Robert Patterson (January 12, 1792 – August 7, 1881) was an Irish-born American military officer who served in the
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 ...
during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, the
Mexican-American War
Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
and the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
He was the commander of the
Pennsylvania Militia during the
Philadelphia nativist riots, and was politically active in Pennsylvania as a
Jacksonian Democrat. He was a wealthy businessman and owned 30 cotton mills in Pennsylvania, a sugar plantation in Louisiana and other investments in railroads and steamships.
In the Mexican-American War, Patterson was a major general and served as second in command to
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 ...
. He fought at the
Siege of Veracruz and the
Battle of Cerro Gordo.
Patterson was a major general, and at 69 the oldest in the
Union Army, at the start of the Civil War. He served only three months due to his failure to attack
Confederate general
Joseph E. Johnston's troops after the
Battle of Hoke's Run
The Battle of Hoke's Run, also known as the Battle of Falling Waters or Battle of Hainesville, took place on July 2, 1861, in Berkeley County, West Virginia, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Manassas campaign of the ...
. This allowed Johnston to support
P. G. T. Beauregard and give the Union Army their first defeat at the
.
Patterson was widely blamed for the Union loss at Bull Run and defended his Civil War performance in his book, ''A Narrative of the Campaign in the Valley of the Shenandoah, in 1861'', published in 1865.
Early life and education
Patterson was born on January 12, 1792, in
Strabane
Strabane (; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Government Li ...
,
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.
Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...
, Ireland, to Francis Patterson and Ann Graham. His father was associated with
Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestantism in ...
and
Robert Emmet and participated in the
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...
against the British. Francis Patterson was convicted for his part in the rebellion and sentenced to be hanged, however his family connections intervened and the sentence was commuted and he was banished from Ireland instead.
In the fall of 1798, Patterson and his family emigrated to the United States and settled in
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the List of counties in Pennsylv ...
. He received his education in public schools
and in 1807, worked in a counting room of a business involved in trade with
East India
East India is a region consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha
and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The states of Bihar and West Bengal lie on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Jharkhan ...
.
Military career
War of 1812
He volunteered for service during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
and rose to the rank of
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 ...
in the Pennsylvania Militia and
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 ...
in the
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 ...
.
He served as an assistant quartermaster general and on the staff of brigadier general
Joseph Bloomfield.
He was discharged in 1815 as a captain.
Pennsylvania Militia
Patterson served as major general in the Pennsylvania State militia.
[ He helped quell rioting in Philadelphia in 1838.][ In July 1844, in preparation for a planned July 4 nativist parade, Pennsylvania Governor David R. Porter assigned Patterson to provide protection to Irish churches in case of a nativist attack. Patterson helped quell the Philadelphia nativist riots against Irish Catholics, which resulted in the destruction of St. Michael's and St. Augustine's Churches. The first riot took place in ]Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
in May, and another took place in the Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
section of the city in July. Patterson led militia into combat with rioting civilians, leading to loss of life on both sides.
Mexican-American War
At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Patterson was commissioned a major general of volunteers and given command of the 2nd division of the Army of Occupation[ under brigadier general Gideon J. Pillow. He was considered for command of the overall expedition by President James K. Polk, however it was given to ]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 ...
instead.[ He was Scott's second in command and was placed in command of the expedition's Volunteer Division. He arrived before Scott at the Siege of Veracruz and overruled a proposed frontal attack of the fortifications by general David E. Twiggs.][ He fought at the Battle of Cerro Gordo along with the future Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard and was wounded.][
In a book on his service in the Mexican-American War, J. Jacob Oswandel praised Patterson for his service as Quartermaster, ensuring the troops were well supplied. However, he also reports that some troops did not think highly of him and that "They think, like a good many others, that he is braver before going into the battle than in the midst of the battle."
Patterson led the American pursuit of the Mexican Army and was the first to enter Jalapa.][ While the U.S. Army was stationed at Jalapa, Patterson returned to the U.S. with other volunteer units whose enlistment time had expired.
]
Civil War
In April 1861, he was mustered into service for the Civil War as a Union Army major general of Pennsylvania volunteers and commanded the Department of Pennsylvania and the Army of the Shenandoah under the command of Winfield Scott. He was the oldest major general by commission at the start of the Civil War.
His son Francis Engle Patterson and his son-in-law John Joseph Abercrombie also served as Union Army generals during the Civil War.[
In June, Patterson took command of the Pennsylvania volunteers at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with orders to retake ]Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...
. He received guidance from Scott to await additional reinforcement and then proceed with caution. While underway, he received additional communication from Scott that Johnston was prepared to make "a desperate stand" at Harper's Ferry.
On July 2, Patterson encountered Confederate Brigadier general Thomas J. Jackson at the Battle of Hoke's Run
The Battle of Hoke's Run, also known as the Battle of Falling Waters or Battle of Hainesville, took place on July 2, 1861, in Berkeley County, West Virginia, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Manassas campaign of the ...
and forced his troops into retreat. Jackson was ordered to slow the advance of Patterson's troops and did so with a fighting retreat. On July 3, Patterson occupied Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia a ...
, but remained inactive until July 15 when he marched to Bunker Hill. Instead of continuing to Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
, Patterson turned east and then retreated to Harpers Ferry. This took pressure off of Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in the Shenandoah Valley and he was able to march his troops and reinforce the Confederates under P.G.T. Beauregard at the .
Johnston declared that Patterson's army had largely deterred him from pursuing the shattered and disorganized Union troops as they retreated back to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
following the battle. After multiple messages encouraging Patterson to attack, Scott replaced Patterson with general Nathaniel P. Banks
Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union Army, Union general during the American Civil War, Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local ...
on July 19, 1861. Patterson was criticized for his failure to contain the Confederate forces. He was honorably discharged and mustered out of the Army on July 27, 1861.
Business career
Patterson had multiple business interests including 30 cotton mills in Pennsylvania, a sugar plantation in Louisiana[ and investments in railroad and steamship businesses.
After the Civil War, Patterson defended his Civil War performance in his book, ''A Narrative of the Campaign in the Valley of the Shenandoah, in 1861'', published in 1865.]
Political career
Patterson was influential in Pennsylvania politics as a Jacksonian Democrat. He was one of the five Col. Pattersons in the Pennsylvania Convention who nominated Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
for the presidency and in 1836 was President of the Pennsylvania Electoral College
An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
that cast the vote for Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
.[
During the contested election of President Rutherford B. Hayes, Patterson was asked by President ]Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
to travel to Washington, D.C. and negotiate with congressional members from the South.
Personal life
In 1817, he married Sarah Engle of the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
He was appointed president of the board of visitors to West Point twice - the first time by General Andrew Jackson in 1835 and the second time by President Rutherford B. Hayes.
He was president of the Aztec Club of 1847
The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It is a male-only hereditary organization with membership of those who can trace a direct ancestral connection "based on ma ...
from 1867 to 1881 and was a Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...
. During his tenure as President of the Aztec Club, the club successfully changed from a military society to a hereditary one.
He was a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a trustee of Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...
in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...
, from 1826 to 1835, and president of the college's board of trustees from 1876 to 1881.
Death and legacy
Patterson died in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
on August 7, 1881, at age 89, and was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...
. At his funeral, his pallbearers included Ulysses S. Grant, 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 ...
, Fitz John Porter and Winfield Scott Hancock.
Patterson's mansion at the southwest corner of 13th and Locust Street
Locust Street is a major historic street in Center City Philadelphia. The street is the location of several prominent Philadelphia-based buildings, historic sights, and high-rise residential locations. It is an east–west street throughout Ce ...
s in Philadelphia was purchased from John Hare Powel in 1836. After Patterson's death in 1881, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...
purchased the mansion to use as the society's headquarters. Between 1905 and 1909, the mansion was demolished, and a new building on the site was dedicated in 1910. Some of the foundation and fireplace mantels from the original mansion still remain.
Published works
*
A Narrative of the Campaign in the Valley of the Shenandoah, in 1861.
', Philadelphia: Sherman & Co., 1865
See also
* List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Notes
References
*
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001,
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Robert
1792 births
1881 deaths
American militiamen in the War of 1812
Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Irish emigrants to the United States
Lafayette College trustees
Members of the Aztec Club of 1847
Military personnel from Philadelphia
Pennsylvania militia
People from Strabane
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
Union army generals
United States Army generals
United States Army personnel of the Mexican–American War
United States Army personnel of the War of 1812