Joseph Anthony Mower (August 22, 1827 – January 6, 1870) was 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 ...

. He was a competent officer, and he was well respected by his troops and fellow officers. He was known among his troops as "Fighting Joe". Major General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

said of Mower, "he's the boldest young officer we have".

Biography

Mower was born in

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Cha ...

. He volunteered as a private in 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, ...

. In 1855 he entered the U.S. army as a 2nd Lieutenant in the

1st U.S. Infantry The 1st Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army that draws its lineage from a line of post American Revolutionary War units and is decorated with thirty-nine campaign streamers. The 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry is assigned as ...

.''The Civil War: A Narrative, Red River to Appomattox'', Page 834. Shelby Foote As part of the 1st US Infantry, Mower saw action in the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri. In August, Confe ...

in August 1861. Still with the regiment during the Battle of Island No. 10, Major-General John Pope selected Mower to construct a siege battery in front of New Madrid, leading to the capture of that river port early in the campaign. He later became colonel of the 11th Missouri Infantry Regiment and fought at the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

. He assumed command of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division in the Army of the Mississippi and led it into action at the Battle of Corinth. He was wounded in the neck and taken

prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

by Confederate forces but he was recovered by Union soldiers the same day. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on November 29, 1862. He recovered from his wounds and returned to command a brigade 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 ...

and

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 ...

where he caught the attention of

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. During the Red River Campaign he commanded the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the XVI Army Corps and won brevets in the regular army for actions at the battles of Fort DeRussy and Yellow Bayou. He commanded the 1st Division of the Right Wing, XVI Corps at the Battle of Tupelo. He was promoted to major general on August 12, 1864, and General Sherman ordered Mower to join the Union forces in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. He commanded the 1st Division of the XVII Army Corps during the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. His division played a significant role in the battles of Salkehatchie and Bentonville. Sherman made him commander of XX Corps in the Army of Georgia late in the war. After the fighting had ceased, he sailed for Texas along with General

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer, and a Union (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best re ...

. He was placed in command of the District of Eastern Texas. After the war he stayed in the army and became Colonel of the 39th U.S. Infantry and the 25th U.S. Infantry. He died in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, on January 6, 1870.

References

* Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * * Foote, Shelby., ''The Civil War: A Narrative, Red River to Appomattox'', Random House,

External links

*
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mower, Joseph A. 1827 births 1870 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Louisiana People from Woodstock, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union army generals

Biography

See also

References

External links