Robert Ogden Tyler (December 31, 1831 – December 1, 1874) was an American military officer 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 graduated from 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 ...

in 1853 and fought in the Yakima War and the Utah War. He commanded the Artillery Reserve in the Army of the Potomac 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, ...

in July 1863, where his artillery batteries played an important role in the Union victory. Tyler also led a division of heavy artillery turned

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 ...

during the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

in 1864. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor and served in administrative duties for the remainder of the war.

Early life and education

Tyler was born in Hunter, New York, to Frederick and Sophia (née Sharp) Tyler. He moved with his family to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

when he was 7 years old. He was a nephew of Daniel Tyler, who also served as a general in the Civil War. He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy in

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 ...

, and graduated 22nd of 52 cadets in the Class of 1853.

Military career

Early career

He received a brevet appointment as a second lieutenant and was assigned to the artillery. In the Spring of 1854, he served under Colonel Edward Steptoe and was stationed at the Presidio in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. In 1855, he was stationed at Fort Vancouver and Fort Dalles where he fought in the Yakima War. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on September 1, 1855. Tyler served as an artilleryman in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

during the Utah War and was among the U.S. Army officers who signed a petition supporting the reappointment of the controversial Mormon leader

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

as governor. In 1858, he fought in the

Coeur d'Alene War The Coeur d'Alene War of 1858, also known as the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Pend d'oreille-Paloos War, was the second phase of the Yakima War, involving a series of encounters between the allied Native American tribes of the Skitswish ("Coeur d'Alen ...

in the

Battle of Four Lakes The Battle of Four Lakes was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory (now the states of Washington and Idaho) in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, which began in 1855. The bat ...

and the

Battle of Spokane Plains The Battle of Spokane Plains was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory (now the states of Washington (U.S. state), Washington and Idaho) in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, ...

. In 1859, he served under Thomas W. Sherman at

Fort Ridgely Fort Ridgely was a frontier United States Army outpost from 1851 to 1867, built 1853–1854 in Minnesota Territory. The Sioux called it Esa Tonka. It was located overlooking the Minnesota River southwest of Fairfax, Minnesota. Half of th ...

in Minnesota. He returned East in 1860 and served at Fort Columbus Recruiting Depot in New York until the outbreak of the Civil War.

American Civil War

During the April 1861 crisis at

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, Tyler was part of a hastily assembled relief force that tried unsuccessfully to reinforce the beleaguered garrison. He was promoted to captain on May 17, 1861 and ordered to Alexandria, Virginia to set up supply depots for the Union forces in Virginia and Washington, D.C.. On September 17, 1861 he 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 4th Connecticut Infantry. Tyler began training the men as artillerymen, and the

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 ...

was renamed the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery on January 2, 1862. The regiment served in 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 ...

, and Tyler commanded the siege train of the Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen.

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 ...

. He received commendations for his participation in the Battle of Hanover Court House, the Battle of Gaines' Mill and the Battle of Malvern Hill. On November 29, 1862, Tyler was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and under General Ambrose Burnside was assigned command of all the artillery in the "Center Grand Division" of the army. He was the second officer in the artillery to hold that position, the other being Henry Jackson Hunt. His guns participated in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

, providing artillery support for the series of assaults on Confederate positions on the heights near Fredericksburg. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Army of the Potomac and reorganized it, creating a formal Artillery Reserve under Tyler's command. The reserve was expanded to five brigades and 118 guns. Tyler commanded the reserve during the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, where many of his guns were used to help repel Confederate attacks on Union positions such as Cemetery Ridge and Cemetery Hill, as well as during Pickett's Charge on July 3. During the battle, he had two horses shot from under him. Tyler was disabled by sun stroke during part of the Gettysburg campaign. In the Fall of 1863, Tyler also participated in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns, but played no major role. In early 1864, Tyler was assigned command of a division of

consisting entirely of heavy artillery regiments, which he led at Harris Farm in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, where it was attached to II Corps. He then led a brigade in 2nd Division, II Corps, at the Battle of Cold Harbor and was severely wounded by a bullet in his ankle which incapacitated him from any further field duty during the war. After a 6 month recovery, Tyler served in an administrative role in command of the District of Delaware and the Eastern Shore with his headquarters in Philadelphia.

Post-Civil War

At the close of the war, the War Department rewarded scores of officers with brevet promotions dating from March 1865. Tyler received the brevet rank of major general of volunteers for "great gallantry at the Battle of Cold Harbor". In 1866 he mustered out of volunteer service and was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

, serving as deputy Quartermaster General in several locations.

Death and legacy

His wartime injuries contributed to his declining health, and Tyler died in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, at the age of 42. He is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. Before he died, he was able to complete his autobiography, the ''Memoir of Brevet Major-General Robert Ogden Tyler'' (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1878). The Robert O. Tyler Post #50 of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

in Hartford was named in his honor.Listing of GAR posts in Connecticut
/ref>

Bibliography

Memoir of Brevet Major-General Robert Ogden Tyler
J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1878

Citations

References

* * *

External links

*
Monument to Tyler and the Artillery Reserve at Gettysburg National Military Park

Artillery Reserve marker in Frederick County, Maryland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Robert O. 1831 births 1874 deaths American military personnel of the Indian Wars Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut People from Greene County, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People of Connecticut in the American Civil War People of the Utah War Union army generals United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni