Charles Sawyer Russell

Charles Sawyer Russell
Charles Sawyer Russell photo taken in 1861
Born	March 15, 1831(1831-03-15) Boston, Massachusetts
Died	November 2, 1866(1866-11-02) (aged 35) Cincinnati, Ohio
Place of burial	Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861–1866
Rank	Brevet Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Antietam Battle of Chancellorsville Siege of Petersburg

Charles Sawyer Russell (March 15, 1831 – November 2, 1866) was a United States Army general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life and career

Russell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1831, the son of John Brooks Russell, a publisher and seed dealer, and his wife, Mary Hicks Sawyer.^[1] In 1855, he married Annie Stretcher of Indianapolis, Indiana, and relocated to that state.^[1] They had two daughters: Annie Bell Russell and Caroline Russell (who married David Bispham in 1885).^[2]

Civil War service

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Russell was a sergeant (April 19) and then quickly a captain (May 14) in the 11th U.S. Infantry,^[3] and was stationed to Fort Independence in Boston.^[2] He was mustered out of the volunteer service on June 30.^[3]

Russell was brevetted to major for his participation at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and brevetted to lieutenant colonel on May 3, 1863 for meritorious service at the Battle of Chancellorsville.^[3]

Russell was promoted to lieutenant colonel on May 1, 1864,^[3] and organized and led the 28th Regiment United States Colored Troops, the only black unit from the state of Indiana. He and his men participated in the Siege of Petersburg in Virginia, and the 28th lost half its men in the Battle of the Crater that July.^[4] Russell was appointed a brevet colonel for the Battle of the Crater, and to brigadier general for Cemetery Hill, both effective from July 30.

He was promoted to colonel on August 27, 1864, and given brigade command in the IX Corps in the Army of the Potomac from September until October. He then was transferred to the Army of the James that winter and commanded several brigades in the Army's XXV Corps from December 3 to February 27, 1865.^[3]

Leading the 28th, he was among the first to enter Richmond after it fell to Federal forces in early April 1865.^[5] The regiment was mustered out of the volunteer service on November 8, 1865, in Texas, and returned to Indianapolis for a public reception held on January 8, 1866.^[6] Russell was then transferred to the 20th Infantry Regiment in September 1866.^[7] He moved with the regiment to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he died in a cholera outbreak that struck the regiment that November.^[5] He is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.^[3]

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Army portal
	American Civil War portal

• List of American Civil War generals

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Estabrook, William (1891). Genealogy of the Estabrook Family: Including the Esterbrook and Easterbrooks in the United States. Ithaca, New York: Andrus & Church. pp. 71, 122. http://books.google.com/books?id=gkwGA_qNqCIC. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Sellers, Edwin Jacquett (1899). Genealogy of Dr. Francis Joseph Pfeiffer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co.. pp. 24, 27. http://books.google.com/books?id=N3dJAAAAMAAJ. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, p. 466 ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
4. ^ Report of the Committee on the Conduct of the War on the Attack on Petersburg, on the 30th Day of July, 1864. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1865. pp. 210. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Bispham, William (1890). Memoranda Concerning the Family of Bispham in Great Britain and the United States of America. New York: Gilliss Bros.. pp. 275. http://books.google.com/books?id=-mU2AAAAMAAJ. 
6. ^ "28th Regiment, United States Colored Troops". Indiana War Memorial Website. http://www.in.gov/iwm/2407.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
7. ^ Higginson et al., Thomas Wentworth (1895). Massachusetts in the Army and Navy During the War of 1861-65. Boston: Wright & Potter. pp. 193. http://books.google.com/books?id=kyETAAAAYAAJ. 

Persondata
Name	Russell, Charles S.
Alternative names
Short description	United States Army general in the Union Army
Date of birth	March 15, 1831
Place of birth	Boston, Massachusetts
Date of death	November 2, 1866
Place of death	Cincinnati, Ohio