Daniel Ruggles
Encyclopedia
Daniel Ruggles was a brigadier general
in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. He commanded a division at the Battle of Shiloh
.
, in 1810. In 1833, he graduated from the United States Military Academy
in West Point, New York
, and served in the United States Army
during the Second Seminole War
and the Mexican-American War, and then served at a variety of garrisons and outposts.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Ruggles resigned his commission in the U.S. Army on May 7, 1861 and enlisted in the Confederate Army not long afterwards.
In August 1861, he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned command of the 1st Division of the II Corps in the Army of Mississippi
. He fought with General John C. Breckinridge
, the former Vice President of the United States
, in the 1862 campaign to regain control of Baton Rouge
, Louisiana
. The combined Breckinridge-Ruggles forces were unable to regain the capital city.
From August 15 to August 29, 1862 Ruggles was in command of the Port Hudson
position on the Mississippi in Louisiana, and supervised the planning and initial construction of fortifications in that region. On the 29th he was ordered by Breckinridge to move with some of his troops to the state of Mississippi.
For the rest of the war, he performed mostly administrative duties, and was named as the head of the prison system in 1865. He oversaw the final exchange of Union prisoners of war at the end of the conflict.
During the battle of Shiloh (Union name Pittsburg Landing) on April 6–7, 1862. Gen. Ruggles on Sunday Apr. 6th, saw repeated Confederate charge against the Union line known as "The Hornets Nest" fail, he sent word to his commanders "Get every gun you can find." he said, and cannons were collected from every part of the field and lined up in a row of 62 cannons, now known as "Ruggle's Battery"(the biggest concentration of Artilery ever seen before) and hammered the Hornets nest till the last Confederate Charge broke the Union line at around 5:30pm, forcing it to surrneder, 12 hours after the battle had started.
After the war, Ruggles was a real estate agent and a farmer in Virginia. He later served as a member of the West Point Board of Visitors. He died in Fredericksburg, Virginia
in 1897.
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...
in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
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 commanded a division at the Battle of 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...
.
Biography
Ruggles was born in Barre, MassachusettsBarre, Massachusetts
Barre is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,398 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally called the Northwest District of Rutland, it was first settled in 1720. The town was incorporated on June 17, 1774, as Hutchinson after Thomas Hutchinson, colonial...
, in 1810. In 1833, he graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, and served in the 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...
during the Second Seminole War
Seminole Wars
The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three conflicts in Florida between the Seminole — the collective name given to the amalgamation of various groups of native Americans and Black people who settled in Florida in the early 18th century — and the United States Army...
and the Mexican-American War, and then served at a variety of garrisons and outposts.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Ruggles resigned his commission in the U.S. Army on May 7, 1861 and enlisted in the Confederate Army not long afterwards.
In August 1861, he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned command of the 1st Division of the II Corps in the Army of Mississippi
Army of Mississippi
There were three organizations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. -Army of Mississippi :This army, at times known by the names Army of the West or Army of the...
. He fought with General John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
, the former Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, in the 1862 campaign to regain control of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, 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...
. The combined Breckinridge-Ruggles forces were unable to regain the capital city.
From August 15 to August 29, 1862 Ruggles was in command of the Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
position on the Mississippi in Louisiana, and supervised the planning and initial construction of fortifications in that region. On the 29th he was ordered by Breckinridge to move with some of his troops to the state of Mississippi.
For the rest of the war, he performed mostly administrative duties, and was named as the head of the prison system in 1865. He oversaw the final exchange of Union prisoners of war at the end of the conflict.
During the battle of Shiloh (Union name Pittsburg Landing) on April 6–7, 1862. Gen. Ruggles on Sunday Apr. 6th, saw repeated Confederate charge against the Union line known as "The Hornets Nest" fail, he sent word to his commanders "Get every gun you can find." he said, and cannons were collected from every part of the field and lined up in a row of 62 cannons, now known as "Ruggle's Battery"(the biggest concentration of Artilery ever seen before) and hammered the Hornets nest till the last Confederate Charge broke the Union line at around 5:30pm, forcing it to surrneder, 12 hours after the battle had started.
After the war, Ruggles was a real estate agent and a farmer in Virginia. He later served as a member of the West Point Board of Visitors. He died in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
in 1897.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals