Browse all Entries in the Civil War 1861 Time Period.
John Buchanan Floyd
June 1, 1806 – August 26, 1863 A political appointee with little military experience prior to the American Civil War, Brigadier-General John B. Floyd is most remembered for abandoning Fort Donelson in 1861 to avoid being captured by Federal soldiers. John Buchanan Floyd was born on his family's plantation Montgomery County, near Blacksburg, Virginia, on…
John Buford, Jr.
March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863 A prominent Union cavalry officer, Major General John Buford is credited with choosing the ground upon which the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in July 1863. John Buford, Jr. was born on March 4, 1826, near Versailles in Woodford County, Kentucky. He was the first of three sons…
John Cabell Breckinridge
January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875 U.S. Vice-president John C. Breckinridge was an American political leader who represented Kentucky in the U.S. House and Senate before serving as a general officer in the Confederate Army and as the fifth, and final, Confederate Secretary of War. John Cabell Breckinridge was born on January 16, 1821,…
John Charles Fremont
January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890 John C. Fremont was a famous American explorer, U.S. Senator from California, and controversial political general who served in both theaters of the American Civil War John Charles Fremont was born in Savannah, Georgia, on January 21, 1813. He was the first of three children of Charles Fremon…
John Clifford Pemberton
August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881 Vilified by Northerners for leaving the U.S. Army to fight for the South, and by Southerners for surrendering Vicksburg, Pennsylvanian, John C. Pemberton rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Early Life and Education Future Confederate Lieutenant General John…
John Fulton Reynolds
September 20, 1820 – July 1, 1863 One of the Union's leading general officers, Major General John F. Reynolds was killed during the first day of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. John Fulton Reynolds was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on September 20, 1820. He was the third son and fourth…
John Gray Foster
May 27, 1823 – September 2, 1874 A prominent general officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, John G. Foster served briefly as commander of the Department of the Ohio from December 12, 1863 to February 9, 1864. John Gray Foster was born on May 27, 1823, in Whitefield, New Hampshire. He…
John Henry Grate
1845–1949 John Henry Grate served in the 6th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry during the American Civil War and served as the commander of Ohio’s and eventually the national Grand Army of the Republic near the end of his life. John Henry Grate was born in Edinburg, Portage County, Ohio on August 1, 1845. His father…
John James McCook (Lawyer)
May 25, 1845 – September 17, 1911 A member of the famed "Fighting McCooks," Captain John James McCook participated in the Battles of Perryville, Stones River, and Chickamauga, as well as the Tullahoma, Chattanooga, and Wilderness Campaigns during the Civil War. John James McCook was born at Carrollton, Ohio, on May 25, 1845. He was…
John James McCook (Physician)
February 21, 1806– October 11, 1865 A member of the famed "Fighting McCooks," John James McCook served as a surgeon for the Union army during the Civil War. John James McCook was born on February 21, 1806 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Some sources claim that McCook was born on February 22, 1806. He was the son…