1800s Civil War General William T H Brooks Autographed Signed Note Union Army

  

1800s Civil War General William T H Brooks Autographed Signed Note, measures 3" x 3 1/4". William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks (January 28, 1821 - July 19, 1870) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general during the American Civil War. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Brooks was appointed brigadier general of volunteers in September 1861. He commanded the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division of the IV Corps in the Peninsula Campaign, and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division of the VI Corps at the Seven Days Battles, where he was wounded at the Battle of Savage's Station. Recovering, he resumed command of his brigade for the Maryland Campaign and led his men at Crampton's Gap, where they captured a Confederate battle flag belonging to the 16th Virginia Infantry.

At the Battle of Antietam, Brooks's brigade was mainly in reserve, although under "galling fire of both artillery and sharpshooters" for 48 hours. Promoted to divisional command, Brooks led the 1st Division of VI Corps at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In June 1863, he was promoted to major general of volunteers, but this was later revoked. This demotion has been blamed on Brooks's being involved in intrigues by VI Corps commanders against Maj.

During the Gettysburg Campaign, he commanded the Department of the Monongahela, with his headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He supervised the construction of a series of earthworks to protect the city from a possible Confederate raid. Returning to field duty in the late spring of 1864, Brooks commanded the 1st Division of XVIII Corps at Cold Harbor and Petersburg.