Lincoln Mr Lincoln promotes General Buford

[frontrank2]

OTD - December 16, 1863
Clement B. Barclay, of Pennsylvania, informs Lincoln that General John Buford ( the Gettysburg hero )cannot live through day, whereupon Lincoln appoints Buford major general in U.S. Army and Barclay carries the news to the dying hero.
Evening Star (Washington, DC), 17 December 1863, 2d ed., 2:1.

 

[frontrank2]

It is suspected that Buford came down with Typhoid and had gone to his friend General Stoneman's house to try and recover.
In the last hours, Buford was attended by his aide, future Battle of the Little Big Horn officer, Captain Myles Keogh, and by Edward, his black servant. Also present were Lieutenant Colonel A. J. Alexander and General Stoneman. His wife Pattie was traveling from Rock Island, Illinois, but would not arrive in time. Near the end, he became delirious and began admonishing Edward, but then, in a moment of clarity, called for the man and apologized: "Edward, I hear that I have been scolding you. I did not know what I was doing. You have been a faithful servant, Edward."

John Buford died at 2 p.m., December 16, 1863, while Myles Keogh held him in his arms. His final reported words were "Put guards on all the roads, and don't let the men run to the rear."

 

[bankerpapaw]

It is suspected that Buford came down with Typhoid and had gone to his friend General Stoneman's house to try and recover.
In the last hours, Buford was attended by his aide, future Battle of the Little Big Horn officer, Captain Myles Keogh, and by Edward, his black servant. Also present were Lieutenant Colonel A. J. Alexander and General Stoneman. His wife Pattie was traveling from Rock Island, Illinois, but would not arrive in time. Near the end, he became delirious and began admonishing Edward, but then, in a moment of clarity, called for the man and apologized: "Edward, I hear that I have been scolding you. I did not know what I was doing. You have been a faithful servant, Edward."

John Buford died at 2 p.m., December 16, 1863, while Myles Keogh held him in his arms. His final reported words were "Put guards on all the roads, and don't let the men run to the rear."

Salute!!!

 

[MDcivilwarbuff]

To me, Buford is one of the great "what-ifs" of the war. If he lived I wonder what other cavalry operations could have taken place especially in the Shenandoah Valley, given his eye for good terrain.

With that being said, we should also consider Mrs. Buford (Pattie). She was on her way to her husbands side, but he died before she arrived. This means she didn't get to to say goodbye to the man she loved. Even though they'd spent 2/3 of their 9 year marriage apart, this couldn't have been easy for Pattie.

Additionally, losing John wasn't Pattie's only encounter with grief in 1863. She'd also lost her father and her daughter (who was only 5 years old). The grief of losing three family members in less than six months couldn't have been an easy weight to carry.

For additional information:

Pattie Buford - Women History