John Cleveland Robinson (April 10, 1817 – February
18, 1897) had a long and distinguished career in the
United States Army, fighting in numerous
wars and culminating his career as a
Union
Army major general
in the
American Civil War.
He was a
recipient of the Medal of Honor for
valor in action in 1864 near Spotsylvania
Courthouse, Virginia
, where he lost a leg. After the war, he was
elected as Lieutenant Governor
of New
York
and served two terms as the president of the
Grand Army of the
Republic.
Early life and career
Robinson
was born in Binghamton,
New York
. Robinson was appointed to the United States
Military Academy
at West Point, New York
. He was a non-graduating member of the Class
of 1839, leaving the academy to study law. After a year as a
civilian, he rejoined the army in October 1839 and was commissioned
as a
second
lieutenant in the
5th U.S.
Infantry.
Robinson
traveled to Corpus
Christi, Texas
, in September 1845 to join Gen. Winfield Scott and the
Army of Occupation as a regimental and
brigade quartermaster. In June 1846, Robinson was promoted to
first lieutenant and
served in the
Mexican-American
War, fighting with distinction in the
Battle of Monterey. He also was in action
at the battles of
Palo Alto and
Resaca de la Palma. He
was commissioned as a
captain in
August 1850 and served in various garrisons. He led troops in
several engagements against hostile Indians in Texas in
1853–54.
In 1856,
Robinson went into combat again, serving in Florida
during the
Third Seminole
War
, where he furthered his military record of bravery
and efficient services. He led a seriers of expeditions against the
Seminoles in the Everglades
and Big Cyprus Swamp.
At the
close of the Seminole War, he was assigned command of Fort Bridger
and sent to the Utah
Territory. In 1857–58, he served at
Camp Floyd during the
Utah
War. Camp Floyd the largest concentration of US Troops at any
post prior to the Civil War. While stationed in the desolate Utah
Territory he petitioned, with others, the Grand Lodge of Missouri
to establish a Lodge in the Utah Territory. It was granted the )6th
of March 1859, Rocky Mountain #205 under dispensation from
Missouri, and Cpt. Robinson the first Worshipful Master of the
first Lodge in Utah.
In the late 1850s, he was ordered back east
to assume command of Fort
McHenry
in Baltimore, Maryland
.
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Maryland was a border state,
remaining loyal to the
Union despite being a Southern
slave state. Secessionists planned to
seize Fort McHenry, but Robinson made it appear that reinforcements
were imminent for his small 60-man garrison, and was able to retain
control of the fort.
Robinson
was soon sent to Detroit
as an army recruiting officer, and for a short
time, assisted Governor William Dennison in raising
troops in Columbus,
Ohio
. In September 1861, he was appointed as
Colonel of the 1st Michigan
Infantry, a
regiment he helped recruit.
That autumn, he was also promoted to
Major of the
2nd U.S. Infantry in the
regular army,
concurrent with his assignment in the volunteer army.
Within a few months,
he was commanding a brigade of volunteers at
Newport
News, Virginia
.
With his vast combat experience and with the growing need in the
expanding army for senior officers, he was promoted again on April
28, 1862, this time as a
brigadier general of
volunteers, and was transferred soon afterwards to the
Army of the Potomac, where he assumed
command of a brigade in the
division of
Philip Kearny in the
III Corps. He served with distinction during
the
Peninsula Campaign,
particularly at the
Seven Days
Battles. General Kearny lavishly praised Robinson in his
official report.
I have reserved General Robinson for the
last.
To him this day is due, above all others in this
division, the honors of this battle.
The attack was on his wing.
Everywhere present, by his personal supervision and
noble example he secured for us the honor of victory.
He also
fought that year during the Northern Virginia Campaign
at the Second Battle of Bull Run
, but missed the Maryland Campaign as his brigade was not
present. He next fought at the Battle of
Fredericksburg
. He was transferred to command of second
division I Corps in time to
participate in Chancellorsville
in 1863.
During
the Battle of
Gettysburg
in July 1863, Robinson commanded a division in the
I Corps north of the borough of
Gettysburg
. He and his men fought well on July 1, but
eventually had to retire through the streets of the town under the
pressure of overwhelming numbers. For his valor and meritorious
performance at Gettysburg, he was
brevetted as a
lieutenant colonel in the
regular army. He was again brevetted, this time to
colonel in the
regular army, for his efforts
during the
Mine Run Campaign and
the 1864
Battle of the
Wilderness. In the latter battle, Robinson commanded second
division in the reorganized
V Corps,
which was composed of his old division plus a brigade of Maryland
troops.
Robinson presided over the
court-martial of Brig. Gen.
Thomas A. Rowley for his conduct at Gettysburg.
After the
war he received a Medal of Honor for
his actions during a preliminary action to the Battle of
Spotsylvania Court House
, the fight at Alsop's farm at Laurel Hill, Virginia
, on May 8, 1864. According to the official
citation, Robinson "placed himself at the head of the leading
brigade in a charge upon the enemy's breastworks; was severely
wounded." He was brevetted as a
major general in the regular
army. However, having been shot through the left knee and
permanently disabled following its amputation at the thigh,
Robinson never returned to field duty after Alsop's Farm. He
performed administrative duty as a district commander in the
Department of the East for
the rest of the war.
Postbellum
Robinson
remained in the army following the cessation of hostilities and was
assigned command of the Freedman's
Bureau in Federally-occupied North Carolina
. In July 1866, he was promoted to full
colonel in the regular army, and mustered out of the volunteer army
on September 1, 1866. In 1867, he was promoted to command of the
Military Department of the South. The following year, he was again
reassigned, this time to lead the Department of the Lakes. Robinson
retired from the U.S. Army on May 6, 1869, receiving a full
commission to the rank of major general.
Robinson, as with many leading political and social figures of his
day, was a
Freemason, becoming a member of
Binghamton Lodge #177 and rising through its ranks.
Robinson, long a popular figure in New York, was elected
Lieutenant Governor of New
York in
1872,
serving under
Republican Governor
John A. Dix.
Robinson was active in veterans affairs, and became the president
of the national
Grand Army of
the Republic from 1877–79. A decade later, he was elected as
president of the Society of the Army of the Potomac. In his elder
years, Robinson lost his eyesight and became totally blind.
He died at home at the age of 79 and was buried in Plot Section D,
Lot 12 at
Spring Forest
Cemetery in Binghamton, Broome County, New York.
A bronze
statue of Robinson stands in Gettysburg
National Military Park
near Oak Ridge.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and Organization:
- Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Laurel
Hill, Va., May 8, 1864. Entered service at: Binghamton, N.Y. Birth:
Binghamton, N.Y. Date of issue: March 28, 1894.
Citation:
- Placed himself at the head of the leading brigade in a charge
upon the enemy's breastworks; was severely wounded.
See also
References
Notes
- Appleton's Cyclopedia
- Official Records
- Army Medal of Honor website M-Z Center of
Military History]
- Masonic Service Organization of North America
- Retrieved on 2007-11-08
External links
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