Leonard Fulton Ross
Encyclopedia
Leonard Fulton Rosswas an American soldier, lawyer and judge who served in the Mexican-American War and as a general during the American Civil War
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and became a lawyer after attending Jackson College. He volunteered in the 4th Illinois Regiment during the Mexican War. After the war he became a probate judge and worked as a stockbreeder.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Ross was appointed colonel of the 17th Illinois Regiment and fought in this capacity at the battles of Fredericktown, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. On the first day of fighting at Fort Donelson, Colonel William Ralls Morrison was wounded and Ross assumed command of the brigade which he led for the remainder of the battle, participating in Lew Wallace
's counterattack against the Confederate breakout attempt.
Ross was absent from the battle of Shiloh
, where his brigade suffered heavy losses, but was nevertheless promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on April 25, 1862. He led his brigade during the siege of Corinth
and for a while led the 1st Division of the Army of the Tennessee. After a variety of commands on garrison duty General Ross was placed in command of the 13th Division of the XIII Corps
. He was placed in charge of the Yazoo Pass Expedition
against the Confederate fortress of Fort Pemberton guarding Vicksburg from the north. Ross' expedition amounted to little more than an artillery duel against the fort before he decided to abandon the expedition. At roughly the same time reinforcements under General Isaac F. Quinby arrived and Quinby convinced Ross to renew the attack. He did with few results and eventually withdrew.
Ross resigned his commission on July 22, 1863 and returned to stock breeding. He died in his hometown on January 17, 1901.
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...
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Biography
Ross was born in Lewistown, IllinoisLewistown, Illinois
Lewistown is a city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,522 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County. Located in central Illinois, it is southwest of Peoria. It is the source of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, who lived there...
and became a lawyer after attending Jackson College. He volunteered in the 4th Illinois Regiment during the Mexican War. After the war he became a probate judge and worked as a stockbreeder.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Ross was appointed colonel of the 17th Illinois Regiment and fought in this capacity at the battles of Fredericktown, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. On the first day of fighting at Fort Donelson, Colonel William Ralls Morrison was wounded and Ross assumed command of the brigade which he led for the remainder of the battle, participating in Lew Wallace
Lew Wallace
Lewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
's counterattack against the Confederate breakout attempt.
Ross was absent from 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...
, where his brigade suffered heavy losses, but was nevertheless promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on April 25, 1862. He led his brigade during the siege of Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
and for a while led the 1st Division of the Army of the Tennessee. After a variety of commands on garrison duty General Ross was placed in command of the 13th Division of the XIII Corps
XIII Corps (ACW)
XIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first led by Ulysses S. Grant and later by John A. McClernand and Edward O.C. Ord...
. He was placed in charge of the Yazoo Pass Expedition
Yazoo Pass Expedition
The Yazoo Pass Expedition was a joint operation of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee and Rear Admiral David D. Porter's Mississippi River Squadron in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Grant's objective was to get his troops into a flanking position against the...
against the Confederate fortress of Fort Pemberton guarding Vicksburg from the north. Ross' expedition amounted to little more than an artillery duel against the fort before he decided to abandon the expedition. At roughly the same time reinforcements under General Isaac F. Quinby arrived and Quinby convinced Ross to renew the attack. He did with few results and eventually withdrew.
Ross resigned his commission on July 22, 1863 and returned to stock breeding. He died in his hometown on January 17, 1901.