Thomas Leonidas Crittenden (May 15, 1819 – October 23, 1893) was a lawyer, politician, and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general during the

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

Early life

Crittenden was born in

Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was fir ...

, the son of U.S. Senator

John J. Crittenden John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Unite ...

, who later became 17th governor of Kentucky. He was also brother of Confederate general George B. Crittenden, and author

Ann Mary Butler Crittenden Coleman Ann Crittenden Coleman (, Crittenden; pen name, Mrs. Chapman Coleman; May 5, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a 19th-century American author and translator. Her parents were John J. Crittenden, the statesman, and Sarah O. (Lee) Crittenden, of the ...

, as well as a cousin of Union general

Thomas Turpin Crittenden Thomas Turpin Crittenden (October 16, 1825 – September 5, 1905) was a Union general in the American Civil War. Birth and early years Crittenden was born in Huntsville, Alabama, but his family moved to Texas shortly thereafter. He was a nephew ...

. He married Catherine Todd, the daughter of his father's second wife. Their son,

John Jordan Crittenden III John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and died with Lt. Col.

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

at the

Battle of Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nort ...

in 1876. Crittenden was admitted to the bar and served in the

during

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

as a volunteer aide to General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

and as lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry from 1847 to 1848. After the war's end he served as U.S.

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in Liverpool.

Civil War

When the Civil War began in 1861, Kentucky was a state that declared its neutrality and was at risk of supporting the Confederacy. Crittenden and his father remained loyal to the Union, but his brother joined the Confederate Army, a common occurrence in the border states. Crittenden had been a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the Kentucky

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

since 1860. He was appointed

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 appointed ...

of volunteers in September and placed in command of the 5th Division in the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. ...

. He led the division at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. After Shiloh he was appointed

of volunteers and commanded the II Corps in the

during the Perryville Campaign although his corps was only lightly engaged in the fighting. When Maj. Gen.

William S. Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans (September 6, 1819March 11, 1898) was an American inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and U.S. Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War. He was ...

assumed command of the army, Crittenden's forces were redesignated the Left Wing of 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 creation ...

and were heavily engaged at 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 ...

. (He received a brevet promotion to brigadier general in the

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

in 1867 for his service at Stones River.) The Army of the Cumberland was reorganized and Crittenden's corps was once again renamed, this time the XXI Corps. He led the corps through the Tullahoma Campaign and at 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. I ...

. Crittenden and fellow corps commander

Alexander McDowell McCook Alexander McDowell McCook (April 22, 1831June 12, 1903) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. Early life McCook was born in Columbiana County, Ohio. A Scottish family, the McCooks were prominent ...

were blamed for the defeat and relieved of command, but both were later exonerated and acquitted of any charges. During the

Battle of Spotsylvania The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...

in 1864, Brig. Gen.

Thomas G. Stevenson Thomas Greely Stevenson (February 3, 1836 – May 10, 1864) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Biography Stevenson was born in Boston, Massachusett ...

was killed leading the 1st Division, IX Corps. Stevenson's successor was Col.

Daniel Leasure Daniel Leasure (March 18, 1819 – October 10, 1886) was an American soldier and physician who served as a colonel and brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Leasure was born in 1819 near Pittsburgh in W ...

. The decision was made to replace the colonel with a more experienced commander and General Crittenden was chosen to take command of the division. He assumed command on May 12 and led it during the final days of Spotsylvania and through the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

, before resigning on December 13, 1864.

Postbellum career

After the war Crittenden served as the state

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of Kentucky and was appointed as a colonel and then brevetted to brigadier general in the regular army before retiring in 1881. He was elected a member of the Maryland Society of the Cincinnati in 1883. He was also a veteran companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. He died in

Annadale, Staten Island Annadale is a middle-class neighborhood on the South Shore of the borough of Staten Island in New York City. History The community received its present name circa 1860, and is named after Anna Seguine, a descendant of French Huguenots who were ...

, New York, and is buried in Frankfort, Kentucky. A street in

Chickamauga, Georgia Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, Walker County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 2,917 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, TN–GA Chattanooga metropo ...

is named after him. A United States Army post was named after him,

Fort Crittenden Fort Crittenden, originally Camp Crittenden, was a United States Army post built in 1867 three miles from Sonoita, Arizona along Sonoita Creek. It was established for campaigning against the Apache and to protect American pioneers in the area. ...

which had been originally called Camp Crittenden, was in operation during the Apache Wars. Fort Crittenden was located three miles from

Sonoita, Arizona Sonoita (; ood, Ṣon ʼOidag) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 818 at the 2010 census. The origin of the name of the CDP is the O'odham ''Ṣon ʼOidag'', which may be best ...

, along Sonoita Creek.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Rhea, Gordon C. ''The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7–12, 1864''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. .

Early life

Civil War

Postbellum career

See also

Notes

References

Further reading