Elliott Warren Rice (November 16, 1835 – June 22, 1887) 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 ...

. He commanded an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

during the pivotal Atlanta Campaign in the summer of 1864.

Early life

Rice was born in

Allegheny, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...

. His family moved to

Belmont, Ohio Belmont is a village in central Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. History Belmont was originally known as Wrightstown, and under the latter name was laid ...

, when Rice was an infant. He was schooled in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

(then Virginia), and Franklin College in

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city in Athens County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 United States census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Athe ...

. In 1855, he moved to Oskaloosa,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, to study law under his brother,

Samuel Allen Rice Samuel Allen Rice (January 27, 1828 – July 6, 1864) was born in Cattaraugus, New York. He attended Franklin College (New Athens, Ohio) in Ohio and then graduated from Union College at Schenectady, New York in 1849. Then in 1851, he moved ...

, and graduated from the

University of Albany The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of N ...

Law School in 1858. He practiced law in Oskaloosa with Samuel until the Civil War broke out.

Civil War

On July 24, 1861, he joined the

7th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 7th Iowa Infantry was organized at Burlington, Iowa and assembled into Federal service between July 24 and August ...

as a corporal. He was promoted to major on August 30, 1861. He fought at the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861, in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S. president ...

in November, and became regimental commander when his superiors became incapacitated. There he received the first of seven war wounds. He participated in the campaigns to capture Fort Henry and

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

and in the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

, when he was promoted to colonel. He fought in the

Second Battle of Corinth The Second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, M ...

(October 1862) and commanded

Bethel Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Bet ...

and

La Grange, Tennessee La Grange is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 133 at the 2010 census. A large area in the town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as La Grange Historic District (La Grange, Tennessee), La Gr ...

, leading the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XVI Corps and protected

Memphis & Charleston Railroad The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846, the gauge railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee, to Stevenson, Alabama, ...

. As a brigade commander in the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, he fought at Resaca, New Hope Church, and Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. He was appointed and confirmed as brigadier general of volunteers on June 22, 1864, leading the 2nd Division. He participated in the Siege of Atlanta, and then transferred to the XV Corps, where he served through the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. Rice was mustered out of the volunteers on August 24, 1865. On January 13, 1866,

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated Rice for appointment as a brevet major general of volunteers for war service to rank from March 13, 1865 and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.Eicher, 2001, p. 714.

Post war

After the war he practiced law in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, until returning to Iowa, to his sister's home in

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iowa. The county seat of Woodbury County, Sioux City is the primar ...

, where he remained until his death. He is interred at Floyd Cemetery,

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Elliott Warren 1835 births 1887 deaths Lawyers from Pittsburgh Union army generals People of Iowa in the American Civil War Iowa lawyers People from Belmont, Ohio Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia People from Oskaloosa, Iowa 19th-century American lawyers

Early life

Civil War

Post war

See also

References