Israel Bush Richardson (December 26, 1815 – November 3, 1862) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and

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 ...

, where he was a major general in the Union Army. Nicknamed "Fighting Dick" for his prowess on the battlefield, he was mortally wounded at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

near Sharpsburg, Maryland.

Early life and career

Richardson was born in Fairfax, Vermont. He was reportedly a descendant of famed

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

. He was appointed from Vermont to 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 ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

. He graduated 38th out of 52 cadets in the Class of 1841. He was one of 23 classmates who would become generals during the Civil War. After some routine assignments, Richardson served as a second lieutenant in the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

in Florida. He was promoted to first lieutenant on Sep 21, 1846. He received two brevets for meritorious service during the

, to

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 ...

and

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 the actions at Contreras, Churubusco, and

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest Nature Value Area´s in Mexico, measuring in total just over . Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of ...

. In Mexico while serving under General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

in the Army of Occupation, he received his nickname, "Fighting Dick", which would carry over to the Civil War. He later served as a captain in the 3rd U.S. Infantry (a rank he achieved in 1851) at various

frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...

outposts in Texas and New Mexico Territory,

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

1848–49, Post Opposite El Paso del Norte, 1849–1850; Fort Fillmore 1851–52, 1852–53; Fort Webster, 1852, 1853–54; and Fort Thorn, 1854–55. He then resigned his commission in 1855 and began farming near

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

Civil War

When the Civil War broke out, Richardson was still farming in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He enlisted in the Union Army and recruited and organized the 2nd Michigan Infantry. He married Fannie Travor on May 18, 1861, in

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the List of the most populous counties in the United States, 19th ...

. When he reported with his

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

in Washington, DC, General Winfield Scott greeted him with "I'm glad to have my 'Fighting Dick' with me again". Richardson, promoted to

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 ...

on May 25, 1861, was assigned command of the 4th Brigade, 1st Division, in the newly organized army of Brigadier General

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was an American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command of the ...

. His brigade saw limited action at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

near Blackburn's Ford, and in covering the subsequent federal withdrawal to Washington. He was promoted to brigadier general, ranking from May 17, 1861.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2001. , pp. 452, 727 He commanded several brigades in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the 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 Battle of ...

and then the 1st Division of the II Corps during the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

in mid-1862. He was involved in the fighting at the battles of Yorktown, Seven Pines, and the Seven Days. He was particularly distinguished in sharp fighting near the

Chickahominy River The Chickahominy is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in eastern Virginia. The river, which serves as the eastern border of Charles City County, Vir ...

. Richardson was promoted to major general after the Seven Days Battles. His division was stationed in Washington, DC, during 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 ...

and did not participate in that engagement. Israel Richardson place of wound

Richardson's 1st Division played a key role during the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, attacking

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 ...

positions in the center of the Sunken Road in support of the 3rd Division of Maj. Gen. William H. French. After stubborn fighting, by 1:00 pm, Richardson had gained control of the high ground in front of the apex of the defensive line, and his men

enfilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

d the remaining defenders in the road, which would gain the nickname "Bloody Lane" for the carnage. Richardson pushed forward beyond the road and was directing the fire of his artillery and organizing another attack when he was struck by a shell fragment. Carried to the rear, Richardson was treated at a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...

. His wound was not considered life-threatening, and he was given a room in Major General

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

's headquarters, the Pry House. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

paid his respects to the wounded Richardson during a visit to the battlefield in October. However, infection set in, and then

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, which claimed the life of the popular general in early November. He was among six generals to be killed or mortally wounded at Antietam. His body was escorted to Detroit. Large crowds lined the streets during his funeral procession to nearby Pontiac, where he was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Honors and awards

Fort Richardson, a Texas frontier fort active from 1867 to 1878, was named for him. The Israel B. Richardson Camp #2 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Oakland, Michigan, was also named for the fallen general. Battery Richardson, a 12-inch

coast artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

gun battery at

Fort Hancock, New Jersey Fort Hancock is a former United States Army fort at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Sandy Hook in Middletown Township, New Jersey, Middletown Township, New Jersey. The coastal artillery base defended the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast a ...

, was named for him.

Notes

References

External links

George W. Cullum's Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Vol. II, p.100 #1096 Class of 1841, Israel B. Richardson 38/52 in class
*
Antietam on the Web
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Israel B. 1815 births 1862 deaths People from Fairfax, Vermont United States Military Academy alumni American people of the Seminole Wars American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Vermont in the American Civil War People of Michigan in the American Civil War Union army generals Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland