Ameri can soldier, was born at Sandusky, 0., on Nov. 14, 1828. He entered West Point at the age of 21, and graduated (1853) at the head of his class, which included Sheridan, Schofield and Hood. He was employed at the military academy as instructor of prac tical military engineering (1853). A year later he was sent to engineer duty at New York, and in 1857 he was sent as super intending engineer to San Francisco, becoming first lieutenant in 1858. He was promoted captain during the first year of the Civil War, and towards the close of 1861 became lieutenant colonel and aide-de-camp to Gen. Halleck, who in the spring of 1862 sent him to Gen. Grant as chief engineer. He remained with Grant during the Shiloh campaign, and acted as engineer adviser to Halleck during the siege operations against Corinth in the summer of 1862. In October he distinguished himself in command of an infantry brigade at the battle of Corinth, and on the 8th of this month was made major-general of volunteers and commander of a division. In the second advance on Vicks burg (1863) McPherson commanded the XVII. corps, fought at Port Gibson, Raymond and Jackson, and of ter the fall of Vicks burg was strongly recommended by Grant for the rank of brigadier-general in the regular army, to which he was promoted on Aug. I, 1863. He commanded at Vicksburg until the follow
ing spring. He was about to go on leave of absence when he received his nomination to the command of the Army of the Tennessee, Grant's and Sherman's old army, which was to take part under Sherman's supreme command in the campaign against Atlanta (1864). This nomination was made by Sherman and en tirely approved by Grant. McPherson commanded his army at the actions of Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and the battles about Atlanta. On July 22, when the Confederates under his old classmate Hood made a sudden and violent attack on the lines held by the Army of the Tennessee, McPherson rode up, in the woods, to the enemy's firing line and was killed. Grant is reported to have said "The country has lost one of its best soldiers and I have lost my best friend." See Amos A. Fries, "Major General James Birdseye McPherson," U.S. Engin. Dept., vol. vii, p. 378-82 (1915)•