View source for William Rosecrans

{{Short description|American diplomat, politician and army officer (1819–1898)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = William Rosecrans
| image               = Hon. W.S. Rosecrans Trim.jpg
| image_size          = 
| caption             = Portrait by [[C. M. Bell]] {{circa}} 1881–1885
| office              = 7th [[Register of the Treasury]]
| president           = [[Grover Cleveland]]<br>[[Benjamin Harrison]]
| appointer           =
| predecessor         = [[Blanche Bruce]]
| successor           = [[James Fount Tillman]]
| term_start          = June 8, 1885 
| term_end            = June 19, 1893
| state1              = [[California]]
| district1           = [[California's 1st congressional district|1st]]
| term_start1         = March 4, 1881
| term_end1           = March 3, 1885
| predecessor1        = [[Horace Davis]]
| successor1          = [[Barclay Henley]]
| office2             = [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|U.S. Minister to Mexico]]
| term_start2         = 1868
| term_end2           = 1869
| president2          = [[Andrew Johnson]]
| predecessor2        = [[Marcus Otterbourg]]
| successor2          = [[Thomas H. Nelson]]
| birth_name          = William Starke Rosecrans
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1819|9|6}}
| birth_place         = [[Delaware County, Ohio]], US
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1898|3|11|1819|9|6}}
| death_place         = [[Redondo Beach, California]], US
| resting_place       = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| alma_mater          = [[United States Military Academy]] Class of 1842
| nickname            = "Old Rosy"
| allegiance          = {{flag|United States|1867}}
| branch              = {{army|United States}}
| serviceyears        = 1842–1854<br>1861–1867
| rank                = [[File:Union Army major general rank insignia.svg|border|35px]] [[Major general (United States)|Major General]]
| commands            = [[Army of the Mississippi]]<br />[[Army of the Cumberland]]<br />[[Department of the Missouri]]
| battles             = {{tree list}}
*[[American Civil War]]
**[[Battle of Rich Mountain]]
**[[Battle of Iuka]]
**[[Battle of Carnifex Ferry]]
**[[Second Battle of Corinth]]
**[[Battle of Stones River]]
**[[Tullahoma Campaign]]
**[[Battle of Chickamauga]]
**[[Price's Raid]]
{{tree list end}}
}}

'''William Starke Rosecrans''' (September 6, 1819{{spaced ndash}}March 11, 1898) was an American inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] officer. He gained fame for his role as a [[Union Army|Union]] general during the [[American Civil War]]. He was the victor at prominent battles in the [[Western theater of the American Civil War]]. However, his military career ended after his disastrous defeat at the [[Battle of Chickamauga]] in 1863.

Rosecrans graduated in 1842 from the [[United States Military Academy]], where he served in engineering assignments and was a professor before leaving the Army to pursue a career in civil engineering. At the start of the Civil War, he led troops from Ohio and achieved early combat success in western Virginia. In 1862, in the Western theater, he won the [[Battle of Iuka]] and the [[Second Battle of Corinth]] while under the command of [[Major general (United States)|Maj. Gen.]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. His brusque, outspoken manner and willingness to quarrel openly with superiors caused a professional rivalry with Grant (as well as with [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Edwin M. Stanton]]) that would adversely affect Rosecrans' career.

Given command of the [[Army of the Cumberland]], he fought against [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] general [[Braxton Bragg]] at [[Battle of Stones River|Stones River]]. He then outmaneuvered him in the brilliant [[Tullahoma campaign]], driving the Confederates from [[Middle Tennessee]]. His strategic movements then caused Bragg to abandon the critical city of [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], but Rosecrans' pursuit of Bragg ended during the bloody [[Battle of Chickamauga]], where his unfortunately worded order mistakenly opened a gap in the Union line and Rosecrans and a third of his army were swept from the field. Besieged in Chattanooga, Rosecrans was relieved of command by Grant.

Following his humiliating defeat, Rosecrans was reassigned to command the Department of Missouri, where he opposed [[Price's Raid]]. After the war, he served in diplomatic and appointed political positions and in 1880 was elected to [[United States Congress|Congress]], representing California.

==Early life and education==
William Starke Rosecrans was born on a farm near Little Taylor Run in [[Kingston Township, Delaware County, Ohio]], the second of five sons of Crandall Rosecrans and Jemima Hopkins. (The first child, Chauncey, died in infancy.) Crandall was a veteran of the [[War of 1812]], in which he served as [[adjutant]] to General [[William Henry Harrison]], and then subsequently ran a tavern and store as well as a family farm. One of Crandall's heroes, General [[John Stark]], was the inspiration for William's middle name.<ref>Lamers, p. 9.</ref> Rosecrans was descended from the Dutch-Scandinavian nobleman Harmon Henrik [[Rosenkrantz (noble family)|Rosenkrantz]] (1614–1674), who arrived in [[New Amsterdam]] in 1651,<ref>The Rosenkrans family in Europe and America. Comp. by Allen Rosenkrans - Published 1900 by New Jersey Herald Press in Newton, N.J. [https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7080925M/The_Rosenkrans_family_in_Europe_and_America.]</ref> but the family name changed spelling during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>Gordon, p. 110; Lamers, pp. 8–9, 11.</ref> His mother was the widow of Timothy Hopkins, a relative of [[Stephen Hopkins (politician)|Stephen Hopkins]], the [[List of colonial governors of Rhode Island|Colonial Governor]] of [[Rhode Island]] and a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].<ref>Lamers, p. 9. A [http://www.civilwarhome.com/rosecransbio.htm biography] at the Civil War Home website claims that Rosecrans was the great-grandson of Stephen Hopkins.</ref>

William had little formal education in his early years, relying heavily on reading books. At the age of 13, he left home to work as a store clerk in [[Utica, Ohio|Utica]], and later [[Mansfield, Ohio]]. Unable to afford college, Rosecrans decided to try for an appointment to the [[United States Military Academy]]. He interviewed with [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]] [[Alexander Harper (Ohio politician)|Alexander Harper]], who had been reserving his appointment for his son, but Harper was so impressed by Rosecrans that he nominated him instead.<ref>Lamers, pp. 11–12.</ref>

Despite his lack of formal education, Rosecrans excelled academically at West Point, particularly in mathematics, French, drawing, and English grammar. At the academy, he received his nickname, "Rosy," or more often, "Old Rosy." He graduated from West Point in 1842, fifth in his class of 56 cadets, which included notable future generals such as [[James Longstreet]], [[Abner Doubleday]], [[Daniel Harvey Hill|Daniel Harvey "D. H." Hill]], and [[Earl Van Dorn]]. He was commissioned a [[brevet (military)|brevet]] [[Second Lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the prestigious [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], reflecting his high academic achievement. At his graduation, he met Anna Elizabeth (or Eliza) Hegeman (1823–1883) of New York City and immediately fell in love. They were married on August 24, 1843. Their marriage lasted until her death on December 25, 1883. They had eight children.<ref>Lamers, pp. 11–14; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 461. The number of children is disputed. Lamers, pp. 442, 446–47, refers to five by name: Louis, a Catholic priest, Lily, Carl, Anita, and Mary—Sister St. Charles of the Brown County Ursalines. A [http://www.rosenkrantz-genealogy.org/Book/S34_G7H.html#R657 Rosenkrantz family website] and the [http://rosecransheadquarters.org/History/Window.htm Department of the Ohio memorial website] give eight names: William (died in infancy), Adrian Louis, Mary Louise, Lily R., Anna D., Carl Frederick, and Charlotte.</ref>

==Career==
After graduating from West Point, Rosecrans was assigned to duty at [[Fort Monroe]], [[Virginia]], engineering sea walls. After a year, he requested assignment as a professor at West Point, where he taught engineering and served as post commissary and quartermaster. Although West Point was a strong bastion of [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Protestantism]], during this assignment, he [[religious conversion|converted]] to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] in 1845. He wrote about this decision to his family, who had raised him in the [[Methodism|Methodist]] faith, which inspired the youngest of his brothers, [[Sylvester Horton Rosecrans]], to convert as well. Sylvester would become the first bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus]].<ref>Lamers, p. 15; Meehan, [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13191c.htm ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''].</ref> 
Ultimately, both of Rosecrans's parents had deathbed conversions to Catholicism. According to University of Virginia historian William B. Kurtz, “unlike many men of his era content to leave religion to (that of) their wives, he played the central role in his family’s faith life."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chalk |first1=Casey |title=How to Be a Good Catholic a Civil War |url=https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/how-to-be-a-good-catholic-in-a-civil-war |website=Catholic Answers |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

Although most of the officers in his graduating class fought in the [[Mexican–American War]], the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] retained Rosecrans at West Point. From 1847 through 1853, he served on engineering assignments in [[Newport, Rhode Island]], [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]] and (on temporary assignment to the [[United States Navy]]) at the [[Washington Navy Yard]]. During this period, Rosecrans sought several civilian jobs as an alternative way to support his growing family, now with four children. He applied for a professorship at the [[Virginia Military Institute]] in 1851, losing the position to fellow West Pointer [[Stonewall Jackson|Thomas J. Jackson]].<ref>Lamers, pp. 15–17; Gordon, p. 111; Warner, p. 410.</ref>

While serving in Newport, Rhode Island, he volunteered his services as the engineer for the construction of [[St. Mary's Church (Newport, Rhode Island)|St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church]]. The church is best known as the site of the wedding of [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Bouvier]] in 1953 and was one of the largest churches constructed in the United States at that time.  There is a memorial window in Rosecrans' honor in the church.{{citation needed|date = November 2024}}

Rosecrans suffered a period of failing health and resigned from the Army in 1854, moving into civilian fields. He took over a mining business in Western [[Virginia]] (today [[West Virginia]]) and ran it extremely successfully. He designed and installed one of the first complete lock and dam systems in Western Virginia on the [[Coal River (West Virginia)|Coal River]]; today recognized as the [[Coal River Locks, Dams, and Log Booms Archeological District]]. In [[Cincinnati]], he and two partners built one of the first oil refineries west of the [[Allegheny Mountains]]. He obtained patents for many inventions, including the first [[kerosene lamp]] to successfully burn a round wick and a more effective method of manufacturing soap. While Rosecrans was president of the Preston Coal Oil Company, in 1859, he was burned severely when an experimental "safety" oil lamp exploded, setting the refinery on fire. It took him 18 months to recover, and the resulting facial scars, most of which would later be covered by his beard, gave him the appearance of having a perpetual smirk. He had recovered from his injuries and was working to get the company in order when the Civil War began.<ref>Lamers, pp. 17–19; Gordon, p. 111; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 461.</ref><ref>Wood, W. J. (1997) ''Civil War Generalship: The Art of Command'' New York: Da Capo Press. p.99 {{isbn|0-306-80973-7}}</ref>

===American Civil War===
[[File:GenWmSRosecrans.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait by [[Mathew Brady]] {{circa}} 1861–1865]]
Just days after [[Battle of Fort Sumter|Fort Sumter]] surrendered, Rosecrans offered his services to [[Ohio Governor]] [[William Dennison Jr.]], who assigned him as a volunteer aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. [[George B. McClellan]], who commanded all Ohio volunteer forces at the beginning of the war. Promoted to the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]], Rosecrans briefly commanded the [[23rd Ohio Infantry Regiment]], whose members included [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] and [[William McKinley]], both future presidents. He was promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] in the [[Regular Army (United States)|Regular Army]], ranking from May 16, 1861.<ref>Lamers, pp. 20–26; Gordon, pp. 111–12; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 461.</ref>

{{quote box
|align=right
|width=35%
|quote=[Robert E. Lee's Western Virginia campaign], after its plain failure, was virtually abandoned by the Government. Rosecrans was esteemed in the South as one of the best generals the North had in the field. He was declared by military critics, who could not be accused of partiality, to have clearly outgeneraled Lee, who made the entire object of his campaign to "surround the Dutch General."
|source= —[[Edward A. Pollard]], ''Southern History of the War'' (1865)<ref>Lamers, pp. 61–62.</ref>
}}

His plans and decisions proved extremely effective in the [[Western Virginia Campaign]]. His victories at [[Battle of Rich Mountain|Rich Mountain]] and [[Battle of Corrick's Ford|Corrick's Ford]] in July 1861 were among the first Union victories of the war, but his superior, Maj. Gen. McClellan, received the credit. Rosecrans then prevented by "much maneuvering but little fighting"<ref>McPherson, p. 303.</ref> Confederate Brig. Gen. [[John B. Floyd]] and his superior, Gen. [[Robert E. Lee]], from recapturing the area that became the state of West Virginia. When McClellan was summoned to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] after the defeat suffered by Federal forces at the [[First Battle of Bull Run]], General-in-Chief [[Winfield Scott]] suggested that McClellan turn over the West Virginia command to Rosecrans. McClellan agreed, and Rosecrans assumed command of the future Department of Western Virginia.<ref>Lamers, pp. 27–39; Gordon, pp. 113–14; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 461.</ref>
[[File:Rosecrans the brave (IA b10013386).pdf|thumb|343x343px|Rosecrans the Brave [[sheet music]] cover]]
In late 1861, Rosecrans planned for a winter campaign to capture the strategic town of [[Winchester, Virginia]], turning the Confederate flank at [[Manassas, Virginia]]. He traveled to Washington to obtain McClellan's approval. McClellan disapproved, however, telling Rosecrans that putting 20,000 Union men into Winchester would be countered by Confederates moving an equal number into the vicinity. He also transferred 20,000 of Rosecrans's 22,000 men to serve under Brig. Gen. [[Frederick W. Lander]], leaving Rosecrans with insufficient resources to do any campaigning. In March 1862, Rosecrans's department was converted to the Mountain Department and given to political general [[John C. Frémont]], leaving Rosecrans without a command. He served briefly in Washington, where his opinions clashed with those of newly appointed [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Edwin M. Stanton]] on tactics and Union command organization for the [[Jackson's Valley Campaign|Shenandoah Valley campaign against Stonewall Jackson]]. Stanton became one of Rosecrans's most vocal critics. One of Stanton's assignments for Rosecrans was to act as a guide for Brig. Gen. [[Louis Blenker]]'s division (Frémont's department) in the valley, and Rosecrans became intimately involved in the political and command confusion in the campaign against Jackson in the Valley.<ref>Lamers, pp. 64–82; Cozzens, ''Shenandoah 1862'', pp. 51–52, 229, 238.</ref>

====Western Theater====
Rosecrans was transferred in May 1862 to the Western theater and received the command of two divisions (the Right Wing) of Maj. Gen. [[John Pope (general)|John Pope's]] [[Army of the Mississippi]]. He took an active part in the [[siege of Corinth]] under Maj. Gen. [[Henry W. Halleck]]. He received command of the entire army on June 26, and in July, added the responsibility of commanding the District of Corinth. In these roles, he was the subordinate of Maj. Gen. [[Ulysses S. Grant]], who commanded the District of Western Tennessee and the [[Army of the Tennessee]], from whom he received direction in the Iuka-Corinth campaign in September and October 1862.<ref>Lamers, pp. 70–82; Gordon, pp. 114–15; Warner, p. 410; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 461.</ref>

====Iuka====
{{main|Battle of Iuka}}
{| align=right
|-
|<gallery>
File:Iuka-Corinth Campaign1.png|Opening of Iuka-Corinth Campaign
File:Battle of Iuka.png|Battle of Iuka
</gallery>
|}
Confederate Maj. Gen. [[Sterling Price]] had been ordered by Gen. [[Braxton Bragg]] to move his army from [[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]] toward [[Nashville, Tennessee]], in conjunction with Bragg's Kentucky offensive. Price's army settled in Iuka and awaited the arrival of Maj. Gen. [[Earl Van Dorn]]'s [[Confederate Army of West Tennessee|Army of West Tennessee]]. The two generals intended to unite and attack Grant's lines of communication in western Tennessee, which would prevent Buell's reinforcement if Grant reacted the way they expected, or might allow them to follow Bragg and support his Northern invasion if Grant acted more passively.<ref>Hattaway and Jones, p. 250; Eicher, ''Longest Night'', pp. 371–72; Woodworth, pp. 218–19; Lamers, p. 103.</ref>

Grant did not wait to be attacked, approving a plan proposed by Rosecrans to converge on Price with two columns before Van Dorn could reinforce him. Grant sent Brig. Gen. [[Edward Ord]] with three Army of the Tennessee divisions (about 8,000 men) along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad to move upon Iuka from the northwest. Rosecrans's army would march in concert along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, swinging into Iuka from the southwest, closing the escape route for Price's army. Grant moved with Ord's headquarters and had little tactical control over Rosecrans during the battle.<ref>Welcher, pp. 620–21; Woodworth, pp. 219–22; Lamers, p. 103.</ref>

While Ord advanced toward Iuka on the night of September 18, Rosecrans was late, having farther to march over roads mired in mud; furthermore, one of his divisions took a wrong turn and had to countermarch to the correct road. That night, he notified Grant that he was {{convert|20|mi|km}} away, but planned to start marching again at 4:30&nbsp;a.m. and should reach Iuka by midafternoon on September 19. Considering this delay, Grant ordered Ord to move within {{convert|4|mi|km}} of the town, but to await the sound of fighting between Rosecrans and Price before engaging the Confederates. Rosecrans' army marched early on September 19, but instead of using two roads as originally planned, it took only one of them. Rosecrans was concerned that if he used both roads, the two halves of his divided force could not support each other if the Confederates attacked.<ref>Welcher, pp. 620–21; Woodworth, pp. 219–22; Lamers, pp. 103–06.</ref>

{{quote box
|align=right
|width=30%
|quote=I cannot speak too highly of the energy and skill displayed by General Rosecrans in the attack, and of the endurance of the troops under him. General Ord's command showed untiring zeal, but the direction taken by the enemy prevented them from taking the active part they desired.
|source= —Grant's first report of the battle, September 20, 1862.<ref>Lamers, p. 122.</ref>
}}

{{quote box
|align=right
|width=30%
|quote=If it was the object of the enemy to make their way into Kentucky, they were defeated in that; if to hold their position until Van Dorn could come up on the southwest of Corinth and make a simultaneous attack, they were defeated in that. Our only defeat was in not capturing the enemy army or destroying it as I had hoped to do. It was a part of General Hamilton's command that did the fighting, directed entirely by that cool and deserving officer.
|source= —Grant's second report of the battle, October 22, 1862.<ref>Lamers, p. 123.</ref>
}}

Rosecrans was within {{convert|2|mi|km}} of the town on September 19, pushing back Confederate pickets, when his lead element was struck suddenly by a Confederate division. Fighting, which Price later stated he had "never seen surpassed," continued from 4:30&nbsp;p.m. until after dark. A fresh north wind, blowing from Ord's position in the direction of Iuka, caused an [[Acoustic Shadow|acoustic shadow]] that prevented the sound of the guns from reaching him, and he and Grant knew nothing of the engagement until after it was over. Ord's troops stood idly while the fighting raged only a few miles away.<ref>Woodworth, pp. 221–23; Eicher, ''Longest Night'', pp. 372–74; Welcher, pp. 622–23.</ref>

During the night, both Rosecrans and Ord deployed their forces in the expectation of a renewal of the engagement at daylight, but the Confederate forces had withdrawn. Price had been planning this move since September 18, and Rosecrans's attack merely delayed his departure. The Confederates used the road that the Union army had not blocked, meeting up with Van Dorn's army five days later. Rosecrans's cavalry and some infantry pursued Price for {{convert|15|mi|km}}, but owing to the exhausted condition of his troops, his column was outrun and he gave up the pursuit. Grant had partially accomplished his objective—Price was not able to link up with Bragg in Kentucky, but Rosecrans had not been able to destroy the Confederate army or prevent it from linking up with Van Dorn and threatening the critical railroad junction at Corinth.<ref>Hattaway and Jones, p. 253; Welcher, p. 623; Lamers, pp. 115–16.</ref>

The Battle of Iuka marked the beginning of a long professional enmity between Rosecrans and Grant. The Northern press gave accounts very favorable to Rosecrans at Grant's expense. Some rumors circulated that the reason Ord's column had not attacked in conjunction with Rosecrans was not that the battle had been inaudible, but that Grant had been drunk and incompetent. Grant's first report of the battle was highly complimentary to Rosecrans, but his second, written after Rosecrans had published his own report, took a markedly negative turn. His third statement was in his ''Personal Memoirs'', where he wrote "I was disappointed at the result of the battle of Iuka—but I had so high an opinion of General Rosecrans that I found no fault at the time."<ref>Lamers, pp. 120–30.</ref>
{{clear}}

====Corinth====
{{main|Second Battle of Corinth}}
{| align=right
|-
|<gallery>
File:Iuka-Corinth Campaign2.png|Second phase of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign
File:Corinth October 3 1862.png|Battle of Corinth, October 3, 1862
File:Corinth October 4 1862.png|Battle of Corinth, October 4, 1862
</gallery>
|}
Price's army joined Van Dorn's on September 28. Van Dorn, as the senior officer, took command of the combined force. Grant became certain that Corinth was their next target. The Confederates hoped to seize Corinth from an unexpected direction, isolating Rosecrans from reinforcements, and then sweep into Middle Tennessee. Grant sent word to Rosecrans to be prepared for an attack, but despite the warning, Rosecrans was not convinced that Corinth was necessarily the target of Van Dorn's advance. He believed that the Confederate commander would not be foolhardy enough to attack the fortified town and might well instead choose to strike the [[Mobile and Ohio Railroad]] and maneuver the Federals out of their position.<ref>Lamers, pp. 133–35</ref>

On the morning of October 3, three of Rosecrans's divisions advanced into old Confederate rifle pits north and northwest of town. Van Dorn began his assault at 10 a.m. as a planned double envelopment, in which he would open the fight on Rosecrans's left, in the hope that Rosecrans would weaken his right to reinforce his left, at which time Price would make the main assault against the Federal right and enter the works. The Confederates forced their way through a temporary gap in the line about 1:30&nbsp;p.m., and the whole Union line fell back to within half a mile of the redoubts.<ref>Woodworth, pp. 226–28; Cozzens, ''Darkest Days'', pp. 160–74; Eicher, ''Longest Night'', pp. 375–77; Korn, p. 40; Kennedy, p. 131.</ref>

So far the advantage had been with the Confederates. Rosecrans had been driven back at all points, and night found his entire army, except pickets, inside the redoubts. Both sides had been exhausted by the fighting. The weather had been hot, with a high of {{convert|94|F|C}}, and water was scarce, causing many men to nearly faint from their exertions. Rosecrans's biographer, William M. Lamers, reported that Rosecrans was confident at the end of the first day of battle, saying, "We've got them where we want them", and that some of the general's associates claimed that he was in "magnificent humor." Peter Cozzens, however, suggested that Rosecrans was "tired and bewildered, certain only he was badly outnumbered—at least three to one by his reckoning."<ref>Lamers, pp. 141–42; Cozzens, ''Darkest Days'', p. 224.</ref> Civil War historian [[Steven E. Woodworth]] portrayed Rosecrans's conduct in a negative light:
{{blockquote|Rosecrans ... had not done well. He had failed to anticipate the enemy's action, put little more than half his troops into the battle, and called on his men to fight on ground they could not possibly hold. He had sent a series of confusing and unrealistic orders to his division commanders and had done nothing to coordinate their activities, while he personally remained safely back in Corinth. The movements of the army that day had had nothing to do with any plan of his to develop the enemy or make a fighting withdrawal. The troops and their officers had simply held on as best as they could.<ref>Woodworth, p. 229.</ref>}}

On the second day of battle, the Confederates moved forward at 9 a.m. to meet heavy Union artillery fire, storming Battery Powell and Battery Robinett, where desperate hand-to-hand fighting occurred. A brief incursion into the town of Corinth was repulsed. After a Federal counterattack recaptured Battery Powell, Van Dorn ordered a general retreat. At 4 p.m., reinforcements from Grant under the command of Brig. Gen. [[James B. McPherson]] arrived from Jackson. But the Battle of Corinth had effectively been over since 1 p.m. and the Confederates were in full retreat.<ref>Lamers, pp. 148–52; Cozzens, ''Darkest Days'', pp. 235–76; Welcher, p. 557.</ref>

{{quote box
|align=right
|width=30%
|quote=It lives in the memory of every soldier who fought that day how his General plunged into the thickest of the conflict, fought like a private soldier, dealt sturdy blows with the flat of his sword on the runaways, and fairly drove them to stand. Then came a quick rally which his magnificent bearing inspired, a storm of grape from the batteries tore its way through the Rebel ranks, reinforcements which Rosecrans sent flying gave impetus to the National advance, and the charging column was speedily swept back outside the entrenchments.
|source= —[[Whitelaw Reid]], ''Ohio in the War''<ref>Reid, vol. I, p. 325.</ref>
}}

Once again, Rosecrans's performance during the second day of the battle has been the subject of dispute among historians. His biographer, Lamers, paints a romantic picture:

{{blockquote|One of Davies' men, David Henderson, watched Rosecrans as he dashed in front of the Union lines. Bullets carried his hat away. His hair flew in the wind. As he rode along he shouted: "Soldiers! Stand by your country." "He was the only general I ever knew," Henderson said later, "who was closer to the enemy than we were who fought at the front." Henderson (after the war, a Congressman from Ohio and Speaker of the House of Representatives) wrote that Rosecrans was the "Central leading and victorious spirit. ... By his splendid example in the thickest of the fight he succeeded in restoring the line before it was completely demoralized; and the men, brave when bravely led, fought again."<ref>Lamers, p. 149.</ref>}}

Peter Cozzens, author of a recent book-length study of Iuka and Corinth, came to the opposite conclusion:

{{blockquote|Rosecrans was in the thick of battle, but his presence was hardly inspiring. The Ohioan had lost all control of his infamous temper, and he cursed as cowards everyone who pushed past him until he, too lost hope. ... Rosecrans's histrionics nearly cost him his life. "On the second day I was everywhere on the line of battle," he wrote with disingenuous pride. "Temple Clark of my staff was shot through the breast. My saber-tache strap was caught by a bullet, and my gloves were stained with the blood of a staff officer wounded at my side. An alarm spread that I was killed, but it was soon stopped by my appearance on the field."<ref>Cozzens, ''Darkest Days'', pp. 251–52.</ref>}}

Rosecrans's performance immediately after the battle was lackluster. Grant had given him specific orders to pursue Van Dorn without delay, but he did not begin his march until the morning of October 5, explaining that his troops needed rest and the thicketed country made progress difficult by day and impossible by night. At 1 p.m. on October 4, when pursuit would have been most effective, Rosecrans rode along his line to deny in person a rumor that he had been slain. At Battery Robinett, he dismounted, bared his head, and told his soldiers, "I stand in the presence of brave men, and I take my hat off to you."<ref>Foote, p. 725.</ref>

====Army of the Cumberland====
[[File:Braxton Bragg.jpg|thumb|Rosecrans's principal opponent, Gen. [[Braxton Bragg]]]]
Rosecrans once again found that he was a hero in the Northern press. On October 24, he was given command of [[XIV Corps (Union Army)|XIV Corps]] (which, because he was also given command of the Department of the Cumberland, would soon be renamed the [[Army of the Cumberland]]), replacing the ineffectual Maj. Gen. [[Don Carlos Buell]], who had just fought the inconclusive [[Battle of Perryville]], [[Kentucky]], against Gen. [[Braxton Bragg]], but was accused of moving too cautiously. Rosecrans was promoted to the rank of major general (of volunteers, as opposed to his brigadier rank in the regular army). The promotion was applied retroactive to March 21, 1862, so that he would outrank fellow Maj. Gen. Thomas; Thomas had earlier been offered Buell's command, but turned down the opportunity out of a sense of personal loyalty. Grant was not unhappy that Rosecrans was leaving his command.<ref>Lamers, pp. 171–82; Gordon, pp. 119–22.</ref>

In his role as an army commander, Rosecrans became one of the most popular generals in the Union Army. He was known to his men as "Old Rosy", not only because of his last name (the source for that nickname at West Point), but because of his large red nose, which was described as "intensified Roman". As a devout [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], he carried a crucifix on his watch chain and a rosary in his pocket, and he delighted in keeping his staff up half the night debating religious doctrine. He could swing swiftly from bristling anger to good-natured amusement, which endeared him to his men.<ref>Foote, p. 80.</ref>

====Stones River====
{{main|Battle of Stones River}}
{| align=right
|-
|<gallery perrow="2">
File:Stones River Dec30.png|Movements and positions the night of December 30 to December 31.
File:Stones River Dec31 0800.png|December 31, 8:00&nbsp;a.m.
File:Stones River Dec31 1100 2.png|December 31, 11:00&nbsp;a.m.
File:Stones River Jan2 1600.png|January 2, 4:00&nbsp;p.m.
</gallery>
|}
[[File:William Rosecrans at Murfreesboro.jpg|thumb|left|A romantic image of Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, January 2, 1863]]
Rosecrans's predecessor, Buell, had been relieved because of his desultory pursuit of Confederate Gen. [[Braxton Bragg]] following the [[Battle of Perryville]]. And yet, Rosecrans displayed similar caution, remaining in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] while he reprovisioned his army and improved the training of his cavalry forces. By early December 1862, General-in-Chief [[Henry W. Halleck]] had lost his patience. He wrote to Rosecrans, "If you remain one more week in Nashville, I cannot prevent your removal." Rosecrans replied, "I need no other stimulus to make me do my duty than the knowledge of what it is. To threats of removal or the like I must be permitted to say that I am insensible."<ref>Cozzens, ''No Better Place to Die'', p. 26; Lamers, pp. 195–96.</ref>

In late December, Rosecrans began his march against Bragg's [[Army of Tennessee]], encamped outside [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]]. The [[Battle of Stones River]] was the bloodiest battle of the war in terms of percentages of casualties. Both Rosecrans and Bragg planned to attack the other's right flank, but Bragg moved first, early in the morning of December 31, driving the Union army back into a small defensive perimeter. As he realized the severity of the surprise attack, Rosecrans demonstrated the nervous hyperactivity for which he was known in battle. He personally rallied his men along the line, and gave direct orders to any brigades, regiments or companies he encountered. Disregarding his own safety, he rode back and forth at the very front of his line and sometimes between his men and the enemy.<ref>Cozzens, ''No Better Place to Die'', p. 129; Lamers, pp. 202–34.</ref> As Rosecrans raced across the battlefield directing units, seeming ubiquitous to his men, his uniform was covered with blood from his friend and chief of staff, Col. [[Julius Garesché]], beheaded by a cannonball while riding alongside.<ref>Cozzens, ''No Better Place to Die'', p. 166.</ref>

{{blockquote
|text=When disaster had enveloped half the army, and from that time to the end, Rosecrans was magnificent. Rising superior to the disaster that in a single moment had annihilated his carefully prepared plans, he grasped in his single hands the fortunes of the day. He stemmed the tide of retreat, hurried brigades and divisions to the point of danger, massed artillery, infused into them his own dauntless spirit, and out of defeat itself, fashioned the weapons of victory. As at Rich Mountain, Iuka and Corinth, it was his personal presence that magnetized his plans into success.
|source=[[Whitelaw Reid]], ''Ohio in the War'', Volume I<ref>Reid, p. 334.</ref>
}}

The armies paused on January 1, but the following day, Bragg attacked again, this time against a strong position on Rosecrans's left flank. The Union defense was formidable, and the attack was repulsed with heavy losses. Bragg withdrew his army to [[Tullahoma, Tennessee|Tullahoma]], effectively ceding control of Middle Tennessee to the Union. The battle was important to Union morale following its defeat at the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]] a few weeks earlier, and President [[Abraham Lincoln]] wrote to Rosecrans. "You gave us a hard-earned victory, which had there been a defeat instead, the nation could scarcely have lived over."<ref>Cozzens, ''No Better Place to Die'', p. 207; Lamers, pp. 234–43.</ref>
{{Clear}}

====Tullahoma====
[[Image:Tullahoma Campaign.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Tullahoma Campaign
{{legend|#ff0000|Confederate}}
{{legend|#0000ff|Union}}
]]
Rosecrans's XIV Corps was soon redesignated the [[Army of the Cumberland]], which he kept in place occupying Murfreesboro for almost six months, spending the time resupplying and training, for he was reluctant to advance on the muddy winter roads. He received numerous entreaties from President Lincoln, Secretary of War Stanton, and General-in-Chief Halleck to resume campaigning against Bragg, but rebuffed them through the winter and spring. A primary concern of the government was that if Rosecrans continued to sit idly, the Confederates might move units from Bragg's army in an attempt to relieve the pressure that Union Maj. Gen. [[Ulysses S. Grant]] was applying to [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]]. Lincoln wrote to Rosecrans, "I would not push you to any rashness, but I am very anxious that you do your utmost, short of rashness, to keep Bragg from getting lost to help Johnston against Grant."<ref>Woodworth, p. 17.</ref> Rosecrans offered an excuse that if he started to move against Bragg, Bragg would likely relocate his entire army to Mississippi and threaten Grant's [[Vicksburg Campaign]] even more; thus, by not attacking Bragg, he was helping Grant.<ref>Woodworth, p. 6.</ref> Frustration with Rosecrans's excuses led Halleck to threaten to relieve him if he did not move, but in the end he merely protested "against the expense to which [Rosecrans] put the government for telegrams."<ref name=Esposito>Esposito, text for map 108.</ref>

On June 2, Halleck telegraphed that if Rosecrans was unwilling to move, some of his troops would be sent to Mississippi to reinforce Grant. Rosecrans sent a questionnaire to his corps and division commanders in the hopes of documenting support for his position—that Bragg had so far detached no significant forces to Mississippi, that advancing the Army of the Cumberland would do nothing to prevent any such transfer, and that any immediate advance was not a good idea. Fifteen of the seventeen senior generals supported most of Rosecrans's positions and the counsel against advancing was unanimous. The only dissenter was the newly assigned chief of staff, Brig. Gen. [[James A. Garfield]], who recommended an immediate advance, but historian Steven E. Woodworth opines that he may have been "most concerned with the [political] impression his statement would make in Washington."<ref>Woodworth, p. 17; Lamers, pp. 269–71.</ref> On June 16, Halleck wired a blunt message: "Is it your intention to make an immediate movement forward? A definite answer, yes or no, is required." Rosecrans responded to this ultimatum: "If immediate means tonight or tomorrow, no. If it means as soon as all things are ready, say five days, yes." Seven days later, early in the morning of June 24, Rosecrans reported that the Army of the Cumberland had begun to move against Bragg.<ref>Woodworth, p. 18.</ref>

The [[Tullahoma Campaign]] (June 24&nbsp;– July 3, 1863) was characterized by flawless maneuvers and very low casualties, as Rosecrans forced Bragg to retreat back to [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]]. Tullahoma is considered a "brilliant" campaign by many historians.<ref>For example: Lamers, p. 290; Woodworth, p. 42; Korn, p. 30, "a model of planning and execution".</ref> Abraham Lincoln wrote, "The flanking of Bragg at Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Chattanooga is the most splendid piece of strategy I know of." Union Cavalry Corps commander [[David S. Stanley]] wrote, "If any student of the military art desires to make a study of a model campaign, let him take his maps and General Rosecrans's orders for the daily movements of his campaign. No better example of successful strategy was carried out during the war than in the Tullahoma campaign."<ref>Lamers, p. 290.</ref>

When Rosecrans' troops entered Shelbyville, they were able to rescue captured Union spy [[Pauline Cushman]].  Cushman had been scouting the movements of Gen. Bragg when she was captured (Gen. [[John Hunt Morgan]] was one of her escorts to Gen. Bragg for questioning). A military trial found her guilty; she was to be hanged as a spy.  Her rescue came just three days prior to her scheduled execution.  Rosecrans and Cushman went on to raise over one million dollars for soldiers aid at the 1863 [[Cincinnati]], Ohio [[Sanitary Fair]].{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}  In contrast, Rosecrans had approved the courtmartial and hanging of two Confederate Officers, Lawrence Orton Williams and Walter Peters, on June 9, 1863, at Franklin Tenn after these two officers had disguised themselves as Union Officers for the purposes of spying.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.executedtoday.com/2017/06/09/1863-lawrence-williams-and-walter-peters-bold-csa-spies/|title=ExecutedToday.com » 1863: Lawrence Williams and Walter Peters, bold CSA spies|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exit78.com/the-execution-of-williams-and-peters/|title=The Execution of Williams and Peters.|date=June 2, 2013|website=Exit78|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>

Rosecrans did not receive all of the public acclaim his campaign might have under different circumstances.  The day it ended was the day Gen. [[Robert E. Lee]] launched the ill-fated [[Pickett's Charge]] and lost the [[Battle of Gettysburg]].  The following day, [[Siege of Vicksburg|Vicksburg]] surrendered to Grant. Secretary Stanton telegraphed Rosecrans, "Lee's Army overthrown; Grant victorious.  You and your noble army now have a chance to give the finishing blow to the rebellion.  Will you neglect the chance?"  Rosecrans was infuriated by this attitude and responded, "Just received your cheering telegram announcing the fall of Vicksburg and confirming the defeat of Lee.  You do not appear to observe the fact that this noble army has driven the rebels from middle Tennessee. ... I beg in behalf of this army that the War Department may not overlook so great an event because it is not written in letters of blood."<ref>Lamers, p. 291; Korn, p. 30</ref>

====Chickamauga====
{{main|Battle of Chickamauga}}
{| align=right
|-
|<gallery perrow="2">
File:Chickamauga Campaign Aug-Sep.png|Initial movements in the Chickamauga Campaign, August 15&nbsp;– September 8, 1863
File:Chickamauga Sep18.png|September 18 movements on the eve of the Battle of Chickamauga
File:Chickamauga Sep19 1.png|Actions, morning of September 19
File:Chickamauga Sep19 2.png|Actions, early afternoon of September 19
File:Chickamauga Sep19 3.png|Actions, late afternoon to dark, September 19
File:Chickamauga Sep20 1.png|Polk's Right Wing assaults, morning of September 20
File:Chickamauga Sep20 2.png|Longstreet's Left Wing assaults, mid-day September 20
File:Chickamauga Sep20 3.png|Defense of Horseshoe Ridge and Union retreat, afternoon and evening of September 20
</gallery>
|}
Rosecrans did not immediately pursue Bragg and "give the finishing blow to the rebellion" as Stanton had urged. He paused to regroup and study the logistically difficult choices of pursuit into the mountainous regions to the west and south of Chattanooga. When he was ready to move, he once again maneuvered in a way to disadvantage Bragg. The Confederates abandoned Chattanooga and withdrew into the mountains of northwestern Georgia. Rosecrans threw aside his previous caution under the assumption that Bragg would continue to retreat and began to pursue with his army over three routes that left his corps commanders dangerously far apart. At the [[Battle of Davis's Cross Roads]] on September 11, Bragg came close to ambushing and destroying one of Rosecrans's isolated corps. Realizing the threat at last, Rosecrans issued urgent orders to concentrate his army, and the two opponents faced each other across West [[Chickamauga Creek]].

[[File:Thomas J Wood.jpg|thumb|left|120px|Brig. Gen. [[Thomas J. Wood]]]]
The [[Battle of Chickamauga]] began on September 19 with Bragg attacking the not fully concentrated Union army, but he was unable to break through Rosecrans's defensive positions. On the second day of battle, however, disaster befell Rosecrans in the form of his poorly worded order in response to a poorly understood situation. The order was directed to Brig. Gen. [[Thomas J. Wood]], "to close up and support [General Joseph J.] [[Joseph J. Reynolds|Reynolds]]'s [division]," planning to fill an assumed gap in the line. However, Wood's subsequent movement actually opened up a new, division-sized gap in the line. By coincidence, Lt. Gen. [[James Longstreet]] had planned to lead a massive assault in that very area and the Confederates exploited the gap to full effect, shattering Rosecrans's right flank.

The majority of units on the Union right fell back in disorder toward Chattanooga. Rosecrans, Garfield, and two of the corps commanders, although attempting to rally retreating units, soon joined them in the rush to safety. Rosecrans decided to proceed in haste to Chattanooga in order to organize his returning men and the city defenses. He sent Garfield to Maj. Gen. [[George H. Thomas]] with orders to take command of the forces remaining at Chickamauga and withdraw.<ref>Woodworth, p. 134; Cozzens, ''This Terrible Sound'', pp. 402–05; Robertson 2008, pp. 42–43. Robertson stated that Rosecrans, witnessing the destruction of Lytle's brigade, turned toward the rear "in apparent despair," the army commander's "spirit broken."</ref>

The Union army managed to escape complete disaster because of the stout defense organized by Thomas on Horseshoe Ridge, heroism that earned him the nickname "Rock of Chickamauga." The army withdrew that night to fortified positions in Chattanooga. Bragg had not succeeded in his objective to destroy the Army of the Cumberland, but the Battle of Chickamauga was nonetheless the worst Union defeat in the Western Theater. Thomas urged Rosecrans to rejoin the army and lead it, but Rosecrans, physically exhausted and psychologically a beaten man, remained in Chattanooga. President Lincoln attempted to prop up the morale of his general, telegraphing "Be of good cheer. ... We have unabated confidence in you and your soldiers and officers. In the main, you must be the judge as to what is to be done. If I was to suggest, I would say save your army by taking strong positions until Burnside joins you." Privately, Lincoln told [[John Hay]] that Rosecrans seemed "confused and stunned like a duck hit on the head."<ref>Cozzens, ''This Terrible Sound'', pp. 520–21; Esposito, map 114; Woodworth, pp. 129–31; Lamers, p. 361.</ref>

{{blockquote
|text=Whether he did or did not know that Thomas still held the field, it was a catastrophe that Rosecrans did not himself ride to Thomas, and send Garfield to Chattanooga. Had he gone to the front in person and shown himself to his men, as at Stone River, he might by his personal presence have plucked victory from disaster, although it is doubtful whether he could have done more than Thomas did. Rosecrans, however, rode to Chattanooga instead.
|source=''The Edge of Glory'', Rosecrans biographer William M. Lamers<ref name=Lamers355>Lamers, p. 355.</ref>
}}

Although Rosecrans's men were protected by strong defensive positions, the supply lines into Chattanooga were tenuous and subject to Confederate cavalry raids. Bragg's army occupied the heights surrounding the city and laid siege upon the Union forces. Rosecrans, demoralized by his defeat, proved unable to break the siege without reinforcements. Only hours after the defeat at Chickamauga, Secretary Stanton ordered Maj. Gen. [[Joseph Hooker]] to travel to Chattanooga with 15,000 men in two corps from the [[Army of the Potomac]] in Virginia. Maj. Gen. [[Ulysses S. Grant]] was ordered to send 20,000 men under his chief subordinate Maj. Gen. [[William T. Sherman]], from [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]]. On September 29, Stanton ordered Grant to go to Chattanooga himself,<ref>Cozzens, ''Shipwreck'', pp. 2–3.</ref> as commander of the newly created [[Military Division of the Mississippi]]. Grant was given the option of replacing the demoralized Rosecrans with Thomas. Although Grant did not have good personal relations with either general, he selected Thomas to command the Army of the Cumberland. Grant traveled over the treacherous mountain supply line roads and arrived in Chattanooga on October 23.
{{blockquote
|text=On the morning of the 21st we took the train for the front, reaching Stevenson Alabama, after dark. Rosecrans was there on his way north. He came into my car and we held a brief interview, in which he described very clearly the situation at Chattanooga, and made some excellent suggestions as to what should be done. My only wonder was that he had not carried them out.
|source=Ulysses S. Grant, ''Memoirs''<ref>Grant, vol. 2, p. 28.</ref>
}}

Grant executed a plan originally devised by Rosecrans and Brig. Gen. [[William Farrar Smith|William F. "Baldy" Smith]] to open the "Cracker Line" and resupply the army and, in a series of [[Chattanooga Campaign#The Battles for Chattanooga|battles for Chattanooga]] (November 23–25, 1863), routed Bragg's army and sent it retreating into Georgia.<ref>Woodworth, ''Six Armies'', p. 151; Lamers, pp. 393–400; Cozzens, ''Shipwreck'', pp. 18, 2–6; Esposito, map 115.</ref>

====Missouri and resignation====
Rosecrans was sent to Cincinnati to await further orders, but ultimately he would play no further large part in the fighting. He was given command of the Department of Missouri from January to December 1864, when he was active in opposing [[Sterling Price]]'s [[Price's Raid|Missouri raid]]. During the [[1864 Republican National Convention]], his former chief of staff, [[James Garfield]], head of the Ohio delegation, telegraphed Rosecrans to ask if he would consider running to be Abraham Lincoln's vice president. The Republicans that year were seeking a [[War Democrat]] to run with Lincoln under the temporary name of "National Union Party." Rosecrans replied in a cryptically positive manner, but Garfield never received the return telegram. Friends of Rosecrans speculated that [[Edwin M. Stanton]], [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]], intercepted and suppressed it.<ref>Lamers, p. 424.</ref>

Rosecrans was mustered out of the U.S. volunteer service on January 15, 1866. On June 30, 1866, President [[Andrew Johnson]] nominated Rosecrans for appointment as a [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] major general in the regular army, to rank from March 13, 1865, in gratitude for his actions at Stones River; the [[U.S. Senate]] confirmed the appointment on July 25, 1866. Rosecrans resigned from the regular army on March 28, 1867. On February 27, 1889, by act of Congress he was re-appointed a brigadier general in the regular army and was placed on the retired list on March 1, 1889.<ref>''The Union Army'', vol. 8, pp. 216–17; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', pp. 462, 708; Lamers, p. 447.</ref>

After the war, Rosecrans became a companion of the District of Columbia Commandery of the [[Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States]] - a military society of officers who had served in the Union armed forces and their descendants.{{citation needed|date = November 2024}}

==Later life==
[[File:William S. Rosecrans (Old Man).png|Rosecrans in later life|thumb|right]]
After the war, Rosecrans became interested in railroads and was one of the eleven incorporators of the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific Railroad]], but his valuable interests in the stock of the railroad were lost to some of the unscrupulous financiers who were his business partners. From 1868 to 1869, Rosecrans served as [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|U.S. Minister to Mexico]], but was replaced after just five months when his old nemesis, Ulysses Grant, became president. During this brief service, he became convinced that Mexico would benefit from a narrow-gauge railway and telegraph line from [[Tampico, Tamaulipas|Tampico]] to the coast, but this venture, from 1869 through 1873, was a failure.<ref>Lamers, pp. 440–41.</ref>

Rosecrans then became interested in civil administration and wrote a book, ''Popular Government'', with a former newspaperman, Josiah Riley, which advocated registration and voting reforms. He was approached by various political parties to run for high office: [[Governor of Ohio]] ([[National Union Party (United States)|Union party]], 1866); [[governor of California]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], 1868); governor of Ohio (Democratic Party, 1869); [[United States House of Representatives|U.S Representative]] from Nevada (Democratic Party, 1876). He refused all of these offers because they conflicted with potentially promising business ventures, leading him to be referred to by the nickname "The Great Decliner."<ref>Lamers, pp. 441–42.</ref>

In 1869, Rosecrans bought {{convert|16000|acre|km2}} of [[Rancho San Pedro]] in the Los Angeles basin for $2.50 per acre ($620/km<sup>2</sup>), a low price possibly because the land was deemed worthless for lack of a spring for water. The ranch, dubbed "Rosecrans Rancho", was bordered by what would later be [[Florence Avenue]] on the north, Redondo Beach Boulevard on the south, [[Central Avenue (Los Angeles)|Central Avenue]] on the east, and Arlington Avenue on the west. By the time of Rosecrans's death, his son Carl was living on the estate, but most of the land had been sold parcel by parcel to support the financial needs of mining ventures in which Rosecrans invested.<ref>[http://www.colapublib.org/history/gardena/faq.html Frequently Asked Questions about Gardena], [[County of Los Angeles Public Library]] website; Lamers, p. 448.</ref>

In 1880, Rosecrans was elected U.S. Representative as a Democrat from [[California's 1st congressional district]]. That same year, James Garfield was [[1880 United States presidential election|elected]] President as a Republican. Rosecrans was distressed to see that Garfield's campaign literature played up his role in the war at Rosecrans's expense. Their former friendship was irretrievably broken. After Garfield's assassination, [[Charles Anderson Dana|Charles A. Dana]] capitalized on the tragedy by publishing the letters written by Garfield after Chickamauga to then-[[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]] [[Salmon P. Chase]]; the letters may have been the major reason for Rosecrans's loss of political support at the time.<ref>Lamers, pp. 408, 446.</ref>

Rosecrans was reelected in 1882 and became the chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Armed Services|House Military Affairs Committee]], a position in which he publicly opposed a bill that would provide a pension to former President Grant and his wife. Unaware of the serious financial condition of Grant's family, Rosecrans objected that some of Grant's official statements "were false, and which he knew to be false at the time he made them, and which I have shown in my official reports to be false. I cannot say to the people of this country that a business which has been conducted as to rob poor people of millions, and which, if done on a smaller scale would have sent its managers to prison, shall be considered as important when the principal manager has allowed a great name to be used as the instrument of the robbery." The bill was passed over his objections. When a bill was introduced in 1889 to restore Rosecrans's rank and place him on the retired list, some representatives objected, based on Rosecrans's actions against Grant in 1885, but the bill was passed.<ref>Lamers, pp. 447–48.</ref>

Rosecrans did not seek re-election in 1884. He served as a Regent of the [[University of California]] in 1884 and 1885.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000440 ROSECRANS, William Starke] ''Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress''</ref>

Although Rosecrans was mentioned on a few occasions as a possible presidential candidate, the first Democratic president elected after the war was [[Grover Cleveland]] in 1884. Newspaper stories circulated that Rosecrans was under serious consideration to be appointed his [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]], but he was appointed instead as the [[Register of the Treasury]], serving from 1885 to 1893.<ref>Lamers, p. 446.</ref>

Rosecrans spoke at a grand reunion of Union and Confederate veterans held at the [[Chickamauga battlefield]] on September 19, 1889, delivering a moving address praising national reconciliation.<ref>Robertson 1995, pp. 28–29. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/our-first-national-military-park</ref> The gathering led to Congress establishing the [[Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park]] the following year, the nation's first national battlefield park.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/chch/adhi1a.htm| title = Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP: An Administrative History (Chapter I)}}</ref>

In 1896, he was awarded the [[Laetare Medal]], the oldest and most prestigious award for [[American Catholics]], by the [[University of Notre Dame]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher= University of Notre Dame |title=Recipients {{!}} The Laetare Medal |url=https://laetare.nd.edu/recipients/#info1896 |access-date=August 2, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==Death==
In February 1898, Rosecrans suffered from a cold that turned into [[pneumonia]], but appeared to recover successfully. Then he learned that one of his favorite grandchildren (Rosecrans Toole, the son of Lily and [[Joseph Kemp Toole]], the first Governor of Montana) had died of [[diphtheria]]. He was seized with grief and his health failed precipitously. He died on March 11, 1898, at [[Rancho Sausal Redondo]], [[Redondo Beach, California]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/422650791.html?dids=422650791:422650791&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+12%2C+1898&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=ROSECRANS+IS+DEAD.&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604101459/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/422650791.html?dids=422650791:422650791&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+12,+1898&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=ROSECRANS+IS+DEAD.&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |title=Rosecrans is Dead|date=March 12, 1898|work=Chicago Tribune|page=13 |access-date=February 8, 2010}}</ref> His casket lay in state in [[Los Angeles City Hall]], covered by the headquarters flag that flew over Stones River and Chickamauga. In 1908 his remains were interred in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>Lamers, p. 449; Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands'', p. 462</ref>

==Legacy==
{{quote box
|align=right
|width=30%
|quote=He was the first colonel of the regiment to which I belonged, my boyhood ideal of a great soldier, and I gladly pay him tribute.
|source= —President [[William McKinley]], 1895 remarks at the dedication of the Ohio Monument at Chickamauga.<ref>Lamers, p. 449.</ref>
}}

Rosecrans' reputation has improved somewhat in recent years. Historian Frank Varney presented a case for review in his book ''General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Varney |first1=Frank B |title=General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War |date=2013 |publisher=Savas Beatie |location=El Dorado Hills, CA |isbn=978-1-61121-118-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SrzgAwAAQBAJ |access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref>

[[Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery]], in San Diego, California, is named in his honor. Major streets named after William Rosecrans include [[Rosecrans Avenue]], a major east–west street that runs through the southern part of Los Angeles County, and [[California State Route 209|Rosecrans Street]] in San Diego, which runs near the aforementioned cemetery.{{citation needed|date = November 2024}}

General Rosecrans Elementary School, on Rosecrans and Acacia Avenues in the city of [[Compton, California]], a Los Angeles suburb, bears his name, as does General Rosecrans Elementary in [[Sunbury, Ohio]].{{citation needed|date = November 2024}}

A memorial was constructed on the site of Rosecrans' birthplace and childhood home. A large boulder surrounded by a wrought iron fence holds a plaque in memoriam and rests beside a rural road that bears his name.<ref>{{cite news|title=Boulder arrives in Sunbury, but heavy lifting not over |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/olentangy-valley/2012/07/31/boulder-arrives-in-sunbury-but/23261217007/|author-link=Kristina Thomas|work=[[The Columbus Dispatch]]|accessdate=15 August 2025}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news|title=Birthplace of Gen. Wm. S. Rosecrans |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=35892|work=[[Historical Marker Database]]|accessdate=15 August 2025}}</ref>

An equestrian statue of Rosecrans, resting on a 55,000 pound black granite boulder, is located on the square surrounding the Town Hall of Sunbury, Ohio.<ref>Lepola, Lenny C., [http://rosecransheadquarters.org/News/SN-4-23-09.jpg "Paul Seeks Memorial Site for General Rosecrans"], ''Sunbury News'', April 23, 2009.</ref> [[General William Rosecrans Headquarters|Rosecrans' Headquarters]] in the buildup to the [[Chickamauga Campaign]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a|dateform=mdy|access-date=August 17, 2014}}</ref>

The {{SS|Rosecrans}} was a troop transport ship used in the early 20th century that saw service in the Pacific.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OuUvlfcIGRQC&q=U.S.A.T+Rosecrans&pg=PA198 |title = Transpacific Steam: The Story of Steam Navigation from the Pacific Coast of North America to the Far East and the Antipodes, 1867-1941|isbn = 9780845347928|last1 = Mowbray Tate|first1 = E.|year = 1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AEn9J3tXFS8C&q=U.S.A.T+Rosecrans&pg=PA124 |title = Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam|isbn = 9780824816780|last1 = Rogers|first1 = Robert F.|year = 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/peiser/id/79 | title=U.S.A.T. ROSECRANS transporting U.S. Troops out of Seattle en route to China, 1900 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5AoHOUZ0KzYC&q=U.S.A.T+Rosecrans&pg=PA255 |title = The New Navy, 1883-1922|isbn = 978-1135865436|last1 = Silverstone|first1 = Paul|date = May 13, 2013}}</ref> The [[U.S.A.T. Rosecrans|U.S.A.T. ''Rosecrans'']], another similarly named ship, was built as [[Liberty Ship]] hull 570 by the [[Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation]] and rated to hold 504 troops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usmm.org/l/oregonvanc.html|title=Liberty Ships built by Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation and by Kaiser Vancouver during World War II Vancouver, Washington for U. S. Maritime Commission|website=www.usmm.org|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:USAT ROSECRANS and LAWTON docked at the foot of University St in Seattle, preparing to transport US troops to China, 1900 (PEISER 26).jpeg|[[U.S.A.T. Rosecrans|U.S.A.T. ''Rosecrans'']] at the foot of University Street next to [[USS Badger (1889)|U.S.A.T. ''Lawton'']]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|American Civil War|Politics}}
*[[List of American Civil War generals (Union)]]
*[[Old Fort Park and Golf Course|Fortress Rosecrans]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* Cozzens, Peter. ''No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-252-01652-1}}.
* Cozzens, Peter. ''Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-8078-3200-4}}.
* Cozzens, Peter. ''The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-8078-2320-1}}.
* Cozzens, Peter. ''The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0-252-01922-9}}.
* Cozzens, Peter. ''This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992. {{ISBN|0-252-02236-X}}.
* [[David J. Eicher|Eicher, David J.]] ''The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. {{ISBN|0-684-84944-5}}.
* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8047-3641-3}}.
* Esposito, Vincent J. ''West Point Atlas of American Wars''. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1959. {{OCLC|5890637}}. The collection of maps (without explanatory text) is available online at the [https://archive.today/20120829203141/http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/american_civil_war/ West Point website].
* [[Shelby Foote|Foote, Shelby]]. ''[[The Civil War: A Narrative]]''. Vol. 2, ''Fredericksburg to Meridian''. New York: Random House, 1958. {{ISBN|0-394-49517-9}}.
* Gordon, Leslie J. "The Failed Relationship of William S. Rosecrans and Grant." In ''Grant's Lieutenants: From Cairo to Vicksburg'', edited by Steven E. Woodworth. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7006-1127-4}}.
* [[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}}.
* Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. ''How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983. {{ISBN|0-252-00918-5}}.
* Korn, Jerry, and the Editors of Time-Life Books. ''The Fight for Chattanooga: Chickamauga to Missionary Ridge''. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1985. {{ISBN|0-8094-4816-5}}.
* Lamers, William M. ''The Edge of Glory: A Biography of General William S. Rosecrans, U.S.A.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1961. {{ISBN|0-8071-2396-X}}.
* [[James M. McPherson|McPherson, James M.]] ''[[Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era]]''. Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. {{ISBN|0-19-503863-0}}.
* Meehan, Thomas. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13191c.htm "William and Sylvester Rosecrans."] In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912.
* [[Whitelaw Reid|Reid, Whitelaw]]. ''[[Ohio in the War]]: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers''. [https://archive.org/details/ohioinwarhersta00reidgoog Vol. 1, ''The History of the State during the War, and the Lives of Her Generals''], Cincinnati, OH: Moore, Wilstach, and Baldwin, 1868. {{OCLC|444862}}.
* Robertson, William Glenn. ''The Battle of Chickamauga.'' Conshohocken, PA: Eastern National Press, 1995. {{ISBN|978-0-915992-77-5}}.
* Robertson, William Glenn. "The Chickamauga Campaign: The Battle of Chickamauga, Day 2." ''Blue & Gray Magazine'', Summer 2008.
* Varney, Frank P. ''General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War''. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2013. {{ISBN|978-1-61121-118-4}}.
* Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. {{ISBN|0-8071-0822-7}}.
* *[[Steven E. Woodworth|Woodworth, Steven E.]] ''Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns''. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-8032-9813-7}}.
* ''The Union Army; A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65&nbsp;— Records of the Regiments in the Union Army&nbsp;— Cyclopedia of Battles&nbsp;— Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers''. [https://archive.org/details/unionarmyhistory08madi Vol. 8.] Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing, 1997. First published 1908 by Federal Publishing Company.
*[http://www.colapublib.org/history/gardena/faq.html#q2 Los Angeles County Public Library&nbsp;– "Who was William Starke Rosecrans and how was he involved in Gardena's founding?"]
*[http://www.civilwarhome.com/rosecransbio.htm William Starke Rosecrans biography at Civil War Home website]

'''Further reading'''
* Jones, Evan C. "A Malignant Vindictiveness: The Two-Decade Rivalry Between Ulysses S. Grant and William S. Rosecrans," in Jones, Evan C., Wiley Sword, eds., ''Gateway to the Confederacy: New Perspectives on the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns, 1862-1863'' (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2014).
* Moore, David G. ''William S. Rosecrans and the Union Victory: A Civil War Biography''. Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2014. {{ISBN|9780786476244}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
{{CongBio|R000440}} Retrieved on 2008-02-11
*[[West Virginia & Regional History Center]] at [[West Virginia University]], [https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/repositories/2/resources/5662 William Starke Rosecrans, Correspondence]
*[http://ngeorgia.com/ang/William_S._Rosecrans William S. Rosecrans biography], concentrates on the Tullahoma Campaign and the loss at Chickamauga
*[http://rosecransheadquarters.org/ General Rosecrans' Department of The Ohio Headquarters Unit]
*[http://www.bigwalnuthistory.org/Local_History/Rosecrans/Monu-600.jpg Photograph of the Rosecrans memorial in Sunbury, Ohio]
*[http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/william-s-rosecrans.html William Rosecrans biography] by the [[Civil War Trust]]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Rosecrans, William Starke}}
*[http://www.mainememory.net/bin/Detail?ln=5224 Photograph of Major General Rosecrans and staff c. 1863 from the Maine Memory Network]
*[https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CglSb3NlY3JhbnMSB1dpbGxpYW0-/ ANC Explorer]

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box
| title = Commander of the [[Army of the Mississippi]]
| before = [[John Pope (general)|John Pope]]
| after = [[John Alexander McClernand]]
| years = June 26, 1862&nbsp;– October 24, 1862
}}
{{succession box
| title = Commander of the [[Army of the Cumberland]]
| before = None
| after = [[George H. Thomas]]
| years = October 24, 1862&nbsp;– October 19, 1863
}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state= California
| district= 1
| before= [[Horace Davis]]
| after= [[Barclay Henley]]
| years= 1881–1885}}
{{s-dip}}
{{succession box
| title = [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|United States Envoy to Mexico]]
| before = [[Marcus Otterbourg]]
| after = [[John W. Foster]]
| years = 1868–1869
}}
{{s-end}}

{{US House Armed Services chairs}}
{{US Ambassadors to Mexico}}
{{American Civil War|Leaders}}
{{United States representatives from California 1-10}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosecrans, William}}
[[Category:1819 births]]
[[Category:1898 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Delaware County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Union army generals]]
[[Category:19th-century American diplomats]]
[[Category:19th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Methodism]]
[[Category:People of Ohio in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Mexico]]
[[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:People from Redondo Beach, California]]
[[Category:Laetare Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Catholics from California]]
[[Category:Catholics from Ohio]]
[[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:Chairs of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]]