James Madison Robertson (also referred to as Robinson) (May 28, 1817 – January 21, 1891) was a career

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 ...

artillery officer who commanded the First Brigade of U.S. Horse Artillery 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 ...

Biography

Early life and career

Born in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, Robertson enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1838. He served for ten years in Batteries F and H, 2nd U.S. Artillery. Ranking as a

quartermaster sergeant Quartermaster sergeant (QMS) is a class of rank or appointment in some armed forces, especially those of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, and formerly also in the United States. Ireland Quartermaster sergeant () a ...

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, ...

, Robertson received a field commission on June 28, 1848. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1852, and served in Florida during the Third Seminole War. It appears possible that prior to 1854, Robertson used the surname "Robinson" and that sometime in 1854 he changed it to Robertson; while it is unclear, this is documented in Heitman's register of the United States Army, and he was often referred to erroneously as Robinson in contemporary documents.

Civil War service

In May 1861, Robertson received his

captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...

as the Union Army expanded for the Civil War, and was assigned to command Battery B, 2nd U.S. Artillery. Battery B was soon combined with Battery L, 2nd U.S. to create the amalgamated Battery B & L, 2nd U.S. Artillery, armed with six 3-inch Ordnance rifles and attached to the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade with the Artillery Reserve of 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 ...

. He commanded the battery throughout 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, and received a brevet promotion to

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 "gallant and meritorious service" at the

Battle of Gaines' Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles which together decided the outcome of the Union's Peninsula Campaig ...

Capt James M Robertson 1st Brigade Horse Artillery

Robertson succeeded Lieutenant Colonel William Hays as the commander of the First Brigade of U.S. Horse Artillery attached to the Union Cavalry Corps following the reorganization of the Artillery Reserve (after the Peninsula Campaign but prior to the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

) and held that position through the remainder of the war. Engaged in most of the major battles in the Eastern Theater, he received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel for services at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

on July 3, 1863. During the Wilderness Campaign of 1864, the First Brigade of the U.S. Horse Artillery was attached to Brigadier General Philip Sheridan's Cavalry Corps, and Robertson was awarded a brevet promotion 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 31, 1864, for "gallant and meritorious service" at the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

. At the end of the Civil War, Robertson was awarded a brevet promotion to the rank of brigadier general for services in command of the Horse Artillery Brigade throughout the Wilderness Campaign. On June 30, 1866, President

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 Robertson for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the appointment on July 25, 1866.

Post War

After the war, Robertson returned to his permanent rank of captain in the Regular Army with the 2nd U.S. Artillery, and earned a promotion to major in June 1874. He transferred to the 3rd U.S. Artillery in 1875, and retired in 1879. Robertson was married to Frances O. Fouquet (1837-1926). He died on January 21, 1891, in Plattsburgh, New York.

Notes

References

* Eicher, David J., and John H. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. *Henry, Guy V. ''Military Record of Civilian Appointments to the United States Army''. Volume 1. New York: D. Van Nostrand, Publisher, 1873. *Simpson, William A.
The Second Regiment of Artillery
in Rodenbough, Theophilus and William Haskin, eds. ''The Army of the United States.'' New York: Maynard, Merrill, & Co., 1896. * U.S. War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.

External links

*
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Washington, D.C.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, James Madison 1891 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Union army officers United States Army officers 1817 births