William Starke Rosecrans

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Rosecrans, William Starke (1819–98) Union army officer and U.S. representative, born in Ohio. Rosecrans served as a military engineer after his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy and then resigned his commission to go into business. When the Civil War broke out, he quickly reenlisted and in 1861 was commissioned colonel of engineers. He also became a brigadier general in the regular army. Feeling that his contributions were underappreciated, he complained to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; however, he overreached on his first assignment by hatching a plan to capture the Confederate general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, which, when brought to light, earned him a reprimand. He continued to have an undistinguished record in field command. When he assumed command of the Army of the Cumberland in 1862, he rejuvenated the demoralized unit; his victory over Gen. Braxton Bragg in Tennessee in December made him the Union's most celebrated commander. He followed that up with another victory over Bragg in June 1863. Despite this, his failure to defeat Bragg again later that year because of a combination of excessive pride, a tendency to underestimate his opponent, and a propensity for delaying action led to his removal from command.