Charles S. Wainwright
Born	(1826-12-31)December 31, 1826 New York City
Died	September 13, 1907(1907-09-13) (aged 80) Washington, D.C.
Buried	Green-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn,New York
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch	Union Army
Service years	1861-1865
Rank	Colonel BrevetBrigadier General
Commands	1st New York Light Artillery Chief of Artillery,I Corps Chief of Artillery,V Corps
Conflicts	American Civil War Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Mine Run Campaign Overland Campaign Siege of Petersburg Appomattox Campaign
Other work	Farmer and produce merchant

Charles Shiels Wainwright (December 31, 1826 – September 13, 1907) was a produce farmer in the state ofNew York and an artillery officer in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War. He played an important role in the defense ofCemetery Hill during the July 1863Battle of Gettysburg, where hisartillery helped repel aConfederate attack. His extensive diary kept during the war is considered to be among the finest such documents from the Civil War period.^[1]

Wainwright was born December 31, 1826, inNew York City, the brother of future doctor and Union general,William P. Wainwright. As a young man, he helped run his father's sprawling 320-acre (1.3 km²) farm, "The Meadows," in theHudson Valley, delivering produce to markets in the city.^[2] He was a prosperous farmer in 1860 when thecensus was taken. His residence was listed asRhinebeck, New York.^[3]

He left behind an elderly father and two sisters when he joined the army in the early autumn of 1861 at the age of 34. His diary was begun on October 1 of that year.

Wainwright was commissioned amajor in the 1st New York Artillery on October 17, 1861, and served throughout the war as an artillery officer in theArmy of the Potomac. Early in his service, he was recorder of a board used to weed out unfit officers. He was present with his guns at theBattle of Antietam and theBattle of Fredericksburg. His batteries supported the attack of thePennsylvania Reserves on the Confederate right flank at the latter battle.

Wainwright was chief of artillery ofI Corps at theBattle of Chancellorsville. His actions in that battle were praised by the army's chief of artillery, Brig. Gen.Henry J. Hunt. He commanded the artillery brigade of theI Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg. During the struggle for control of Cemetery Hill on July 2, 1863, Wainwright commanded all the guns on the eastern part of the hill. Hisbatteries were instrumental in helping repulse the twilight attack of theLouisiana Tigers, and they dueled with Confederate artillery the following day precedingPickett's Charge.

When Maj. Gen.George G. Meade reorganized the Army of the Potomac in 1864, Wainwright became chief of artillery ofV Corps, replacingAugustus P. Martin. He served in that role to the end of the war. Among his most successful actions was using guns to break a Confederate attack at theBattle of North Anna. He was promoted tobrevetbrigadier general on August 1, 1864.

He was the author ofA Diary of Battle: The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, 1861–1865, published posthumously in 1962. His journals provide insights into the administration of the artillery, as well as its use in battle. Wainwright's observations on the Union commanders with whom he served are pungent. Maj. Gen.Gouverneur K. Warren, under whom he had served in V Corps, and Maj. Gen.Joseph Hooker receive particularly negative reviews.^[4]

After the war, Wainwright resided inDutchess County, New York, inEurope and then inWashington, D.C. He belonged to theMetropolitan Club and theSons of the American Revolution.

Wainwright died in Washington, D.C., on September 13, 1907, at theGeorge Washington University Hospital. He was buried inGreen-Wood Cemetery,Brooklyn. Wainwright died unmarried, and his brother inherited the manuscripts of the diary he kept during the war.

• Cox, John D.,Culp's Hill: The Attack And Defense Of The Union Flank, July 2, 1863. Basic Books, 2003.ISBN 0-306-81234-7.
• Eicher, John H., andEicher, David J.,Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001,ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• A Diary of Battle: the Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, 1861-1865, ed. Allan Nevins, New York, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1962.

• Union army colonels
• People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
• Military personnel from New York City
• Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
• 1826 births
• 1907 deaths
• 19th-century American diarists

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata