James B. McPherson | |
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![]() McPherson, c. 1862, by Barr & Young | |
Born | Clyde, Ohio | November 14, 1828
Died | July 22, 1864 Atlanta, Georgia | (aged 35)
Place of burial | McPherson Cemetery, Clyde, Ohio |
Allegiance | United States Union |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1853–1864 |
Rank | Major general |
Unit | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Commands | XVII Corps Army of the Tennessee |
Battles/wars | |
Signature | ![]() |
James Birdseye McPherson (/məkˈfərsən/) (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the general staff of Henry Halleck and later of Ulysses S. Grant and was with Grant at the Battle of Shiloh. He was killed at the Battle of Atlanta, facing the army of his old West Point classmate John Bell Hood, who paid a warm tribute to his character. He was the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action during the war.