James Barrett Steedman
| James Blair Steedman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Steady |
| Born |
July 29, 1817 Northumberland County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 18, 1883 (aged 66) Toledo, Ohio |
| Place of burial | Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio |
| Allegiance |
 Republic of Texas United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
Texian Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1835 (Texas Army) 1861–1866 (U.S.) |
| Rank |
 Major general (U.S.) |
| Commands held | 14th Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Ohio legislator, printer, Toledo police captain |
Texas War of Independence
American Civil War
James Blair Steedman (July 29, 1817 – October 18, 1883) was an American general in the Union Army in the Civil War. A printer by trade, and then President of Public Works in Ohio, he raised a ninety-day regiment that saw action in the early fighting at Philippi, Western Virginia (June 1861). Posted to the Western theatre and promoted brigadier under Buell, Steedman was credited with saving a whole division from being routed at the Battle of Perryville.
At the desperate Battle of Chickamauga, he lent valuable support to General George Thomas, and his courageous acts were praised as the salvation of the remaining Union forces after their defeat. He reunited with Thomas at Nashville (December 1864), taking heavy losses at first, but playing a big part in the dramatic victory that ended the war in the west.
Steedman was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1817, the second out of five children. Steedman would not receive any formal education while growing up. He was fifteen years old when both of his parents died, and to support his siblings he worked as a typesetter for the Lewisburg Democrat newspaper in Lewisburg. Two years later he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and found work there again as a typesetter for the Louisville Journal. He was employed as a printer until joining the Texas Army of Sam Houston in 1835.
After fighting in the Texas War of Independence, Steedman returned to home to Pennsylvania, where he worked on a public works project as a supervisor. In 1835 Steedman moved to Ohio, desiring to become a public works contractor, but failed initially to find work for his firm. He decided to return to his newspaper roots and bought a printing press in the city of Napoleon in Henry County, Ohio, where he began publishing the Northwest Democrat newspaper in 1838. Also during this time he married Miranda Slides, and contracts for public works began to come in. Steedman prospered as a contractor, his firm building early parts of both the Wabash and Erie Canal and the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway.
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Wikipedia