Thomas H. Neill
| Thomas Hewson Neill | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 9, 1826 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 12, 1885 (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | West Point Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1847-1883 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Commands held |
23rd Pennsylvania Infantry 6th US Cavalry Regiment Commandant of Cadets |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Thomas Hewson Neill, a native of Pennsylvania, became a general in the American Civil War, serving in the Army of the Potomac in some of its most important campaigns.
Neill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 9, 1826. Educated in local schools, he attended the University of Pennsylvania before transferring to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated 27th of a class numbering 38 members in 1847. Neill served on the frontier, usually with the 5th U.S. Infantry, before the outbreak of the Civil War. He also taught briefly at West Point. At the outbreak of the war Neill was a captain, having reached that rank on April 1, 1857.
When the war began, Neill served on the staff of the Department of Annapolis and then on the staff of Gen George Cadwalader in the Department of Pennsylvania. Then he was made colonel of the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry, which he led in Darius Couch’s division of IV Corps Army of the Potomac in the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days Battles. Neill was injured in the ankle at the Battle of Malvern Hill. Neill next served under Couch in the Maryland Campaign. He became a brigade commander in the second division of BG Albion Howe in VI Corps at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Neill was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on April 15, 1863, his rank postdated to November 29, 1862. During the Chancellorsville Campaign, Neill brigade led the advance of Howe’s division at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, when VI Corps, under Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick drove Jubal Early’s division away from the Heights. His brigade also fought in the Battle of Salem Church. Neill had his horse shot from under him in the fight for Scott's Ford, Sedgwick's means of escaping across the Rappahannock River from converging Confederate attacks.
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