★ Ledlie, James H.

James Hewitt Ledlie​

Born: April 14, 1832

Birthplace: Utica, New York

Father: George Ferguson Ledlie – 1840

(Buried: Forest Hill Cemetery, Utica, New York)​

Mother: Fanny Hewitt 1801 – 1880

(Buried: Forest Hill Cemetery, Utica, New York)​

Wife: Catherine Hees 1837 – 1865

(Buried: Palatine Bridge Cemetery, Palatine Bridge, New York)​

Education:

Graduated from Union College – (No Record of Attendance found)​

Occupation before War:

Civil Engineer on the Erie Canal and Railroad Construction​

Civil War Career:

1861: Major of 19th​ New York Infantry Regiment​

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1861: Major of 3rd​ New York Artillery Regiment​

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1861 – 1862: Colonel of 3rd​ New York Artillery Regiment​

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1862 – 1865: Brigadier General, Union Army Volunteers​

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1862 – 1863: Served in Garrison positions and North Carolina Coast​

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Served in the Union Army Department of Virginia and North Carolina​

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1864: Served in the Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia​

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1864: Suffered from the effects of Malaria​

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1864: Found to be behind lines during the Battle of Crater drinking​

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1864: Criticized by a Court of inquiry for his conduct​

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1864: Dismissed from the Army in December​

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1865: Resigned from the Union Army on January 23rd​​

Occupation after War:

Railroad Civil Engineer in the Western and Southern United States​

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Participated in the construction of Transcontinental Railroad​

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Employee of Union Pacific Railroad Company​

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Worked in construction of Nevada Central Railroad Company​

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1869 – 1882: Suffered from malaria, rheumatism and diarrhea​

Died: August 15, 1882

Place of Death: New Brighton, Staten Island, New York

Cause of Death: Cholereticemia and cirrhosis of the liver

Age at time of Death: 50 years old

Burial Place: Forest Hill Cemetery, Utica, New York

 

[Pete Longstreet]

His performance during the Battle of the Crater was sad. Ledlie was a drunk who failed to instruct his men what to expect, and cowered well behind the lines drinking rum when his men attacked. Thus the disaster was set, and his men slaughtered.

 

[frontrank2]

IMHO, the worst general on either side during the ACW. At the Crater, instead of leading his men, he was seen behind the lines getting plastered.

 

[John Wolf Smith]

Happy birthday, General Ledile.

 

[frontrank2]

Battle of the Crater

 

[Pollaco]

General Grant said of Ledlie...."besides being otherwise inefficient, [he] proved also to possess disqualification [cowardice] less common among soldiers" Who was it that said his "removal from command was a heavy loss to the enemy"?

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday (Thursday) Brig. General James H. Ledile! Salutes remembering General Ledile on his birthday.

 

[ErnieMac]

25 Feb 1865 edition of the New York Daily Herald.

16 August 1882 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

[Pollaco]

He was an officer in both the 19th New York and the 3rd New York Light Artillery. Someone correct if I'm wrong but I think these 2 units were actually the same regiment. After limited action Leslie was given permission to convert his first unit into an artillery unit.

 

[ErnieMac]

He was an officer in both the 19th New York and the 3rd New York Light Artillery. Someone correct if I'm wrong but I think these 2 units were actually the same regiment. After limited action Leslie was given permission to convert his first unit into an artillery unit.

You are correct.

19th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry Historical Sketch :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center

museum.dmna.ny.gov

 

[LibertyAndUnion]

I'm not here to defend Ledlie, but the evidence about him being drunk at the Crater isn't really that strong. When Earl Hess, a highly respected historian, looked over the matter for his book on the Crater, he noted the lack of good evidence. I found the same in my research for a Ninth Corps manuscript. One doctor testified to giving Ledlie a bit of rum, but did not say he saw Ledlie drunk in his bunker. Sure, Ledlie was a bad general, but saying he was drunk at the Crater isn't the best point of criticism about the man. Burnside's orders for the attack left much to be desired, and Meade failed to have faith in the Crater plan from the beginning. Meade should've resigned or been fired. Of the three leading figures of the Crater disaster, Meade was the only one to keep his command.

 

[Pollaco]

I'm not here to defend Ledlie, but the evidence about him being drunk at the Crater isn't really that strong. When Earl Hess, a highly respected historian, looked over the matter for his book on the Crater, he noted the lack of good evidence. I found the same in my research for a Ninth Corps manuscript. One doctor testified to giving Ledlie a bit of rum, but did not say he saw Ledlie drunk in his bunker. Sure, Ledlie was a bad general, but saying he was drunk at the Crater isn't the best point of criticism about the man. Burnside's orders for the attack left much to be desired, and Meade failed to have faith in the Crater plan from the beginning. Meade should've resigned or been fired. Of the three leading figures of the Crater disaster, Meade was the only one to keep his command.

I don't have a copy of Burnside's orders handy but I have read that Ledlie was given some fairly "vaque"orders .

 

[ErnieMac]

The following is from OR, Series 1, Volume XL, Part 3, pages 611-2. I have not found what verbal orders Ledlie was given.

Circular.] Headquarters Ninth Army Corps,
July 29, 1864.

I. The mine will be exploded to-morrow morning at 3.30 by Colonel Pleasants. General Potter will issue the necessary orders to the colonel for the explosion.

II. General Ledlie will immediately upon the explosion of the mine move his division forward as directed by verbal orders this day, and if possible crown the crest at the point known as Cemetery Hill, occupying, if possible, the cemetery.

111. General Willcox will move his division forward as soon as possible after General Ledlie has passed through the first line of the enemy's works, bearing oft* to the left so as to effectually protect the left flank of General Ledlie's column, and make a lodgment, if possible, on the Jerusalem plank road to the left of General Ledlie's division.

IV. General Potter will move his division forward to the right of General Ledlie's division as soon as it is apparent that he will not interfere with the movements of General Willcox's division, and will as near as possible protect the right flank of General Ledlie from any attack on that quarter and establish a line on the crest of a ravine which seems to run from the Cemetery Hill nearly at right angles to the enemy's main line directly in our front.

V. General Ferrero will move his division immediately after General Willcox's until he reaches our present advance line, where he will remain until the ground in his front is entirely cleared by the other three divisions, when he will move forward over the same ground that General Ledlie moved over; will pass through our line and, if possible, move down and occupy the village to the right.

VI. The formations and movements of all these divisions, together with their places of rendezvous, will be as near as possible in accordance with the understanding during the personal interviews with the division commanders. The headquarters of the corps during the movement will be at the fourteen-gun battery in rear of the Taylor house. If further instructions are desired by division commanders they will please ask for them at once.

By order of Major-General Burnside:

W. H. HARMS,
Captain Ordnance, U. S. Army​

 

[LibertyAndUnion]

The following is from OR, Series 1, Volume XL, Part 3, pages 611-2. I have not found what verbal orders Ledlie was given.

Circular.] Headquarters Ninth Army Corps,​

July 29, 1864.​

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I. The mine will be exploded to-morrow morning at 3.30 by Colonel Pleasants. General Potter will issue the necessary orders to the colonel for the explosion.​

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II. General Ledlie will immediately upon the explosion of the mine move his division forward as directed by verbal orders this day, and if possible crown the crest at the point known as Cemetery Hill, occupying, if possible, the cemetery.​

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111. General Willcox will move his division forward as soon as possible after General Ledlie has passed through the first line of the enemy's works, bearing oft* to the left so as to effectually protect the left flank of General Ledlie's column, and make a lodgment, if possible, on the Jerusalem plank road to the left of General Ledlie's division.​

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IV. General Potter will move his division forward to the right of General Ledlie's division as soon as it is apparent that he will not interfere with the movements of General Willcox's division, and will as near as possible protect the right flank of General Ledlie from any attack on that quarter and establish a line on the crest of a ravine which seems to run from the Cemetery Hill nearly at right angles to the enemy's main line directly in our front.​

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V. General Ferrero will move his division immediately after General Willcox's until he reaches our present advance line, where he will remain until the ground in his front is entirely cleared by the other three divisions, when he will move forward over the same ground that General Ledlie moved over; will pass through our line and, if possible, move down and occupy the village to the right.​

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VI. The formations and movements of all these divisions, together with their places of rendezvous, will be as near as possible in accordance with the understanding during the personal interviews with the division commanders. The headquarters of the corps during the movement will be at the fourteen-gun battery in rear of the Taylor house. If further instructions are desired by division commanders they will please ask for them at once.​

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By order of Major-General Burnside:​

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W. H. HARMS,​

Captain Ordnance, U. S. Army​

Note the appearance of "if possible" twice in close proximity. You don't tell your subordinates to attack Cemetery Hill "if possible" when your boss orders you to quickly take the hill. Ledlie was an idiot, but attacking the hill seems discretionary, doesn't it? Burnside did not question the conduct of his division commanders to try to save himself, perhaps because he knew this order was poorly written.

 

[John Hartwell]

Gen. Ledlie & staff at Petersburg:

[Mass. MOLLUS photo collection, vol. 71, p.3537]​

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I'm not here to defend Ledlie, but the evidence about him being drunk at the Crater isn't really that strong.

If he wasn't drunk why wasn't he actively trying to lead his division? Being a sober, incompetent coward is arguably worse than simply being a drunk.

 

[Belfoured]

If he wasn't drunk why wasn't he actively trying to lead his division? Being a sober, incompetent coward is arguably worse than simply being a drunk.

IIRC he was indisputably plastered at the North Anna on May 24 and that was why his brigade engaged in an ill-advised attack by its lonesome. "Fool me once, ..."

 

[captaxe]

IIRC he was indisputably plastered at the North Anna on May 24 and that was why his brigade engaged in an ill-advised attack by its lonesome. "Fool me once, ..."

That is 100% accurate. After the attack of his brigade along the North Anna, he turned command of it over to Col. Stephen Weld of the 56th Massachusetts, who remarked, in hindsight, that Ledlie "was a coward and took. . . . liquor to try to fortify himself for the fight." During the 9th Corps assaults against Petersburg on June 17, Ledlie was passed out cold, having turned command of his division prior to the attack to one of his subordinates. Wilson Greene discusses it in his Campaign of Giants. Ledlie also tried (unsuccessfully) to turn command over to a subordinate during the Crater battle.

 

[Library Lady]

Since he worked for the Union Pacific, I suppose I will now have to see what Stephen Ambrose has to say about him (if anything) in Nothing Like it in the World, his book on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.