Gabriel Rene Paul

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gabriel Rene Paul (March 22, 1813 – May 5, 1886) was a career officer in the United States Army most noted for his service as a Union Army general in the American Civil War.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Paul was the grandson of one of Napoleon's officers. He graduated 18th from his 1834 West Point class. He served as an officer in the 7th U.S. Infantry during the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American War. He was wounded at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, but recovered to serve in the campaign to capture Mexico City. He led an assault party that captured a Mexican flag during the storming of Chapultepec.

He began the Civil War leading an infantry regiment at Fort Union in the New Mexico Territory. He led a brigade as a brigadier general in first division I Corps during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He was transferred to a brigade in second division, fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he was seriously wounded in the left eye during the defense of Oak Ridge on the first day of the battle. His injuries left him totally blind and with severely impaired senses of hearing and smell. Unable to perform anything except some administrative duties, he was kept on the army's roll until February 1865, when he was officially retired from the service.

Paul died in Washington, D.C., and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.