Ned Jilton II: A history of U.S. presidents and their military service | Features

Right off the bat I thought of the big five president/generals: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Then I stopped to think and remembered that counting Grant, I think five or six Civil War generals were elected president.

The conversation inspired me to look into the military careers of the presidents. It turns out that 31 out of the 45 elected to our nation’s highest office served in the military. Here is a look at the presidents who served, the highest rank they held, and a few interesting tidbits about each of them.

George Washington (General of the Army) — Our first president was also our first general in overall command of the Army. Washington took command and lifted the British siege of Boston. He later guided the Colonial Army through harsh winters and to victories at Trenton and then Princeton until finally defeating the British at Yorktown in 1781.

Thomas Jefferson (Colonel) — Our third president, Jefferson was a colonel in the Virginia Militia in 1770 and commanded the Albemarle County Militia from 1775 to 1779 during the Revolutionary War.

James Madison (Colonel) — Madison was commissioned as colonel of the Orange County Militia and was his father’s second-in-command. He never saw action in the war, as he was elected as a delegate to the Fifth Virginia Convention.

James Monroe (Lt. Colonel) — Monroe dropped out of college in 1776 and joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment in the Continental Army. He suffered a severed artery during Washington’s surprise attack on the Hessian during the Battle of Trenton and was out of action for two months. He recovered and returned to the Army only to spend the winter in Valley Forge. After the Battle of Monmouth, Monroe resigned his commission only to rejoin upon hearing the news that the British had taken Savannah, Georgia.

Monroe was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel to lead a Virginia regiment, but there wasn’t enough men so the regiment never formed, leaving him without a command. He didn’t see any action for the rest of the war.

Andrew Jackson (Major General) — The first president elected from the state of Tennessee started out as a colonel of the Tennessee Militia. The Tennessee volunteers were not needed at first when the War of 1812 started, but after several disastrous raids by Creek natives known as “Red Sticks” aligned with the British, Gov. William Blount called them into action.

Jackson’s forces of Tennesseans and Native American allies scored several victories, including the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on the Tallapoosa River, and eventually forced the Red Sticks to surrender.

Jackson was promoted to brigadier general in the United States Army on June 8, 1814, and then made a brevet major general with command of the 7th Military District. He then cleared out the remainder of the Native Americans loyal to the British and drove the Spanish out of part of Florida. He then headed to New Orleans.

In New Orleans, Jackson put together a force made up of regular Army, Tennessee Militia, pirates, free Blacks and Native Americans. He saw to it that the non-White were given equal pay to the White soldiers.

Jackson established a strong defensive position along the Mississippi River and defeated a well-trained British force twice his size. The victory made him a national hero, and he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

William Henry Harrison (Major General) — Before the War of 1812, Harrison fought in the Northwest Indian War, including leading an attack against Tecumseh’s Confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe. It was there that he earned the nickname “Old Tippecanoe,” which would become part of his campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” when he ran for president with John Tyler as his vice-president against incumbent Martin Van Buren.

Harrison earned the rank of major general during the War of 1812 while leading American forces to victory at the Battle of the Thames in Canada.

John Tyler (Captain) — When the British attacked Hampton, Virginia, Tyler organized the Charles City Rifles to defend Richmond. The militia company saw no action during the war and disbanded.

Interesting side note, when the Civil War came, Tyler — who was then a former president — sided with the Confederacy. He presided over the opening of the Virginia Secession Convention and eventually won election to the Confederate House of Representatives.

James Buchanan (Private) — Buchanan served as a private in the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812, during the British invasion of Maryland. He is the only president with military experience who was not an officer.

James K. Polk (Colonel) — The second president elected from the state of Tennessee served as a colonel in the Tennessee Militia in 1821.

Zachary Taylor (Major General) — Taylor was a career military officer who was dispatched to the Rio Grande River by President Polk in 1845, just before the start of the Mexican-American War. He led a campaign deep into Mexico where he eventually defeated Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista.

When Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, in overall command of United States forces, landed on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to start a march toward the Mexican capital, Taylor’s troops were transferred to Scott. But the victories he won had made Taylor popular back in the states, resulting in his election to president.

Franklin Pierce (Brigadier General) — A militia officer before the war, Pierce was appointed colonel of the 9th Infantry Regiment. In Mexico, he was promoted to brigadier general in command of a brigade of reinforcements for Gen. Scott’s army. As the brigade marched to catch up with the rest of the army, it was attacked and Pierce was seriously injured.

Despite the injury, Pierce and his brigade caught up with Scott’s forces just before the Battle of Churubusco. Scott ordered Pierce to the rear to recover from his injuries, but Pierce responded, “For God’s sake, General, this is the last great battle, and I must lead my brigade.”

Because of his injuries, Pierce had to be tied to the saddle during the battle. However, the pain grew too intense, and he collapsed before the fight was over. He recovered enough to continue commanding the brigade, taking part in the capture of Mexico City.

Abraham Lincoln (Captain) — In 1832, Lincoln served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War.

There are several interesting tidbits about presidents who served during the Civil War. Eight presidents served during the war, six of whom were elected after the war.

Millard Fillmore (Major) — Fillmore was president from 1850 to 1853. When the Civil War started, the former president volunteered and joined the Union Continentals, a home guard in New York made up of men over 45 years of age. While the Continentals never saw action in the war, they guarded Lincoln’s funeral train during its stop in Buffalo, New York.

Andrew Johnson (Brigadier General) — Appointed to the role of military governor for Tennessee by Lincoln, Johnson held the rank of brigadier general until he left to become Lincoln’s vice president.

Ulysses S. Grant (General of the Army) — A West Point graduate, Grant served with distinction during the Mexican-American War before returning to civilian life. When the Civil War started, Grant returned to the service, repeatedly earning promotion through multiple victories and successful campaigns, including Vicksburg in Mississippi and Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee.

Grant was brought east to take overall command of the Army, the second person elected president to hold this rank, the other being Washington, and led the defeat of Robert E. Lee, helping to bring an end to the war.

Rutherford B. Hayes (Major General) — Hayes started out as a major in the 23rd Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel, and during the Battle of South Mountain he led a charge against an entrenched Rebel position and was shot through his left arm, fracturing the bone. The wound was tied off by one of his men, and he continued to lead his men in battle. He was later promoted to colonel in command of a brigade.

While serving with the Army of Shenandoah, Hayes took part in the 1864 march into Southwest Virginia to destroy the Confederate salt works and lead mines. He would later be wounded by a bullet to the shoulder during a battle against Gen. Jubal Early’s forces at Kernstown.

Hayes was promoted to brigadier general and continued to bravely lead his men in successful battles in Virginia. Grant would later write, “His conduct on the field was marked by conspicuous gallantry as well as the display of qualities of a higher order than that of mere personal daring.”

He was brevetted a major general near the end of 1864. A brevetted rank is a reward for outstanding service but may not carry the authority of a regular rank. The rank could revert back to the previous rank unless made permanent by Congress.

James A. Garfield (Brigadier General) — Garfield started out as a colonel in the 42nd Ohio Infantry Regiment. As a part of Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s command, he was tasked to drive Confederate forces out of Eastern Kentucky. His success in accomplishing the mission earned him promotion to brigadier general, and he was given command of the 20th Brigade of the Army of the Ohio.

Garfield and his brigade arrived in time to take part in the second day’s fighting at the Battle of Shiloh, helping Grant to victory. He then became so sick with jaundice he was forced to return home on sick leave. After recovering, he turned down a nomination for Congress to return to service.

After assignments in Washington, D.C., Garfield joined the staff of Major Gen. William S. Rosecrans and took part in the Battle of Chickamauga. He returned to Washington after Gen. Grant replaced Rosecrans with Gen. George H. Thomas rather than Garfield.

Chester A. Arthur (Brigadier General) — Arthur was commissioned a brigadier general in the New York Militia’s Quartermaster Department. He was promoted to inspector general and then quartermaster general of the state militia. He was so good at his job that when the 9th New York Volunteer Infantry elected him colonel in command of the newly formed regiment, the governor insisted he stay in his current position rather than join the fighting at the front.

Arthur spent most of the war enlisting other men to fight and keeping them fed and supplied, but was never allowed to go to the front himself. When a new governor was elected in New York, he was replaced by a political appointee, ending his service.

Benjamin Harrison (Brigadier General) — Harrison helped to raise a regiment in Indiana early in the war, but turned down the position of colonel because he said he had no military experience and accepted the lower rank of captain in command of a company.

Despite his reluctance to accept higher rank, Harrison became colonel of the 70th Indiana, and the regiment moved into Kentucky and Tennessee before eventually joining the army under the command of Gen. William T. Sherman on his Atlanta campaign, where he would command a brigade.

At the Battle of Resaca, in Georgia, Harrison led his brigade in a charge of a Confederate artillery position, eventually capturing the guns in hand-to-hand combat. At the Battle of Peachtree Creek, his brigade’s ammunition was almost gone, and he had soldiers cut the cartridge boxes from the rebel dead and distribute them to his soldiers. Years later, he helped create the Atlanta National Military Park, which included parts of the Peachtree Creek battlefield.

After Atlanta, Harrison was given command of the First Brigade in Nashville and took part in the crushing defeat of Gen. John Bell Hood and the Confederate forces there. He then rejoined the 70th Indiana at Savannah, Georgia, and would ride in the “Grand Review” in Washington D.C. after the war.

William McKinley (Major) — McKinley enlisted as a private in what would become the 23rd Ohio Infantry. He first saw action at Carnifex Ferry, in what is today West Virginia. After the battle, he was assigned to the quartermaster department until his regiment was sent to join Gen. John Pope’s forces at the Battle of Second Manassas. They arrived too late to take part in the battle, but were the first regiment to make contact with the Confederates at the Battle of South Mountain before moving on to take part in the Battle of Antietam.

The regiment returned to West Virginia after the battle, and McKinley was promoted to second lieutenant for his actions at Antietam. They then moved into Southwest Virginia as part of the attack on the salt works and lead mines there. At Cloyd’s Mountain, McKinley’s regiment charged an entrenched Confederate force and drove them from the position in what was termed a “desperate” fight.

McKinley, who was promoted to captain after Cloyd’s Mountain, came under heavy fire again when his regiment was among those surprised by Gen. Jubal Early’s attack at Kernstown. He would later have a horse shot out from under him during Berryville, but would continue to fight and drive the Rebels out at the Battle of Opequon Creek. He would later take part in the Battle of Cedar Creek, which brought an end to Early’s raids.

McKinley was given another promotion, this time to brevet major, and served on the staffs of four different generals as the war came to an end.

This covers the military service of presidents from the American Revolution through the Civil War. Next week we pick up with the Spanish-American War through to modern times.

Ned Jilton II is a photographer, history lover and columnist. You can contact him at ndjphoto@aol.com.