![]() ![]() Dragoons, transferring the next year to the 2nd U.S. Hill and Henry Heth, two men Buford would face at Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863.īuford graduated 16th of 38 cadets and was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Jackson (1846), George Pickett (1846), and two future commanders and friends, George Stoneman (1846) and Ambrose Burnside (1847). Upperclassmen during Buford's time at West Point included Fitz-John Porter (Class of 1845), George B. His half-brother, Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, would become a major general in the Union Army, while his cousin, Abraham Buford, would become a cavalry brigadier general in the Confederate States Army.Īfter attending Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, for one year, Buford was accepted into the Class of 1848 at the United States Military Academy (West Point). His great-uncle, Colonel Abraham Buford (of the Waxhaw Massacre), also served in a Virginia regiment. John Jr.'s grandfather, Simeon Buford, served in the cavalry during the American Revolutionary War under Henry "Lighthorse" Lee, the father of Robert E. His family had a long military tradition. John, his father, was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a political opponent of Abraham Lincoln. Just before his death at age 37, he received a personal message from President Abraham Lincoln, promoting him to major general of volunteers in recognition of his tactical skill and leadership displayed on the first day of Gettysburg.īuford was born in Woodford County, Kentucky, but was raised in Rock Island, Illinois, from the age of eight. Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg, and in the Bristoe Campaign that autumn, but his health started to fail, possibly from typhoid. Later, Buford rendered valuable service to the Army, both in the pursuit of Robert E. After a massive three-day battle, the Union troops emerged victorious. His men held just long enough for Union reinforcements to arrive. On the morning of July 1, Buford's division was attacked by a Confederate division under the command of Major General Henry Heth. Arriving at the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on June 30, before the Confederate troops, Buford set up defensive positions. ![]() His first command was a cavalry brigade under Major General John Pope, and he distinguished himself at Second Bull Run in August 1862, where he was wounded, and also saw action at Antietam in September and Stoneman's Raid in spring 1863.īuford's cavalry division played a crucial role in the Gettysburg Campaign that summer. During the war he fought against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia as part of the Army of the Potomac. ![]() He remained loyal to the United States when the Civil War broke out, despite having been born in the divided border state of Kentucky. Buford is best known for having played a major role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, by identifying, taking, and holding the "high ground" while in command of a division.īuford graduated from West Point in 1848. He fought for the Union as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. (Ma– December 16, 1863) was a United States Army cavalry officer. ![]()
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