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Alfred Cumming (general)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Cumming was a brigadier general
for the Confederacy
in the American Civil War
.
, he was the son of Henry Harford Cumming
, a cotton magnate, and Julia Ann Cumming. At twenty, he graduated from West Point, ranking 35th in his class of 43. In the prewar United States Army
, he served mainly in the West, including two years in Louisiana
as an aide to Brig. Gen.
David E. Twiggs
. Later he accompanied Albert Sidney Johnston
's expedition to Utah Territory
, where he aided his uncle, Alfred Cumming
(the Governor of Utah) in the Utah War
.
cy of the Augusta Volunteer Battalion. He soon resigned that position to become major
of the 1st Georgia Infantry. By June, he was the Lieutenant Colonel of the 10th Georgia Regiment
and four months later its colonel
, succeeding Lafayette McLaws
. He served with distinction during the Peninsula Campaign
of 1862, including the Battle of Yorktown
, the Battle of Savage's Station
, and the Battle of Malvern Hill
, where he was wounded. His performance earned him the command of an Alabama
brigade
prior to the Maryland Campaign
.
On September 14, 1862, Cumming's brigade came up quickly to support troops under Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb
, forced back from Crampton's Gap
by a Federal offensive. His promptness helped keep the Union
advance from its objective, Harpers Ferry. He was awarded a brigadier general's star six weeks later. Afterward, Cumming went west: first to Mobile, then in April 1863 to Mississippi
as a subordinate to Lt. Gen.
John C. Pemberton
. He led a brigade in Maj. Gen.
Carter L. Stevenson
's division
at Champion's Hill and in the actions outside Vicksburg
. Captured and paroled with the city's garrison, he reorganized Stevenson's old brigade at Decatur, Georgia
, in the fall of 1863 and led it gallantly at Missionary Ridge
.
He was conspicuous in many actions during the Atlanta Campaign
, winning praise for several successful and unsuccessful attacks. At Jonesboro, he was disabled by another wound.
. before moving to Rome, Georgia
, and then to his native city. He pursued a minor public career, including service on the American Military Commission to Korea
in 1888.
Cumming died in Rome, Georgia
, and was buried in Summerville Cemetery
.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Born in Augusta, GeorgiaAugusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, he was the son of Henry Harford Cumming
Henry Harford Cumming
Henry Harford Cumming was an important figure in antebellum Augusta, Georgia.His main business was in cotton but he also engaged J. Edgar Thomson to design the Augusta Canal to run his mills and had also started a law firm with politician George W. Crawford...
, a cotton magnate, and Julia Ann Cumming. At twenty, he graduated from West Point, ranking 35th in his class of 43. In the prewar United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, he served mainly in the West, including two years in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
as an aide to Brig. Gen.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
David E. Twiggs
David E. Twiggs
David Emanuel Twiggs was a United States soldier during the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War and a general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
. Later he accompanied Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
's expedition to Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
, where he aided his uncle, Alfred Cumming
Alfred Cumming (governor)
Alfred Cumming was appointed governor of the Utah territory in 1858 replacing Brigham Young following the Utah War...
(the Governor of Utah) in the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
.
Civil War
In January 1861, he resigned a captaincy in the 10th United States Infantry to accept the Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
cy of the Augusta Volunteer Battalion. He soon resigned that position to become major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
of the 1st Georgia Infantry. By June, he was the Lieutenant Colonel of the 10th Georgia Regiment
10th Georgia Regiment
The 10th Georgia Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It participated in most of the key battles of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia....
and four months later its colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, succeeding Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. He served with distinction during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
of 1862, including the Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown (1862)
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
, the Battle of Savage's Station
Battle of Savage's Station
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general withdrawal toward the James River. Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder pursued...
, and the Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
, where he was wounded. His performance earned him the command of an Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
prior to the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
.
On September 14, 1862, Cumming's brigade came up quickly to support troops under Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb was an American political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851...
, forced back from Crampton's Gap
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
by a Federal offensive. His promptness helped keep the Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
advance from its objective, Harpers Ferry. He was awarded a brigadier general's star six weeks later. Afterward, Cumming went west: first to Mobile, then in April 1863 to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
as a subordinate to Lt. Gen.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
John C. Pemberton
John C. Pemberton
John Clifford Pemberton , was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg in...
. He led a brigade in Maj. Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army in several antebellum wars and then in the Confederate States Army as a general in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Stevenson was born to a prominent family in...
's division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
at Champion's Hill and in the actions outside Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. Captured and paroled with the city's garrison, he reorganized Stevenson's old brigade at Decatur, Georgia
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
, in the fall of 1863 and led it gallantly at Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and George H...
.
He was conspicuous in many actions during the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
, winning praise for several successful and unsuccessful attacks. At Jonesboro, he was disabled by another wound.
Postbellum
In postwar years, he farmed in Floyd County, GeorgiaFloyd County, Georgia
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 90,565. Census estimates for 2007 show a population of 95,618...
. before moving to Rome, Georgia
Rome, Georgia
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...
, and then to his native city. He pursued a minor public career, including service on the American Military Commission to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 1888.
Cumming died in Rome, Georgia
Rome, Georgia
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...
, and was buried in Summerville Cemetery
Summerville Cemetery
-Notable interments:*George Walker Crawford, Governor of Georgia, United States Secretary of War*Alfred Cumming, Confederate General in the American Civil War*William Henry Fleming, congressman...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals