Gouverneur Kemble Warren
Nickname	Hero of Little Round Top
Born	(1830-01-08)January 8, 1830 Cold Spring, New York, U.S.
Died	August 8, 1882(1882-08-08) (aged 52) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Place of burial	Island Cemetery, Newport, Rhode Island
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1850–1882
Rank	Major general
Commands	5th New York Volunteer Infantry II Corps V Corps
Battles / wars	First Sioux War Battle of Ash Hollow American Civil War Battle of Big Bethel Peninsula campaign Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Bristoe Station Overland Campaign Battle of the Wilderness Siege of Petersburg Appomattox campaign Battle of Five Forks

Gouverneur Kemble Warren (January 8, 1830 – August 8, 1882) was an Americancivil engineer andUnited States Armygeneral during theAmerican Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense ofLittle Round Top during theBattle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the "Hero of Little Round Top". His subsequent service as a corps commander and his remaining military career were ruined during theBattle of Five Forks, when he was relieved of command of theV Corps byPhilip Sheridan, who claimed that Warren had moved too slowly. A post-war court of inquiry found that Sheridan's relief of Warren was unjustified.

Warren was born inCold Spring, New York, and named forGouverneur Kemble, a prominent localCongressman, diplomat, industrialist, and owner of the West Point Foundry. His sister,Emily Warren Roebling, would later play a significant role in building the Brooklyn Bridge. He entered theUnited States Military Academy across theHudson River from his hometown at age 16 and graduated second in his class of 44 cadets in 1850.^[1] He was commissioned abrevetsecond lieutenant in theCorps of Topographical Engineers.

In theAntebellum South, he worked on theMississippi River, participating in thePacific Railroad Surveys of possible transcontinental railroad routes, and, in 1857, mapping theWestern United States, extensively exploring the vastNebraska Territory, includingNebraska,North Dakota,South Dakota, part ofMontana, and part ofWyoming.^[2][3] He served as the engineer onWilliam S. Harney'sBattle of Ash Hollow in theNebraska Territory in 1855, where he saw his first combat.^[4][5]

One region he surveyed was the Minnesota River Valley, a valley much larger than expected from the low-flowMinnesota River. In some places, the valley is 5 miles (8 km) wide and 250 feet (80 m) deep. Warren first explained the region's hydrology in 1868, attributing the gorge to a massive river that drainedLake Agassiz between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. The great river was namedGlacial River Warren in his honor after his death.^[6]

At the start of the war, Warren was afirst lieutenant and mathematics instructor at theUnited States Military Academy. He helped raise a localregiment for service in the U.S. Army and was appointedlieutenant colonel of the5th New York Infantry Regiment on May 14, 1861.^[1][4][7] Warren and his regiment saw their first combat at theBattle of Big Bethel inVirginia on June 10, arguably the first major land engagement of the war.^[4] He was promoted tocolonel and regimental commander on September 10.^[1][8]

In the 1862Peninsula Campaign, Warren commanded his regiment at theSiege of Yorktown and also assisted the chief topographical engineer of theArmy of the Potomac,Brig. Gen.Andrew A. Humphreys, by leading reconnaissance missions and drawing detailed maps of appropriate routes for the army in its advance up theVirginia Peninsula. He commanded a smallbrigade (3rd Brigade, 2nd Division,V Corps) during theSeven Days Battles consisting of his own 5th New York along with the 10th New York. AtGaines Mill, he was bruised in the knee by a shell fragment but remained on the field. He continued to lead the brigade at theSecond Battle of Bull Run, suffering heavy casualties in a heroic stand against an overwhelming enemy assault,^[9] and atAntietam, where the V Corps was in reserve and saw no combat.^[4]

Warren was promoted tobrigadier general on September 26, 1862,^[1] and he and his brigade went to theBattle of Fredericksburg in December, but again were held in reserve and saw no action. WhenU.S. Maj. Gen.Joseph Hooker reorganized the Army of the Potomac in February 1863, he named Warren his chief topographical engineer and then chief engineer. As chief engineer, Warren was commended for his service in theBattle of Chancellorsville.^[4]

At the start of theGettysburg campaign, as ConfederateGeneralRobert E. Lee began his invasion ofPennsylvania, Warren advised Hooker on the routes the Army should take in pursuit. On the second day of theBattle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, Warren initiated the defense ofLittle Round Top, recognizing the importance of the undefended position on the left flank of the U.S. Army and directing, on his initiative, the brigade of Col.Strong Vincent to occupy it just minutes before it was attacked. Warren suffered a minor neck wound during the Confederate assault.

Promoted to major general after Gettysburg (August 8, 1863), Warren commanded theII Corps from August 1863 until March 1864, replacing the wounded Maj. Gen.Winfield S. Hancock, and distinguishing himself at theBattle of Bristoe Station. On March 13, 1865, he was brevetted to major general in theregular army for his actions at Bristoe Station.^[1] During theMine Run Campaign, Warren's corps was ordered to attack Lee's army. Still, he perceived that a trap had been laid and refused the order from army commander Maj. Gen.George G. Meade. Although initially angry at Warren, Meade acknowledged that he had been right.^[9] Upon Hancock's return from medical leave and the spring 1864 reorganization of the Army of the Potomac, Warren assumed command of the V Corps and led it through theOverland Campaign, theSiege of Petersburg, and theAppomattox Campaign.^[4]

During these Virginia campaigns, Warren established a reputation for bringing his engineering traits of deliberation and caution to the role of an infantry corps commander. He won theBattle of Globe Tavern, August 18 to August 20, 1864, cutting the Weldon Railroad, a vital supply route north to Petersburg. He also won a limited success in theBattle of Peebles' Farm in September 1864, carrying a part of the Confederate lines protecting supplies moving to Petersburg on the Boydton Plank Road.

The aggressive Maj. Gen.Philip Sheridan, a key subordinate ofLt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant, was dissatisfied with Warren's performance. He was angry at Warren's corps for supposedly obstructing roads after theBattle of the Wilderness and its cautious actions during the Siege of Petersburg. At the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign, Sheridan requested that theVI Corps be assigned to his pursuit of Lee's army. Still, Grant insisted that the V Corps was better positioned. He gave Sheridan written permission to relieve Warren if he felt it was justified "for the good of the service".^[10] Grant later wrote in hisPersonal Memoirs,^[11]

I was so much dissatisfied with Warren's dilatory movements in thebattle of White Oak Road and in his failure to reach Sheridan in time, that I was very much afraid that at the last moment he would fail Sheridan. He was a man of fine intelligence, great earnestness, quick perception, and could make his dispositions as quickly as any officer, under difficulties where he was forced to act. But I had before discovered a defect which was beyond his control, that was very prejudicial to his usefulness in emergencies like the one just before us. He could see every danger at a glance before he had encountered it. He would not only make preparations to meet the danger which might occur, but he would inform his commanding officer what others should do while he was executing his move.

At theBattle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Sheridan judged that the V Corps had moved too slowly into the attack and criticized Warren fiercely for not being at the front of his columns. Warren had been held up, searching forSamuel W. Crawford's division, which had gone astray in the woods. But overall, he had handled his corps efficiently, and their attack had carried the day at Five Forks, arguably the pivotal battle of the final days. He even led the final charge, which broke the Confederate lines. Nevertheless, Sheridan relieved Warren of command on the spot. Warren asked Sheridan for reconsideration, who retorted, "Reconsider? Hell, I'll never reconsider. Obey the order!" Meade told Warren that he had contemplated his relief for some time, but he relented and later recommended Grant reinstate him as the V Corps commander to ease tensions in the Army.^[12] He was assigned to the defenses ofPetersburg and then briefly to command of the Department of Mississippi.^[1]

Humiliated by Sheridan, Warren resigned his commission as major general of volunteers due to his disagreement with suppressing the meeting of the Mississippi legislature "by any means necessary" on May 27, 1865. He reverted to his permanent rank asmajor in theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers. He served as an engineer for 17 years, building railroads with assignments along the Mississippi River, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1879. By all accounts, Warren worked with intensity at great sacrifice to himself and his family. But the career that had shown so much promise at Gettysburg was ruined. He urgently requested a court of inquiry to exonerate him from the stigma of Sheridan's action. Numerous requests were ignored or refused untilUlysses S. Grant retired from thepresidency. PresidentRutherford B. Hayes ordered a court of inquiry that convened in 1879. After hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses over 100 days, including Grant and Sheridan, the court found that Sheridan's relief of Warren had been unjustified. General Winfield Hancock, his former fellow corps commander during the Overland Campaign, initially presided over the court of inquiry held on Governor's Island, New York. Sheridan's accounts did not hold up to facts established by others, reflected ignorance of Warren's movements at Five Forks, and were perceived as reflective of personal animosity. Joshua Chamberlain, the hero of the Little Round Top and former governor of Maine, who commanded a Brigade in Warren's corps, gave strong testimony to support Warren. During his testimony, Grant commented that he never doubted Warren's courage and tactical skill but wanted his orders followed "promptly" and did not want second-guessing that assumed senior leadership had not considered the options, strongly inferring such insubordination led to Warren's relief. His statement was stricken from the record at Grant's request, simultaneously with the objection of Warren's counsel. On November 21, 1881, PresidentChester Alan Arthur directed that the findings be published; no other action was taken.^[13] Unfortunately for Warren, these results were not published until after his death.^[14]

In 1867, he was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.^[15]

Warren's last assignment in the Army was as district engineer forNewport, Rhode Island, where he died of complications from diabetes on August 8, 1882.^[16] He was buried in theIsland Cemetery in Newport in civilian clothes and without military honors at his request. His last words were, "The flag! The flag!"^[17]

A bronze statue of Warren stands on Little Round Top inGettysburg National Military Park. It was created byKarl Gerhardt (1853–1940) and dedicated in 1888.^[18] Another bronze statue, byHenry Baerer (1837–1908), was erected in theGrand Army Plaza,Brooklyn, New York. It depicts Warren standing in uniform, with field binoculars on a granite pedestal made of stone quarried at Little Round Top.^[3]

Reflecting a pattern of naming many Washington, DC streets in newly developed areas in the Capital after Civil War generals, an east–west street in the Northwest quadrant is named Warren Street, NW.

The United States Army TransportWarren was named for Warren.

The glacial river that was the outlet ofLake Agassiz inMinnesota was named for Warren.^[19]

TheG. K. Warren Prize is awarded approximately every four years by theUnited States National Academy of Sciences. It is funded by a gift from his daughter, Miss Emily B. Warren, in memory of her father.^[20]

Mount Warren in California is named in his honor.^[21]

• 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.
• Grant, Ulysses S.Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. 2 vols. Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885–86.ISBN 0-914427-67-9.
• Heidler, David S., and Jeanne T. Heidler. "Gouverneur Kemble Warren." InEncyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964.ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
• Wittenberg, Eric J.Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002.ISBN 1-57488-548-0.

• Jordan, David M."Happiness Is Not My Companion": The Life of General G. K. Warren. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001.ISBN 978-0-253-10894-4.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGouverneur K. Warren.

• Works by or about Gouverneur K. Warren at theInternet Archive
• "Warren, Gouverneur Kemble" .Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1889.
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911)."Warren, Gouverneur Kemble" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 329–330.

• 1830 births
• 1882 deaths
• People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
• United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers
• United States Military Academy alumni
• Union army generals
• People from Cold Spring, New York
• American civil engineers
• Engineers from New York (state)
• Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
• Members of the American Philosophical Society

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• Articles with short description
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• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Articles with Internet Archive links
• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference