American general
John Wallace Fuller
(July 28, 1827 – March 12, 1891) was a
British
-born
American
publisher, businessman, and soldier. He served as a
general
in the
Union Army
during the
American Civil War
. After the war, Fuller engaged in the wholesale
footwear
trade as well as in civil affairs in
Ohio
.
Early life and career
[
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]
John W. Fuller was born in the village of
Harston
, located in the
English
county of
Cambridgeshire
. His father was a minister of the
Baptist
faith and also a graduate of Bristol College in England, and was responsible for much of Fuller's primary education.
[1]
In 1833, Fuller relocated with the family to
Oneida County, New York
. There, the rest of his education came from reading in a bookstore in
Utica
, and starting in 1841, Fuller began working there.
[2]
By 1852, Fuller owned and operated a publishing business in Utica and was later the city's treasurer. He was also active in the
New York
State Militia
, serving as an officer.
[2]
In 1853, Fuller married Anna B. Rathbun, also a resident of Utica. The couple would have six children together: three sons named Edward, Rathbun, and Frederick, and three daughters named Florence (later married to
Thomas A. Taylor
), Jennie, and Irene. In 1858, Fuller's business was destroyed by a fire, and he moved to
Toledo, Ohio
, where he again began operating a book publishing firm.
[1]
Civil War service
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]
When the American Civil War began in 1861, Fuller chose to follow his home state and the
Union cause
. He was ordered to train soldiers in
Grafton, Virginia
, which is in modern-day
Taylor County, West Virginia
.
[2]
He also briefly served on the staff of Brig. Gen.
Charles W. Hill
.
[1]
On August 18, Fuller was given command of the
27th Ohio Infantry
with the rank of
colonel
.
[3]
Fuller and the 27th first served in
Missouri
under Brig. Gens.
John Pope
and
David Hunter
.
[1]
He and his command then participated in Pope's efforts at
New Madrid
on March 14, and then the
Battle of Island Number Ten
from February 28 to April 8, 1862.
[2]
In the fall of 1862, Fuller was given
brigade
command in the
Army of the Mississippi
.
[3]
He led it in
Mississippi
during the
Battle of Iuka
on September 19, and the
Second Battle of Corinth
on October 3–4.
[2]
On December 31, his command fought at
Battle of Parker's Cross Roads
in
Tennessee
. During the battle, Fuller's brigade approached undetected and got behind
Confederate
Brig. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest
's position. Left with no choice but to attack the Federal forces in his front and rear, Forrest had his men charge and repel Fuller's command, and then quickly reverse and move past and through the rest of the Union soldiers. Fuller and the other Federal units managed to capture six pieces of
artillery
, about 300 prisoners and 350 horses, but Forrest's scattered men were able to escape and recrossed the
Tennessee River
four days later.
[4]
Fuller spent most 1863 on
garrison
duty within the
Army of the Tennessee
, and was promoted to
brigadier general
on January 5, 1864.
[2]
In March 1864, Fuller led his command across the Tennessee River and captured the city of
Decatur, Alabama
.
[1]
He participated in the
Atlanta Campaign
that summer, and temporarily lead a
division
during the
Battle of Atlanta
on July 22. He again led his brigade during the
March to the Sea
in late 1864, and in the
Carolinas Campaign
of 1865.
[5]
Fuller was
brevetted
to the rank of
major general
[6]
in the Union Army on March 13, and after the end of the war he resigned that fall.
[3]
Fuller was one of the few generals in the Civil War who was not born in the United States.
[5]
Postbellum
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]
Fuller resigned from the Union Army on August 15, 1865, and returned to his civilian life in Ohio. He was the senior partner of the firm Fuller, Childs & Company in Toledo, a business dealing in the wholesale of boots and shoes.
[5]
In 1874, Fuller was appointed the collector of customs for Toledo, a post he held until 1881.
[5]
On October 3?4, 1878, the members of the "Ohio Brigade" held a reunion at
Columbus, Ohio
, in which Fuller attended and made a speech. During the event, a permanent organization was created for future reunions, with Fuller as its first president. In 1888, he retired from his business concerns.
[1]
Fuller was in Toledo when he died in 1891 and he was buried in the city's
Woodlawn Cemetery
.
[5]
See also
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Notes
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References
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]
- Eicher(1), David J.
,
The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
, Simon & Schuster, 2001,
ISBN
0-684-84944-5
.
- Eicher(2), John H., and Eicher, David J.,
Civil War High Commands
, Stanford University Press, 2001,
ISBN
0-8047-3641-3
.
- Warner, Ezra J.,
Generals in Blue: The Lives of the Union Commanders
, Louisiana State University Press, 1964,
ISBN
0-8071-0822-7
.
- parkerscrossroads.com
Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Assn. biography of Fuller.
External links
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