Edwin Vose Sumner
| Edwin Vose Sumner | |
|---|---|
Edwin Vose Sumner
photo taken between 1861 and 1863 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Bull, Bull Head |
| Born |
January 30, 1797 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 21, 1863 (aged 66) Syracuse, New York |
| Place of burial | Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1819–1863 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
1st U.S. Cavalry Department of the Pacific II Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| Battles/wars |
Black Hawk War |
| Spouse(s) | Hannah W. Foster |
Black Hawk War
Mexican–American War
Indian Wars
Bleeding Kansas
American Civil War
Edwin Vose Sumner (January 30, 1797 – March 21, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. His nicknames "Bull" or "Bull Head" came both from his great booming voice and a legend that a musket ball once bounced off his head.
Sumner fought in the Black Hawk War, with distinction in the Mexican–American War, on the Western frontier, and in the Eastern Theater for the first half of the Civil War. He led the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac through the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, and the Maryland Campaign, and the Right Grand Division of the Army during the Battle of Fredericksburg. He died in March 1863 while awaiting transfer.
Sumner was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Elisha Sumner and Nancy Vose Sumner. His early schooling was in Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. In 1819, after losing interest in a mercantile career in Troy, New York, he entered the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the 2nd US Infantry Regiment on March 3, 1819. He was promoted to first lieutenant on January 25, 1825.
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