James Scott Negley
Born	(1826-12-22)December 22, 1826 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	August 7, 1901(1901-08-07) (aged 74) Plainfield, New Jersey
Place of burial	Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1846–1848, 1861–1865
Rank	Major General
Battles / wars	Mexican-American War American Civil War
Alma mater	University of Pittsburgh
Signature

James Scott Negley (December 22, 1826 – August 7, 1901) was anAmerican Civil WarGeneral, farmer, railroader, andU.S. Representative fromPennsylvania. He played a key role in theUnion victory at theBattle of Stones River.

Negley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Jacob Negley and Mary Ann Scott. His aunt Sarah marriedThomas Mellon. He was educated in public schools and graduated from theUniversity of Pittsburgh (then the Western University of Pennsylvania). He served in a volunteer regiment, Company K of the Duquesne Greys, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers, during theMexican–American War. After the war, he became a farmer andhorticulturist.

On April 19, 1861, Negley was appointedbrigadier general in the Pennsylvania Militia. He raised abrigade of Pennsylvania volunteers and served underRobert Patterson in theShenandoah Valley in 1861. His appointment as brigadier general expired on July 20, but he was reappointed brigadier general of volunteers on October 1, 1861. In October, he was placed in command of the 7th Brigade in theDepartment of the Ohio. He commanded the Union expedition (raid)against Chattanooga during the Confederate Heartland Offensive. The expedition proved to be a successful demonstration of the Union Army's ability to strike deep into the heart of Confederate-held territory.^[1]

On November 29, 1862, he was appointedmajor general of volunteers and took command of the 8th Division in theArmy of the Ohio. His division became the 2nd Division inGeorge H. Thomas' Center Wing of theXIV Corps during theBattle of Stones River. On the second day of fighting, he led a successful counterattack against Maj. Gen.John C. Breckinridge on the Union left flank. He commanded his division during theTullahoma Campaign and theBattle of Chickamauga. During the maneuvering that preceded the Battle of Chickamauga, Negley's division, in the advance of Maj. Gen.George H. Thomas's corps, was almost trapped in a cul-de-sac named McLemore's Cove, but command confusion in the Confederate Army of Tennessee allowed them to escape in what became known as theBattle of Davis' Crossroads.^[2] After the Union defeat at Chickamauga, Negley, whose division became scattered during the second day's fighting, was relieved of command, but was acquitted of any wrongdoing during the battle. The most recent study of his actions is highly critical to the general for vanishing from sight without anyone knowing where to find him.^[3] Negley, however, blamed his misfortunes on the prejudices toward him of West Point graduates. WhenUlysses S. Grant becamegeneral-in-chief in 1864 he discussed restoring Negley to command.^[4] However, after serving on several administrative boards, Negley resigned in January 1865.

Fort Negley, built inNashville, Tennessee in 1862 was named after him. It was the largest stone inland fort built during the war.

After the war, Negley was elected as aRepublican to theUnited States Congress in 1868 and served from 1869 to 1875. In 1877, during thePittsburgh Railway Riots, Negley served as commander of the militia organized by the city of Pittsburgh to maintain order in the city.^{[5]: 113–4}

He served on the board of managers of theNational Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers from 1874 to 1878 and from 1882 to 1888. He was re-elected to Congress in 1884 and served from 1885 to 1887. After retiring from politics, he was engaged in the railroad industry. The community ofNegley, Ohio bears his name after being founded by the New York, Pittsburgh & Chicago Railway line.^[6] In 1897, he became a Veteran Companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of theMilitary Order of Foreign Wars.

Negley died inPlainfield, New Jersey, aged 74. He is buried in theAllegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

The famous twentieth century foreign correspondentNegley Farson was a relative and namesake of the general.

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

• Cozzens, Peter.This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992.ISBN 0-252-02236-X.
• 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.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964.ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.

• United States Congress."James S. Negley (id: N000024)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-11-05

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJames S. Negley.

• James S. Negley atFind a Grave

• University of Pittsburgh alumni
• 1826 births
• 1901 deaths
• American horticulturists
• People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
• Politicians from Pittsburgh
• Union army generals
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Burials at Allegheny Cemetery
• 19th-century United States representatives

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