Alvan Cullem Gillem (July 29, 1830 – December 2, 1875) was a general in the Union Army 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 ...

. Although Southern-born, he remained loyal to the Federal government and fought in several battles in the Western Theater before commanding occupation troops in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. He later played a prominent role in the

Modoc War The Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign (also known as the Lava Beds War), was an armed conflict between the Native Americans in the United States, Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern ...

in 1873.

Early life and career

Gillem was born in Gainesboro in

Jackson County, Tennessee Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 11,617 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Gainesboro. Jackson is part of the Cookeville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Jackson County was cre ...

, the son of Samuel Gillem. In 1851, he graduated 11th in his class from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

and was assigned as a second lieutenant to the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. He was soon sent to the front lines in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

to serve in a

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

during the

Third Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

until 1852. He was then reassigned to the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

frontier following the war.

Civil War

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Gillem became a

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

on May 14, 1861, initially serving under George H. Thomas. Gillem was chief

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

of the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union Army, 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 ...

in the several

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

campaigns and was brevetted as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

for gallantry in the

Battle of Mill Springs The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederate States of America, Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union (American Civil War), Union, was fought in Wayne Coun ...

. He was appointed

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 the 10th Tennessee Infantry in May 1862 and served for a time as the

provost marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

during the Federal occupation of the city. He and military governor Andrew Johnson had "developed an extremely close friendship" and Gillem was put in command of the "Governor's Guard" which consisted of the 10th Tennessee, a battery of light artillery, and three cavalry regiments, all of which were essentially a "personal army" under Johnson's control. From June 1, 1863, until the close of the war, with rank of brigadier general of volunteers, he was active in Tennessee, where he was adjutant general. He commanded the troops guarding the Nashville and Northwestern railroad from June 1863, until August 1864. In a campaign to protect the loyal mountaineers in

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...

, his troops surprised and killed

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

General John H. Morgan in Greeneville, on September 4, 1864. On October 28, Gillem routed Confederate forces under General

John C. Vaughn John Crawford Vaughn (February 24, 1824 – September 10, 1875) was a Confederate cavalry officer from East Tennessee. He served in the Mexican–American War, prospected in the California Gold Rush, and participated in American Civil War battle ...

at the

Battle of Morristown The Battle of Morristown took place during the American Civil War in present-day Hamblen County, Tennessee on October 28, 1864. Union (American Civil War), Union forces under General Alvan Cullem Gillem, Alvan C. Gillem attacked Confederate State ...

in order to push them out of East Tennessee in what became known as “Vaughn’s Stampede.” Vaughn returned two weeks later under the command of General

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

and routed Gillem at the Battle of Bull's Gap. Gillem was forced to retreat to Strawberry Plains near

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

and the battle became known as “Gillem’s Stampede.” Operating later in the year near

Marion, Virginia Marion is a town in and the county seat of Smyth County, Virginia, United States. It is positioned upon Interstate 81, in the Blue Ridge portion of the southern Appalachian Mountains in Southwest Virginia. The town is named for American Revolu ...

, Gillem performed well in combat against the Confederates and was again recognized for bravery, being brevetted as a

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 ...

. Gillem was vice-president of the convention (January 9, 1865) for the revision of the constitution of the State of Tennessee, and sat in the first

Legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

elected thereafter. Afterwards, Gillem commanded the Union

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

in east Tennessee, and was commander in

Stoneman's 1865 raid Stoneman's raid in 1865, also called Stoneman's last raid, was a military campaign in the Upper South during the American Civil War, by Union cavalry troops led by General George Stoneman, in the region of eastern Tennessee, western North Carolin ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

which resulted in the capture of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. For this action, he was brevetted as a major general in the volunteer army, his third such citation of the war.

Postbellum

Following the war, in January 1866, Gillem was assigned command of the

Fourth Military District The Fourth Military District of the U.S. Army was one of five temporary administrative units of the U.S. War Department that existed in the American South. The district was stipulated by the Reconstruction Acts during the Reconstruction period f ...

, headquartered in

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

and composed of the Federal occupation forces in Mississippi and Arkansas. He was mustered out of the volunteer army and commissioned as a

in the Regular Army on July 28, 1866. Gillem supervised the district until 1868. He often feuded with the

Radical Republican The Radical Republicans were a political faction within the Republican Party originating from the party's founding in 1854—some six years before the Civil War—until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reconstruction. They ca ...

s in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

over his lenient treatment of ex-Confederate soldiers in his district. When

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

assumed the

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

in 1869, Gillem was removed from the Fourth Military District in favor of Grant's personal friend

Edward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883), frequently referred to as E. O. C. Ord, was an American engineer and United States Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. He comma ...

. He was reassigned to duty in Texas, and later to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he was prominent in the military operations against the Modoc Indians in 1873. He was engaged in the attack at the Lava Beds on April 15, 1873. However, some of his troops were surprised and thoroughly beaten on April 26 at the

Battle of Sand Butte The Battle of Sand Butte between the Modoc people, Modoc Indians and the United States Army was a part of the Modoc War in California. On April 26, 1873, a force of ~70 Army soldiers and ~12 Warm Springs Indians scouts went looking for a group o ...

, losing over 40% of their strength. Following the so-called "Thomas-Wright Massacre", many called for Colonel Gillem to be removed. On May 2, the new commander of the Department of the Columbia, Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis formally relieved Gillem of command, and personally assumed control of the army in the field. In 1875, Gillem became seriously ill and returned home to Tennessee to recuperate. However, he died of consumption in the Soldier's Rest home near Nashville at the relatively young age of 45. He was buried in the city's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Genealogy

Gillem married Margaret Jones (1838–1878) on July 23, 1855
They had two children: #Jennie Jones Gillem (1859–1884). She married John Donnell on ?, becoming Jennie Jones Gillem Donnell. She had one child who died eight days after his birth. ##Alvan Cullem Gillem Donnell (1881–1881). #Alvin Cullom Gillem Sr. (1865–1935). First commissioned a Captain of US Volunteers in the 1st Tennessee Infantry in 1898. Later retired as a Colonel of Cavalry in the US Army. Married Lillian Courts, with whom he had three children. Following her death, he married Bessie Coykendall, who became Bessie Coykendall Gillem. His children with Lillian included Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr. who commanded the XIII Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and rose to the rank of lieutenant general.

Notes

References

George W. Cullum, ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, since its establishment in 1802 to 1890'' (3rd Ed.). 3 volumes. (1891). Vol. II, pp.443-449.
* *

External links

Town of Gainesboro, Tennessee, Official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillem, Alvan Cullem 1830 births 1875 deaths United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers American people of the Seminole Wars Union army generals People of Tennessee in the American Civil War People of the Modoc War Members of the Tennessee General Assembly People from Gainesboro, Tennessee Southern Unionists in the American Civil War 19th-century American legislators Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) 19th-century Tennessee politicians