Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams
Born: September 29, 1810
Sayhawk, Connecticut
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Died: December 21, 1878
Washington, D.C.
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1847: Colonel
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1859: Major
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May 17, 1861: Brigadier General
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Jan. 12, 1865: Brevet Major General
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Maj. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams
1831: Graduated Yale University in Law
1842: Wayne County Michigan Probate Judge
1836: Joined a company in Michigan Militia
1847: Appointed Lieut. Col. of 1st Michigan Infantry - Too late for the Mexican/American War
1859: Major in Detroit Light Guard
1861: Involved in training the first army volunteers in Michigan
May 17, 1861: Appointed to Brig. Gen. of Volunteers
October 1861 - March 1862: Brigade Commander in Gen. Banks division of the Army of the Potomac
March 13, 1862: Assumed division command in the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac
April to June 1862: Department of the Shenandoah
May 25, 1862: 1st Battle of Winchester
June 26,1862: Transferred to the Army of Virginia under Maj. Gen. Pope for the Northern Campaign
August 9, 1862: Battle of Cedar Creek
Rejoined the Army of the Potomac as 1st Division of the XII Corps and marched north in the Maryland Campaign
September 17, 1862: Engaged "Stonewall" Jackson at Antietam
Assumed command of the Corps after Maj. Gen. Mansfield was killed in early action of the battle of Antietam. Corps suffered 25% casualties against Jackson
Was replaced by Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum immediately after the battle
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​May 2, 1863: Stonewall Jackson's Corps executed a surprise flanking movement in the Battle of Chancellorsville smashing the right flank of the Army of the Potomac severely damaging the XI Corps. The neighboring division under Williams entrenched hastily and stopped the Confederate advance
July 1, 1863: Arrived and occupied Benner's Hill east of Gettysburg
July 2, 1863: XII Corps takes up position on Culp's Hill
Was ordered by Maj. Gen. Meade to transfer his entire corps to the vicinity of Little Round Top. Convinced Meade the importance of Culp's Hill and managed to maintain on brigade there
Joined Gen. Sherman as part of the XX Corps in the Atlanta Campaign
May 26, 1864: Wounded in the arm at Battle of New Hope Church (Dallas, GA)
Sherman's March to the Sea
Carolina's Campaign
March 19, 1865: Battle of Bentonville
June 12, 1865: Brevet promotion to Major General
Military administrator of Arkansas
January 15, 1862: Left the Service
U. S. Minister to San Salvador until 1869
1870: Failed campaign for Governor of Michigan
March 4, 1875: Elected to U. S. Congress of Michigan's 1st Congressional District till his death on December 21, 1878
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Alpheus S. Williams. 15 Oct. 2019. web. 2 Mar 2020.
Boatner, Mark M III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay Co., 1967. p 926-927
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge, La: Louisiana State, 1964. p 559-560
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