★ ★ Franklin, William Buel

William Buel Franklin​

Born: February 27, 1823

Birthplace: York, Pennsylvania

Father: Walter Simonds Franklin 1799 – 1838

(Buried: Saint James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania)​

Mother: Sarah Buel 1798 – 1882

Wife: Anna Louisa "Ann" Clark 1824 – 1900

(Buried: Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, Pennsylvania)​

Married: July 7, 1852 in West Point, New York

Education:

1843: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (1st​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1843–1846: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, Topographical Engineers

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1843 – 1845: Assistant Engineer for Survey on Northwestern Lakes​

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1845: Served in General Kearney's Expedition to the South Pass​

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1845 – 1846: Assistant in Topographical Bureau in Washington, D.C.​

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1846 – 1853: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, Topographical Engineers​

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1847: Brevetted 1st​ Lt. for Gallantry at Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico​

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1848 – 1852: Assistant Philosophy Professor at West Point​

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1853 – 1857: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, Topographical Engineers​

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1857 – 1859: Engineer Secretary for Light House Board​

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1857 – 1861: Captain United States Army, Topographical Engineers​

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1859 – 1861: Engineer in charge of Extension of capitol and gold dome​

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1861: Chief of Construction Bureau for United States Treasury Dept.​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1866: Colonel of United States Army 12th​ Infantry Regiment​

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1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers Infantry​

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1861: Brigade Commander at First Battle of Bull Run, Virginia​

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1862: Commander of Sixth Army Corps in the Union Army​

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1862: Corps Commander during the Peninsula Campaign in Virginia​

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1862 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteers Infantry​

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1862: Brevetted Brigadier General for fighting around Richmond, Virginia​

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1862: Corps Commander at Battle of South Mountain, Maryland​

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1862: Held in reserve during the Battle of Antietam, Maryland​

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1862: Supporter of Major General George B. McClellan​

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1862: Commander of Left Grand Division at Battle of Fredericksburg​

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1863: Reassigned to the Union Army Department of the Gulf​

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1863: Union Army Commander at Second Battle of Sabine Pass, Texas​

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1864: Wounded in the leg at the Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana​

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1864: Captured by Major Harry Gilmor's Troops in train near D.C.​

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1864: Escaped from Confederates during night of July 12th​​

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1864 – 1865: President of Board of Retiring Disabled Officers​

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1865: Brevetted to rank of Major General for duty and gallantry​

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1866: Resigned from United States Army on March 15th​​

Occupation after War:

1865 – 1888: Vice President of Colt's firearm manufacturing Company​

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1868: President of Board of Visitors at West Point Military Academy​

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1872 – 1873: President of Commission for building new capitol in New Hartford​

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1873 – 1877: Consulting Engineer for building of new capitol in Connecticut​

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1873 – 1878: Water Commissioner for New Hartford, Connecticut​

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1875: President Board of Engineers and Architectures U.S. Customs​

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1876: Delegate to Democratic Party National Convention​

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1876: Democratic Party Presidential Elector​

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1877 –1880: Superintendent for building of new capitol in Connecticut​

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1877 - 1878: Connecticut State Adjutant General

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1880 – 1899: President of Board of Managers for National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers​

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1889: United States Commissioner General for Paris Exposition​

Died: March 8, 1903

Place of Death: Hartford, Connecticut

Cause of Death: 80 years old

Cause of Death: Effects of Senility

Burial Place: Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, Pennsylvania

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy weekend (February 27th) Birthday Major General William B. Franklin! Salutes remembering General Franklin on his birthday weekend.

 

[Luke Freet]

Franklin to my mind ranks among the worst generals of the war. At Fredericksburg, he only committed two divisions to attack the Confederate right (the weakest part of the line) when he had 6 divisions on hand; and of the two engaged divisions, he failed to see to it that they cooperated in their attacks.
However his most egregious action was at Sabine Pass. Franklin, a man who graduated from the top of his West Point class, led a force of 5,000 men in transports and gunboats through the pass to threaten Confederate supply lines to Arkansas and Louisiana. Facing this were 50 men and 4 naval guns under the command of an Irish tavern keeper. And yet, after the loss of two ships and making no attempts to land his troops to take the fort, Franklin withdrew.

 

[USS ALASKA]

From First to Last: The Life of William B. Franklin by Mark A. Snell

From First to Last is a complete life story of one of the most controversial yet least well known generals on either side during the Civil War. The number one graduate of the West Point class of 1843, William Buel Franklin served in the U.S. Army's Corps of Topographical Engineers and contributed greatly to the building of the nation's internal improvements, including a stint as chief engineer in charge of construction of the U.S. Capitol's dome and extension from 1859 to 1861.

During the Civil War Franklin ascended rapidly in rank and command authority, from command of a Union brigade at Bull Run, to leadership of the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula and during the Maryland Campaign, to command of the Left Grand Division, of that army at the terrible Battle of Fredericksburg. In the wake of Fredericksburg, Franklin was unjustly blamed for the Union army's defeat, not so much because of his generalship-or lack thereof-but because of his politics and the highly-charged political nature of high-level leadership in the Army of the Potomac. Censured by the notorious Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, Franklin was banished to the Department of the Gulf, where he participated in the ill-fated Sabine Pass Expedition and Red River Campaign. Wounded during the Red River Campaign and captured by Confederate partisan rangers Franklin would escape his captors but could not escape the wrath of the Lincoln administration, which refused to place him back in command even though his old West Point classmate-U. S. Grant-personally requested his services.

Franklin resigned his commission in 1866 and began a highly successful post-war career as Vice President and General Manager of Colt's Firearms Company in Hartford, Connecticut. A respected citizen of that city, Franklin continued to serve his country in a number of public positions, including leadership of a government bureau that eventually became the U.S. Veterans Administration. Snell's study of Franklin is evenly balanced, correctly pointing out Franklin's flaws and lapses of judgment-such as the Battle of Crampton's Gap on September 14, 1862-but giving him credit where he received none in the past. Snell provides readers with a complete picture of Franklin: brilliant engineer, doting husband, respected businessman, and controversial Union general. From First to Last will change the way historians interpret this important figure of American history.

From First to Last: The Life of William B. Franklin (The North's Civil War): Snell, Mark A.: 9780823221486: Amazon.com: Books

From First to Last: The Life of William B. Franklin (The North's Civil War) [Snell, Mark A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. From First to Last: The Life of William B. Franklin (The North's Civil War)

www.amazon.com

Gen. William B. Franklin and the Operations of the Left Wing at the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862 by Jacob Lyman Greene

In defense of Gen. William B. Franklin
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2007
General William B. Franklin was in command of a Federal "Grand Division" consisting of two Corps during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Blame for the Federal's loss eventually assigned to him, a charge that was hotly contested by Franklin and others for many years to come. This essay, written by a sympathetic acquaintance when Franklin's health was failing, was the text of an address Greene made to a "small association called 'The Hartford Monday Evening Club.'" His argument is best summarized in the last paragraph of the essay: "four main points stand out distinct and clear: The only proper battlefield at Fredericksburg was the ground on which Franklin and Jackson confronted each other; the force at Franklin's disposal ought to have been used to adequate and decisive results; his own apprehension of both these facts was perfect, and his accordant scheme of operation was proportioned to both the opportunity and the resistance; at no point of time or of action was it General Franklin's fault that, despite his urgent entreaty, his force was not allowed to essay its proper task on that day."

Review by K Scheffler

Gen. William B. Franklin and the Operations of the Left Wing at the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862: Greene, Jacob Lyman: 9781359013149: Amazon.com: Books

Gen. William B. Franklin and the Operations of the Left Wing at the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862 [Greene, Jacob Lyman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Gen. William B. Franklin and the Operations of the Left Wing at the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862

www.amazon.com

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Pollaco]

There were quite a few "Civil War Generals" from his graduate class of 1843 at West Point including U.S. Grant.

 

[ErnieMac]

On July 11, 1864, during Jubal Early's 1864 Maryland incursion a raiding party commanded by Major Harry Gilmor stopped and burned two trains traveling northeast out of Baltimore. On board one of the trains was General William Franklin who was briefly taken prisoner. He escaped the following day.

 

[Pollaco]

On July 11, 1864, during Jubal Early's 1864 Maryland incursion a raiding party commanded by Major Harry Gilmor stopped and burned two trains traveling northeast out of Baltimore. On board one of the trains was General William Franklin who was briefly taken prisoner. He escaped the following day.

Thanks, I never heard that story before.

 

[ErnieMac]

Thanks, I never heard that story before.

Here's a link: http://landmarks.allenbrowne.info/IshmaelDay/Magnolia.htm

 

[rpkennedy]

In defense of Gen. William B. Franklin
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2007
General William B. Franklin was in command of a Federal "Grand Division" consisting of two Corps during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Blame for the Federal's loss eventually assigned to him, a charge that was hotly contested by Franklin and others for many years to come. This essay, written by a sympathetic acquaintance when Franklin's health was failing, was the text of an address Greene made to a "small association called 'The Hartford Monday Evening Club.'" His argument is best summarized in the last paragraph of the essay: "four main points stand out distinct and clear: The only proper battlefield at Fredericksburg was the ground on which Franklin and Jackson confronted each other; the force at Franklin's disposal ought to have been used to adequate and decisive results; his own apprehension of both these facts was perfect, and his accordant scheme of operation was proportioned to both the opportunity and the resistance; at no point of time or of action was it General Franklin's fault that, despite his urgent entreaty, his force was not allowed to essay its proper task on that day."

Oof. That's some apologia there.

Ryan

 

[Pollaco]

Franklin was wounded in the leg at Mansfield but stayed with his troops until after the Battle of Pleasant Hill. He was then replaced by Gen. William H. Emory.It was probably that wound which caused him to be on the train where he was captured. He was back East on medical leave because the wound continued to steadily worsen for a time.

 

[Pollaco]

Franklin was Colonel of the 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment for only 3 days.On May 17, 1861 he was promoted to brigadier.

 

[rpkennedy]

Franklin was Colonel of the 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment for only 3 days.On May 17, 1861 he was promoted to brigadier.

That was his permanent rank. The promotion to brigadier general was in the volunteer army. He was still the colonel of 12th US when he resigned in 1866.

Ryan

 

[Cavalier]

Regardless of his class ranking at West Point he always seemed a pretty lack luster general to me. I hadn't heard about the Sabine Pass incident but that only adds to what I already thought.

John

 

[ErnieMac]

IMO Franklin was one of many CW generals promoted above their level of competence. In Franklin's case he had little opportunity to prove his abilities or lack thereof. He commanded a brigade at 1st Bull Run and in the defenses of Washington until September 1861 when he was assigned a division. Franklin served as a division commander at Washington and until May, 1862, when his division was sent to the Peninsula and merged into the newly formed VI Corps which he was promoted to command. During that time he saw no combat.

 

[Pollaco]

Most other generals in his position would have been considered for the position of commanding the AOP back when the Army was going through generals. It was purely political and Franklin was never even considered after all he was a "McClellan man". I read where He resigned from the Army rather than serve under Hooker.

 

[Luke Freet]

Most other generals in his position would have been considered for the position of commanding the AOP back when the Army was going through generals. It was purely political and Franklin was never even considered after all he was a "McClellan man". I read where He resigned from the Army rather than serve under Hooker.

Franklin was given command of the newly formed 6th Corps by McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign, as all the other 4 corps commanders were not supportive of him. The other man McClellan appointed to corps command during this same time was Fitz John Porter, who proved to be the general Franklin never was.

 

[ErnieMac]

When Burnside assumed command of the AOP he appointed Franklin to command the Left Grand Division (First & Sixth Corps). Following the Battle of Fredericksburg Franklin was blamed by a number of generals including Burnside and Hooker for the failure of the attacks on the Federal left. For his part Franklin engaged with a number of high-ranking officers to take their concerns about Burnside's leadership directly to Washington, bypassing the normal chain of command. Burnside became aware of the conspiracy and removed Franklin from command just days before he was relieved from command of the AOP. After weeks of testimony before the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, which placed the blame on him, and refusing to serve under Hooker, Frankin was sent West.

 

[Pollaco]

"Had the left grand division vigorously performed it's part in the earlier movement,can anyone doubt the result? I cannot think so.Had Meade, Reynolds, or Hancock been in command on the left that day, I feel confident that Fredricksburg would have been recorded glorious victory instead of a horrible slaughter." Who supposedly said that about Franklin? It taken from a book by Fredrick L.Hitchcock, titled "War from the Inside".

 

[Belfoured]

Most other generals in his position would have been considered for the position of commanding the AOP back when the Army was going through generals. It was purely political and Franklin was never even considered after all he was a "McClellan man". I read where He resigned from the Army rather than serve under Hooker.

I'd say they guessed right on Franklin. Even his friend McClellan had begun criticizing his actions by Fall 1862.

 

[Belfoured]

IMO Franklin was one of many CW generals promoted above their level of competence. In Franklin's case he had little opportunity to prove his abilities or lack thereof. He commanded a brigade at 1st Bull Run and in the defenses of Washington until September 1861 when he was assigned a division. Franklin served as a division commander at Washington and until May, 1862, when his division was sent to the Peninsula and merged into the newly formed VI Corps which he was promoted to command. During that time he saw no combat.

While McClellan has taken most of the heat for the failure to achieve more after discovering the Lost Orders, more of the blame probably goes to Franklin for how the pursuit to South Mountain was handled.