John C. Tidball
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John Caldwell Tidball (January 25, 1825 – May 15, 1906) was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as the Commander of the Department of Alaska (in effect, the governor of the region).
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[edit] Early life and career
Tidball was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, and grew up on a farm in eastern Ohio. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1848 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery. He served in the Florida hostilities against the Seminoles, and accompanied an exploring expedition to California in 1853–54. In 1859 he was sent on the expedition to Harper's Ferry to suppress John Brown's raid.
[edit] Civil War
Tidball served all through the Civil War, being brevetted five times for gallant and meritorious conduct on the field, and being complimented personally by President Abraham Lincoln for his work at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he was in command of the Second Brigade Horse Artillery under Alfred Pleasonton. He served in most of the major campaigns in the Eastern Theater, from the First Battle of Bull Run through the Siege of Petersburg.
At the outbreak of hostilities, he ranked as a first lieutenant and section chief in Captain William F. Barry's Company A, Second U.S. Artillery. After Barry's promotion, Tidball was promoted to captain and became the company commander. Tidball served with his "flying" battery as part of the famed U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade from its inception in 1861 until June 1863. With slow advancement in the ranks of the regular U.S. Army (especially in the artillery branch), Tidball sought higher responsibilities elsewhere, by accepting a commission in the U.S. Volunteers.
He was appointed colonel of the 4th New York Artillery in August 1863, and commanded the artillery of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Overland Campaign, including the Battle of the Wilderness. He was commandant of cadets at West Point from July through September 1864, and then returned to the field, leading the artillery of the IX Corps from October 1864 until April 1865 in the Appomattox Campaign. He became a brigadier general of volunteers and a brevet major general in 1865.
[edit] Postbellum career
After the war, Tidball was in active service in the Regular Army for forty more years, and was assigned to almost every army post from Alaska to Texas. He was the first Governor of Alaska, and lived there for six years. He was Commandant at West Point for many years, and was Commandant at the Artillery School at Fort Monroe in Virginia, and reorganized and brought that institution to a high state of perfection. When he retired, he was regarded as the Army's premier artillerist. His 1879 instruction book, Manual Of Heavy Artillery Service, served for decades as the army's guidebook to artillery strategy and operations.
Tidball was married twice. His first wife was Miss Mary Davis, daughter of Captain Davis, United States Army. He afterward married Mary Langdon Dana, daughter of Gen. Napoleon J. T. Dana.
He died at the age of 81 in his residence in Montclair, New Jersey, and was buried in the cemetery at West Point.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- John C. Tidball at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2008-02-12
- John C. Tidball Papers at Gettysburg College
[edit] Further reading
- Tidball, Eugene, No Disgrace to My Country: The Life of John C. Tidball. Kent State University Press, 2002. ISBN 9780873387224.
