Cuvier Grover (July 24, 1828 – June 6, 1885) was a career officer in the
United States Army and a general in the
Union Army during the
American Civil War.
Biography
Grover was born in
Bethel, Maine, the younger brother of Governor and Senator
La Fayette Grover of
Oregon. A graduate of the
United States Military Academy in 1850, Grover was stationed in the western
frontier
A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...
before being transferred to help in defense preparations of
Washington, D.C., at the outbreak of the Civil War. He was appointed
brigadier general of volunteers in April 1862, but with a date of rank of April 14, 1861, the day after the evacuation of
Fort Sumter, making him the most senior general in the United States Volunteer Army. He served as a brigade commander in the
III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to:
France
* 3rd Army Corps (France)
* III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...
of the
Army of the Potomac, in which role he won distinction at the
Battle of Williamsburg and was
brevetted
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 ...
in the
regular army, and winning promotion to full
colonel for gallantry at the
Battle of Seven Pines.
His brigade was later transferred to the command of
Maj. Gen. John Pope and cited for bravery in leading a bayonet charge against
Confederate forces of
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
at the
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...
.
[Hennessy, pp. 245-51.]
Grover was transferred to the
Department of the Gulf in December 1862 and commanded a division in the
XIX Corps during the
capture of Baton Rouge and the
Siege of Port Hudson. Returning to the East in August 1864, he participated in the
Third Battle of Winchester,
Fisher's Hill, and
Cedar Creek, where he was wounded and brevetted to the rank of
major general of volunteers. Before the war's end, Grover was brevetted to major general in the regular army on March 13, 1865, before returning to frontier and garrison duty with the U.S. Cavalry.
Grover died in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. , and is buried in
West Point Cemetery.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Union generals
__NOTOC__
The following lists show the names, substantive ranks, and brevet ranks (if applicable) of all general officers who served in the United States Army during the Civil War, in addition to a small selection of lower-ranke ...
Notes
References
* Eicher, John H., and
Eicher, David J.
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 America ...
, ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
* Hennessy, John J., ''Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas'', University of Oklahoma Press, 1993, .
* Linedecker, Clifford L., ed., ''Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict'', New York: Ballantine Books, 2002, .
* Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders'', Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .
External links
*
Portrait of Grover in uniform Full title: "General Cuvier Grover, Commanding the Union Troops at Baton Rouge, Louisiana." From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grover, Cuvier
1828 births
1885 deaths
People from Bethel, Maine
People of Maine in the American Civil War
Union Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
Burials at West Point Cemetery