★ ★ 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

 

[Belfoured]

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.

That evaluation might be the product of a relatively low bar, using Franklin as the standard.

 

[Luke Freet]

That evaluation might be the product of a relatively low bar, using Franklin as the standard.

I mean, Porter is actually one of the few Union generals with multiple victories against Lee under his belt.

 

[Belfoured]

I mean, Porter is actually one of the few Union generals with multiple victories against Lee under his belt.

Mechanicsville and Malvern Hill?

 

[ErnieMac]

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.

I'm less critical of Franklin's advance to South Mountain than I am of his actions afterward seizing Crampton's Gap. IMO he had the opportunity to relieve Harpers Ferry and put McLaws' entire command in a difficult position in real short order.

 

[ErnieMac]

I mean, Porter is actually one of the few Union generals with multiple victories against Lee under his belt.

Mechanicsville and Malvern Hill?

Porter gave Lee a run for money at Gaines' Mill as well.

 

[Belfoured]

Porter gave Lee a run for money at Gaines' Mill as well.

We were referring to "victories". He ended up being routed at Gaines's Mill. Certainly not his fault, but that doesn't move him close to the victory column. All three of those battles saw the Federals possessing excellent defensive terrain and the ANV simply ignoring that - blatantly at Mechanicsville and Malvern Hill. Porter should get credit for selecting the defensive positions but if you've ever been to Malvern, picking that in particular was hardly "rocket science". So give him credit but I wouldn't go too far with it.

I figured @Luke Freet also might be thinking of the small battle at Hanover Court House. That was a "victory" over a force Porter vastly outnumbered, but his tactical execution was poor, leading at one point to the enemy appearing in the rear of some of his units. (McClellan's inflation of the significance of the "victory" in his correspondence was ridiculous - as Johnston proved a few days later).

I think I'll stand by the point. In the end he was better than Franklin, but it's a relatively low bar.

 

[Belfoured]

I'm less critical of Franklin's advance to South Mountain than I am of his actions afterward seizing Crampton's Gap. IMO he had the opportunity to relieve Harpers Ferry and put McLaws' entire command in a difficult position in real short order.

That's a fair point. I don't think any of his actions beginning 6 PM on September 13 reflected urgency.

 

[ErnieMac]

That's a fair point. I don't think any of his actions beginning 6 PM on September 13 reflected urgency.

I personally don't think he knew the meaning of the word.

 

[Luke Freet]

Mechanicsville and Malvern Hill?

yes.
I also add in Gaines Mill. Though not a victory for the Union side, Porter fought like hell and gave Lee a run for his money.

 

[rpkennedy]

I personally don't think he knew the meaning of the word.

Agreed. Even his handling of the situation at Crampton's Gap exhibited no sense of urgency much less the pursuit from the gap.

Ryan