged by the flanking attack of Hazen's brigade. Trying to rally his fleeing men Tyler was shot in the left leg and was carried from the field. The wound eventually led to the amputation of his leg and bound him to use crutches for the rest of his life. For his physical recovery, he transferred into a hospital at

West Point, Georgia West Point is a city in Troup and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located approximately halfway between Montgomery, Alabama and Atlanta along Interstate 85. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 3,474, and in 2015 t ...

, and was still there when he received a promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

on February 23, 1864. Though his brigade was renamed to Tyler's Brigade, he never commanded the unit in the field. Instead he stayed in Georgia and later in 1864 commanded a camp near Macon where dismounted cavalrymen, stragglers and shirkers were organized into infantry.''The War of the Rebellion : a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.'' I-XVL-2, pp. 658–659 When the area was evacuated in late 1864 Tyler returned to West Point as commander of Fort Tyler, a small square earthwork with two field guns and a large 32-pounder gun. He held the position during winter, guarding the railroad bridges over the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatt ...

with a small detachment of convalescent soldiers, invalids and militiamen.

Battle of West Point

On the morning of April 16, 1865, seven days after

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

's surrender, one of the brigades of Wilson's Cavalry Corps, commanded by Colonel

Oscar Hugh La Grange Oscar Hugh La Grange (April 3, 1837January 5, 1915) was an American lawyer and abolitionist activist. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, and received an honorary brevet to brigadier general. Biography Oscar Hugh La Gr ...

and accompanied by a battery of artillery, attacked Fort Tyler. The battle raged on through most of the day as the outnumbered Confederates under command of General Tyler attempted to hold their fort. Around noon, during a stalemate, Tyler looked out onto the battlefield and was shot by a sniper positioned in a nearby cottage – which Tyler had refused to burn earlier because he knew the owner and did not believe the person could afford the loss. Reputedly another soldier shot at the same time, splitting his crutches.Lenz, Richard. "The Battle of Fort Tyler." In The Civil War in Georgia, An Illustrated Traveler's Guide. Lenz Design & Communications Inc, 1995. http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/civil_war/sidebars/battle_of_fort_tyler.html. Tyler's death notice in the Worcester, Massachusetts National Aegis, July 1, 1865, mentions that he is a native of Hardwick. General Tyler is buried on the Fort Tyler Cemetery at West Point, like the other fallen defenders of Fort Tyler. He rests in a joint grave together with a longtime friend, Captain Celestino Gonzalez of the

1st Florida Infantry The 1st Florida Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised by the Confederate state of Florida during the American Civil War. Raised for 12 months of service its remaining veterans served in the 1st (McDonell's) Battalion, Florida Infantry ...

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce, "Out of the Shadows" (Robert C. Tyler)." Civil War Times Illustrated (1995). * Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * * * Lenz, Richard. "The Battle of Fort Tyler." In The Civil War in Georgia, An Illustrated Traveler's Guide. Lenz Design & Communications Inc, 1995. http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/civil_war/sidebars/battle_of_fort_tyler.html. * * * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * United States War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. (Principally prepare by Robert N. Scott) . . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

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