Byron Root Pierce (September 20, 1829 – July 10, 1924) was an American dentist who served as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general in 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 state ...

. He was noted for fighting at First Manassas and during the

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...

and Seven Days Campaigns. Pierce participated in all of the major battles in the East.

Biography

Pierce was born on September 20, 1829, in

East Bloomfield East Bloomfield is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ontario County, New York, Ontario County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 3,661 at the 2020 census. The Town of East Bloomfield is in the western ...

, Ontario County, New York. His parents were Silas and Mary Pierce. He came from a family of soldiers. His grandfather, Thaddeus Root, was a veteran of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. He was also the great grandson of Aaron Root, a Lieutenant Colonel of the First Berkshire County Regiment of the Massachusetts militia. Pierce studied at an academy in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and worked for his father's milling business. He obtained a degree in dentistry and in 1856 he relocated to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, where he practiced his profession. On October 12, 1881, Pierce married Abbie L. Evans of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

Civil War

When the American Civil War began Pierce was captain of a militia company, the Valley City Lights Guard, before entering Federal service in June 1861 and was appointed captai He then served as a company commander in the

3rd Michigan Infantry Regiment The 3rd Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Commanders * Colonel Daniel McConnell * Colonel Stephen Gardner Champlin * Colonel Byron Root Pierce See also * 3rd Mic ...

at the

Battle of First Manassas The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

. Pierce continued to serve as part of 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 Confede ...

during the

and Seven Days campaigns, rising the ranks. He also saw action at Groveton, Chantilly and Fredericksburg, commanding the regiment in the latter. Afterwards he was promoted to Colonel and then fought at Chancellorsville, where he was wounded and received a commendation for his command. Pierce's regiment also fought Confederate forces, led by Joseph B. Kershaw, in the defense of the Peach Orchard during the second day of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of th ...

. There he was wounded and his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Pierce, took over. Accordingly one of his legs had to be amputated but he served back in the field during the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Uni ...

. He also took part in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns, among other operations conducted in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

. During the final years of the war he commanded various brigades in the II Corps. He was promoted to brigadier general of

U.S. Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

on June 7, 1864. After the

Battle of Sailor's Creek The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought on April 6, 1865, near Farmville, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, near the end of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, c ...

, on April 6, 1865, he was

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

to major general. Overall, Pierce was wounded five times during the war and was present in all of the major battles in the East from First Bull Run to Appomattox. After the war he was active in veteran affairs, serving as the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, I ...

's commander of the Department of Michigan for two years. After retirement, Pierce was employed by the U.S. post office at Grand Rapids where he lived after the war. He was Michigan's last living Civil War general. Pierce died in 1924 and was buried in Fulton Street Cemetery in Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Byron Root 1829 births 1924 deaths Union Army generals People of Michigan in the American Civil War People from East Bloomfield, New York People from Grand Rapids, Michigan American dentists Grand Army of the Republic officials