Dunbar R. Ransom

Dunbar R. Ransom (January 10, 1831—July 11, 1897) was a United States Army officer and veteran of the American Civil War. He is notable for having commanded Union Army artillery units throughout the conflict.

Dunbar Ransom was born at Fayetteville, North Carolina on January 10, 1831 and raised in Vermont. He was the son of Colonel Truman B. Ransom and brother of General Thomas E. G. Ransom. Ransom attended the United States Military Academy, and graduated from Norwich University in 1851. On June 7, 1855 Ransom was appointed as a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery. He served on the West Coast of the United States, and was promoted to first lieutenant on December 31, 1856. Ransom participated in the later stages of the Yakima War in an expedition during 1858 that culminated in the Battle of Four Lakes near Spokane, Washington.

Following the outbreak of war, Ransom was promoted to the rank of captain on November 1, 1861. He was assigned command of Battery L of the 3rd Artillery. However, Ransom soon took command of Battery C, 5th U.S., accompanying the Pennsylvania Reserves at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Ransom’s battery remained with the Reserves when they joined I Corps of the Army of the Potomac in time for the Battle of Antietam. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, who led the division at Antietam, praised Ransom’s battery for its support of the Reserves as they advanced into and beyond the Cornfield.[1]

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