John F. Reynolds

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John F. Reynolds bigraphy, stories - Union Army general

John F. Reynolds : biography

September 20, 1820 – July 1, 1863

John Fulton Reynolds (September 20, 1820 – July 1, 1863)Eicher, pp. 450-51. was a career United States Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army’s most respected senior commanders, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.

Early life and career

Reynolds was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of nine surviving children of John Reynolds (1787–1853) and Lydia Moore Reynolds (1794–1843). Two of his brothers were James LeFevre Reynolds, Quartermaster General of Pennsylvania, and Rear Admiral Will Reynolds.. Prior to his military training, Reynolds studied in nearby Lititz, about from his home in Lancaster. Next he attended a school in Long Green, Maryland, and finally the Lancaster County Academy.Warner, p. 396.

Reynolds was nominated to the United States Military Academy in 1837 by Senator James Buchanan, a family friend, and graduated 26th of 50 cadets in the class of 1841. He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery, assigned to Fort McHenry. From 1842 to 1845 he was assigned to St. Augustine, Florida, and Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, before joining Zachary Taylor’s army at Corpus Christi, Texas, for the Mexican-American War. He was awarded two brevet promotions in Mexico—to captain for gallantry at Monterrey and to major for Buena Vista, where his section of guns prevented the Mexican cavalry from outflanking the American left.Eicher, p. 450; Carney, p. 1631. During the war, he became friends with fellow officers Winfield Scott Hancock and Lewis A. Armistead.

On his return from Mexico, Reynolds was assigned to Fort Preble, Maine, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Fort Lafayette, New York. He was next sent west to Fort Orford, Oregon, in 1855, and participated in the Rogue River Wars of 1856 and the Utah War with the Mormons in 1857-58. He was the Commandant of Cadets at West Point from September 1860 to June 1861, while also serving as an instructor of artillery, cavalry, and infantry tactics. During his return from the West, Reynolds became engaged to Katherine May Hewitt. Since they were from different religious denominations—Reynolds was a Protestant, Hewitt a Catholic—the engagement was kept a secret and Hewitt’s parents did not learn about it until after Reynolds’ death.Carney, p. 1632; Bearss, p. 161; Tagg, pp. 10-11.

In popular media

John F. Reynolds memorials

File:JFReynolds GB1.jpg|Equestrian statue on McPherson Ridge, Chambersburg Pike, Gettysburg National Military Park File:JFReynolds GB2.jpg|Closeup

File:JFReynolds GB3.jpg|Statue by John Quincy Adams Ward in the National Cemetery, Gettysburg National Military Park File:JfReynolds GB4.jpg|Closeup

File:John_F._Reynolds_statue.jpg|In front of Philadelphia City Hall File:John_F._Reynolds_Gettysburg_death_monument.jpg|Gettysburg, Penna.

Reynolds plays a role in Michael Shaara’s 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Killer Angels, as well as the 1993 film based on that novel, Gettysburg (in which he was played by John Rothman). The film portrays Reynolds as being deliberately targeted by a Confederate sharpshooter, a scene based on the Don Troiani painting of the event. Reynolds is also significant in the prequel to The Killer Angels, Jeffrey Shaara’s novel Gods and Generals, although his role was deleted from the 2003 film based on the novel.

A significant portion of the song "The Devil to Pay" by Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth in the Gettysburg trilogy is dedicated to John Reynolds, with the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" played and stylized using both electric guitar and an orchestra.

Civil War

Early assignments and the Seven Days

Soon after the start of the Civil War, Reynolds was offered the position as aide-de-camp to Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, but declined. He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 14th U.S. Infantry, but before he could engage with that unit, he was promoted to brigadier general on August 20, 1861, and ordered to report to Washington, D.C. While in transit, his orders were changed to report to Cape Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan intervened with the Secretary of War to get his orders changed once again, assigning him to the newly formed Army of the Potomac. His first assignment was with a board that examined the qualifications of volunteer officers, but he soon was given command of a brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves.Carney, p. 1632.