William W. Loring

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William W. Loring
December 4, 1818 (1818-12-04) – December 30, 1886 (aged 68)

William Loring in his Army uniform
Place of birth Wilmington, North Carolina
Place of death New York City, New York
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States
Confederate States of America
Egypt
Service/branch US Army
Confederate States Army
Egyptian Army
Rank Colonel (US Army)
Brigadier General (CSA)
Fereek Pasha (Egypt)
Commands held Army of the Northwest (CSA)
Other work Author

William Wing Loring (December 4, 1818 – December 30, 1886) was a soldier from North Carolina who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

William was born on in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Reuben and Hannah Loring. When he was four, his family moved to Saint Augustine, Florida, where, at the young age of fourteen, he began a military career that spanned fifty years. As a fourteen year old, Loring joined the Florida Militia and gained his first combat experience fighting the Seminole Indians in minor skirmishes that would culminate in the Seminole Wars. When he was seventeen, he ran away to fight in the Texas War for Independence, but was soon retrieved by his father and taken home. For the next few years he would fight in the second Seminole War and end up being promoted to second lieutenant. In 1837, Loring was sent to Alexandria Boarding School in Alexandria, Virginia, completing his secondary education. He attended Georgetown University from 1839 to 1840 and then went on to study law, and was admitted to the Florida bar in 1842. In 1843, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served from 1843 to 1845. In 1845 he ran unsuccessfully for the Florida Senate.

[edit] Mexican-American War

In 1846, Loring joined a newly formed regiment, the Mounted Rifles, originally created to protect the Oregon Territory. He was promoted to major even before the regiment saw battle. Shortly thereafter the Mounted Rifles were sent to Mexico to fight in the Mexican-American war. Loring's regiment saw action in most of the battles of the war and he was wounded three times. While leading the charge into Mexico City, Loring's arm was shattered by a Mexican bullet, and he would later have it amputated. He received two brevets for bravery, one to lieutenant colonel, and another to colonel.

[edit] Antebellum years

In 1849, during the California gold rush, Loring was ordered to take command of the Oregon Territory and led a train of 600 mule teams 2,500 miles from Missouri to Oregon, a feat that would later be described as the greatest military feat on record.[citation needed] He was in command of the Oregon Territory for two years and was then transferred to being commander of the frontier, a position he held for five years. During those five years he engaged in many skirmishes with the Indians, most notably with the Comanches, Apaches, and Kiowas. Loring was promoted to colonel at the age of 38 in December 1856, the youngest in the army.

He left the United States and traveled to Europe in May 1859. While there, he, like many of his fellow American officers, studied the military tactics that had been invented in the recent Crimean War. Before he returned home, Loring would visit Great Britain, France, Sweden, Prussia, Switzerland, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Egypt.

[edit] Civil War

When the Civil War erupted, Loring sided with the South. In a conference in New Mexico, just before he left to defend his homeland, Loring told his officers, "The South is my home, and I am going to throw up my commission and shall join the Southern Army, and each of you can do as you think best." He resigned from the U.S. Army on May 13, 1861. Upon offering his services to the Confederacy, Loring was promptly commissioned a brigadier general and given command of the Army of the Northwest. His first assignment was to defend western Virginia from Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who was invading from Ohio. He soon acquired the nickname, "Old Blizzards" for his battle cry, "Give them blizzards, boys! Give them blizzards!"

Loring served in the Vicksburg Campaign and was cut off from the rest of the army at the Battle of Champion Hill. He then marched down to join forces with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and was under the command of Johnston and Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, respectively. Loring took over command of Polk's corps temporarily when Polk was killed at Pine Mountain, and was replaced that same day by Maj. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart. After being wounded at Ezra Church, Loring was out of action until after the fall of Atlanta. Upon returning he fought at Franklin, Nashville, and in the Carolinas.

[edit] Egypt

Loring as a pasha in Egyptian service
Loring as a pasha in Egyptian service

After the Confederate defeat in the Civil War, Loring served for nine years in the army of Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt. He joined about fifty Union and Confederate veterans who had been recommended to the Khedive by William Tecumseh Sherman. Loring began as Inspector General of the army, a position in which he suggested various ways to modernize the army. He was then placed in charge of the country’s coastal defenses, where he oversaw the erection of numerous fortifications. In 1875, he was placed in charge of an Egyptian invasion of Abyssinia. However, Ratib Pasha was given the assignment instead, and Loring was named chief of staff. The Gura campaign ultimately failed and the Egyptians blamed the Americans for the disaster. In 1878, partially due to finances, the American officers were dismissed. During his service to Egypt, Loring attained the rank of Fereek Pasha (Major General). After his return to the United States, he wrote a book about his Egyptian experiences, entitled A Confederate Soldier in Egypt (1884). Loring was also the posthumous co-author of The March of the Mounted Riflemen (1940).[1]

[edit] Return to United States

Loring returned to Florida where he unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate against Charles W. Jones. He then moved to New York City, where he died. He is buried in Loring Park, Woodlawn Cemetery, St. Augustine, Florida.[1]

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Eicher, pp. 353-54.