A Kentuckian from a slave holding family, Buford was a career officer who stood by the Union, and who, probably more than any other one man, won the battle of Gettysburg by holding off Lee’s army long enough for the Union army to arrive and seize the high ground. Buford died of typhoid fever in Washington DC on December 16, 1863, his well earned promotion to Major General of Volunteers being given to him on his death bed.
Too bad . . .
No to be picky, but Buford was born in Kentucky and grew up in Illinois. His ancestral family hailed from Virginia and fought in VA regiments in the Revolution, but he wasn’t a Virginian.
Now, Maj Gen “Pap” Thomas was a Virginian and gave up everything as a result of remaining in the US Army, to the point of dying ostracized from his family and buried in NY.
Never picky Bill to correct me on history! I will amend the post.
It seems that the role of Southern-born Unionists in the War cannot be overstated.
A story of another amazingly courageous American to whom we owe so much (and about which, other than his name as a Civil War officer at Gettysburg, I knew so little).
Lee’s original plan called for a swing East and surround Washington. This would put him on more favorable ground and among sympathizers in Maryland and allies in Virginia. Buford’s action allowed Meade to choose the field and the high ground which led to eventual Union victory.