When was William Rosecrans born and where did he grow up?
William Starke Rosecrans was born on a farm near Little Taylor Run in Kingston Township, Delaware County, Ohio. He grew up as the second of five sons to Crandall Rosecrans and Jemima Hopkins.
William Starke Rosecrans was born on a farm near Little Taylor Run in Kingston Township, Delaware County, Ohio. He grew up as the second of five sons to Crandall Rosecrans and Jemima Hopkins.
William Rosecrans graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842 fifth in his class of fifty-six cadets. His classmates included notable future generals such as James Longstreet and Abner Doubleday.
The Battle of Stones River became the bloodiest battle of the war in terms of percentages of casualties. The Union army repulsed attacks with heavy losses while Confederate forces withdrew their army to Tullahoma effectively ceding control of Middle Tennessee to the Union.
Disaster befell Rosecrans on the second day due to a poorly worded order that directed Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood to close up and support General Joseph J. Reynolds division. This movement opened up a new gap in the line which Lieutenant General James Longstreet exploited to shatter the Union right flank.
William Rosecrans died the 11th of March 1898 at Rancho Sausal Redondo Beach California. He suffered from pneumonia after catching a cold and his health failed precipitously following the death of his favorite grandchild Rosecrans Toole from diphtheria.