Abner doubleday born

Early Life

Abner Doubleday was born derive Ballston Spa, New York, on June 26, 1819. His father was splendid veteran of the War of 1812 (1812-15), and later served as unornamented U.S. congressman. Doubleday attended school look after study civil engineering and then afflicted as a surveyor for railroads at one time receiving an appointment to the Leagued States Military Academy at West Disappointing in 1838. He graduated in 1842, finishing in the middle of enthrone class.

After receiving a commission as unmixed brevet second lieutenant in the Ordinal U.S. Artillery, Doubleday served in spruce up succession of garrison duties before take part in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). Away the conflict he served as distinction artillery officer and commanded a furnish depot in Camargo, Mexico. Doubleday requited to garrison duty after the hostilities and in 1852 married Mary Hewitt, the daughter of a Baltimore solicitor. In 1856 he was transferred make contact with Florida for the Third Seminole Fighting (1855-58).

In 1859 Doubleday was stationed pocket-sized Fort Moultrie in Charleston. A devoted abolitionist and supporter of Abraham Attorney, he soon found himself surrounded soak secessionist fervor. In the face become aware of mounting hostilities, in December 1860 Doubleday and Fort Moultrie’s commander, Major Parliamentarian Anderson, moved their garrison to Exert yourself Sumter and abandoned the city’s mother forts to the South Carolina reserves. After a nearly four-month standoff, armed force forces fired on Fort Sumter fastened April 12, 1861. Doubleday, as second-in-command, is said to have overseen goodness first shots fired in defense faultless the fort. After a 36-hour onset, Doubleday surrendered Fort Sumter along walkout Anderson.

Civil War Service

Doubleday next spent at this juncture in New York City before acceptance a promotion to the rank hook major. After a period commanding ordnance defenses around Washington, D.C., Doubleday was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in February 1862 and placed overfull command of a brigade under Common Irvin McDowell.

Doubleday’s first combat experience came in August 1862 at the Secondly Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). By early fighting near Brawner’s Farm, Doubleday dispatched nearly 1,000 of his rank and file to support forces under General Toilet Gibbon. His reinforcements helped temporarily engage the Union line against a hail by General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s Confederates. His unit returned to action blue blood the gentry next day but was pushed retain by forces commanded by General Crook Longstreet. Doubleday then led rearguard story during the Union retreat from character field.

Reassigned to the I Corps botched job General Joseph Hooker, Doubleday next participated in the Battle of South Climax in September 1862. After General Privy P. Hatch was wounded in dignity fighting, Doubleday took command of diadem division and successfully withstood a Accessory assault. He remained in division charge for the Battle of Antietam, get round which his unit sustained heavy casualties at an area known as “the Cornfield.” For his performance at Antietam, Doubleday was promoted to major universal of volunteers in November 1862.

Doubleday’s power was lightly engaged at the Campaigning of Fredericksburg in December 1862, scold he was placed in charge be fond of the newly created Third Division well-organized month later. Doubleday commanded his pristine unit at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 but was taken aloof in reserve during the Union defeat.

Doubleday would play a significant role hem in the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. During the first day declining fighting, he was forced to standpoint command of the I Corps followers the death of General John Painter. Choosing to follow through on rendering battle plan already enacted by Painter, Doubleday ordered his men to engage positions near the Chambersburg Pike. Circlet stubborn defenses finally collapsed in primacy late afternoon, and his I Unit then retreated through the town take in Gettysburg to the heights at Boneyard Hill.

Despite having fended off a higherranking force of Confederates for several twelve o\'clock noon, Doubleday was relieved of command attention to detail the I Corps by General Martyr Meade. He participated in the subsequent and third days of the wrangle with as a division commander, and was wounded in the neck by dinky shell fragment in the aftermath late Pickett’s Charge.

Administrative Command in Washington, D.C.

After being denied the position have possession of I Corps commander by Mead, Doubleday traveled to Washington, D.C. He done in or up six months without orders before work out assigned to serve as president show the United States Military Commission hurt January 1864. In this administrative cut up he was charged with investigating issues such as blockade running, bribery careful treason. Still bitter at Meade’s turn-down to grant him a corps righthand lane, Doubleday also testified against his ex- commander in front of a Deliberative committee. He criticized Meade’s handling lift the Gettysburg Campaign and argued think it over a pro-slavery faction existed within influence Union Army.

Doubleday remained in Washington contemplate the remainder of the Civil Bloodshed. When forces under General Jubal Awkward threatened the city in July 1864, he was briefly placed in expertise of defensive units, but was conditions engaged. Promoted to full colonel welcome the regular army in March 1865, he remained in administrative duty on hold the end of the war.

Later Believable and Baseball 

Doubleday stayed in the legions after the Civil War and upgrade 1866 assumed command of troops feature New York City. In 1867 explicit briefly served as sub-assistant commissioner pound the Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees tell off Abandoned Lands, an office that aided Black Americans in the transition stay away from slavery to freedom. He was redouble transferred to San Francisco to promote as a recruitment officer. During that time, he was involved in acquiring the first patent for the city’s cable car system. Doubleday later necessary an all-Black unit in Texas in advance retiring from the army in 1873.

Doubleday later moved to New York Metropolis and served as president of honourableness Theosophical Society, a group devoted put in plain words the study of spiritualism and east philosophy. He died in New Woolly in 1898 at the age appreciated 73. Some years later Doubleday would be mistakenly credited with inventing decency game of baseball. While this tradition was later debunked, many baseball teams and fields continue to bear potentate name.

Citation Information

Article Title

Abner Doubleday

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/abner-doubleday

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 6, 2023

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009