CIVIL WAR INDEX
Primary Source Material
on the Soldiers and the Battles
Home The Armies The Soldiers The Battles Civilians Articles
 
If this website has been useful to you, please consider making a Donation.

Your support will help keep this website free for everyone, and will allow us to do more research. Thank you for your support!

Civil War Soldiers - Parke

Parke, John G., major-general, U.S. Army, was born in Chester county, Pa., Sept. 22, 1827. He entered the University of Pennsylvania, but left at the end of his sophomore year and became a cadet at the United States military academy, where he was graduated second in his class, in 1849, and assigned to duty with the topographical engineers. He was employed previous to the Civil war on various important topographical surveys as chief astronomer and surveyor, and was commissioned captain of topographical engineers, Sept. 9, 1861. He was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers on Nov. 23 and accompanied Gen. Burnside on the expedition to North Carolina, where he was engaged at Roanoke island, New Berne, and Fort Macon. For his services at Fort Macon he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel in the regular army and promoted major-general of volunteers, to date from July 18, 1862. He was engaged in the movement to Newport News, Fredericksburg, and Washington, D. C., in 1862, and was chief of staff to Gen. Burnside in the Maryland campaign, where he was engaged at South mountain and Antietam and in the pursuit of the enemy to Warrenton. When Burnside became commander of the Army of the Potomac Gen. Parke continued as his chief of staff and engaged in the battle of Fredericksburg. He participated in the movement of the 9th army corps into Kentucky, commanded it on the march to Vicksburg, where he arrived before the surrender ; and in the reoccupation of Jackson, Miss., he commanded the left wing of Gen. Sherman's army and won the brevet of colonel for his services there. He subsequently commanded the 9th army corps in the Department of the Ohio during the East Tennessee campaign, being engaged in the action at Blue springs, Oct. 10, 1863; the defence of Knoxville, Nov. 17-Dec. 4, and in the operations against Longstreet in Jan. and Feb., 1864. When Gen. Burnside resumed command of the corps he accompanied him as commander of a division in the march to Virginia and acted as his chief of staff during the Wilderness and Spottsylvania campaigns. He was on sick leave July-Aug., 1864, and on his return to duty, the 9th corps having been made a part of the Army of the Potomac, he resumed command of it and led in during the Richmond campaign, engaging in the siege of Petersburg, the combat at Peebles' farm, at Hatcher's run, and the assault on Fort Stedman, being also present at the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox. On March 13, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier-general and major-general in the regular establishment for gallant and meritorious services at Knoxville and Fort Stedman. His last service in the volunteer army was as commander of the southern district of New York, and on Jan. 15, 1866, he was honorably mustered out of the volunteer service. He had been made major of engineers, June 14, 1864, and he was promoted lieutenant- colonel, March 4, 1879, and colonel, March 17, 1884. Gen. Parke was commandant at the United States military academy from 1887 to 1889 and was retired at his own request July 2, 1889. He was the author of numerous technical reports. He died in Washington, D. C., Dec. 15, 1900.

Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
 


Whats New
Bibliography
About Us

Copyright 2010 by CivilWarIndex.com
A Division of Pier-Pleasure.com