C. Carroll Marsh
Encyclopedia
Charles Carroll Marsh was a Union Army
officer during the American Civil War
. He served with distinction early in the war at the battles of Fort Donelson
and Shiloh
. He is commonly referred to as "C. Carrol Marsh" in official reports.
at the outset of the Civil War. Eager to offer his services, he responded quickly and was given command of the 20th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
. Colonel Marsh and his command were transported to Cape Girardeau, Missouri
and attached to Colonel Joseph B. Plummer
's command at the Battle of Fredericktown
.
Colonel Marsh and the 20th were stationed at Bird's Point, Missouri
until joining Ulysses S. Grant
's expedition to Fort Henry
as a part of W. H. L. Wallace's 2nd Brigade in John A. McClernand's 1st Division. At the battle of Fort Donelson
Marsh was positioned on the right of the Union lines. McClernand's entire division was hit hard during the Confederate breakout attempt on February 15. Despite being hard pressed Marsh managed a counterattack which momentarily checked Simon B. Buckner's division and saved an Illinois artillery battery
from capture.
Following the victory at Fort Donelson, General Ulysses S. Grant
was thrust into the public eye and at the same came under attack from department commander Henry W. Halleck. During this time Colonel Marsh and others presented Grant with a ivory-handled sword. Marsh took the occasion to publicly profess his confidence in General Grant and denounced the "jealousy caused by his recent success". He assumed command of the 2nd Brigade when recently promoted Brig. Gen. W.H.L. Wallace took command of the 2nd Division. On the morning of April 6, 1862 messengers managed to alert Colonel Abraham M. Hare of the 1st Brigade that a battle was underway but news of the fighting had not reached Colonel Marsh until a cannonball soared through his brigade's camp. Early in the fighting Marsh's brigade was forced into a disorderly retreat until he and General McClernand managed to rally units of the 1st Division behind Shiloh Church. Marsh then led a counterattack which managed to overrun a Confederate battery but proved costly. Once again Marsh was forced to withdraw his dwindling command. Around 5:00pm he made a final stand supported by remnants of three other brigades. On April 7 he led his brigade in recapturing lost ground in the vicinity of Shiloh Church where he had seen action the day before.
Colonel Marsh was transferred to command the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division stationed at Jackson, Mississippi
. He was appointed Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers dated November 29, 1862, though his appointment was later withdrawn. He was transferred to command the 1st Brigade in John A. Logan
's 3rd Division of the XVII Corps in the opening stages of Grant's First Vicksburg Campaign. Colonel Marsh resigned on April 22, 1863.
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...
officer during 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...
. He served with distinction early in the war at the battles of Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
and Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. He is commonly referred to as "C. Carrol Marsh" in official reports.
Early life
Charles Carroll Marsh was born in Oswego, New York in 1829. In 1853 he moved to Chicago, Illinois to study law. The legal profession was too crowded for Marsh and his studies lasted only a year before pursuing other business ventures. He joined the Chicago Light Guard becoming captain in that organization.Early Battles
Due to the reputation of the Chicago Light Guard, Captain Marsh was called to Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
at the outset of the Civil War. Eager to offer his services, he responded quickly and was given command of the 20th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
20th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 20th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 20th Illinois Infantry was organized at Joliet, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on June 13, 1861 for a three year enlistment.The regiment was...
. Colonel Marsh and his command were transported to Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
and attached to Colonel Joseph B. Plummer
Joseph B. Plummer
Joseph Bennett Plummer was a career soldier in the United States Army, serving as a general during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
's command at the Battle of Fredericktown
Battle of Fredericktown
The Battle of Fredericktown was an engagement of the American Civil War. It took place on October 21, 1861, in Madison County, Missouri. Union victory consolidated their control of southeastern Missouri.-Background:...
.
Fort Donelson
Bird's Point, Missouri
Bird's Point is an unincorporated community in Mississippi County, Missouri. It lies on an island or former island in the Mississippi River, near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and is situated directly across from Cairo, Illinois. This is the point where the U.S...
until joining Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's expedition to Fort Henry
Battle of Fort Henry
The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater....
as a part of W. H. L. Wallace's 2nd Brigade in John A. McClernand's 1st Division. At the battle of Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
Marsh was positioned on the right of the Union lines. McClernand's entire division was hit hard during the Confederate breakout attempt on February 15. Despite being hard pressed Marsh managed a counterattack which momentarily checked Simon B. Buckner's division and saved an Illinois artillery battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
from capture.
Shiloh
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
was thrust into the public eye and at the same came under attack from department commander Henry W. Halleck. During this time Colonel Marsh and others presented Grant with a ivory-handled sword. Marsh took the occasion to publicly profess his confidence in General Grant and denounced the "jealousy caused by his recent success". He assumed command of the 2nd Brigade when recently promoted Brig. Gen. W.H.L. Wallace took command of the 2nd Division. On the morning of April 6, 1862 messengers managed to alert Colonel Abraham M. Hare of the 1st Brigade that a battle was underway but news of the fighting had not reached Colonel Marsh until a cannonball soared through his brigade's camp. Early in the fighting Marsh's brigade was forced into a disorderly retreat until he and General McClernand managed to rally units of the 1st Division behind Shiloh Church. Marsh then led a counterattack which managed to overrun a Confederate battery but proved costly. Once again Marsh was forced to withdraw his dwindling command. Around 5:00pm he made a final stand supported by remnants of three other brigades. On April 7 he led his brigade in recapturing lost ground in the vicinity of Shiloh Church where he had seen action the day before.
Post Shiloh and Resignation
Following the battle of ShilohBattle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
Colonel Marsh was transferred to command the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division stationed at Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He was appointed Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers dated November 29, 1862, though his appointment was later withdrawn. He was transferred to command the 1st Brigade in John A. Logan
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan was an American soldier and political leader. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a state senator, congressman and senator and was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President...
's 3rd Division of the XVII Corps in the opening stages of Grant's First Vicksburg Campaign. Colonel Marsh resigned on April 22, 1863.
Sources
- Daniel, Larry J. Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-684-80375-5.
- Eicher, John H., and David J. EicherDavid J. EicherDavid John Eicher is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of Astronomy magazine since 2002...
. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3 - Gott, Kendall D. Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry—Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0-8117-0049-6.
- Wilson, James Grant Biographical Sketches of Illinois Officers Engaged in the War Against the Rebellion of 1861. Nabu Press, 2010. ISBN 1-1430-1912-1