John Calvin Fiser
Encyclopedia
John Calvin Fiser was an American
merchant and soldier. He served as an officer in the Confederate Army
during the American Civil War
, fighting in both the Eastern
as well as the Western
theaters. Fiser was seriously wounded five times in the conflict, losing an arm in 1863's Battle of Fort Sanders
, and he was appointed a general officer late in the war. Afterward he returned to his business interests and was active in Confederate veterans organizations.
located in Dyer County, Tennessee. His father was Matthew Day Fiser (died 1852) and his mother's identity (died 1849) is not known. In 1848 Fiser's family moved to Batesville
in Panola County, Mississippi
. After his father died Fiser was raised by his uncle, John B. Fiser, a politician and merchant also living in Panola County. In 1853 he began working in Lafayette County
, clerking in a country store near the shore of the Tallahatchie River
. In 1855 Fiser moved to Memphis, Tennessee
, and found work as a cotton merchant and later in the mercantile
business.
. On May 27 he was elected a first lieutenant
in the 17th Mississippi Infantry, assigned to Company H (styled the "Panola Vindicators") in the regiment he had helped create in Panola County. On June 4 he was made the regiment's adjutant
, and he participated with the 17th Mississippi in the First Battle of Bull Run
on July 21. That autumn he fought with distinction during the Battle of Ball's Bluff
, where he was praised for his "most important and effective service."
On October 12, 1861, Fiser was appointed the assistant adjutant general
of his regiment, and during the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia
early the following year he was elected lieutenant colonel
of the 17th Mississippi as of April 26, 1862. He fought during the Peninsula Campaign
, replacing the regiment's colonel when that officer became a casualty in the Battle of Malvern Hill
. The 17th's attack that day has been described as:
Fiser continued to command the regiment during the Maryland Campaign
in the fall of 1862, leading it in the Battle of Antietam
on September 17. Later that year he was appointed adjutant of his brigade
. He fought during the Fredericksburg Campaign that winter, part of Brig. Gen. William Barksdale
's brigade that defended the Rappahannock River
crossing at the town on December 11. Fiser was wounded during the main battle two days later. He then fought during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
, and was wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg
that July. Fiser was first shot in the cheek and then hit in the same leg twice.
In the fall of 1863 Fiser and his regiment were sent west with Lt. Gen. James Longstreet
's First Corps
units. He participated in the Battle of Chickamauga
and then fought during the Knoxville Campaign
. On November 29 Fiser was hit in his right arm as he reached the top of the Union
defensive position during the Battle of Fort Sanders
, a wound requiring the amputation
of the limb. An account of his actions in the attack follows:
While recovering from losing his arm, Fiser was assigned to recruiting duties. On February 26, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of colonel
, but the wound was slow to heal and he resigned his commission on June 12 and returned home. That winter Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws
asked for Fiser for service in South Carolina, and he rejoined the Confederate Army. In 1865 Fiser was given command of a brigade of reservists from Georgia, part of the scattered forces that opposed the Union soldiers of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman during the Carolinas Campaign
. On April 9 his small 800-man brigade was merged with that of Col. George P. Harrison
, his senior, reducing Fiser to regimental command. Also in 1865 Fiser was appointed a brigadier general, however the Confederate Congress
never confirmed his commission as such.
politics.
In 1871 Fiser was elected president of the Confederate Historical and Relief Association based in Memphis, and at the time of his death he was serving as president of the Office Security Building and Loan Association. Fiser died of dysentery
in 1876, and his remains were buried in the Chapel Hill section of the Elmwood Cemetery
located in Memphis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant and soldier. He served as an officer in the Confederate 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...
, fighting in both the Eastern
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina...
as well as the Western
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
theaters. Fiser was seriously wounded five times in the conflict, losing an arm in 1863's Battle of Fort Sanders
Battle of Fort Sanders
The Battle of Fort Sanders was the decisive engagement of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, fought in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Assaults by Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet failed to break through the defensive lines of Union Maj. Gen...
, and he was appointed a general officer late in the war. Afterward he returned to his business interests and was active in Confederate veterans organizations.
Early life and career
John Fiser was born in 1838 in the city of DyersburgDyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
located in Dyer County, Tennessee. His father was Matthew Day Fiser (died 1852) and his mother's identity (died 1849) is not known. In 1848 Fiser's family moved to Batesville
Batesville, Mississippi
Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,113 at the 2000 census.-History:The Land upon which present day Batesville is situated originally belonged to a Chickasaw Indian called Ish-Sho-Nu-Nah...
in Panola County, Mississippi
Panola County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,274 people, 12,232 households, and 9,014 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 13,736 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
. After his father died Fiser was raised by his uncle, John B. Fiser, a politician and merchant also living in Panola County. In 1853 he began working in Lafayette County
Lafayette County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
, clerking in a country store near the shore of the Tallahatchie River
Tallahatchie River
The Tallahatchie River flows from Tippah County, Mississippi to Leflore County, Mississippi, where it joins the Yalobusha River to form the Yazoo River.-History:Tallahatchie is a Choctaw name meaning "rock of waters"....
. In 1855 Fiser moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and found work as a cotton merchant and later in the mercantile
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
business.
Civil War service
When the American Civil War began in 1861 Fiser returned to Mississippi to follow the Confederate causeConfederate 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...
. On May 27 he was elected a first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the 17th Mississippi Infantry, assigned to Company H (styled the "Panola Vindicators") in the regiment he had helped create in Panola County. On June 4 he was made the regiment's adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, and he participated with the 17th Mississippi in the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
on July 21. That autumn he fought with distinction during the Battle of Ball's Bluff
Battle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Union Maj. Gen. George B...
, where he was praised for his "most important and effective service."
On October 12, 1861, Fiser was appointed the assistant adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
of his regiment, and during the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
early the following year he was elected lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of the 17th Mississippi as of April 26, 1862. He fought 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...
, replacing the regiment's colonel when that officer became a casualty in 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...
. The 17th's attack that day has been described as:
Fiser continued to command the regiment during 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...
in the fall of 1862, leading it in the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
on September 17. Later that year he was appointed adjutant of his 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...
. He fought during the Fredericksburg Campaign that winter, part of Brig. Gen. William Barksdale
William Barksdale
William Barksdale was a lawyer, newspaper editor, U.S. Congressman, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
's brigade that defended the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
crossing at the town on December 11. Fiser was wounded during the main battle two days later. He then fought during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, and was wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
that July. Fiser was first shot in the cheek and then hit in the same leg twice.
Fort Sanders
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
's First Corps
First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
The First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia was a military unit fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was formed in early 1861 and served until the spring of 1865, mostly in the Eastern Theater. The corps was commanded by James Longstreet for much of its...
units. He participated in the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
and then fought during the Knoxville Campaign
Knoxville Campaign
The Knoxville Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen...
. On November 29 Fiser was hit in his right arm as he reached the top of 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...
defensive position during the Battle of Fort Sanders
Battle of Fort Sanders
The Battle of Fort Sanders was the decisive engagement of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, fought in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Assaults by Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet failed to break through the defensive lines of Union Maj. Gen...
, a wound requiring the amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
of the limb. An account of his actions in the attack follows:
While recovering from losing his arm, Fiser was assigned to recruiting duties. On February 26, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, but the wound was slow to heal and he resigned his commission on June 12 and returned home. That winter Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
asked for Fiser for service in South Carolina, and he rejoined the Confederate Army. In 1865 Fiser was given command of a brigade of reservists from Georgia, part of the scattered forces that opposed the Union soldiers of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman during the Carolinas Campaign
Carolinas Campaign
The Carolinas Campaign was the final campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In January 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced north from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas, with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The defeat of ...
. On April 9 his small 800-man brigade was merged with that of Col. George P. Harrison
George Paul Harrison
George Paul Harrison was a U.S. Representative from Alabama.Born at "Monteith Plantation," near Savannah, Georgia, Harrison attended Effingham Academy and the Georgia Military Institute at Marietta....
, his senior, reducing Fiser to regimental command. Also in 1865 Fiser was appointed a brigadier general, however the Confederate Congress
Congress of the Confederate States
The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...
never confirmed his commission as such.
Postbellum
When the Civil War ended in 1865 he returned to Memphis, Tennessee, where he resumed his pre-war business affairs. In 1866 he married Hayes Dunn, with whom he would have three daughters, and shortly thereafter changed the spelling of his name to Fizer, reasoning that was the way it had sounded all his life. Three streets in Memphis were later named after him, all using this spelling. He also became a partner in a large and successful cotton brokerage firms and actively participated in local DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politics.
In 1871 Fiser was elected president of the Confederate Historical and Relief Association based in Memphis, and at the time of his death he was serving as president of the Office Security Building and Loan Association. Fiser died of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
in 1876, and his remains were buried in the Chapel Hill section of the Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)
Historic Elmwood Cemetery is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1852 as one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South.-Origins:...
located in Memphis.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
Further reading
- Rowland, Dunbar, Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898, The Reprint Co., 1908, (reprinted 1983) ISBN 0-87152-266-7.