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Thomas Welsh (general)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Welsh was a soldier in the United States Army
during the Mexican-American War and a Union
brigadier general
during the American Civil War
.
on May 5, 1824, the third of 4 children born to Charles Welsh and Nancy (Dougherty) Welsh. His father died before his third birthday, and at the age of 8, he left home to work in a nail factory. Thus began a long series of jobs including farming, factory work and the lumber business, in the towns of Colemanville, Gap, and Bird in Hand, through which he became self-sufficient at an early age. He attended school only sporadically, attaining the equivalent of four to five years of formal schooling, but was self-taught, and became an educated man. At age 20, Welsh headed west to find work as an itinerant carpenter in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
At the outbreak of the Mexican War, Welsh enlisted as a third sergeant in the 2nd Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
. He served in the Monterey campaign
under General Zachary Taylor
. He was quickly promoted to first Sergeant
then for reasons that have been lost, demoted to private.
Welsh was severely wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista
on February 23, 1847, when he was hit by a musket ball which shattered the bone just below his right knee. Though the wound would leave him lame for the rest of his life, his regimental surgeon named Dr. Blanton was able to save his leg from amputation (Welsh would later name his first son after Dr. Blanton).
He returned to Columbia to recover and was received as a war hero. In January, 1848, as soon as his wound had closed, he returned to service, accepting a commission as a second Lieutenant in the 11th US Infantry Regiment
serving under General Winfield Scott
in the Vera Cruz campaign
. His leg wound hadn’t fully healed, however, and in May 1848, he was sent home on medical leave.
Returning to Columbia during the election year of 1848, Welsh became active in the local Democratic Party. He supported Democratic presidential nominee Lewis Cass
in his race against Welsh's former commanding office Zachary Taylor
. He also spoke out against Federal anti-slavery legislation, instead favoring a doctrine of Popular sovereignty
, which espoused each territory's right to determine its own slavery or anti-slavery laws.
Welsh married Annie Young in October 1850. The first of their seven children was born in 1851.
He became an enterprising businessman, He opened a dry goods store in Columbia’s Canal Basin, sold insurance and operated a small fleet of canal boats which he named after his children.
He was appointed Weigh Master in 1850, and lock superintendent a few years later. He was elected Justice of the Peace
, and also served as president of the Borough Council.
of the regiment. This was a three-months regiment, which served briefly in the Shenandoah Valley
, then York, Pennsylvania, where it served out its term. In July, when his term of enlistment was over, Welsh was appointed by Governor Andrew Curtin as a colonel
and placed in charge of Camp Curtin, the processing center set up to process as many as 500,000 volunteers into war service. Welsh is credited with instituting needed reforms in camp discipline and sanitation.
In October 1861, he was appointed to command the 45th Pennsylvania infantry, a three-years regiment, which he had recruited from Center, Tioga, Lancaster and Mifflin and Counties. The 45th eventually became known as one of the best drilled and best disciplined regiments in the service, for which Col. Welsh is credited.
After brief service around Washington, the 45th was sent south to Charleston Harbor, under Gen. H. G. Wright
, as part of the blockade of southern shipping. There it participated in the Battle of James Island
on June 10, 1862. In July, the 45th was called north to become part of the 9th Corps under Gen. Ambrose Burnside
, and Welsh directed the successful rear-guard action during the Union evacuation of Acquia Creek, near Fredericksburg.
When Confederate General Robert E. Lee
launched his invasion of Maryland in September 1862, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac (of which the 9th Corps was part) was sent in chase. At the Battle of South Mountain
on September 14, Col. Welsh, now in brigade command, engaged the rebels at Fox’s Gap. His brigade came under heavy fire and suffered severe casualties, but succeeded in driving the Confederates off the ridge and securing a Union victory.
On September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Antietam
, after first being held in reserved (on account of its losses at South Mountain), Welsh’s brigade was placed into action in the afternoon after Burnside exhausted his other troops capturing the bridge that now bears his name. Against steady opposition, Welsh’s troops advanced a mile, entering the village of Sharpsburg (threatening to cut off the Confeederate route of escape across the Potomac) before being called back because they couldn’t be supported. This was the furthest Union advance of the battle. As it was, the battle ended largely in a stalemate.
Welsh's performance drew praises from his superiors, and he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on November 29, 1862 (confirmed by the Senate on March 13, 1863). He was assigned to command the 1st division of the 9th Corps, sent west to Kentucky, then south to Mississippi to serve under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
during the Siege of Vicksburg, where he was assigned to guard the exterior of the Union line from attack by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston
.
Upon the surrender of Vicksburg, he marched with Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman to Jackson, Mississippi, and defeated the Confederates at the battle of Jackson
. Welsh contracted a malarial fever
during this campaign, from which he died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 14, 1863. He was buried in Mount Bethel Cemetery in his native Columbia.
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 Mexican-American War and a 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...
brigadier general
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...
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...
.
Early life and career
Thomas Welsh was born in Columbia, PennsylvaniaColumbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
on May 5, 1824, the third of 4 children born to Charles Welsh and Nancy (Dougherty) Welsh. His father died before his third birthday, and at the age of 8, he left home to work in a nail factory. Thus began a long series of jobs including farming, factory work and the lumber business, in the towns of Colemanville, Gap, and Bird in Hand, through which he became self-sufficient at an early age. He attended school only sporadically, attaining the equivalent of four to five years of formal schooling, but was self-taught, and became an educated man. At age 20, Welsh headed west to find work as an itinerant carpenter in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Mexican War
At the outbreak of the Mexican War, Welsh enlisted as a third sergeant in the 2nd Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
2nd Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
The 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was organized at Pendleton in Cincinnati, Ohio, May - June 1861...
. He served in the Monterey campaign
Battle of Monterrey
In the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by U.S...
under General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. He was quickly promoted to first Sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
then for reasons that have been lost, demoted to private.
Welsh was severely wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
on February 23, 1847, when he was hit by a musket ball which shattered the bone just below his right knee. Though the wound would leave him lame for the rest of his life, his regimental surgeon named Dr. Blanton was able to save his leg from amputation (Welsh would later name his first son after Dr. Blanton).
He returned to Columbia to recover and was received as a war hero. In January, 1848, as soon as his wound had closed, he returned to service, accepting a commission as a second Lieutenant in the 11th US Infantry Regiment
11th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 11th Infantry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army.-The First 11th Infantry:Under the authority granted the President by the Act of July 16, 1798, to raise twelve additional regiments of infantry, the first 11th Infantry came into existence in the Army of the United States in...
serving under General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
in the Vera Cruz campaign
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
. His leg wound hadn’t fully healed, however, and in May 1848, he was sent home on medical leave.
Political career and return to civilian life
Returning to Columbia during the election year of 1848, Welsh became active in the local Democratic Party. He supported Democratic presidential nominee Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
in his race against Welsh's former commanding office Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. He also spoke out against Federal anti-slavery legislation, instead favoring a doctrine of Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
, which espoused each territory's right to determine its own slavery or anti-slavery laws.
Welsh married Annie Young in October 1850. The first of their seven children was born in 1851.
He became an enterprising businessman, He opened a dry goods store in Columbia’s Canal Basin, sold insurance and operated a small fleet of canal boats which he named after his children.
He was appointed Weigh Master in 1850, and lock superintendent a few years later. He was elected Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and also served as president of the Borough Council.
Civil War
When the Civil War erupted in April 1861, Welsh raised one of the first companies of volunteers from Lancaster County and was elected as its captain. Within days, the company was mustered into service as part of the 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry, and he was appointed lieutenant colonelLieutenant 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 regiment. This was a three-months regiment, which served briefly in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
, then York, Pennsylvania, where it served out its term. In July, when his term of enlistment was over, Welsh was appointed by Governor Andrew Curtin as a 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...
and placed in charge of Camp Curtin, the processing center set up to process as many as 500,000 volunteers into war service. Welsh is credited with instituting needed reforms in camp discipline and sanitation.
In October 1861, he was appointed to command the 45th Pennsylvania infantry, a three-years regiment, which he had recruited from Center, Tioga, Lancaster and Mifflin and Counties. The 45th eventually became known as one of the best drilled and best disciplined regiments in the service, for which Col. Welsh is credited.
After brief service around Washington, the 45th was sent south to Charleston Harbor, under Gen. H. G. Wright
Horatio Wright
Horatio Gouverneur Wright was an engineer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he was involved in a number of engineering projects, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the completion of the Washington Monument, and served as Chief of Engineers for the U.S...
, as part of the blockade of southern shipping. There it participated in the Battle of James Island
Battle of James Island
The Battle of Secessionville on June 16, 1862, was the defeat of the only Union attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, by land during the American Civil War.-Battle:...
on June 10, 1862. In July, the 45th was called north to become part of the 9th Corps under Gen. Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, and Welsh directed the successful rear-guard action during the Union evacuation of Acquia Creek, near Fredericksburg.
When Confederate General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
launched his invasion of Maryland in September 1862, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac (of which the 9th Corps was part) was sent in chase. At the Battle of South Mountain
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...
on September 14, Col. Welsh, now in brigade command, engaged the rebels at Fox’s Gap. His brigade came under heavy fire and suffered severe casualties, but succeeded in driving the Confederates off the ridge and securing a Union victory.
On September 17, 1862, at 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...
, after first being held in reserved (on account of its losses at South Mountain), Welsh’s brigade was placed into action in the afternoon after Burnside exhausted his other troops capturing the bridge that now bears his name. Against steady opposition, Welsh’s troops advanced a mile, entering the village of Sharpsburg (threatening to cut off the Confeederate route of escape across the Potomac) before being called back because they couldn’t be supported. This was the furthest Union advance of the battle. As it was, the battle ended largely in a stalemate.
Welsh's performance drew praises from his superiors, and he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on November 29, 1862 (confirmed by the Senate on March 13, 1863). He was assigned to command the 1st division of the 9th Corps, sent west to Kentucky, then south to Mississippi to serve under Maj. Gen. 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...
during the Siege of Vicksburg, where he was assigned to guard the exterior of the Union line from attack by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
.
Upon the surrender of Vicksburg, he marched with Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman to Jackson, Mississippi, and defeated the Confederates at the battle of Jackson
Jackson Expedition
The Jackson Expedition occurred in the aftermath of the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi in July 1863. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman led the expedition to clear General Joseph E. Johnston's relief effort from the Vicksburg area.-Background:...
. Welsh contracted a malarial fever
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
during this campaign, from which he died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 14, 1863. He was buried in Mount Bethel Cemetery in his native Columbia.
Namesake
After the Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) named Post #118 in Columbia after Thomas Welsh. For many years, this was one of the most active Posts in Pennsylvania. As Civil War veterans died off, eventually the GAR went into decline and disappeared. Today, a successor group, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, have a General Thomas Welsh Camp in Lancaster.See also
- List of American Civil War generals