James B. McPherson

James Birdseye McPherson
General James B. McPherson, photographed by Mathew Brady
Born	(1828-11-14)November 14, 1828 Clyde, Ohio
Died	July 22, 1864(1864-07-22) (aged 35) Atlanta, Georgia
Place of burial	McPherson Cemetery, Clyde, Ohio
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1853–1864
Rank	Major general
Unit	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Commands held	XVII Corps Army of the Tennessee
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Fort Henry Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Shiloh Siege of Vicksburg Atlanta Campaign Battle of Atlanta †

American Civil War

James Birdseye McPherson (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Atlanta, facing the army of his old West Point classmate John Bell Hood, who paid a warm tribute to his character. He was the second highest ranking Union officer killed during the war.

McPherson was born in Clyde, Ohio. He attended Norwalk Academy in Norwalk, Ohio, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1853, first in his class, which included Philip H. Sheridan, John M. Schofield, and John Bell Hood; Hood would oppose him later in the Western Theater. McPherson was appointed to the Corps of Engineers with the rank of brevet second lieutenant. For a year after his graduation he was assistant instructor of practical engineering at the Military Academy, and was next engaged from 1854 to 1857 as assistant engineer upon the defenses of the harbor of New York and the improvement of Hudson River. In 1857 he superintended the building of Fort Delaware, and in 1857–61 was superintending engineer of the construction of the defenses of Alcatraz Island, at San Francisco, California.