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David McMurtrie Gregg
General David McMurtrie Gregg
Born	(1833-04-10)April 10, 1833 Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	August 7, 1916(1916-08-07) (aged 83) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Place of burial	Charles Evans Cemetery Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch	United States Army Union Army
Service years	1855–1865
Rank	Brigadier General BrevetMajor General
Conflicts	American Indian Wars American Civil War
Other work	U.S.Consul Pennsylvania Auditor General

David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and aUnioncavalrygeneral in theAmerican Civil War.

Gregg was born inHuntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of futurePennsylvania GovernorAndrew Curtin and the grandson of Pennsylvania CongressmanAndrew Gregg. He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy (West Point) in 1855 and was given acommission as abrevetsecond lieutenant in the2nd U.S. Dragoons Regiment (heavy cavalry). During his tenure at West Point, he interacted with two classmates who would become great cavalry generals—an opponent and a commander, respectively:J.E.B. Stuart, class of 1854, andPhilip Sheridan, class of 1853.

His first real assignment was in theNew Mexico Territory, as a company commander in the 1st U.S. Dragoons. His unit was ordered toCalifornia and he traveled with his friendDorsey Pender; they later bought a racehorse together. His company then marched toFort Vancouver, inWashington Territory. During this tour of duty, Lt. Gregg had his first taste of combat, engaged with 160 men against 1,000 Indian warriors, who had surrounded them. The fighting lasted for three days, although casualties were minor, and Gregg managed a fighting retreat.

At the start of the Civil War, Gregg returned toWashington, D.C., where he was promoted tocaptain in the3rd U.S. Cavalry, followed soon by a transfer to the6th U.S. Cavalry. He developedtyphoid fever and barely escaped death when his Washington hospital caught fire. In January 1862 he becamecolonel of the8th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Gregg and the 8th Pennsylvania fought in thePeninsula Campaign, where he distinguished himself in theSeven Days Battles, expertly screening retreatingUnion infantry. TheBattle of Antietam was his next engagement, but cavalry played little role. He received a furlough and married Ellen F. Sheaff on October 6, 1862, inMontgomery County, Pennsylvania; the couple honeymooned inNew York City.

Gregg was promoted tobrigadier general just before theBattle of Fredericksburg. As at Antietam, the cavalry was underutilized and held in reserve. He commanded abrigade in thedivision ofAlfred Pleasonton. Gregg was sent to assume command of another cavalry brigade when its commander, Brig. Gen.George Dashiell Bayard, was killed by an artillery shell that reached behind the infantry lines. AfterMaj. Gen.Joseph Hooker assumed command of the demoralizedArmy of the Potomac, he shook up the cavalry organization, because the mounted arm had not been used effectively. He removed cavalry units fromcorps and divisions, and consolidated them as a separateCavalry Corps, under Maj. Gen.George Stoneman. Gregg assumed command of the 3rd Division in February 1863. (Although infantry divisions are typically commanded by major generals, few Union cavalry division leaders rose above brigadier general, and Gregg was no exception.)

At theBattle of Chancellorsville, Stoneman's corps, including Gregg's division, was dispatched on a raid around Lee's left flank to destroy facilities in his rear. The raid lasted nine days and caused a lot of destruction in the rear of theArmy of Northern Virginia, but it accomplished little strategically and Stoneman was widely criticized for lack of aggression and not being able to draw any Confederate forces away from the main battle. Maj. Gen.Alfred Pleasonton replaced Stoneman in command of the Cavalry Corps.

During the start of theGettysburg campaign, Lee's stealthy troop movements away from the Fredericksburg area caused Union consternation and Pleasonton was ordered to find out where they were going. Launching a surprise attack on Maj. Gen.J.E.B. Stuart atBrandy Station resulted in the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war. The initial assault crossed theRappahannock River at Beverly Ford under command of Brig. Gen.John Buford. While Buford attacked, Gregg led the 2nd and 3rd Divisions across Kelly's Ford to attack the flank and rear of the Confederates on Fleetwood Hill, where Stuart's headquarters were located. The fighting was fierce, saber-wielding, and hand-to-hand. The Confederates managed to repulse Gregg. The battle overall was essentially a draw, although it surprised and humiliated Stuart, and orders left behind provided valuable intelligence about Lee's intentions to invadeMaryland andPennsylvania.

In the middle of the Gettysburg Campaign, Pleasonton reorganized his corps and Gregg now commanded the 2nd Division. He led it in cavalry engagements atAldie,Middleburg, andUpperville. While his fellow, newly promoted division commander Brig. Gen. John Buford was initiating theBattle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, Gregg was still moving north. His division arrived mid-day on July 2 and took up positions to protect the right flank and rear of the Union Army. On July 3, three miles east of Gettysburg, in what is now called"East Cavalry Field", Stuart's forces collided with Gregg's division and Brig. Gen.George A. Custer's brigade of the 3rd Division. A lengthy mounted battle, including hand-to-hand combat, ensued. Both sides claimed victory.

On July 16, during theBattle of Williamsport in the Army of Northern Virginia's longRetreat from Gettysburg, Gregg's division clashed with the cavalry brigades of Brig. Gens.Fitzhugh Lee andJohn R. Chambliss nearShepherdstown.

In October 1863, Lee attempted to flank the Union army nearWarrenton, Virginia. Gregg's division delayed Lee until theII Corps under Maj. Gen.Gouverneur K. Warren arrived to block the movement. Gregg caused an incident when, after this engagement, he did not get adequate mention in Maj. Gen.George G. Meade's after action report and demanded a court of inquiry to correct the record.

Gregg commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in early 1864 until the arrival of Maj. Gen.Philip Sheridan, who commanded the cavalry of the forces of Lt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant in theOverland Campaign. The most important use of Gregg's cavalry during this campaign was to screen Union movements southward, battle to battle, but a significant raid was staged that culminated in theBattle of Yellow Tavern, where J.E.B. Stuart was mortally wounded, dealing the Confederacy a hard blow. Gregg's division also was heavily engaged at theBattle of Haw's Shop, where it foughtWade Hampton's troopers west of Hanovertown, Virginia. Hampton had superior numbers, but Gregg's troopers had theSpencer repeating rifle. Finally, Custer's brigade attacked through difficult terrain, ousting Hampton's men from their position.

Concluding the raid culminating in theBattle of Trevilian Station, Sheridan's cavalry retreated towardBermuda Hundred. Gregg's division covered the retreat, especially in theBattle of Saint Mary's Church. Gregg's division survived a strong attack directed by Wade Hampton, but it lost several prisoners, including ColonelPennock Huey.

Gregg commanded the cavalry division that remained near Petersburg while Sheridan was engaged in theShenandoah Valley Campaign againstJubal Early. In his role as cavalry commander, Gregg screened various union movements in theSiege of Petersburg. Gregg's division was particularly engaged at theSecond Battle of Deep Bottom, theSecond Battle of Ream's Station, and theBattle of Peebles' Farm.

David Gregg resigned his army commission, in a letter dated January 25, 1865:

Having for more than three years been on uninterrupted service in the field, commanding cavalry in the Army of the Potomac, I at this time find such an imperative demand for my continued presence at home that my personal attention may be given to pressing private duties and business, that I can no longer defer action to secure my discharge from the service.

Gregg's resignation from the Regular Army and the volunteers was effective on February 9, 1865.^[1] On December 12, 1864, PresidentAbraham Lincoln nominated Gregg for appointment to the grade ofbrevet major general of volunteers to rank from August 1, 1864. TheUnited States Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1865.^[2]

Gregg's real reasons for resigning before the end of the war are lost to history. According to Edward Longacre's biography of Gen. John Buford, Gregg feared a violent death in battle and described himself as a "coward" when, in late 1864, his nerve finally gave way and he resigned his commission.^[3] He missed exciting cavalry actions in theAppomattox Campaign. He settled inReading, Pennsylvania, his wife's home. He farmed nearMilford, Delaware, but his life was dull and he apparently regretted leaving the army. In 1868 he applied for reinstatement, but the cavalry command he wanted went to his cousin,John Irvin Gregg, so he remained an unhappy civilian. In 1874, he was appointed byPresident Grant to be U.S.Consul toPrague,Austria-Hungary, but soon returned home because his wife was homesick.

Gregg was active in state and local affairs and raised funds to preserveValley Forge as anational shrine. He visitedGettysburg Battlefield numerous times and gave speeches at events. In 1891, he became active in politics and was elected to a four-year term asAuditor General of Pennsylvania. In 1899, he refused the Republican Party's nomination for the office of state treasurer, citing his declining health.^[4]

Gregg died inReading, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest survivors of the war in the state, and is buried there inCharles Evans Cemetery. He is memorialized witha bronze equestrian statue in Reading, and the city'sAmerican Legion Post is named "Gregg Post" in his honor. The Gregg Cavalry Shaft, on East Cavalry Field in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, honors both Union and Confederate forces who fought there.

• 
  Dedication of the Gregg Cavalry Shaft, East Cavalry Field, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1884.
• 
  Major General David McMurtrie Gregg (1922), byHenry Augustus Lukeman, Centre Park, Reading, Pennsylvania.

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher.Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Longacre, Edward G.General John Buford: A Military Biography. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing, 1995.ISBN 978-0-938289-46-3.
• Starr, Stephen Z.The Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Vol. 1,From Fort Sumter to Gettysburg 1861–1863. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.ISBN 978-0-8071-3291-3.
• Starr, Stephen Z.The Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Vol. 2,The War in the East from Gettysburg to Appomattox 1863–1865. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.ISBN 978-0-8071-3292-0.

• Burgess, Milton V.David Gregg: Pennsylvania Cavalryman. State College, PA: Nittany Valley Offset, 1984.OCLC 11256353.
• Longacre, Edward G.The Cavalry at Gettysburg. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986.ISBN 0-8032-7941-8.

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