XVII Corps | |
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XVII Corps badge
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Active | 1862 – 1865 |
Type | Army Corps |
Size | Corps |
Part of | Army of the Tennessee |
Engagements | American Civil War |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
James B. McPherson Francis P. Blair, Jr. |
Insignia | |
1st Division | |
2nd Division | |
3rd Division |
XVII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized December 18, 1862 as part of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee. It was most notably commanded by Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson and Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair II, and served in the Western Theater.
In October 1862 the XIII Corps and XIV Corps were created in the Western Theater. At the time it was created the XIII Corps constituted the entire Army of the Tennessee under Ulysses S. Grant. Initially Grant subdivided the corps into the Right, Left and Center wings. Major General James B. McPherson led the Center of the XIII Corps. On December 18, 1862 the XIII Corps was officially divided. The Center officially became the XVII Corps with McPherson still in command and was originally composed of three divisions under John A. Logan, John McArthur, and Isaac F. Quinby.
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign was the XVII Corps' first operation. It fought the Battle of Raymond and captured Jackson alongside William T. Sherman's XV Corps. On May 16, 1863 it bore the brunt of the fighting in the Battle of Champion Hill. During the Siege of Vicksburg, it formed the center of the Union forces.