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| Randolph Marcy - USMA 1832 |
Note: This is another in a series of posts
that will explore the relationships of the West Pointers who fought at the
Battle of Antietam.
Before son-in-law George McClellan named him as his Chief of
Staff, Randolph Marcy had already served a long distinguished career as an army
officer and established himself as an explorer of some renown.
Randolph Barnes Marcy was born at Greenwich Massachusetts on
April 9, 1812. At the age of 16
years, 3 months he reported to the United States Military Academy on July 1,
1828 and there joined 68 other young men in what would eventually become the
Class of 1832.
Marcy was the only member of his class who fought at the
Battle of Antietam. However, Erasmus Keyes who graduated number ten in the class
served as an instructor at West Point for many years and as a long time
military assistant to Winfield Scott. Keyes commanded the Fourth Corps of the
Army of the Potomac during the first year of the Civil War. One division of the
Fourth Corps under Darius Couch participated in the Maryland Campaign but Keyes
remained at Fort Monroe with the balance of the corps when the Army of the
Potomac withdrew to Washington.
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| James Barnes USMA 1829 |
As a fourth classman, Marcy was acquainted with a number of
upper classmen who he would either serve with at Antietam or face in battle
there. Foremost was Robert E. Lee who
graduated in 1829 at the end of Marcy’s first year at the academy. Also in that class was James Barnes who
like Marcy hailed from Massachusetts. Barnes who ranked only three below Lee was held over
at the Academy during Marcy’s second year as assistant teacher of French. His regular army career in the 4th
Artillery was brief and he resigned in 1836 after being stationed at Charleston
South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis. Barnes returned to the army 25 years later as colonel of the
18th Massachusetts Infantry and at the time of the Battle of
Antietam commanded the first brigade of George Morell’s division. One year behind Lee and Barnes were
William Pendleton from Virginia and Robert Buchanan from Maryland. Like Barnes, Pendleton’s regular army
career was rather brief. The
future commander of Lee’s artillery reserve was commissioned in the 2nd
Artillery in 1830. Pendleton returned to West Point during Marcy’s last year to
teach mathematics and then resigned from the army in 1833 to pursue a life in
the Episcopal clergy. Robert Buchanan on the other hand was a hard-bitten lifer. He was commissioned in the 4th
Infantry. Winning two brevet
promotions for gallantry in Mexico, he would serve in the same regiment for 30
years rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel on September 9, 1861. Buchanan like Barnes commanded a
brigade in the Fifth Corps. He served in Sykes “Regular” division
commanding the first brigade. Just a year ahead of Marcy was Andrew A.
Humphreys of Pennsylvania. Commissioned in the 2nd Artillery, he resigned
in 1836 but reentered the Army in 1838 as a topographical engineer. Humphrey’s entire antebellum career was
in that branch. There he rose to the rank of colonel and chief topographical
engineer of the Army of the Potomac. Later commissioned a brigadier general U.S.
Volunteers, Humphrey received command of new division of troops on September
12, 1862 who were hastened to western Maryland to become the third division of
the Fifth Corps.
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Chart 1 – Randolph
Marcy’s classmates in the Maryland Campaign
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NAME
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YEAR
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RANK
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STATE
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COMMISSION
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ANTIETAM
ASSIGNMENT
|
|
Robert
E. Lee
|
1829
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2
of 46
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VA
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Corps
of Engineers
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Commander,
Army of Northern Virginia
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James
Barnes
|
1829
|
5
of 46
|
MA
|
4th
Artillery
|
1st
Brigade, 1st Division, Fifth Corps
|
|
William
Pendleton
|
1830
|
5
of 42
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VA
|
2nd
Artillery
|
Artillery
Reserve. Army of Northern Virginia
|
|
Robert
Buchanan
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1830
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31
of 42
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MD
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4th
Infantry
|
1st
Brigade, 2nd Division, Fifth Corps
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Andrew
Humphreys
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1831
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13
of 33
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PA
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2nd
Artillery *
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3rd
Division, Fifth Corps
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RANDOLPH
MARCY
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1832
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29
of 45
|
MA
|
5th
Infantry
|
Chief
of Staff, Army of the Potomac
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Rufus
King
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1833
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4
of 43
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NY
|
Corps
of Engineers
|
1st
Division, First Corps (till placed on sick leave)
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|
George
Morell
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1835
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1
of 56
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NY
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Corps
of Engineers
|
1st
Division, Fifth Corps
|
|
George
G. Meade
|
1835
|
22
of 56
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PA
|
3rd
Artillery *
|
Pennsylvania
Reserve Division, First Corps
|
|
Marsena
R. Patrick
|
1835
|
48
of 56
|
NY
|
2nd
Infantry
|
3rd
Brigade, 1st Division, First Corps
|
|
*
Both Meade and Humphreys resigned and later reentered the Army as
topographical engineers
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Four other future Antietam officers arrived at West Point in
the three years after Marcy became a cadet. Rufus King from New York reported
to West Point one year later.
King ranked high enough to obtain a coveted commission in the Corps of
Engineers. Serving just three
years, King moved to Wisconsin and became a brigadier general U.S. Volunteers
on May 17 1861. As a division
commander under Irvin McDowell, King saw action at Groveton and accompanied the
Army of the Potomac into Maryland. There he succumbed to epilepsy and was
placed on the sick list. King’s
division was commanded by John Hatch at South Mountain, and by Abner Doubleday
at Antietam.
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| George Morell USMA 35 |
In his last year at West Point, Marcy met three new fourth
year men. Joining the ranks in the
summer of 1831 were George Morell, George Meade, and Marsena R. Patrick. Members of the Class of 1835, only
Meade would pursue a military career.
Commissioned initially in the 3rd Artillery he, like
Humphreys resigned in 1836 and reentered the Army in 1842 as a topographical
engineer. Serving in the
Mexican War, Meade would receive a brevet for gallantry at Monterry. Morrell, who ranked number one in the
Class of 1835 would also be commissioned in the engineers but would resign in
1837. Patrick would stick it out
in the 2nd Infantry for 15 years earning a brevet in Mexico before resigning in
1850 to pursue agricultural interests.
Morell would command a Fifth Corps division under Fitz-John Porter. At Antietam Meade and Patrick fought in
the First Corps. Meade commanded
the vaunted Pennsylvania Reserve Division and Patrick commanded a brigade of
New Yorkers in the division that originally belonged to Rufus King.
With respect to academics and conduct, Marcy was in the
lower half of his class in both accounts. As a 4th year cadet, he started
near the bottom. His second year
at West Point appears to be his best.
He put forth a prodigious effort and worked his way up 20 ranks. His total
demerits that year were a respectable total of 14. But after that, his academic performance improved only marginally
as the number of demerits increased significantly. Marcy ended up 28 of 44 academically but 147 of 211 in the
order of merit.
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Chart 2 - Academic
Performance and Conduct - Randolph Marcy
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Fourth
Year
1829
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Third
Year 1830
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Second
Year
1831
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First
Year
1832
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Academic
Ranking *
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53
of 69
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33
of 59
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31
of 52
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28
of 44
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Demerits
|
76
|
14
|
69
|
104
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Order
of Merit *
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118
of 209
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27
of 215
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103
of 219
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147
of 211
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Note: Academic ranking is within the
class. Order of merit is within
the entire corps of cadets
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Source: Register
of Officers and Cadets U.S. Military Academy 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832.
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In pursuing the relationship of the men who fought at
Antietam, their time and memories together at West Point forged relationships
that ran to the end of their lives. It is no wonder that men like Marcy Meade,
Morell, and Humphreys were comfortable in each other’s company. It is
interesting how many of Marcy’s acquaintances at West Point were destined for
the Fifth Corps. Men like Morell,
and Humphrey as division commanders and Barnes and Buchanan at brigade level
were at the top level of Fitz-John Porter’s corps.
And as they gathered to fight at Antietam, Marcy and his West
Point comrades would face two more of their own just east of Sharpsburg.
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