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Third Army Corps
On the reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in March, 1862, a body of troops, chiefly from
Heintzelman's,
Porter's and
Hooker's divisions of the earlier organization, was constituted the Third Army Corps.
In May,
Porter's men were transferred to the new provisional Fifth Army Corps.
The future additions to the corps were chiefly from the Eighth and Twenty-second corps.
The corps fought in the battles of the Army of the Potomac, and two divisions were sent to the assistance of the Army of Virginia at
Second Bull Run and
Chantilly.
On March 24, 1864, it was merged in the Second Corps.
Its commanders were
Brigadier-Generals S. P. Heintzelman and
George Stoneman, and
Major-Generals D. E. Sickles,
D. B. Birney, and
W. H. French.
(U. S.M. A. 1826) was born in
Manheim, Pennsylvania, September 30, 1805, and served on the frontier, in
Florida, in the
Mexican War, and in
California and
Texas.
At the opening of the
Civil War he was promoted to a colonelcy, and became inspector-general of the defenses of Washington.
In May, 1861, he was placed in command at
Alexandria, Virginia.
He headed the Third Division at
Bull Run, and in subsequent organizations of the Army of the Potomac he had a brigade, a division, and afterward the Third Corps, which he commanded until November, 1862.
His conduct at
Fair Oaks won him a brevet of brigadier-general, for he was now major-general of volunteers.
He fought through the
Peninsula campaign, and was sent to assist
Pope at
Second Bull Run and
Chantilly.
He was in command of the defenses and later of the Department of Washington (Twenty-second Army Corps) from September, 1862, to October, 1863.
After this, he took no active part in the war, but was commander of the Northern Department from January to October, 1864, and then served on court martials.
He was mustered out of the volunteer service August, 1865, and was retired from the army with the rank of major-general, February 22, 1869.
He died in
Washington, May 3, 1880.
(U. S.M. A. 1846) was born in
Busti, New York, August 8, 1822, and was captain in command at
Fort Brown, Texas, when the
Civil War broke out. He refused to obey the order of
General Twiggs to surrender the property of the United States Government to the
State of Texas, and escaped by steamer to New York.
His first active service in the
Civil War was as major in the
West Virginia campaign, and as brigadier-general of volunteers he had the cavalry command in the Army of the Potomac.
It was his troops that brought on the action at
Williamsburg in May, 1862.
After the death of
Major-General Kearny, at
Chantilly, he succeeded eventually to the command of his division, and later succeeded
Major-General Heintzelman in the command of the Third Army Corps, which he led at
Fredericksburg.
He was promoted to major-general of volunteers in command of the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, and led a famous raid toward
Richmond during the
Chancellorsville campaign.
From January to April, 1864, he was in command of the Twenty-third Army Corps, and then received the cavalry division of the same organization.
After a raid in the
Atlanta campaign, in which he was captured and held prisoner for three months, he assumed command of the Department of the Ohio, and later the District of East Tennessee, where his operations were very successful, especially his raid into
North Carolina, in April, 1865.
He was retired from the regular army with the rank of colonel, in 1871, and went to
California, of which State he was governor from 1883 to 1887.
He died in
Buffalo, New York, September 5, 1894.
was born in New York city, October 20, 1825.
Admitted to the bar in 1846, he afterward served in the State legislature, the diplomatic service, and in Congress, where he was when the
Civil War broke out. He raised the
Excelsior Brigade of five New York regiments, which served in the Army of the Potomac with
Sickles as brigadier-general of volunters at its head.
In March, 1862, it was incorporated in the Third Army Corps.
He led his brigade through the
Peninsula campaign, commanded a division at
Fredericksburg and, as major-general of volunteers, the Third Corps at
Chancellorsville and
Gettysburg.
In the latter battle he lost a leg on the second day. He continued in the army after the close of the war, and was retired with rank of major-general in 1869.
He went on a secret diplomatic mission to
South America in 1867, and was minister to
Spain, 1869-1873.
He was sheriff of
New York County, in 1890, and Democratic member of Congress, 1892-94, as well as president of the
New 
