View source for Gouverneur K. Warren

{{short description|General in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Gouverneur Kemble Warren
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1830|1|8}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1882|8|8|1830|1|8}}
| birth_place   = [[Cold Spring, New York]], U.S.
| death_place   = [[Newport, Rhode Island]], U.S.
| placeofburial = [[Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery|Island Cemetery]], Newport, Rhode Island
| placeofburial_label = Place of burial
| image         = Portrait of Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, officer of the Federal Army LOC cwpb.05646 (cropped).jpg
| caption       = 
| nickname      = Hero of Little Round Top
| allegiance    = [[United States]]
| serviceyears  = 1850–1882
| branch        = [[United States Army]]<br />[[Union Army]]
| rank          = [[File:Union Army major general rank insignia.svg|border|35px]] [[Major general (United States)|Major general]]
| commands      = [[5th New York Volunteer Infantry]]<br />[[II Corps (Union Army)|II Corps]]<br />[[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]]
| unit          = 
| battles       = {{Tree list}}
* [[First Sioux War]]
** [[Battle of Ash Hollow]]
* [[American Civil War]]
** [[Battle of Big Bethel]]
** [[Peninsula campaign]]
** [[Battle of Fredericksburg]]
** [[Battle of Chancellorsville]]
** [[Battle of Gettysburg]]
** [[Battle of Bristoe Station]]
** [[Overland Campaign]]
*** [[Battle of the Wilderness]]
** [[Siege of Petersburg]]
** [[Appomattox campaign]]
*** [[Battle of Five Forks]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| awards        = 
| laterwork     = 
}}

[[File:Gouverneur K. Warren, around 1850.png|thumb|right|Gouverneur K. Warren as a West Point cadet, c.1850]]
[[File:Major General Gouverneur Kemble Warren of General Staff U.S. Volunteers Infantry Regiment in uniform) - From photographic negative in Brady's National Portrait Gallery LCCN2016646208.jpg|thumb|right|Major General Gouverneur Kemble Warren. From the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Prints and Photographs Division, [[Library of Congress]]]]

'''Gouverneur Kemble Warren''' (January 8, 1830 – August 8, 1882) was an American [[civil engineer]] and [[United States Army]] [[General officer|general]] during the [[American Civil War]]. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of [[Little Round Top]] during the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] and is often referred to as the "Hero of Little Round Top". His subsequent service as a corps commander and his remaining military career were ruined during the [[Battle of Five Forks]], when he was relieved of command of the [[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]] by [[Philip Sheridan]], who claimed that Warren had moved too slowly. A post-war court of inquiry found that Sheridan's relief of Warren was unjustified.

==Early life==
Warren was born in [[Cold Spring, New York]], and named for [[Gouverneur Kemble]], a prominent local [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]], diplomat, industrialist, and owner of the West Point Foundry. His sister, [[Emily Warren Roebling]], would later play a significant role in building the Brooklyn Bridge. He entered the [[United States Military Academy]] across the [[Hudson River]] from his hometown at age 16 and graduated second in his class of 44 cadets in 1850.<ref name=Eicher>Eicher, pp. 554–55.</ref> He was commissioned a [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the [[Corps of Topographical Engineers]].

In the [[Antebellum South]], he worked on the [[Mississippi River]], participating in the [[Pacific Railroad Surveys]] of possible transcontinental railroad routes, and, in 1857, mapping the [[Western United States]], extensively exploring the vast [[Nebraska Territory]], including [[Nebraska]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], part of [[Montana]], and part of [[Wyoming]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc10668.htm|title=Gouverneur Kemble Warren Papers, 1848–1882 (finding aid)|website=New York State Library Website|publisher=[[New York State Library]]|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name=statue>{{cite web| title =General Warren Statue| publisher =New York City Department of Parks and Recreation  |date =August 27, 2001 |url =http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10786| access-date =June 4, 2007}}</ref> He served as the engineer on [[William S. Harney]]'s [[Battle of Ash Hollow]] in the [[Nebraska Territory]] in 1855, where he saw his first combat.<ref name=Heidler>Heidler, pp. 2062–63.</ref><ref>Wittenberg, p. 116.</ref>

One region he surveyed was the Minnesota River Valley, a valley much larger than expected from the low-flow [[Minnesota River]]. In some places, the valley is 5 miles (8&nbsp;km) wide and 250 feet (80&nbsp;m) deep. Warren first explained the region's hydrology in 1868, attributing the gorge to a massive river that drained [[Lake Agassiz]] between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. The great river was named [[Glacial River Warren]] in his honor after his death.<ref>{{cite web|last=Upham |first=Warren |author-link=Warren Upham |title=The Glacial Lake Agassiz |publisher=North Dakota State University Libraries |date=April 16, 1999 |url=http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/govdocs/text/lakeagassiz/chapter1.html |access-date=June 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429194719/http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/govdocs/text/lakeagassiz/chapter1.html |archive-date=April 29, 2007 }}</ref>

==American Civil War==
At the start of the war, Warren was a [[First Lieutenant#United States|first lieutenant]] and mathematics instructor at the [[United States Military Academy]]. He helped raise a local [[regiment]] for service in the U.S. Army and was appointed [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] of the [[5th New York Infantry Regiment]] on May 14, 1861.<ref name=Eicher/><ref name=Heidler/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/92309027|title = Compiled Military Service Record of Colonel Gouverneur K. Warren, 5th New York Infantry Regiment|series = Series: Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, 1890 - 1912}}</ref> Warren and his regiment saw their first combat at the [[Battle of Big Bethel]] in [[Virginia]] on June 10, arguably the first major land engagement of the war.<ref name=Heidler/> He was promoted to [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] and regimental commander on September 10.<ref name=Eicher/><ref>[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/92309027 Combined Military Service Record]</ref>

In the 1862 [[Peninsula Campaign]], Warren commanded his regiment at the [[Battle of Yorktown (1862)|Siege of Yorktown]] and also assisted the chief topographical engineer of the [[Army of the Potomac]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brig. Gen.]] [[Andrew A. Humphreys]], by leading reconnaissance missions and drawing detailed maps of appropriate routes for the army in its advance up the [[Virginia Peninsula]]. He commanded a small [[brigade]] (3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, [[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]]) during the [[Seven Days Battles]] consisting of his own 5th New York along with the 10th New York. At [[Gaines Mill]], he was bruised in the knee by a shell fragment but remained on the field. He continued to lead the brigade at the [[Second Battle of Bull Run]], suffering heavy casualties in a heroic stand against an overwhelming enemy assault,<ref name=W117>Wittenberg, p. 117.</ref> and at [[Battle of Antietam|Antietam]], where the V Corps was in reserve and saw no combat.<ref name=Heidler/>
[[File:General Warren fighting at Bristoe station LCCN2004660830.jpg|thumb|300px|General Warren fighting at Bristoe station as sketched by [[Alfred Waud]]]]
[[File:Culpeper, Va. Generals of the Army of the Potomac- Gouverneur K. Warren, William H. French, George G. Meade, Henry J. Hunt, Andrew A. Humphreys, George Sykes LOC cwpb.03981.jpg|thumb|Commanders of the [[Army of the Potomac]], Gouverneur K. Warren, [[William H. French]], [[George Meade|George G. Meade]], [[Henry J. Hunt]], [[Andrew A. Humphreys]] and [[George Sykes]] in September 1863]]
Warren was promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] on September 26, 1862,<ref name=Eicher/> and he and his brigade went to the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]] in December, but again were held in reserve and saw no action. When [[Major general (United States)|U.S. Maj. Gen.]] [[Joseph Hooker]] reorganized the Army of the Potomac in February 1863, he named Warren his chief topographical engineer and then chief engineer. As chief engineer, Warren was commended for his service in the [[Battle of Chancellorsville]].<ref name=Heidler/>

At the start of the [[Gettysburg campaign]], as Confederate [[Full General (CSA)|General]] [[Robert E. Lee]] began his invasion of [[Pennsylvania]], Warren advised Hooker on the routes the Army should take in pursuit. On the second day of the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], July 2, 1863, Warren initiated the defense of [[Little Round Top]], recognizing the importance of the undefended position on the left flank of the U.S. Army and directing, on his initiative, the brigade of Col. [[Strong Vincent]] to occupy it just minutes before it was attacked. Warren suffered a minor neck wound during the Confederate assault.

Promoted to major general after Gettysburg (August 8, 1863), Warren commanded the [[II Corps (Union Army)|II Corps]] from August 1863 until March 1864, replacing the wounded Maj. Gen. [[Winfield S. Hancock]], and distinguishing himself at the [[Battle of Bristoe Station]]. On March 13, 1865, he was brevetted to major general in the [[Regular Army (United States)|regular army]] for his actions at Bristoe Station.<ref name=Eicher/> During the [[Mine Run Campaign]], Warren's corps was ordered to attack Lee's army. Still, he perceived that a trap had been laid and refused the order from army commander Maj. Gen. [[George G. Meade]]. Although initially angry at Warren, Meade acknowledged that he had been right.<ref name=W117/> Upon Hancock's return from medical leave and the spring 1864 reorganization of the Army of the Potomac, Warren assumed command of the V Corps and led it through the [[Overland Campaign]], the [[Siege of Petersburg]], and the [[Appomattox Campaign]].<ref name=Heidler/>

During these Virginia campaigns, Warren established a reputation for bringing his engineering traits of deliberation and caution to the role of an infantry corps commander. He won the [[Battle of Globe Tavern]], August 18 to August 20, 1864, cutting the Weldon Railroad, a vital supply route north to Petersburg. He also won a limited success in the [[Battle of Peebles' Farm]] in September 1864, carrying a part of the Confederate lines protecting supplies moving to Petersburg on the Boydton Plank Road.

The aggressive Maj. Gen. [[Philip Sheridan]], a key subordinate of [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lt. Gen.]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]], was dissatisfied with Warren's performance. He was angry at Warren's corps for supposedly obstructing roads after the [[Battle of the Wilderness]] and its cautious actions during the Siege of Petersburg. At the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign, Sheridan requested that the [[VI Corps (Union Army)|VI Corps]] be assigned to his pursuit of Lee's army. Still, Grant insisted that the V Corps was better positioned. He gave Sheridan written permission to relieve Warren if he felt it was justified "for the good of the service".<ref name=W119>Wittenberg, p. 119.</ref> Grant later wrote in his ''Personal Memoirs'',<ref>Grant, p. 702.</ref>

{{Quotation|I was so much dissatisfied with Warren's dilatory movements in the [[battle of White Oak Road]] and in his failure to reach Sheridan in time, that I was very much afraid that at the last moment he would fail Sheridan. He was a man of fine intelligence, great earnestness, quick perception, and could make his dispositions as quickly as any officer, under difficulties where he was forced to act. But I had before discovered a defect which was beyond his control, that was very prejudicial to his usefulness in emergencies like the one just before us. He could see every danger at a glance before he had encountered it. He would not only make preparations to meet the danger which might occur, but he would inform his commanding officer what others should do while he was executing his move.|Ulysses S. Grant|Personal Memoirs}}

[[File:Gouverneur K. Warren Gettysburg statue.jpg|thumb|[[Karl Gerhardt|Gerhardt]]'s statue of Warren on [[Little Round Top]] in [[Gettysburg Battlefield|Gettysburg]]]]
At the [[Battle of Five Forks]] on April 1, 1865, Sheridan judged that the V Corps had moved too slowly into the attack and criticized Warren fiercely for not being at the front of his columns. Warren had been held up, searching for [[Samuel W. Crawford]]'s division, which had gone astray in the woods. But overall, he had handled his corps efficiently, and their attack had carried the day at Five Forks, arguably the pivotal battle of the final days. He even led the final charge, which broke the Confederate lines. Nevertheless, Sheridan relieved Warren of command on the spot. Warren asked Sheridan for reconsideration, who retorted, "Reconsider? Hell, I'll never reconsider. Obey the order!" Meade told Warren that he had contemplated his relief for some time, but he relented and later recommended Grant reinstate him as the V Corps commander to ease tensions in the Army. <ref>Wittenberg, pp. 119–25.</ref> He was assigned to the defenses of [[Petersburg, Virginia|Petersburg]] and then briefly to command of the Department of Mississippi.<ref name=Eicher/>

==Post-war==
Humiliated by Sheridan, Warren resigned his commission as major general of volunteers due to his disagreement with suppressing the meeting of the Mississippi legislature "by any means necessary" on May 27, 1865. He reverted to his permanent rank as [[Major (United States)|major]] in the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]. He served as an engineer for 17 years, building railroads with assignments along the Mississippi River, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1879. By all accounts, Warren worked with intensity at great sacrifice to himself and his family. But the career that had shown so much promise at Gettysburg was ruined. He urgently requested a court of inquiry to exonerate him from the stigma of Sheridan's action. Numerous requests were ignored or refused until [[Ulysses S. Grant]] retired from the [[president of the United States|presidency]]. President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] ordered a court of inquiry that convened in 1879. After hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses over 100 days, including Grant and Sheridan, the court found that Sheridan's relief of Warren had been unjustified. General Winfield Hancock, his former fellow corps commander during the Overland Campaign, initially presided over the court of inquiry held on Governor's Island, New York. Sheridan's accounts did not hold up to facts established by others, reflected ignorance of Warren's movements at Five Forks, and were perceived as reflective of personal animosity. Joshua Chamberlain, the hero of the Little Round Top and former governor of Maine, who commanded a Brigade in Warren's corps, gave strong testimony to support Warren. During his testimony, Grant commented that he never doubted Warren's courage and tactical skill but wanted his orders followed "promptly" and did not want second-guessing that assumed senior leadership had not considered the options, strongly inferring such insubordination led to Warren's relief. His statement was stricken from the record at Grant's request, simultaneously with the objection of Warren's counsel. On November 21, 1881, President [[Chester Alan Arthur]] directed that the findings be published; no other action was taken.<ref>[Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Vol IV p.724 "General Warren at the Battle of Five Forks, and the Court of Inquiry" pp.723-734]</ref> Unfortunately for Warren, these results were not published until after his death.<ref>Wittenberg, pp. 127–31.</ref>

In 1867, he was elected as a member of the [[American Philosophical Society]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?year=1867;year-max=1867;smode=advanced;startDoc=21|access-date=2021-04-23|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>

Warren's last assignment in the Army was as district engineer for [[Newport, Rhode Island]], where he died of complications from diabetes on August 8, 1882.<ref>[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/92308964 Approved Pension File for Widow of G K Warren]</ref> He was buried in the [[Island Cemetery]] in Newport in civilian clothes and without military honors at his request. His last words were, "The flag! The flag!"<ref>Wittenberg, p. 129.</ref>

==Legacy==
A bronze statue of Warren stands on Little Round Top in [[Gettysburg Battlefield|Gettysburg National Military Park]]. It was created by [[Karl Gerhardt]] (1853–1940) and dedicated in 1888.<ref>{{cite web| title =Maj. Gen. G. K. Warren Standing Statue, h(sculpture)| publisher =Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalogue| year =1995| url =http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!11906~!0| access-date = September 25, 2009}}</ref> Another bronze statue, by [[Henry Baerer]] (1837–1908), was erected in the [[Grand Army Plaza]], [[Brooklyn, New York]]. It depicts Warren standing in uniform, with field binoculars on a granite pedestal made of stone quarried at Little Round Top.<ref name=statue/>

Reflecting a pattern of naming many Washington, DC streets in newly developed areas in the Capital after Civil War generals, an east–west street in the Northwest quadrant is named Warren Street, NW.

The United States Army Transport {{USAT|Warren||2}} was named for Warren.

[[Glacial River Warren|The glacial river]] that was the outlet of [[Lake Agassiz]] in [[Minnesota]] was named for Warren.<ref>Upham, [https://archive.org/details/glaciallakeagass00upha/page/n16 ''The Glacial Lake Agassiz''], pp. 7–8.</ref>

The [[G. K. Warren Prize]] is awarded approximately every four years by the [[United States National Academy of Sciences]]. It is funded by a gift from his daughter, Miss Emily B. Warren, in memory of her father.<ref>{{cite journal| title =Report of the Treasurer to the Council 1995–1996| publisher =The National of Sciences| year =1996| doi =10.17226/9238| url =http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9238&page=10| access-date = June 4, 2007| url-access =subscription}}</ref>

[[Mount Warren (California)|Mount Warren]] in California is named in his honor.<ref>Francis Peloubet Farquhar (1926), ''Place Names of the High Sierra'', Publisher: Sierra Club, p. 101</ref>
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==See also==
{{Portal|American Civil War}}
* [[List of American Civil War generals (Union)]]
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
* Eicher, John H., and [[David J. Eicher]]. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8047-3641-3}}.
* [[Ulysses S. Grant|Grant, Ulysses S.]] [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4367 ''Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant'']. 2 vols. Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885–86. {{ISBN|0-914427-67-9}}.
* Heidler, David S., and Jeanne T. Heidler. "Gouverneur Kemble Warren." In ''Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History'', edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. {{ISBN|0-393-04758-X}}.
* Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. {{ISBN|0-8071-0822-7}}.
* Wittenberg, Eric J. ''Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan''. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002. {{ISBN|1-57488-548-0}}.

==Further reading==
* Jordan, David M. ''"Happiness Is Not My Companion": The Life of General G. K. Warren''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-253-10894-4}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Gouverneur K. Warren}}
* {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Warren, Gouverneur Kemble|year=1889 |short=x |notaref=x}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Warren, Gouverneur Kemble|volume=28|pages=329–330}}

{{Gettysburg figures|state=collapsed}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Army Corps]]| before=[[William Hays (general)|William Hays]]| after=[[John C. Caldwell]]| years=August 16, 1863 – August 26, 1863}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Army Corps]]| before=[[John C. Caldwell]]| after=[[John C. Caldwell]]| years=September 2, 1863 – October 10, 1863}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Army Corps]]| before=[[John C. Caldwell]]| after=[[John C. Caldwell]]| years=October 12, 1863 – December 16, 1863}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Army Corps]]| before=[[John C. Caldwell]]| after=[[John C. Caldwell]]| years=December 29, 1863 – January 9, 1864}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Army Corps]]| before=[[John C. Caldwell]]| after=[[Winfield S. Hancock]]| years=January 15, 1864 – March 24, 1864}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[V Corps (Union Army)|Fifth Army Corps]]| before=[[George Sykes]]| after=[[Samuel W. Crawford]]| years=March 23, 1864 – January 2, 1865}}
{{succession box| title= Commander of the [[V Corps (Union Army)|Fifth Army Corps]]| before=[[Samuel W. Crawford]]| after=[[Charles Griffin]]| years=January 27, 1865 – April 1, 1865}}
{{s-end}}{{Nelson family}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Gouverneur K.}}
[[Category:1830 births]]
[[Category:1882 deaths]]
[[Category:People of New York (state) in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers]]
[[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Union army generals]]
[[Category:People from Cold Spring, New York]]
[[Category:American civil engineers]]
[[Category:Engineers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]