Slocum, Henry Warner, 1826-1894

Henry Warner Slocum was a Union general during the Civil War and a U.S. congressman from New York. Born on September 24, 1827, in Delphi Falls, New York, he proved an intelligent and studious individual, earning a teaching certificate at the age of 16. After teaching for a few years, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating in 1852. Slocum served for four years in the U.S. Army, participating in the Third Seminole War in Florida before resigning his commission in 1856 and moving to Syracuse, New York. He studied law for two years, and then was admitted as a practicing attorney in Syracuse in 1858. Within a year, Slocum was elected county treasurer and then was elected to the New York State Assembly.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Slocum volunteered for Union military service. He received a commission as colonel in command of the Twenty-Seventh New York Infantry Regiment. He led that unit during the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, receiving a severe wound. When he recovered enough to return to field service, Slocum was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of a brigade in the Army of the Potomac. By May 1862, he was in command of a division and led it with distinction during the Seven Days Campaign outside of Richmond, Virginia, receiving high praise from Union officers. In July 1862, at the age of 34, he was promoted to major general. He continued to perform well in battle, playing a conspicuous role in the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862 and the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.

Slocum played a vital, but somewhat unappreciated, role at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. On July 2, when ordered to relocate his XII Corps south in response to a Confederate assault on the Union left flank, Slocum wisely recognized the risk such move would cause to the Union army’s right flank at Culp’s Hill. He ordered one of his brigades to remain in defense of that position, which likely saved the Union Army from defeat at Gettysburg when that brigade repelled a massive Confederate assault upon Culp’s Hill.

In the fall of 1863, Slocum was transferred to the western theater. He initially received command of a division tasked with protecting the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. However, in the summer of 1864, he received command of the XVII Corps in Tennessee and the District of Vicksburg. General Ulysses S. Grant was so impressed with Slocum’s management of the Vicksburg district that he wished to keep him in that position and delayed Slocum’s reassignment to field command in Georgia. Eventually, though, Slocum joined William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union force during the campaign for Atlanta, taking command of the XX Corps. He effectively led the corps during the campaign, resulting in his troops being the first to march into Atlanta when the city surrendered in. September 1864. He was then placed in charge of Union occupation forces in Atlanta for more than two months, showing compassion and efficiency in his duties.

Slocum received command of the Army of Georgia and supported Sherman’s march across Georgia to Savannah. His army did not see any major engagements during that campaign, but did see intense action in the subsequent Carolinas Campaign. When the Civil War ended in 1865, Slocum was among the most successful and respected Union generals.

Shortly after hostilities ended, Slocum resigned from the army and turned to civilian life. He unsuccessfully ran for the Secretary of State position in New York, then began a law practice. In 1868, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat and served two terms. After practicing law in the 1870s he again won a congressional seat in 1882 and served a single term. During his time in public office and as an attorney, Slocum was active in promoting infrastructure development in New York, including the construction and expansion of street cars and bridges.

Slocum died on April 14, 1894. He was married to Carolina A. Rice and had three children. Slocum is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. (Wikipedia; American Battlefield Trust, FindaGrave)