James Richard Slack (September 28, 1818 – July 28, 1881) was an

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

politician and a Union general 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 ...

Early life

Slack was born in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

in 1818. His family moved to Indiana in 1837 where he worked as a farm hand on his father's farm. He also worked as a teacher, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1840. He moved to

Huntington, Indiana Huntington, known as the "Lime City", is the largest city in and the county seat of Huntington County, Indiana, Huntington County, Indiana, United States. It is in Huntington Township, Huntington County, Indiana, Huntington and Union Township, H ...

where he became involved in politics, first as county auditor then as a member of the

Indiana State Senate The Indiana State Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-yea ...

Civil War

On December 13, 1861 Slack was appointed

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 ...

of the 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Shortly after he assumed command of a brigade in the

Army of the Mississippi Army of the Mississippi was the name given to two Union armies that operated around the Mississippi River, both with short existences, during the American Civil War. History 1862 The first army was created on February 23, 1862, with Maj. Gen ...

. During the

Battle of Island Number Ten The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi Riverforming the border between Missouri and Tennesseeduring the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. Island Numbe ...

he commanded the 1st Brigade in General John M. Palmer's 3rd Division of the Army of the Mississippi. After that, Slack led his regiment in several expeditions in the

Mississippi Valley The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. In 1863 he was again in brigade command during the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

where he led the 2nd Brigade, 12th Division, XIII Corps. During the

siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

he was transferred to command the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XIII Corps. He remained in command of this brigade during the Red River Campaign. During the fall of 1864 he commanded the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIX Corps. On November 10, 1864. was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from November 10, 1864.Eicher, 2001, p. 728.

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 ...

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 ...

submitted the nomination to 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 ...

on December 12, 1864 and the Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1865. By the end of the war General Slack was in command of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division XIII Corps which he led at the

battle of Fort Blakeley The Battle of Fort Blakeley took place from April 2 to April 9, 1865, in Baldwin County, Alabama, about north of Spanish Fort, Alabama, as part of the Mobile Campaign of the American Civil War. At the time, Blakeley, Alabama, had been the count ...

. After the war, he was assigned command at Brazos Santiago, Texas, until sent home to Indiana to be with the 47th Indiana when they mustered out of the army. He was mustered out of the volunteers on January 15, 1866. On July 9, 1866,

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

confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.Eicher, 2001, p. 715.

Post war

After the war General Slack returned to Huntington to resume his law practice. He was appointed to the 28th Judicial Circuit and ran for U.S. Congress in 1881 but was defeated. Slack died while visiting Chicago in 1881. He was buried in Huntington.

References

* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Williamson, David, ''The 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry: A Civil War History'', McFarland & Company, Publishers, 2012, . * Williamson, David, ed., ''Slack's War: Selected Civil War Letters of General James R. Slack, 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, to His Wife, Ann, 1862-1865'', CreateSpace, 2012, .

External links

James R. Slack collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slack, James R. Indiana state senators County auditors in the United States Union army generals People of Indiana in the American Civil War 1818 births 1881 deaths Politicians from Bucks County, Pennsylvania People from Huntington, Indiana 19th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly