George Sykes

George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842, and served in numerous conflicts, including the Second Seminole War and the Mexican–American War. During the Civil War, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Division of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, and continued in that role through the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Sykes assumed command of the V Corps on June 28, 1863, following the promotion of Major General George G. Meade to command of the entire army. Sykes's Corps fought with distinction on the second day of the subsequent Battle of Gettysburg on July 2. He was criticized for his performance in the Battle of Mine Run later that year, was removed from command on March 23, 1864, and sent to duty in Kansas. Sykes remained in the army after the war and died in 1880.

Early life

Sykes was born in Dover, Delaware. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842 and graduated 39th out of 56 cadets.<ref>What About George. . .? [Sykes, That Is] 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. 11 August 2007. Web. Retrieved March 12, 2016.</ref> It was during his time as cadet that he acquired the nicknames "Tardy George" and "Slow Trot" Sykes. He was commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Infantry. He served in the Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War, and numerous other conflicts.

Sykes was brevetted as a captain for actions at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. By virtue of his service in the Mexican War, Sykes became a member of the Aztec Club of 1847. Sykes continued his frontier service and Indian fighting, mainly in New Mexico, and was promoted to full captain in 1855. His final peacetime station was Fort Clark, Texas.

Civil War

File:George Sykes and staff - Brady-Handy.jpg

General Sykes and his staff

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sykes was assigned as a major in the new 14th U.S. Infantry. At the First Battle of Bull Run he commanded the Regular Infantry Battalion, a collection of eight regular army companies from different regiments, the only regulars on the field. Sykes got command of a brigade of regulars after Bull Run, and was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on September 28. He led his regulars in the Peninsula Campaign and rose to division command in May 1862 in the newly created V Corps. His men, who often referred to themselves as "Sykes' Regulars", distinguished themselves defending their position at Gaines' Mill during the Seven Days Battles, before the Union line broke elsewhere.<ref name=Tagg82>Tagg, p. 82.</ref>

Sykes was notably the only division commander in the Army of the Potomac not rewarded with a promotion to major general after the Seven Days Battles. He continued leading his division at Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg, although it was not heavily engaged in the latter two battles.<ref>The division had two regular brigades and one of volunteer infantry. Gouverneur K. Warren commanded that brigade for a time.</ref> At Chancellorsville, his regulars led the advance into the Confederate rear at the start of the battle. Sykes' division engaged Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws' division on the Orange Turnpike.<ref name=Tagg82/>

Sykes' division was forced to retreat after being attacked on the right flank by Maj. Gen. Robert E. Rodes' division, then the army commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, nervously recalled his advance to a defensive position; and Sykes' men were not engaged for the remainder of the campaign.<ref name=Tagg82/> Sykes finally received a promotion to major general of volunteers on November 29, 1862. None of these battles demonstrated any aggressive or unique offensive capabilities on his part. When corps commander Maj. Gen. George G. Meade was promoted to lead the Army of the Potomac on June 28, 1863, Sykes assumed command of the V Corps.

File:Potomac Staff.jpg

Commanders of the Army of the Potomac: Gouverneur K. Warren, William H. French, George G. Meade, Henry J. Hunt, Andrew A. Humphreys and George Sykes in September 1863

At the Battle of Gettysburg, Sykes' corps fought in support of the beleaguered III Corps on the Union left flank. In his 1st Division (Brig. Gen. James Barnes), the fabled defense of Little Round Top was led by brigade commander Col. Strong Vincent and the 20th Maine Infantry under Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. His 3rd Division, the Pennsylvania Reserves, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford, attacked from Little Round Top, drove the Confederates across the "Valley of Death" and ended the deadly fighting in the Wheatfield. But there is little in the historical record that highlights any personal contribution made by Sykes.

On October 16, 1863, Sykes was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular army.

In the Battle of Mine Run in the fall of 1863, Meade complained of Sykes' uninspiring performance. Meade and general-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant agreed that Sykes was not a good choice for the upcoming Overland Campaign in May 1864, so when the Army of the Potomac was reorganized that spring, Sykes was removed from command of the V Corps and sent to uneventful duty in the Department of Kansas. During Price's Raid in 1864, he was replaced with James G. Blunt.

Postbellum career

After the war, Sykes was mustered out of the volunteer service and returned to serve in the regular army in 1866. As Lieutenant Colonel, he served in the 5th U.S. Infantry. Sykes was promoted to colonel on January 12, 1868 and received command of the 20th U.S. Infantry. He commanded at a number of duty stations from Minnesota to Texas until he died while on duty in Texas at Fort Brown on February 8, 1880, at age 57. He was interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York.

Cullum's

GEORGE SYKES (Ap'd Md.) Born Oct. 9, 1822, Dover, DE.

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1838, to July 1, 1842, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Bvt. Second Lieut., 3d Infantry, July 1, 1842.

Served: in the Florida War, 1842; in garrison at Ft. Stansbury, Fla., 1842‑43, — Jefferson Barracks, Mo., 1843‑44; on frontier duty at Ft.

(Second Lieut., 3d Infantry, Dec. 31, 1843)

Jesup (Camp Wilkins), La., 1844‑45; in Military Occupation of Texas, 1845‑46; in the War with Mexico, 1846‑48, being engaged in the Battle

(First Lieut., 3d Infantry, Sep. 21, 1846)

of Monterey, Sep. 21‑23, 1846, — Siege of Vera Cruz, Mar. 9‑29, 1847, — Battle of Cerro Gordo, Apr. 17‑18, 1847, — Battle of Contreras,

(Bvt. Capt., Apr. 18, 1847, for Gallant and Meritorious Conduct in the Battle of Cerro Gordo, Mex.)

Aug. 19‑20, 1847, — Battle of Churubusco, Aug. 20, 1847, — Operations before and Capture of City of Mexico, Sep. 12‑14, 1847, — and as Commissary of Bvt. Maj.‑General Twiggs' Division, 1847‑48; in garrison at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., 1848; on frontier duty at Santa Fé, N. M., 1849, — Navajo Nation, 1849‑50, — and Santa Fé, N. M., 1850; on Recruiting service, 1850‑52; on frontier duty at Ft. Union, N. M., 1852‑54; Scouting against Apache Indians, 1854, being engaged in Skirmishes, Mar. 4, Apr. 9, and June 30, 1854, — Ft. Union, N. M., 1854‑55, — Ft. Massachusetts, Col., 1855, — Ft. Union, N. M., 1855, — Ft. Fillmore,

(Captain, 3d Infantry, Sep. 30, 1855)

N. M., 1855‑57, — Gila Expedition, 1857, — and Ft. Fillmore, N. M., 1857; on Detached service in Baltimore, 1858; and on frontier duty at Los Lunas, N. M., 1858‑59, — Navajo Expedition, 1859, — Ft. Defiance, N. M., 1859, — Los Lunas, N. M., 1859‑60, — March to Texas, 1860, — and Ft. Clark, Tex., 1860‑61.

Served during the Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861‑66: in the

(Major, 14th Infantry, May 14, 1861)

p141 Manassas Campaign of July, 1861, being engaged in the Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; in Washington, D. C., commanding the Regular Infantry, Aug., 1861, to Mar., 1862; in the Virginia Peninsular Campaign

(Brig.‑General, U. S. Volunteers, Sep. 28, 1861)

(Army of the Potomac), Mar. to Aug., 1862, being engaged in the Siege of Yorktown, Apr. 5-May 4, 1862, — Battle of Gaines's Mill, June 27, 1862,

(Bvt. Colonel, June 27, 1862, for Gallant and Meritorious Services in the Battle of Gaines's Mill, Va.)

— and Battle of Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862; in the Northern Virginia Campaign, Aug.‑Sep., 1862, being engaged on the March from Fredericksburg to Bull Run, Aug., 1862, — and Battle of Manassas, Aug. 29‑30, 1862; in the Maryland Campaign (Army of the Potomac), Sep. to Nov., 1862, being engaged in the Battle of Antietam, Sep. 17, 1862, — Skirmish of Shepherdstown, Va., Sep. 19, 1862, — and March to Falmouth, Va., Oct.‑Nov., 1862, participating in the Skirmish of Snicker's Gap, Va.,

(Major-General, U. S. Volunteers, Nov. 29, 1862)

Nov. 3, 1862; in the Rappahannock Campaign (Army of the Potomac), Dec., 1862, to June, 1863, being engaged in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 12‑13, 1862, — and Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2‑4, 1863; in the Pennsylvania Campaign, in command of 5th Corps (Army of the Potomac), June‑July, 1863, being engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1‑3, 1863, — and in Pursuit of the enemy to Warrenton, Va., July, 1863; in the Rapidan Campaign, commanding 5th Corps (Army of the Potomac), Oct. to Dec., 1863, being engaged on the Rappahannock, Rapidan,

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 5th Infantry, Oct. 16, 1863)

and in the movement on Centreville, Oct., 1863, — Combat of Rappahannock Station, Nov. 7, 1863, — and Actions on the Rapidan and Mine Run, Nov. 24 to Dec. 1, 1863; on duty in the Department of Kansas, Apr. 20, 1864, to June 7, 1865, being in command of the District of South

(Bvt. Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Mar. 13, 1865, for Gallant and Meritorious Services at the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa.)º

Kansas, Sep. 1 to Oct. 10, 1864; in waiting orders, June 7, 1865, to Jan. 15,

(Bvt. Major-General, U. S. Army, Mar. 13, 1865, for Gallant and Meritorious Services in the Field during the Rebellion)

1866; and in command of detachment of Recruits for New Mexico, Mar. 2

(Mustered out of Volunteer Service, Jan. 15, 1866)

to Aug. 12, 1866.

Served: in command of Regiment at Ft. Sumner, N. M., Aug. 12, 1866, to Apr. 27, 1867, — District of New Mexico, Mar. 27 to Apr. 27, 1867, — and of Ft. Sumner, N. M., Apr. to June, 1867; on leave of absence, June to Aug., 1867; as Member of Examining Board, New York city, Aug. to Dec., 1867; awaiting orders, Jan. to Mar., 1868;

(Colonel, 20th Infantry, Jan. 12, 1868)

and in command of regiment at Baton Rouge, La., Mar. 20, 1868, to Apr., 1869, — of District of Minnesota, Apr. 20, 1869, to June 15, 1873 (on Court Martial, June to Aug., 1872, and Aug. 9 to Sep. 16, 1873), — of Ft. Snelling, Min., Sep. 20, 1873, to Dec. 20, 1877, — and of District of the Rio Grande, and Ft. Brown, Tex., Dec. 27, 1877 (on Court of Inquiry at Ft. Clark, Tex., Feb. 27 to Apr. 10, 1878, and Witness at West Point, N. Y., July 16 to Oct. 9, 1878), to Feb. 8, 1880.

Died, Feb. 8, 1880, at Fort Brown, Tex.: Aged 57.

Buried, West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY.

p142 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

Bvt. Major-General George Sykes was born, Oct. 9, 1822, at Dover, Del., and was graduated from the Military Academy, and promoted to the Third Infantry, July 1, 1842. During the following three years he was on duty in Florida, and on the Western frontier, when he joined the Army of Occupation under General Taylor in Texas. Promoted, Sep. 21, 1846, to a First Lieutenancy, he was on the same day engaged in the Storming of Monterey, Mex. Soon after, he joined Scott's army, invading Mexico from Vera Cruz, and actively participated in most of the operations of that army up to the capture of the enemy's capital, winning, for his gallantry and good conduct in the hard-fought Battle of Cerro Gordo, the brevet of Captain.

Dr. Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Henry Coppée, who was his daily companion in the City of Mexico, recalls in his obituary of Sykes the recollections of that time. He says: "Among those scenes of memory, Sykes moves as a soldierly, erect figure, always well, ready for anything proposed, simple-hearted, honest, and eminently true; a first-rate duty man, generous and considerate of others, modest almost to a fault, a boon companion for leisure hours, a staunch friend in an emergency. . . . I was then too young and heedless to cast horoscopes of future distinction, but in looking back to‑day I recognize those qualities which were sure, with opportunity, to develop into military efficiency and renown."

From the conclusion of the Mexican War to the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was on frontier duty, protecting pioneer settlements, escorting exploring expeditions, and often was engaged against hostile Indian tribes. On Sep. 30, 1853, he became a Captain of his regiment.

Promoted, May 14, 1861, to a Majority in the newly created Fourteenth Infantry, he soon after was engaged in the Battle of Bull Run; was appointed, Sep. 28, 1861, a Brigadier-General of Volunteers; in the Virginia Peninsular and Maryland Campaign, had the high honor to command the division of Regular troops; was promoted, Nov. 29, 1862, for his efficient services, a Major-General of Volunteers; was placed at the head of the Fifth Corps after the disastrous Battle of Chancellorsville; and continued with the Army of the Potomac till the termination of the Mine Run operations, Dec. 1, 1863. In most of the conflicts and movements of that army he had borne a conspicuous part; won the brevet of Colonel for his gallantry and stubborn fighting in the Battle of Gaines's Mill, and that of Brig.‑General for brilliant conduct at Gettysburg; and at the close of the Rebellion was brevetted a Major-General for his meritorious services in the field. After leaving the Army of the Potomac he was sent upon important duty to Kansas, and, after the Civil War had ended, held various commands in the West till he died, Feb. 8, 1880, at Ft. Brown, Tex.

Sykes was a model soldier, always at his post, and ever ready faithfully and promptly to perform every duty entrusted to him. He was one of those soldiers whose loss is a severe one to the Army. He was a stern disciplinarian, but one who asked nothing of his men that he was not willing to endure himself. He looked upon his profession as one in which honor was to be achieved only by hard, conscientious work, and he did work nobly and faithfully, throughout the thirty-eight years of his service in the Army. General Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Ord, commanding the Department of Texas; the Mayor of Brownsville, where Sykes died; and General Canales, commander on the Mexican Line of the Rio Grande, paid high tribute to his memory.

General Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.McClellan, who had known Sykes from the day of his graduation at West Point, says of him: "As a gentleman his character was the p143 highest, as also the purest, and he endeared himself to all who were so fortunate as to be associated with him. As a soldier his record was one that all might be too glad to possess. Raised to the rank of a General Officer, it was his good fortune to have under his orders the Regular Infantry serving in the Army of the Potomac, and I do not believe that higher praise can be awarded him than to say that he was found worthy of that honor."

Congress appropriated $1,000 for the removal to West Point of General Sykes's remains, over which a tasteful monument has been erected by subscription of his numerous friends.

References

• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2001. Template:ISBN.
• Reese, Timothy J., Sykes' Regular Infantry Division, 1861–1864 a History of Regular United States Infantry Operations in the Civil War's Eastern Theater. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 1990. Template:ISBN.
• Tagg, Larry. The Generals of Gettysburg. Campbell, California: Savas Publishing, 1998. Template:ISBN.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. Template:ISBN.

External links

• Template:Find a Grave
• Civil War Biographies: George Sykes
• Sykes' Regulars
• George Sykes, Cullum's Register, 1149