USA Bio Orlando B. Willcox

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. Orlando B. Willcox (b. 1823, d. 1907) Career soldier and novel writer, Orlando Bolivar Willcox spent a lifetime in the service of the U.S. Army. He nearly didn’t get a chance to do much fighting in the Civil War, being wounded and captured at First Bull Run. After an interesting year as a prisoner, Willcox was exchanged and given command once more. Willcox was born in Detroit, Michigan, April 16, 1823. He received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy and graduated with the Class of 1847. At the close of the Mexican War, Willcox briefly was detailed to garrison duty in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Other duty posts included New Mexico, Massachusetts and Florida. Willcox resigned his commission in 1857 to practice law, but was back in uniform in 1861 as colonel of the First Michigan Infantry. At First Bull Run, Willcox commanded the Second Brigade of the Third Division and was in the thick of the fighting being wounded and captured while commanding a brigade in Heintzelman’s division. He would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle in 1895. His captivity included a stint as a hostage. This came about after Federals captured the ship Enchantress, which had a Confederate prize crew the day after the Bull Run battle. The Federal government threatened to execute the men as pirates. The Confederate government then removed prisoner of war status from six Union colonels in their custody, including Willcox, as well as seven other officers. They would be executed if the Enchantress crew was hung. Eventually, Federal courts ruled the Confederates were prisoners of war and the status of the Union troops was restored. Willcox was exchanged Aug. 19, 1862, and immediately commissioned as brigadier general of volunteers to date from July 21, 1861, the date he was wounded and captured. He was given command of the First Division of Gen. Burnside’s IX Corps. He led this unit through the battles at South Mountain and Antietam. When Burnside was given command of the Army of the Potomac, Willcox commanded the IX Corps at Fredericksburg. Early in 1863, Willcox and the IX Corps were transferred to the Army of the Ohio. In just over a year in this theater, Willcox commanded the corps three different times, fighting at Knoxville. He briefly commanded the District of Central Kentucky. The IX Corps returned to Virginia for Gen. Grant’s Overland Campaign and fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor. After the Battle of the Crater July 30, 1864, Burnside resigned from the army. Willcox was the favorite to become commander of the IX Corps, but that job instead went to Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, the IX Corps chief of staff. Willcox commanded his division through the end of the war. After the war, he commanded the District of Washington. Willcox received brevets to major general in the regular army and volunteers before he was mustered out in January of 1866 while commanding the Department of the Ohio. He briefly returned to his legal career in Detroit before being called back when the army was enlarged. He received an appointment as colonel of the new 29th Infantry. In 1869, he transferred to the 12th Infantry in San Francisco. In 1878, he was made commander of the Department of Arizona while war against the Apache tribe was taking place. He served in this role into 1882. The town of Willcox, Arizona, was named after him. In 1886, he was promoted to brigadier general, U.S. Army. He retired in 1887 as commander of the Department of the Missouri. In 1889, he served a two-year term as governor of the Soldiers’ Home in Washington, D.C. At some point during his career, he had two novels published under the name “Major Walter March.” He moved to Coburg, Ontario, Canada, in 1905 and died there May 10, 1907. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.


While Willcox was a major general when he was mustered out in 1866, he didn't receive this rank until after the war, so I left him as a brigadier for our purposes.

I edited the original bio to add a little more information on his time as a "captive" rather than a POW

[Gil R.]

Thanks.

[Gil R.]

Here's Willcox. It's a bit too long, and I'll probably have to shorten the post-war section to make it fit, but I thought I'd post it as it is now to see if anyone has comments/suggestions.



Brig. Gen. Orlando Bolivar Willcox (b. 1823, d. 1907). A career soldier and novel writer, Willcox spent a lifetime in the service of the U.S. Army – but he nearly did not get a chance to do much fighting in the Civil War, being wounded and captured at First Bull Run. After an interesting year as a prisoner, Willcox was exchanged and given a command once more. Willcox was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 16, 1823. He received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy and graduated with the Class of 1847. At the close of the Mexican War, Willcox briefly was detailed to garrison duty in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Other duty posts included New Mexico, Massachusetts and Florida. Willcox resigned his commission in 1857 to practice law, but was back in uniform in 1861 as Colonel of the 1st Michigan Infantry. At First Bull Run, Willcox commanded the 2nd Brigade of Samuel Heintzelman’s 3rd Division and was in the thick of the fighting until his wounding and subsequent capture. (Willcox would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle in 1895.) His captivity included a stint as a hostage. This came about after Union captured the merchant ship “Enchantress,” which had a Confederate prize crew, the day after the Bull Run battle and threatened to execute the men as pirates. In response, the Confederate government then removed prisoner of war status from six Union colonels in their custody, including Willcox, as well as seven other officers, announcing that they would be executed if the ship’s crew was hung. Eventually, Federal courts ruled that the Confederate sailors were prisoners of war and the status of the Union troops was restored. Willcox was exchanged on August 19, 1862, more than a year after his capture, and immediately commissioned as brigadier general of volunteers to date from July 21, 1861, the date of First Bull Run. Willcox was given command of the 1st Division of Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s IX Corps, and within a month of his release was leading this force through the battles at South Mountain and Antietam (where his brigade fought at Burnside’s Bridge). When Burnside was given command of the Army of the Potomac in November, Willcox commanded the IX Corps at Fredericksburg a month later. Early in 1863, Willcox and his corps were transferred to the Army of the Ohio along with Burnside. In just over a year in this theater, Willcox alternated between corps command and local district commands headquartered at Lexington and Indianapolis, and led one wing during the Knoxville Campaign. The IX Corps returned to Virginia in 1864 under Burnside for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign and fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, with Willcox again commanding a division. After the disastrous Battle of the Crater at Petersburg on July 30, Burnside resigned from the army. Willcox was the favorite to become commander of the IX Corps, but that job instead went to Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, the IX Corps chief of staff. Willcox commanded his division through the end of the war. After the war, Willcox first commanded the District of Washington, and received brevets to major general in the regular army and volunteers before he was mustered out in January of 1866 while commanding the Department of the Ohio. He briefly returned to his legal career in Detroit before being called back when the army was enlarged, receiving an appointment as colonel of the new 29th Infantry. In 1869, he transferred to the 12th Infantry in San Francisco, and in 1878 he was made commander of the Department of Arizona while war against the Apache tribe was taking place, a role in which he served into 1882, and which was commemorated in the name of the town of Willcox, Arizona. In 1886, he was promoted to brigadier general in the U.S. Army, before he finally retired the following year as commander of the Department of the Missouri. In 1889, Willcox served a two-year term as governor of the Soldiers’ Home in Washington, D.C. At some point during his career, he had two novels published under the name “Major Walter March.” He moved to Coburg, Ontario, Canada, in 1905 and died there May 10, 1907. Willcox is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 4
Tactical: 4
Initiative: 4
Command: 5
Cavalry:

Start date: 39

Teaches: Random, Random

[Gil R.]

Okay, I shortened it, and the bio is now ready to go. I removed the following as the second sentence, since the info is repeated later in the bio, and it reads fine without it: “Following an interesting year as a prisoner, Willcox was exchanged and given a command once more.” I also removed “Other posts included New Mexico, Massachusetts and Florida” because it’s not that important. And I took out mention of his commanding the District of Washington and Department of the Ohio after the war. And I made some other little changes here and there.

By the way, I looked up why the town of Willcox was named for him, and here’s what I found on the town’s website: “The City of Willcox was founded in 1877, at that time it was known as Mahley’s Camp. In 1880 the Union Pacific Railroad built the Railroad Depot and when the first train stopped in the small camp General Orlando B. Wilcox was on board, those spectators recognizing the General began chanting “Wilcox! Wilcox! Wilcox!” A reporter from Tucson went back and reported in the Arizona Daily Star about the new railroad town known as Wilcox. In 1885 the town had a population of 500 residents. The City of Willcox was incorporated in 1915.”

Brig. Gen. Orlando Bolivar Willcox (b. 1823, d. 1907). A career soldier and novel writer, Willcox spent a lifetime in the U.S. Army, but nearly did not get a chance to do much fighting in the Civil War after being wounded and captured at First Bull Run. Willcox was born in Detroit on April 16, 1823 and received an appointment to West Point, graduating in 1847. At the close of the Mexican War, Willcox was briefly detailed to garrison duty in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. He resigned his commission in 1857 to practice law, but was back in uniform in 1861 as Colonel of the 1st Michigan Infantry. At First Bull Run on July 21, Willcox commanded the 2nd Brigade in Gen. Samuel Heintzelman’s 3rd Division and was in the thick of the fighting until his wounding and subsequent capture. (Willcox would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle in 1895.) His captivity included a stint as a hostage. This came about after Union captured the merchant ship “Enchantress,” which had a Confederate prize crew, the day after First Bull Run and threatened to execute the men as pirates. In response, the Confederate government removed prisoner of war status from six Union colonels in their custody, including Willcox, as well as seven other officers, announcing that they would be executed if the ship’s crew was hung. Eventually, Federal courts ruled that the Confederate sailors were prisoners of war and the status of the Union troops was restored. Willcox was exchanged on August 19, 1862, more than a year after his capture, and immediately commissioned as brigadier general of volunteers to date from July 21, 1861. Willcox was given command of the 1st Division of Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s IX Corps, and within a month of his release was leading this force at South Mountain and Antietam (where his brigade fought at Burnside’s Bridge). Willcox himself commanded the IX Corps at Fredericksburg in December, since Burnside had assumed command of the Army of the Potomac. Early in 1863, Willcox, IX Corps and Burnside were all transferred to the Army of the Ohio. In just over a year in this theater, Willcox alternated between corps command and local district commands headquartered at Lexington and Indianapolis, and led one wing during the Knoxville Campaign. The IX Corps returned to Virginia in 1864 under Burnside for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign and fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, with Willcox again commanding a division. After the disastrous Battle of the Crater at Petersburg on July 30, Burnside resigned from the army. Willcox was the favorite to replace him, but the job instead went to Gen. John G. Parke, the IX Corps chief of staff. After the war, Willcox received brevets to major general in the regular army and volunteers before mustering out in January 1866. He briefly returned to his legal career in Detroit before being called back when the army was enlarged, receiving an appointment as Colonel of the new 29th Infantry. In 1869, he transferred to the 12th Infantry in San Francisco, and from 1878 to 1882 commanded the Department of Arizona during war against the Apaches. (The town of Willcox, Arizona was named for him, though not by design – when the first train to reach there stopped and spectators recognized the general, their shouts of “Willcox!” led a newspaper reporter to mistakenly relay that as the new railroad town’s name.) Promoted to brigadier general in 1886, he finally retired the following year as commander of the Department of the Missouri. In 1889, Willcox began a two-year term as governor of the Soldiers’ Home in Washington, D.C. At some point during his career, he had two novels published under the name “Major Walter March.” He moved to Coburg, Ontario in 1905 and died there on May 10, 1907, receiving burial at Arlington National Cemetery. (Bio by Bill Battle)