John Mansfield

John Mansfield (August 1822 – May 6, 1896) was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of California from 1880 to 1883 and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

John Mansfield
15th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office 1880–1883
Preceded by	James A. Johnson
Succeeded by	John Daggett
Personal details
Born	John Mansfield August 1822 Monroe County, New York
Died	May 6, 1896(1896-05-06) (aged 73) Los Angeles, California
Political party	Republican
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army (Union Army)
Years of service	1861-1865
Rank	Brevet Brigadier General
Unit	2nd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry Veteran Reserve Corps
Battles/wars	American Civil War First Battle of Bull Run Battle of Antietam Battle of Gettysburg Overland Campaign

For other people named John Mansfield, see John Mansfield (disambiguation).

Biography

Originally from Monroe County, New York, Mansfield emigrated to Wisconsin prior to the Civil War.[1] During the 1850s, Mansfield practiced law in Portage, Wisconsin.[2]

Military Service

Following President Lincoln's call for 75,000 state militia troops in April 1861 at the onset of the Civil War, Mansfield was commissioned as captain of Company G, 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the "Portage Guards."[3][4] Mustered at Camp Randall in Madison on June 11, 1861, Mansfield's regiment entered as a three-year regiment and departed Wisconsin for Washington, D.C. on June 20 to join the Army of the Potomac. At Washington, Mansfield's regiment was initially brigaded under William T. Sherman along with the 13th New York Volunteer Infantry, the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry and the 79th New York Volunteer Infantry.[5]

Mansfield's regiment first saw action at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. Mansfield and the 2nd Wisconsin went on to take part in many key battles of the war as part of the famed Iron Brigade, including South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg.[1][6][7]

Battle of Gettysburg

At Gettysburg, Mansfield and the 2nd Wisconsin formed a part of the First Division of I Corps, under Brig. General James S. Wadsworth.[8] On the first day of fighting on July 1, 1863, the 2nd Wisconsin engaged a Confederate brigade under Brig. General James J. Archer at McPherson Woods.[9] Early in the fighting, 2nd Wisconsin soldier Private Patrick Maloney captured Archer himself, who surrendered his sword to Mansfield. Archer's surrender to Mansfield marked the first capture of a Confederate general officer since Robert E. Lee had assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia.[10][9]

Later in the first day of fighting, Mansfield assumed command of the 2nd Wisconsin as the regiment's major after the senior officer, future Wisconsin governor Lucius Fairchild, was shot.[9] Mansfield himself would be wounded later that same day and be forced to relinquish command of the regiment.[11] Following the battle, Mansfield was appointed lieutenant colonel on July 5, 1863 and went on to serve in the Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns before being wounded and captured in June 1864 during the Overland Campaign.[11] Held at Libby Prison in Richmond, Mansfield was later returned to the north as part of a prisoner exchange.[1]

Towards the end of the Civil War, Mansfield became colonel of the Veteran Reserve Corps, a reserve organization also known as the U.S. Invalid Corps, made up of men unfit for combat but able to assist in hospital work or other light duties.[12][13] Mansfield was later brevetted as a brigadier general of volunteers, a rank to date from March 13, 1865.[14]

Lieutenant Governor

Following the war, Mansfield settled in California and later served as a delegate to the second California constitutional convention in 1878 and 1879 and as an at-large delegate to the 1880 Republican National Convention.[15][16] He was elected as California's lieutenant governor in 1879 and served one term under Republican Governor George C. Perkins from 1880 to 1883.[17]

Mansfield died at his home in Los Angeles in 1896 and was cremated.[18] His ashes were interred in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery without record of their location.[19]

Mansfield may be the namesake of Mansfield, Illinois, although other sources suggest the village was named after other unrelated men named Mansfield, or potentially the city of Mansfield, Ohio.[20][21]

References

1. "Annual publication of the Historical Society of Southern California. v.3 1893-1896". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
2. "Professional & Business Cards". Portage Independent. 22 January 1857.
3. State of Wisconsin Blue Book. Legislative Reference Bureau. 1927.
4. "U.S. Senate: The Civil War: The Senate's Story". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
5. Aubury, Cullen B. (1902). Echoes From The Marches Of The Famous Iron Brigade. pp. 9–10.
6. "Union Wisconsin Volunteers, 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry". Civil War and Sailors System. National Park Service. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
7. "Iron Brigade". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
8. "The Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg - Gettysburg National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)". Retrieved 2020-03-18.
9. Pfanz, Harry Wilcox (2001). Gettysburg - The First Day. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780807826249.
10. "Official Report for the 2nd Wisconsin at Gettysburg". The Battle of Gettysburg. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
11. Quiner, E.B. (1866). The Military History of Wisconsin (2nd Infantry, Chapter 12). Chicago: Clarke & Co. p. 469.
12. Wagner, Margaret E.; Congress, Library of (2002). The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 441. ISBN 978-0-684-86350-4.
13. Field Record of Officers of the Veteran Reserve Corps, from the Commencement to the Close of the Rebellion. Washington, D.C.: Scriver & Swing. 1865.
14. Memorandum Relative to the General Officers in the Armies of the United States During the Civil War, 1861-1865. Washington, D.C.: Military Secretary's Office, War Department. 1906. p. 40.
15. Official Proceedings of the National Republican Conventions of 1868, 1872, 1876, and 1880. Minneapolis: Charles W. Johnson. 1903. p. 656.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
16. Debates and Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the State of California. I. Sacramento: J.S. Young, Supt. State Printing. 1880. p. 4.
17. "Morning Press 8 September 1879 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
18. "Los Angeles Herald 7 May 1896 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
19. Hunt, Roger D. (1990). Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue. Olde Soldier Books. p. 379. ISBN 978-1560130024.
20. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 198.
21. Callary, Edward (2010-10-01). Place Names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09070-7.

Political offices
Preceded by James A. Johnson	Lieutenant Governor of California 1880–1883	Succeeded by John Daggett