Henry Warner Slocum, Sr. was an American Union general.
Background
He was born on September 24, 1827 at Delphi, Onondaga County, New York, United States, the son of Matthew Barnard and Mary (Ostrander) Slocum. He was of the eighth generation in descent from Anthony Slocombe, who came from Taunton in England to Taunton, Massachussets, in 1637.
Education
His early education was in the local district school and in Cazenovia Seminary. For several years he taught school, attending the state normal school during some of his vacations. An early interest in military reading was stimulated by the Mexican War, and he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy. He secured it in 1848 and was graduated in 1852, number seven in a class of forty-three, being commissioned second lieutenant in the 1th Artillery.
Career
He went first to Florida, then, in 1853, to Fort Moultrie. On March 3, 1855, he was promoted first lieutenant, but resigned on October 31, 1856, to engage in the practice of law, for which he had been preparing himself while at Moultrie.
He was admitted to the bar in 1858 and established himself at Syracuse, New York. He soon gained local prominence; in 1859 he was a member of the New York assembly, and, in 1860, treasurer of Onondaga County. He also served as colonel and artillery instructor in the New York militia.
On May 21, 1861, he became colonel of the 27th New York Infantry. At the battle of Bull Run on July 21, he was severely wounded, but won promotion as brigadier-general of volunteers, on August 9, 1861. Reporting for duty again in September he was assigned to the command of a brigade in Franklin's division, and went with it to the Peninsula. This division became part of the VI Corps; Franklin was assigned to command the corps, and Slocum succeeded him in the division, which he commanded through the rest of the campaign.
On July 4, 1862, he was promoted major-general of volunteers. Upon the withdrawal of McClellan's army from the Peninsula, Slocum's division was transported to Alexandria. From there it moved forward to assist in covering Pope's withdrawal. Slocum remained in command during the ensuing campaign in Maryland, and was engaged at South Mountain and Antietam. In October he assumed command of the XII Army Corps, which took part in the Fredericksburg campaign, but was not engaged in the battle. In the following spring it bore a very active part in the campaign and battle of Chancellorsville.
At Gettysburg Slocum had command of the extreme right of the Union line - the "point of the fish-hook, " from Culp's Hill southward. Until Meade's arrival early in the morning of July 2, Slocum exercised command, as senior officer present, of all the troops as they arrived, and supervised the formation of the lines. In the autumn of 1863, after the battle of Chickamauga, it became necessary to reenforce Rosecrans by troops from the east.
On September 24, Howard's XI Corps and Slocum's XII were designated to move by rail to Tennessee. General Hooker was assigned to command the two corps. Slocum had been hostile to Hooker ever since the battle of Chancellorsville, and now, rather than serve under him, tendered his resignation. This was not accepted, but dispositions were made so as to avoid in so far as possible personal contact between the two officers.
Slocum with half his corps was stationed on the Nashville-Chattanooga Railway; the rest of the corps served directly under Hooker. In April 1864, he was assigned to command the district of Vicksburg. The XI and XII Corps were consolidated into the XX Corps under Hooker. In July, after McPherson's death, Howard was assigned to command the Army of the Tennessee in his place. Hooker, being senior to Howard, asked to be relieved, and Slocum returned to his old command as now enlarged. He joined it before Atlanta on Aug. 26, and his troops were the first to enter the city on September 2. Slocum commanded the left wing of Sherman's army, consisting of the XIV and XX Corps. Toward the end of the campaign the two wings became separate armies, Howard's resuming its old title as the Army of the Tennessee, and Slocum's, taking that of the Army of Georgia. At the end of the war Slocum was assigned to command the department of the Mississippi with headquarters at Vicksburg.
He resigned on September 28, 1865, and returned to Syracuse. He was nominated as Democratic candidate for secretary of state of New York, but was defeated by Francis Channing Barlow. In the spring of 1866 he moved to Brooklyn, and began the practice of law in that city. He was a Democratic presidential elector in 1868. He was elected to Congress in 1868, and again in 1870. In 1876 he was commissioner of public works in Brooklyn. In 1882 he was returned to Congress, and served until March 1885. He was active in the case of Fitz-John Porter, and in that officer's interest delivered one of his strongest speeches in Congress on January 18, 1884.
He died in New York City.
Achievements
Membership
He was a member of the Board of Gettysburg Monument Commissioners.
Connections
He married Clara Rice, of Woodstock, New York on February 9, 1854. They had four children.