Walter Chiles Whitaker (August 8, 1823 – July 9, 1887) was an American farmer, attorney, and soldier. He served as an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, and also was a Union

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

during the

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

. After the war he returned to his profession as an attorney.

Early life and career

Whitaker was born in the Shelbyville,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. He attended Bethany College in modern-day

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

.Eicher, p. 565. Whitaker was working as a lawyer when the Mexican–American War began.Warner, p. 555. In 1847 Whitaker volunteered for service during the war with Mexico, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 6th Kentucky Infantry Regiment beginning on October 1. He served until July 21, 1848, when he was mustered out of the volunteers. After Mexico, Whitaker returned to home to

, where he began running a large farm. He then became a criminal law attorney in Shelbyville. Later he was elected as a legislator to the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

, serving until the American Civil War was well underway. While in the state senate, Whitaker proposed the resolution that set Kentucky on the side of the Union, ending the state's brief period of neutrality in the war.Warner, p. 556.

Civil War service

In late 1861 Whitaker chose to follow the Union cause and re-entered the U.S. Army. He was appointed the

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of his old regiment, the 6th Kentucky, on December 24. The 6th fought at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was 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 American Ci ...

in 1862, and Whitaker was wounded in his left elbow during the battle's first day on December 31. During the first day of the battle, his regiment defended the Round Forest as part of Col.

William B. Hazen William Babcock Hazen (September 27, 1830 – January 16, 1887) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Indian Wars, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and as Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army. His most famous ser ...

's brigade. On June 25, 1863, Whitaker was promoted to brigadier general, and given

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

command in the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creatio ...

that August. He fought at the Union defense at the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

that fall as part of Brig. Gen.

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer, and a Union (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best re ...

's Reserve Corps, and was again wounded, hit in his abdomen on September 20. He continued to serve in the Army of the Cumberland, fighting at Lookout Mountain and Rossville Gap during the

Third Battle of Chattanooga The Chattanooga campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga ...

on November 23 and was once more wounded in action during the fight. Furthermore, he was reportedly so drunk at Chickamauga that his regimental commanders had to fend for themselves. At Lookout Mountain he was also "deep in his cups" though he was sober enough to order a charge that contributed to the Union success.Cozzens, Shipwreck, pp. 183-6. Whitaker and his brigade then fought during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. He participated in the inconclusive

Battle of Resaca The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...

that spring, and received his last Civil War wound there on May 15 when he was injured by the concussion of an artillery shell which exploded nearby. He recovered by that fall and was given divisional command in the Army of the Cumberland beginning on September 19. Whitaker participated in the

Battle of Franklin The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate L ...

on November 30, 1864, and then at the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

on December 15 and 16, serving under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. On March 13, 1865, Whitaker was appointed a brevet major general for his actions near

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, on that date. He was then mustered out of the Union Army on August 24, after the end of the American Civil War.

Postbellum

After leaving the U.S. Army, Whitaker was a lawyer in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, again in criminal cases. He also reportedly drank to excess most of his life, and spent some years in a

mental asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

after the war. Whitaker died at the age of 63 in

Lyndon, Kentucky Lyndon is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,002 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 9,369 at the 2000 United States ...

, supposedly in full mental health, and was buried in Shelbyville's Grove Hill Cemetery.

References

* Cozzens, Peter. ''No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River.'' Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1991. . * Cozzens, Peter. ''The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga.'' Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994. . * Cozzens, Peter. ''This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga.'' Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996. . * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: The Lives of the Union Commanders'', Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Walter C. 1823 births 1887 deaths People of Kentucky in the American Civil War Union army generals United States Army officers People from Shelbyville, Kentucky Bethany College (West Virginia) alumni

Early life and career

Civil War service

Postbellum

See also

References

Notes