William R. Terrill
Encyclopedia
William Rufus Terrill was a United States Army
soldier and general who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville
during the American Civil War
. His Confederate brother was also killed during the same war, making the Terrills one of the few sets of American brothers killed in action while commanding brigade
s.
, and grew up at Warm Springs, in Bath County, Virginia. His father, Colonel
William Henry Terrill, was a Virginia lawyer and congressman. He became a cadet at West Point in 1849 and graduated in 1853. While a cadet, he was involved in a fist-fight with fellow classmate Philip H. Sheridan. The encounter caused a one-year suspension for Sheridan from the academy. Terrill graduated 16th in his class of 1853. After graduation, he was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Artillery and served on various garrisons. He then fought the Seminole Indians in Florida until being reassigned as a recruiter. He returned to West Point as an assistant professor of mathematics during 1853–54, before being assigned to duty in "Bleeding Kansas
" during 1854–55. Terrill became an assistant in the United States coast survey from 1855 until 1861. On May 14, 1861, he was appointed captain of the 5th Regular Artillery in Washington, D.C.
was commissioned a major
of Virginia Infantry and served in the Confederate States Army
. Their father served the Confederate States as the provost marshal
of Bath County, Virginia
.
William Terrill served as assistant inspector general
in Washington, D.C.
, and then commanded a brigade of artillery in the Army of the Ohio
at the Battle of Shiloh
. On September 9, 1862 he was appointed as a brigadier general
of U.S. volunteers and took command of the 33rd Brigade in the Army of the Ohio
. He led his inexperienced fresh troops into their first combat action at the Battle of Perryville. There, he was mortally wounded by a shell fragment while trying to rally his brigade in the face of a Confederate attack, and died later that day. The previous night, Generals Terrill and James S. Jackson
and Colonel
George Webster were discussing the improbability of being killed in action. All three would be killed in the following battle.
In 1864 during the Overland Campaign
, Terrill's brother James, by then commanding a brigade, was killed in action at the Battle of Bethesda Church and buried on the battlefield. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Another younger brother, Philip Mallory Terrill of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, was killed near Winchester, Virginia
, in November 1864. The fourth brother, Dr. George P. Terrill, a Confederate militia
commander, survived the Civil War. An unscrupulous war correspondent from Harper's Weekly manufactured a fitting legend that their grieving father later erected a memorial stone for both brothers, which reads "This monument erected by their father. God Alone Knows Which Was Right."
William R. Terrill was interred at West Point National Cemetery.
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...
soldier and general who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
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...
. His Confederate brother was also killed during the same war, making the Terrills one of the few sets of American brothers killed in action while commanding 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...
s.
Early life
Terrill was born in Covington, VirginiaCovington, Virginia
Covington is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia, located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek. It is in Alleghany County where it is also the county seat. The population was 5,961 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany...
, and grew up at Warm Springs, in Bath County, Virginia. His father, Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
William Henry Terrill, was a Virginia lawyer and congressman. He became a cadet at West Point in 1849 and graduated in 1853. While a cadet, he was involved in a fist-fight with fellow classmate Philip H. Sheridan. The encounter caused a one-year suspension for Sheridan from the academy. Terrill graduated 16th in his class of 1853. After graduation, he was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Artillery and served on various garrisons. He then fought the Seminole Indians in Florida until being reassigned as a recruiter. He returned to West Point as an assistant professor of mathematics during 1853–54, before being assigned to duty in "Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
" during 1854–55. Terrill became an assistant in the United States coast survey from 1855 until 1861. On May 14, 1861, he was appointed captain of the 5th Regular Artillery in Washington, D.C.
Civil War
After the outbreak of the Civil War, Terrill was commissioned a captain in the 5th Regiment of Artillery in August 1861. His younger brother James B. TerrillJames B. Terrill
James B. Terrill, often identified as James Barbour Terrill, was born on February 20, 1838 in Bath County, Virginia. He was practicing law in Warm Springs, Virginia when the American Civil War began. He joined the Confederate States Army and was elected major of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment...
was commissioned a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
of Virginia Infantry and served 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...
. Their father served the Confederate States as the provost marshal
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
of Bath County, Virginia
Bath County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,048 people, 2,053 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 2,896 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
.
William Terrill served as assistant inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and then commanded a brigade of artillery in the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
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...
. On September 9, 1862 he was appointed as a 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...
of U.S. volunteers and took command of the 33rd Brigade in the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
. He led his inexperienced fresh troops into their first combat action at the Battle of Perryville. There, he was mortally wounded by a shell fragment while trying to rally his brigade in the face of a Confederate attack, and died later that day. The previous night, Generals Terrill and James S. Jackson
James S. Jackson
James Streshly Jackson was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
and Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
George Webster were discussing the improbability of being killed in action. All three would be killed in the following battle.
In 1864 during the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
, Terrill's brother James, by then commanding a brigade, was killed in action at the Battle of Bethesda Church and buried on the battlefield. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Another younger brother, Philip Mallory Terrill of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, was killed near Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
, in November 1864. The fourth brother, Dr. George P. Terrill, a Confederate militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
commander, survived the Civil War. An unscrupulous war correspondent from Harper's Weekly manufactured a fitting legend that their grieving father later erected a memorial stone for both brothers, which reads "This monument erected by their father. God Alone Knows Which Was Right."
William R. Terrill was interred at West Point National Cemetery.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals