James Barnes

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James Barnes (December 28, 1801 – February 12, 1869) was a railroad executive and a Union Army general in the American Civil War.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Civil War 3 Postbellum 4 References

[edit] Early life

Barnes was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended the Boston Latin School and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1829, in the same class as Robert E. Lee, but at age 28, older than most West Point cadets. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery, but spent most of his army service as an instructor of tactics and French at the Academy. He resigned his commission in 1836 to become a railroad civil engineer and by 1839 he was superintendent of the Western Railroad, a job he would hold for 22 years.

[edit] Civil War

Soon after the start of the Civil War, Barnes was commissioned a Colonel in the 18th Massachusetts Infantry regiment. He and his regiment joined the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, but saw no combat; during the Seven Days Battles his regiment was assigned to guard duty in the rear. His brigade commander, Brig. Gen. John Martindale, was relieved of command after the Battle of Malvern Hill and Barnes became the new commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps. For reasons unrecorded, Barnes was not present with his brigade at the Second Battle of Bull Run and although the V Corps marched to the Battle of Antietam, it was left in reserve and once again saw no action. However, during Lee's retreat back to Virginia, Barnes saw his first combat when his brigade was attacked by the rearguard of the Confederate army, resulting in over 200 men shot or drowned in the Potomac River and over 100 captured. Despite his poor record in the Army so far, Barnes somehow received a promotion to brigadier general on November 29, 1862.

At the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, Barnes distinguished himself for the first time, leading his brigade in one of the final assaults against Confederate positions on Marye's Heights. His division commander wrote after the battle, "James Barnes ... is entitled to special notice for his coolness, energy, and marked ability." At the Battle of Chancellorsville, the old pattern returned and the V Corps was left in reserve. After the battle, his division commander fell ill and Barnes assumed command of the 1st Division.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the most significant in Barnes's career. The new division commander, now 61 years old (older than any other Union general present except George S. Greene), arrived early on the morning of the second day, July 2, 1863, with the rest of the V Corps. During the massive Confederate assault on the Union left flank that afternoon, one of Barnes's brigades, under Colonel Strong Vincent, was diverted to defend the flank at Little Round Top. The brigade performed magnificently, but Barnes had essentially nothing to do with its actions or the decision to send it there.

Barnes did get personally involved with his other two brigades, who were sent to reinforce the Union line in the Wheatfield, and here his career took a fatal downward turn. He was criticized after the battle for withdrawing his two brigades (under Colonels Jacob Sweitzer and William Tilton) 300 yards back from the Wheatfield without permission, despite protests from the generals on his flanks. When reinforcements from the II Corps arrived, Maj. Gen. David B. Birney gave orders for Barnes's men to lie down while the brigade of Colonel Samuel K. Zook marched over them. While Sweitzer's brigade was attacked in the flank by another Confederate charge, aides could not find Barnes in the vicinity. Later that day, Barnes was wounded in the leg and although it healed, he never returned to combat duty. He spent the remainder of the war on garrison duty in Virginia and North Carolina and commanded the prisoner-of-war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. Just before the end of the war he received a brevet promotion to major general.

[edit] Postbellum

After the war, Barnes returned to his profession of railroad civil engineering and was a member of the government commission that supervised the building of the Union Pacific Railroad. Barnes died in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is buried there in Springfield Cemetery.

[edit] References

• Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Tagg, Larry, The Generals of Gettysburg, Savas Publishing, 1998, ISBN 1-882810-30-9.