Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington Jr. (January 8, 1838 – November 30, 1917) was an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officer and

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 ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and a veteran of both 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 th ...

and

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Early life and career

Pennington was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington (1810–1867). He was the second cousin of New Jersey Governor and

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article One ...

William Pennington William Pennington (May 4, 1796 – February 16, 1862) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the 13th governor of New Jersey from 1837 to 1843. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, during which he served as ...

(1796–1862), and the grandnephew of New Jersey Governor

William Sandford Pennington William Sanford Pennington (1757 – September 17, 1826) was a United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, an associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the sixth governor of New Jersey and a United States district judge of ...

(1757–1826). He attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point, during the brief period in the 1850s when the curriculum was expanded to five years. He graduated 18th in the Class of 1860. Appointed as a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on graduation day, July 1, 1860, he received his commission February 1, 1861, and was permanently assigned to the 2nd U.S. Artillery. There, he gained experience under the tutelage 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 ...

John C. Tidball John Caldwell Tidball (January 25, 1825 – May 15, 1906) was a career United States Army artillery officer who served in the United States Horse Artillery Brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. After the war ...

, serving under him in Battery A.

Civil War

Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery ''For this article, “Company A” and “Battery A” are interchangeable. A battery of four to six cannons, with two to three two-cannon sections was the basic unit of the artillery branch. The organization was commanded by a captain with fi ...

, was the first unit assigned and equipped as

horse artillery Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support, especially to cavalry units. Horse artillery units existed in armies in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, from the early 17th to t ...

, and served throughout the war with the

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army's five artillery ...

, in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

. Pennington began the war as the lead (right) section chief in Battery A, and was cited for gallantry in the Peninsula Campaign. He was awarded

promotions to captain (June 9, 1863) for actions at Brandy Station, Virginia, and

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 indicators ...

(July 3, 1863) for actions at Gettysburg. Pennington commanded Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery in the US Horse Artillery Brigade in the various cavalry battles in central Virginia in late 1863 and through the Overland Campaign in Virginia. In March 1864, Pennington was promoted to captain in the regular army, but he desired higher rank and command of a volunteer cavalry regiment. Due to Pennington's ties to New Jersey, he was able to secure a volunteer commission as the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry on October 7, 1864. After being promoted to colonel, Pennington was quickly elevated to commander of the First Brigade, Third Division in the Cavalry Corps. The 3rd New Jersey Cavalry was part of this brigade. Cited again for gallantry at Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864), he was awarded a brevet promotion to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Pennington commanded the brigade through the final actions in the Shenandoah Valley in February and March 1865 and later in the Appomattox Campaign. Pennington's brigade played a major role in aggressively pursuing the Army of Northern Virginia during April 1-9, 1865, ultimately bringing about the surrender of the Confederate army. Pennington's brigade fought at Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, Sailor's Creek, and the final engagements at Appomattox Station. Pennington mustered out of the volunteer service on July 31, 1865. For his distinguished service throughout the war, he was awarded brevet promotions to colonel in the regular army and brigadier general of volunteers. Pennington was nominated for appointment to the grade of

of volunteers, to rank from July 15, 1865, by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

on January 13, 1866, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. After the war, Pennington became a First Class 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 ...

, a military society for Union officers.

Postbellum career

After the war, Pennington returned to service in the regular army, serving as a captain in the

1st U.S. Artillery First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. He transferred to the

4th U.S. Artillery The 4th Air Defense Artillery Troupe was constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at Pensacola, Florida. As a result of the division of the Artillery ...

with his promotion to major (November 8, 1882), and remained there as lieutenant colonel (November 28, 1892) until October 1896. He returned to his original regiment, the 2nd U.S. Artillery, where he served as its colonel and commander, from October 29, 1896, to the outbreak of hostilities between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Along with his responsibilities as commander of the 2nd Artillery, Pennington served as the commanding officer of Fort Adams in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, from December 1, 1896, to May 24, 1898. In this position Pennington was the senior Army officer in New England and commanded all coastal fortifications from Maine to Connecticut. During the

, Pennington served as a brigadier general of volunteers from May 4, 1898, to April 12, 1899, and earned his final promotion, to brigadier general in the Regular Army, one day before his retirement, on October 17, 1899. Pennington retired to New Jersey, where he lived through the beginning of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Effective August 29, 1916, he was advanced to

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 a ...

on the retired list. At the time of his death on November 30, 1917, Pennington was living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On that day, he boarded a train bound for Newark at Pennsylvania Terminal station to attend the funeral of a cousin. Pennington died on board the train and was buried in West Point Cemetery on December 3, 1917. His wife, Clara Miller French Pennington, daughter of The Rev. John W. French, died in 1915.

Family

Alexander and Clara Pennington were the parents of at least five children, including Annie, the wife of Adelbert Cronkhite, and Edith, the second wife of Charles Treat.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. * Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. * ''Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy''. West Point, NY: West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., 1970. * Simpson, Lt. W. A.
''History of the Second Regiment of Artillery''
1900. * U.S. War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pennington, Alexander Cummings Mcwhorter Jr. 1838 births 1917 deaths United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Newark, New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Union Army officers People of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Military personnel from New York City Burials at West Point Cemetery