Judson Kilpatrick: "Nothing but Fame"

by Diana Loski

Judson Kilpatrick

(Library of Congress)

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point for the war, and in many ways a pivotal fight for the Union. At Gettysburg, the Federal infantry, artillery, and cavalry performed together in harmony in a manner that had not been previously done.

The Union cavalry corps, headed by General Alfred Pleasonton, boasted several newly promoted generals. Three brigade commanders of cavalry, in fact, had been promoted just days before the battle, from the ranks of captain to brigadier generals: Wesley Merritt, Elon Farnsworth, and George A. Custer. Two of those brigade commanders answered to an equally new division commander, the diminutive but fiery Judson Kilpatrick.1

Hugh Judson Kilpatrick was one of those men who was born to be a soldier. Born in Sussex County, New Jersey, on January 14, 1836, he was the youngest child of Simon and Julia Kilpatrick, of Irish ancestry. Far younger than his three older siblings, he absorbed all things martial from a young age, which his parents encouraged. After education in local schools, he was accepted to West Point during the summer of 1856, part of the class who would graduate as the Civil War erupted in 1861.2

Just five feet tall, Kilpatrick proved to be a bit combative to allay any bullying from the taller and larger cadets. Some of his fellow classmates included future Civil War commanders Adelbert Ames, George A. Custer and Patrick O’Rorke. Judson became enamored of a young lady who lived near West Point named Alice Shailer, the daughter of a well-connected widow. The couple married immediately after his graduation from West Point – in fact they married at a West Point hotel with almost all of his class attending – and just before the Union cadets went off to war.3

Kilpatrick began his duties with the Union as a member of the 5th New York Infantry, nicknamed Duryee’s Zouaves. He became a captain of volunteers in Duryee’s regiment on May 9, 1861. Days later he was named a first lieutenant of artillery and, in that capacity, he fought in his first battle, The Battle of Big Bethel, the first fight of the Civil War, in June 1861.4

Fort Monroe, located on the Virginia Coast, near Newport News, was the prize to be taken after the Federals had lost Fort Sumter. After the secession of Virginia, Benjamin Butler wanted to capture the Virginia fort, and a battle ensued. Seventy-six Union soldiers were casualties, and a few were killed. Kilpatrick was severely wounded in that engagement, and was disabled for many months. He earned the dubious distinction as being the first Union officer wounded in battle during the Civil War.5

During his convalescence, Kilpatrick returned to his wife in New York and raised a regiment of cavalry, the 2nd New York cavalry, with Judson as the lieutenant-colonel. He realized he would need a horse, and purchased a trusty one, whom Kilpatrick named Spot. The horse would be with him throughout the entirety of the war. By the time Kilpatrick had healed from his Big Bethel wound, he participated in numerous raids in Virginia. In September of 1862, he was promoted to brigade command. In early 1863, before the Battle of Chancellorsville, Kilpatrick and his troops participated in Stoneman’s Raid along the Rappahannock, attempting to disrupt the Confederate infrastructure before the engagement.6

While the Battle of Chancellorsville was a resounding Confederate victory, the success of the raids, and Kilpatrick’s “zeal and confidence” were nevertheless noticed. As the two armies marched their way northward toward Gettysburg in June 1863, Kilpatrick was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and given command of a division.7

Previous to Gettysburg, the cavalry’s main duties often consisted of scouting for presence of the enemy, conducting raids, and guarding railroads, telegraph lines, and watching the flanks of the army.

At Gettysburg, the cavalry participated in many battles. Fellow division commander John Buford engaged his cavalry against the Confederates who were en route to Gettysburg, in order to buy time for the Union infantry to arrive for deployment. 

To the east of Gettysburg, at the town of Hanover on June 29, 1863, Judson Kilpatrick’s Division fought against Jeb Stuart’s troops to keep Stuart from reaching Robert E. Lee, who was west of Gettysburg near Cashtown. Both Buford and Kilpatrick succeeded in their efforts, greatly aiding the Federal cause at Gettysburg.

Kilpatrick and his division were engaged near Gettysburg with cavalry clashes on July 2 at Hunterstown against General Wade Hampton – seriously wounding the Confederate general – and on July 3 at East Cavalry Field, where the Union troops again took on Jeb Stuart. At both engagements, General Custer’s brigade was especially and heavily engaged. Both fights were Union victories.

General Kilpatrick was deeply interested in the outcome of Pickett’s Charge, which took place at about the same time as the cavalry fight on East Cavalry Field. When Pickett’s Charge failed, Kilpatrick received an order from his superior, Albert Pleasonton, to attack and rout the Confederate infantry ensconced among the boulders and woods on and near the slopes of Big Round Top.

While it is written in the annals of history that Pickett’s Charge essentially ended the Battle of Gettysburg, neither side knew yet that was the case. Lee regrouped his surviving troops, and lay in wait on Seminary Ridge, hoping Meade would order an attack later that day. On Cemetery Ridge, Meade realized that Confederate troops, mainly Alabama and Texas infantry from Hood's Division, remained near the Union left flank. Nervous that they might begin another attack, he relayed his concerns to Pleasonton, who ordered Kilpatrick to charge should the opportunity arise.8

Perhaps Kilpatrick’s greatest controversy stems from the order, and the ensuing attack that resulted from it, known as Farnsworth’s Charge.

Kilpatrick expected to make the attack with both of his cavalry brigades. However, Custer’s brigade had been utilized elsewhere at the request of yet another cavalry division commander, General David McMurtry Gregg, and did not join Kilpatrick. With the lack of communication at the time, Kilpatrick did not know where Custer was, and carried out Pleasonton’s order without him.9

Elon Farnsworth, at age 25, was just a year younger than his immediate superior commander. Newly promoted to brigade command, Farnsworth was about to lead his first charge in that capacity. While not a West Point graduate, Farnsworth was intelligent and knew the situation with the ground. The Confederate infantry proved to be well hidden and protected, behind the rocks and in thick woods. The ground, hilly and filled with boulders, was not favorable for men on horseback. He expressed his doubts to Kilpatrick – who insisted that the order be followed.10

One cavalry officer in Farnsworth’s command claimed to have heard Kilpatrick and Farnsworth arguing about the order. At one point, Kilpatrick supposedly insinuated that Farnsworth was afraid, and if Farnsworth did not lead the charge, Kilpatrick would. And Farnsworth relented.11

As it turned out, the officer who claimed to have heard the argument did not hear it first-hand, and when he was pressed by other soldiers to provide corroboration of the argument, he was unable to do so. Nevertheless, many authors and historians have taken this officer, who disliked Kilpatrick, at his word, which he, in fact, later recanted.12

One soldier who did claim to be there during the exchange, and came forward years later, was Eli Holden of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry. He claimed that, while a discussion certainly took place, Kilpatrick in no way insulted Farnsworth. “Kilpatrick would have severed his right hand as to have insulted Farnsworth or Custer,” he said. “He was very courteous to all inferiors in rank, unless outraged at willful neglect or disobedience, when he sometimes became a tornado…Comrades, there was no quarrel between General Kilpatrick and General Farnsworth.”13

The ill-fated Farnsworth’s Charge did not succeed, and Farnsworth was killed during the engagement, the youngest general killed at Gettysburg. The fight placed a stain on Kilpatrick’s career, whether the supposed argument occurred or not.

The next day, July 4, 1863, Lee and his army retreated from Gettysburg. The duty of the Union cavalry, though, was far from over. Generals Buford and Kilpatrick and their divisions quickly followed the Confederates, harassing them at every turn. Kilpatrick and his command were at Monterey in the South Mountains, then at Boonesboro, Hagerstown, and Falling Waters, where Lee and his men finally crossed the Potomac on July 14. At Monterey, late on July 5 and in pouring rain, Kilpatrick and his division faced annihilation when the Confederates, entrenched in the mountains, began to fire upon them with artillery, and attempted to encircle them on the mountain roads. Kilpatrick used the darkness to help his men escape to Boonesboro, but it was a close call.14

So determined was Kilpatrick to overtake Lee’s men before they crossed the Potomac, that “he spared neither man nor beast. The road was soft and miry, and the horses sank almost to their knees in the sticky mud. For this reason, the column straggled, and it was not possible to keep a single troop closed up in sets of fours.”15

On July 14, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia saw that the banks of the swollen Potomac were receding. Custer’s brigade fought the escaping Confederates until the end, and Kilpatrick was there, directing the fighting. The colonel of the 6th Michigan Cavalry was killed, charging the retreating men of Heth’s division. Kilpatrick noted that the charge “was the most gallant ever made.”16

The Union cavalry corps suffered more casualties during the Gettysburg Campaign, than they had endured in past engagements. This was largely due to their involvement in the fighting, which went beyond raids, or guarding railroads and telegraph lines. Kilpatrick was criticized for allowing the Confederates to escape, and his official report claiming the Southern troops he captured was considered greatly exaggerated. Kilpatrick had already earned a nickname that became even more widespread after Gettysburg: he was called “Kill Cavalry”.17

In the fall of 1863, Alice Kilpatrick died suddenly from an illness. She had given birth in 1862 to a son, Judson B. Kilpatrick. General Kilpatrick obtained leave to attend his wife’s funeral and to get care for his infant son. Unfortunately, the child died in 1864.18 

When he returned, he continued with raids and skirmishes. In early 1864, he embarked on a quest to free the Union prisoners from Libby Prison and Belle Isle, located near Richmond. Some of his own division, captured during Farnsworth’s charge, were there.

While traveling with his troops into Virginia, Kilpatrick “destroyed much property and had many encounters with the enemy.” The troops with him suffered with the winter climate, the lack of rest and provisions, and the constant vigil against the defending Confederates, who knew of Kilpatrick’s presence and what his mission entailed. Upon reaching the outskirts of Richmond, Kilpatrick saw the city and prison camps well defended. He turned back, facing more backlash from the Union forces.19

In May, Kilpatrick was transferred to General Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee. Sherman was already planning an attack on Atlanta, which came at the end of the summer. Though Sherman knew of Kilpatrick’s flaws, he said, “I know that Kilpatrick is a hell of a damned fool, but I want just that sort of man to command my cavalry in this expedition.”20

Kilpatrick did not disappoint his commander. He fought with distinction in the Atlanta Campaign, and was severely wounded at the Battle of Resaca, which was the first major engagement of the Atlanta Campaign. He was shot in the thigh, narrowly missing the artery and injuring his sciatic nerve. It was a wound that plagued him for the rest of his life. He was away from the front for many weeks, returning in time for Sherman’s March to the Sea. “He was selected as the fittest man to lead the cavalry” in that famous (or infamous) march.21

Kilpatrick was merciless on the March to the Sea, burning and pillaging as he went, encouraging those in his division to do their worst. He aiding in securing the capture of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and was brevetted for his role in it. He was engaged at the Battle of Bentonville, and witnessed the subsequent surrender of General Joe Johnston’s army to General Sherman near Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. It was the last major army surrender of the Civil War, occurring just weeks after Appomattox. Kilpatrick resigned his commission on January 1, 1866, with the brevet of Major General of Volunteers.22

At war’s end, Kilpatrick was named as Minister to Chile by President Andrew Johnson. He continued in that capacity into the Grant Administration. While stationed in Santiago, Kilpatrick met the daughter of one of the statesmen of Chile, a young woman named Luisa Fernandez Valdivieso. He converted to Catholicism so that he could marry her. The couple wed in Santiago on November 3, 1866. Two daughters were born to the couple.23

In 1870, Kilpatrick was released from his post, and returned with his wife to New Jersey. He became a public speaker, giving lectures about Sherman’s March to the Sea and the Union Cavalry during the recent war. He also became a farmer, with 200 acres of land, where he mainly raised dairy cows and pigs. “Next to his…butter, he was proudest of his pigs,” one contemporary said. Kilpatrick ran for Congress from his home state of New Jersey, but he was unsuccessful. He decided to embark upon a bid for governor, but instead accepted the post to return as minister to Chile during the Garfield Administration in 1881. Kilpatrick’s wife, Luisa, was apparently influential in procuring the return to her native land. Kilpatrick was too ill to do much else – his Resaca wound continued to plague him, and his legs were often so swollen he could barely walk at times.24

There were problems in Chile with neighboring Peru. Kilpatrick had little ability to avert the coming crisis, as infection from his war wound and problems with sciatica and his kidneys debilitated him. He died at his home in Santiago on December 2, 1881. He was just 45 years old.25

“The news of his death was not unexpected,” wrote one journalist. “He was prostrated by fever and was not expected to recover.” Kilpatrick was buried in Santiago, but a year later was removed to West Point, where his grave remains today. His tombstone was paid for by the men of his command during the Civil War.26

Beside him was the grave of his first wife, Alice. But her grave would not be there for long. Kilpatrick was well-known for his extramarital exploits. Alice’s mother, Elizabeth Roe Shailer, had heard details about an alleged Kilpatrick affair while he had been married to her only daughter. Incensed that his body was removed to West Point, she in turn removed her daughter’s remains, and buried her in the Roe family plot in the Bronx.27

Whatever his flaws, Judson Kilpatrick had “won a national reputation…by his bravery, dash, and ready judgment. He won for himself an honorable place in the history of the Nation.”28

Shortly before his death, Kilpatrick said in an interview, “I was spoken of as a reckless soldier…but then I was 24 years old with nothing but fame to look forward to and nothing but my sword to get it with. Now…with a wife and children and comfortable pursuits, I doubt whether I could maintain my character as a soldier.”29

Whether in war or peace, whether farming or riding toward danger, Judson Kilpatrick certainly lived according to his terms.