Winfield Scott Hancock

Winfield Scott Hancock

Winfield Scott Hancock 1824–86, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Montgomery Square, near Norristown, Pa. He served with distinction in the Mexican War and was chief quartermaster on the Pacific coast when the Civil War broke out. Made a brigadier general of volunteers in Sept., 1861, Hancock fought in the Peninsular campaign (1862); in the Antietam campaign he succeeded to the command of a division. His command was heavily engaged in the battles of Fredericksburg (1862) and Chancellorsville (1863). Hancock, commanding the 2d Corps, played a conspicuous role in the Gettysburg campaign . Gen. George G. Meade chose to fight at Gettysburg on Hancock's recommendation, and in the last two days of the battle Hancock was foremost in repulsing the Confederate attacks, particularly General Pickett 's charge on July 3, 1863. He was severely wounded. Hancock led the 2d Corps in the Wilderness campaign and in the operations around Petersburg until Nov., 1864, when he left to recruit a new corps. His course as chief of the military department of Louisiana and Texas after the war was characterized by moderation, which was not approved by the radicals in Congress. He was transferred to another command at his own request. The Democratic party nominated him for President in 1880, on his military record. James Garfield defeated him, but with only a slight popular plurality.

Bibliography: See A. Hancock, Reminiscences of Winfield Scott Hancock (1887); biography by G. Tucker (1960).

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Hancock, Winfield Scott

Hancock, Winfield Scott (1824–86) Union army officer in the Army of the Potomac, born in Mongomery Square, Pennsylvania. Hancock fought with distinction at Antietam (1862), Chancellorsville (1863), and Gettysburg (1863), where his troops repulsed Gen. George E. Pickett's charge. Hancock remained in the postwar army, mainly with commands in the West. He received the Democratic nomination for president in 1880, but was defeated by James A. Garfield.

Hancock was named Winfield Scott in honor of the military hero of the War of 1812, but was not related to him.

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"Hancock, Winfield Scott." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"Hancock, Winfield Scott." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-HancockWinfieldScott.html

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Hancock, Winfield Scott

Hancock, Winfield Scott (1824–86) US general. A veteran of the Mexican War, he was a Union commander in the Civil War, fighting in the Peninsular and Antietam campaigns and at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (1863), where he was badly wounded. In 1880, he was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president.

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"Hancock, Winfield Scott." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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