James Totten | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1818-09-11)September 11, 1818 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 1, 1871(1871-10-01) (aged 53) Sedalia, Missouri |
| Place of burial | Crown Hill Cemetery inSedalia, Missouri |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1841–1870 |
| Rank | Captain Lieutenant Colonel BrevetBrigadier General |
| Unit | 2nd U.S. Artillery Missouri Militia (U.S.) |
| Commands | Chief of Artillery, Union forces in Missouri 2nd Division,Army of the Frontier |
| Battles / wars | |
| Relations | Joseph Totten (uncle) C. A. L. Totten (son) |
James Totten (September 11, 1818 – October 1, 1871) was a career American soldier who served in theUnited States Army and retired from active service in 1870 as the Assistant Inspector General. He served as an officer in theUnion Army and Missouri militia general during theAmerican Civil War. He was the nephew of Chief Engineer of the U.S. ArmyBrigadier GeneralJoseph Totten.
Totten was born in 1818 inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania,[1] He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1841 and subsequently became afirst lieutenant in 1847, serving in Texas during the Mexican-American War before fightingSeminole Indians inFlorida during 1849-50.[1] After attaining the rank ofcaptain in 1855, he went toBleeding Kansas to try to suppress the disturbances there.
In February 1861, shortly before the American Civil War began, Totten was in command of theLittle Rock Arsenal with just 65 men. He was forced to evacuate his forces toSt. Louis when about 5,000 pro-secession volunteers led by GovernorHenry M. Rector poured into the city and surrounded the federal armoury.
Totten commanded Battery F, 2nd US Artillery under generalsNathaniel Lyon andJohn C. Frémont inMissouri, fighting at the Camp Jackson Affair, the battle of Boonville, battle of Dug Springs, and the battle of Wilson’s Creek. He was breveted Major for gallant and meritorious conduct at Boonville. He was promoted tolieutenant colonel in September 1861 for gallant conduct at Wilson’s Creek.
He became known for the style which he used to issue orders to his batteries. Punctuated with profanity, a typical order might sound like, "Forward that caisson, G-d d--n you, sir!" It was claimed that some soldiers would walk half a mile just to listen to Totten for five minutes.[2] On February 12, 1862, Totten was promoted tobrigadier general in theMissouri Militia. Totten commanded the 2nd Division in theArmy of the Frontier in 1862. He was not present with the division when it went into action at thebattle of Prairie Grove and was therefore led by ColonelDaniel Huston, Jr. In 1865 Totten commanded the artillery in the Military Division of West Mississippi and participated in thebattle of Fort Blakeley.
Following the war, the Army issued a large number of brevet (honorary) promotions to hundreds of officers to recognize their service. Totten received abrevet appointment to the rank ofcolonel in theRegular Army (United States) 'for gallant and meritorious service during the siege of Mobile, Alabama", to rank from March 13, 1865.[1] On July 17, 1866,PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Totten for appointment to the rank ofbrevetbrigadier general in the regular army, "for gallant and meritorious service in the field during the war", to rank from March 13, 1865, and theUnited States Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.[3]
After the conclusion of the Civil War, Totten served as Inspector-General of the Military Division of the Atlantic from August 15, 1865 to August 27, 1866, and of the Department of the East, from August 27, 1866, to July 10, 1869 and of the Military Division of the South until April, 1870.
He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Assistant Inspector-General on June 13, 1867.
Totten was dismissed from the Army on July 22, 1870 for "Disobedience of Orders, Neglect of Duty and Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Military Discipline."[4]
Totten died inSedalia, Missouri, on October 2, 1871, and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.[1]
Totten had two sons who attendedWest Point. The eldest wasCharles A.L. Totten, who graduated from West Point in 1873 and served in the Army for 20 years before resigning. After leaving the Army, he authored numerous books on esoteric subjects. The younger was John Reynolds Totten, who graduated from West Point in 1878, was promoted to first lieutenant in 1886 and resigned from the Army on April 1, 1891. After leaving the Army, he pursued his interests in genealogy and hereditary societies.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Wilson, J. G.;Fiske, J., eds. (1900).Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
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