Francis C. Barlow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francis Channing Barlow
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Francis C. Barlow
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| Born | October 19, 1834 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | January 11, 1896 (aged 61) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial |
Walnut Street Cemetery, Brookline, Massachusetts
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| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Brevet Major General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Politician |
Francis Channing Barlow (born October 19, 1834 – died January 11, 1896) was an important American figure. He was a talented lawyer and politician. During the American Civil War, he served as a brave Union general.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Francis Barlow was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a minister. Francis grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, his mother's hometown. He studied law at Harvard University. He was a top student, graduating first in his class. Before the Civil War began in 1861, he worked as a lawyer for the New York Tribune newspaper.
Serving in the Civil War
Joining the Army
In April 1861, Barlow joined the army as a private. He enlisted in the 12th Regiment, New York State Militia. He had just married Arabella Wharton Griffith Barlow the day before. She was ten years older than him. In his first month of service, he became a first lieutenant. His first enlistment was only for three months. After that, he quickly found a new regiment. By November, he was a lieutenant colonel in the 61st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. By the spring of 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign, he became a colonel.
First Battles and Bravery
Barlow first saw action at the Battle of Seven Pines. His unit was part of a brigade led by Brig. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard. This brigade belonged to the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
At the Battle of Glendale, during the Seven Days Battles, his regiment got separated. Barlow decided to act on his own. He led his men towards the sound of the fighting. They met a Confederate battle line. Barlow bravely led his men in a bayonet charge against them. The enemy ran away, and Barlow picked up a captured Confederate flag. At the Battle of Malvern Hill, Barlow and his soldiers successfully defended their position. They held strong against many Confederate attacks.
Wounds and Promotions
At the Battle of Antietam, Barlow commanded the 1st Brigade. His men were in the middle of the fierce fighting at the famous sunken road, known as "Bloody Lane." They captured about 300 enemy soldiers. Barlow was wounded by an artillery shell in the face. He was also hit by grapeshot in his groin.
Brig. Gen. John C. Caldwell praised Barlow in his official report. He wrote that Barlow showed "distinguished bravery" and "utmost coolness." He also noted Barlow's "skill in handling troops under fire." Caldwell believed Barlow was ready for an even higher command.
Two days after the battle, Barlow was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers. He was an unusual general. He was thin and had a peaceful, boyish face without a beard. His voice was thin, and he often dressed casually. He sometimes wore a "checked flannel lumberjack shirt" under his uniform coat. One officer said he looked "like a highly independent mounted newsboy." But Barlow was known as an aggressive fighter. He was very confident in himself. Instead of a standard officer's sword, he carried a heavy cavalry saber. He used it to encourage soldiers who were falling behind. He really disliked soldiers who straggled.
Challenges and Gettysburg
Barlow suffered from his Antietam wounds for months. He became very thin and doctors thought he had "malaria." Even though he wasn't fully recovered, he returned to the army in April 1863. He commanded the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XI Corps, at the Battle of Chancellorsville. His corps was badly defeated by a surprise attack from Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. However, Barlow's brigade had been sent to help another corps, so they avoided the worst of the defeat.
After the battle, General Howard promoted Barlow to lead the 1st Division, XI Corps. His job was to improve the fighting spirit of the defeated brigades. Barlow quickly made his men unhappy by arresting a popular colonel. Some soldiers thought he was a "petty tyrant."
On July 1, 1863, Barlow led his division at the Battle of Gettysburg. While waiting for the enemy, Barlow moved his troops to higher ground called Blocher's Knoll (now Barlow's Knoll). This move left another Union division exposed. It also left his own flanks (sides) unprotected. The Confederates took advantage of this mistake. Maj. Gen. Jubal Early's division attacked and overwhelmed Barlow's division. This forced the entire XI Corps to retreat with heavy losses. Barlow himself was wounded and left for dead on the battlefield.
Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon found Barlow and helped him. Gordon sent him to a field hospital. There is a story that Gordon allowed Barlow's wife, Arabella, to enter the Confederate camp to care for her husband. This story is likely not true. Another popular story says Gordon thought Barlow had died. Years later, they supposedly met and were surprised to find each other alive. However, Barlow's later war record makes this story very unlikely.
Return to Action and Major Victories
As the Confederates retreated from Gettysburg on July 4, Barlow was left behind. Union forces found him and took him to a hospital. He was in the hospital for a long time. He could not return to the army until April 1864. This was just in time for Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign.
Barlow commanded the 1st Division of Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock's II Corps. He fought at the Battle of the Wilderness. At Spotsylvania Court House, his division used new tactics. They quickly attacked the enemy's strong defenses in an area called the "Mule Shoe." This attack broke through the enemy lines. Intense hand-to-hand fighting lasted for 21 hours. This was the longest hand-to-hand combat of the entire war. Barlow's division finally broke through.
On December 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln nominated Barlow for the rank of brevet major general. This was for his leadership at the Battle of Spotsylvania. The U.S. Senate confirmed this award on February 14, 1865. He also fought at the Battle of Cold Harbor and the Siege of Petersburg with the same command.
Final Campaigns
At Petersburg, Barlow took another leave to recover in July. But he returned to the army on April 6, 1865. He was appointed to lead the 2nd Division, II Corps. This was after another general failed to wake his troops on time. Barlow then joined the Appomattox Campaign. He immediately fought in the Battle of Sailor's Creek.
The next day, Barlow played a key role in the Battle of High Bridge near Farmville, Virginia. Barlow was chasing Confederate troops. These troops had crossed High Bridge the day before. Among the Confederate troops were men led by Gen. Gordon. Gordon still believed he had killed Barlow at Gettysburg.
The Battle of High Bridge involved two smaller fights. The first happened on the evening of April 6, before Barlow arrived. Confederate forces captured about 800 Union soldiers. They also wounded or killed others. The Confederates then planned to destroy the bridge. This would stop Union forces from using it. However, an order to destroy the bridge was delayed. This delay helped Barlow's men. They arrived early on April 7. They found the lower part of the bridge on fire and collapsing. Barlow ordered some of his men to charge the bridge and put out the fire. The second fight of the battle then began. Union forces successfully crossed the upper part of the bridge. They fought with the Confederates. The Confederate forces eventually retreated towards Appomattox Station. They hoped to find food and supplies there. Barlow's actions at High Bridge likely shortened the war by several days. They put more pressure on Gen. Robert E. Lee to surrender.
Barlow was officially appointed major general of volunteers on May 26, 1865. But the U.S. Senate did not confirm this promotion until February 23, 1866. By then, the war was over, and Barlow had left the army.
Francis Barlow was one of the few men who started the Civil War as a regular soldier and ended it as a general.
Life After the War
Family Life
Barlow's wife, Arabella, served as an army nurse. She helped soldiers during the Peninsula, Antietam, and Gettysburg campaigns. She cared for her wounded husband twice. Sadly, she died of typhus on July 27, 1864. This was while Francis was fighting in the Overland Campaign. A friend described her as a "brilliant" and "graceful" talker. She had also "read, thought and observed much and well."
After the war, Barlow married Ellen Shaw. She was the sister of Col. Robert Gould Shaw.
Public Service and Law
Barlow left the army on November 16, 1865. He then served in several important public roles. He was a United States Marshal. He also became the New York Secretary of State and the New York State Attorney General. In these roles, he worked to fight corruption, including against the "Boss Tweed" group.
He was a founder of the American Bar Association, an organization for lawyers. He was also active in the Republican Party. He helped investigate problems in the 1876 United States presidential election.
Francis Barlow died from a kidney illness called Bright's disease in New York City on January 11, 1896. He was buried in Walnut Street Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Legacy
Francis Barlow is shown in Winslow Homer's famous painting, Prisoners from the Front. This painting shows a scene from a battle near Petersburg, Virginia, on June 21, 1864.
