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Winfield Scott Hancock

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Not to be confused withWinfield Scott.

Winfield Scott Hancock
Hancock,c.1860s
Personal details
Born(1824-02-14)February 14, 1824
Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania,U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1886(1886-02-09)(aged 61)
New York City,U.S.
Resting placeMontgomery Cemetery(West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania,U.S.)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Almira Russell
​
(m.1850)​
Children2
EducationUnited States Military Academy(BS)
Signature
NicknameHancock the Superb
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceU.S. Army(Union Army)
Years of service1844–1886
RankMajor General
CommandsII Corps
Battles/wars

Winfield Scott Hancock(February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was aUnited States Armyofficer and theDemocraticnominee forPresident of the United Statesin1880.He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in theMexican–American Warand as aUniongeneralin theAmerican Civil War.Known to his Army as "Hancock the Superb," he was noted in particular for his personal leadership at theBattle of Gettysburgin 1863. His military service continued after the Civil War, as Hancock participated in the militaryReconstructionofthe Southand the U.S.'s western expansion and war with theNative Americansat the Westernfrontier.This concluded with theMedicine Lodge Treaty.From 1881 to 1885 he was president of theAztec Club of 1847for veteran officers of the Mexican-American War.

Hancock's reputation as a war hero at Gettysburg, combined with his status as a Unionist and supporter of states' rights, made him a potential presidential candidate. When the Democrats nominated him for president in1880,he ran a strong campaign, but was narrowly defeated byRepublicanJames A. Garfield.Hancock's last public service involved the oversight of PresidentUlysses S. Grant's funeral procession in 1885.

Early life and family

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Birthplace of Winfield Scott Hancock
historical depiction taken from biography

Winfield Scott Hancock and hisidentical twinbrother Hilary Baker Hancock were born on February 14, 1824, inMontgomery Square, Pennsylvania,a hamlet just northwest ofPhiladelphiain present-dayMontgomery Township.[1]The twins were the sons of Benjamin Franklin Hancock and Elizabeth Hoxworth Hancock.[2][3]Winfield was named afterWinfield Scott,a prominent general in theWar of 1812.[1]

The Hancock and Hoxworth families had lived inMontgomery Countyfor several generations, and were ofEnglish,Scottish,andWelshdescent.[4]Benjamin Hancock was a schoolteacher when his sons were born. A few years after their birth, he moved the family toNorristown,the county seat, and began to practice law.[1]Benjamin was also a deacon in theBaptistchurch and participated in municipal government (as an avowedDemocrat).[1]

Hancock was at first educated atNorristown Academy,but removed to thepublic schoolswhen the first one opened in Norristown in the late 1830s.[5]In 1840,Joseph Fornance,the local Congressman, nominated Hancock to theUnited States Military AcademyatWest Point.[6]Hancock's progress at West Point was average. He graduated 18th in his class of 25 in 1844, and he was assigned to theinfantry.[7]

Early military career

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Mexican War

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Hancock was commissioned abrevetsecond lieutenantin the6th U.S. Infantryregiment, and initially was stationed inIndian Territoryin theRed RiverValley. The region was quiet at the time, and Hancock's time there was uneventful.[8]Upon the outbreak ofwar with Mexicoin 1846, Hancock worked to secure himself a place at the front.[9]Initially assigned to recruiting duties inKentucky,he proved so adept at signing up soldiers that his superiors were reluctant to release him from his post.[10]By July 1847, however, Hancock was permitted to join his regiment inPuebla,Mexico, where they made up a part of the army led by his namesake, GeneralWinfield Scott.[10]

Scott's army moved farther inland from Puebla unopposed and attackedMexico Cityfrom the south. During that campaign in 1847, Hancock first encountered battle atContrerasandChurubusco.[11]He was appointed a brevetfirst lieutenantfor gallant and meritorious service in those actions.[12]Hancock was wounded in the knee at Churubusco and developed a fever.[13]Although he was well enough to join his regiment atMolino del Rey,fever kept Hancock from participating in the finalbreakthrough to Mexico City,something he would regret for the rest of his life.[14]After the final victory, Hancock remained in Mexico with the 6th Infantry until thetreaty of peacewas signed in 1848.[15]

Marriage and peacetime

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Hancock served in a number of assignments as an armyquartermasterandadjutant,mostly inFort Snelling,Minnesota,andSt. Louis,Missouri.[16]It was in St. Louis that he met Almira ( "Allie" ) Russell and they married on January 24, 1850.[17]Allie gave birth to two children, Russell in 1850 and Ada in 1857, but both children died before their parents.[18]Hancock was promoted tocaptainin 1855 and assigned toFort Myers,Florida.[19]Hancock's young family accompanied him to his new posting, where Allie Hancock was the only woman on the post.[20]

Hancock's tour in Florida coincided with the end of theThird Seminole War.His duties were primarily those of aquartermaster,and he did not see action in that campaign.[21]As the situation in Florida began to settle down, Hancock was reassigned toFort Leavenworth,Kansas.[21]He served in the West during the partisan warfare of "Bleeding Kansas",and in theUtah Territory,where the 6th Infantry arrived after theUtah War.[2]Following the resolution of that conflict, Hancock was stationed in southernCaliforniain November 1858.[22]He remained there, joined by Allie and the children, until the Civil War broke out in 1861, serving as a captain and assistant quartermaster under futureConfederateGeneralAlbert Sidney Johnston.[13]In California, Hancock became friendly with a number of southern officers, most significantlyLewis A. ArmisteadofVirginia.[23]At the outbreak of the Civil War, Armistead and the other southerners left to join theConfederate States Army,while Hancock remained in the service of the United States.[24]When Armistead left, he turned to Hancock and said, "You'll never know what this is costing me, but goodbye, goodbye."[25]

Civil War

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Joining the Army of the Potomac

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Hancock stands the most conspicuous figure of all the general officers who did not exercise a separate command. He commanded a corps longer than any other one, and his name was never mentioned as having committed in battle a blunder for which he was responsible. He was a man of very conspicuous personal appearance.... His genial disposition made him friends, and his personal courage and his presence with his command in the thickest of the fight won for him the confidence of troops serving under him. No matter how hard the fight, the 2nd corps always felt that their commander was looking after them.
—Ulysses S. Grant,Personal Memoirs[26]
General Winfield Scott Hancock

Hancock returned east to assume quartermaster duties for the rapidly growingUnion Army,but was quickly promoted tobrigadier generalon September 23, 1861, and given aninfantrybrigadeto command in the division of Brig. Gen.William F. "Baldy" Smith,Army of the Potomac.[13]He earned his "Superb" nickname[13]in thePeninsula Campaign,in 1862, by leading a critical counterattack in theBattle of Williamsburg;army commanderMaj. Gen.George B. McClellantelegraphed to Washington that "Hancock was superb today" and the appellation stuck.[27]McClellan did not follow through on Hancock's initiative, however, and Confederate forces were allowed to withdraw unmolested.[28]

In theBattle of Antietam,Hancock assumed command of the 1st Division,II Corps,following the mortal wounding of Maj. Gen.Israel B. Richardsonin the horrific fighting at "Bloody Lane". Hancock and his staff made a dramatic entrance to the battlefield, galloping between his troops and the enemy, parallel to the Sunken Road.[29]His men assumed that Hancock would order counterattacks against the exhausted Confederates, but he carried orders from McClellan to hold his position.[30]He was promoted to major general of volunteers on November 29, 1862.[13]He led his division in the disastrous attack on Marye's Heights in theBattle of Fredericksburgthe following month and was wounded in the abdomen. At theBattle of Chancellorsville,his division covered Maj. Gen.Joseph Hooker's withdrawal and Hancock was wounded again.[31]His corps commander, Maj. Gen.Darius N. Couch,transferred out of the Army of the Potomac in protest of actions Hooker took in the battle and Hancock assumed command of II Corps, which he would lead until shortly before the war's end.[27]

Gettysburg

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Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. From the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Prints and Photographs Division,Library of Congress
Winfield S. Hancock and staff during the Civil War
Major General Winfield S. Hancock riding along the Union lines during the Confederate bombardment prior toPickett's Charge,lithograph by the company ofLouis Prang

Hancock's most famous service was as a new corps commander at theBattle of Gettysburg,July 1 to 3, 1863.[27]After his friend, Maj. Gen.John F. Reynolds,was killed early on July 1, Maj. Gen.George G. Meade,the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, sent Hancock ahead to take command of the units on the field and assess the situation. Hancock thus was in temporary command of the "left wing" of the army, consisting of theI,II,III,andXI Corps.This demonstrated Meade's high confidence in him, because Hancock was not the most senior Union officer at Gettysburg at the time.[32]Hancock and the more senior XI Corps commander, Maj. Gen.Oliver O. Howard,argued briefly about this command arrangement, but Hancock prevailed and he organized the Union defenses onCemetery Hillas more numerous Confederate forces drove the I and XI Corps back through the town. He had the authority from Meade to withdraw, so he was responsible for the decision to stand and fight at Gettysburg.[33]At the conclusion of the day's action, Maj. Gen.Henry Warner Slocumarrived on the field and assumed command until Gen. Meade arrived after midnight.

On July 2, Hancock's II Corps was positioned onCemetery Ridge,roughly in the center of the Union line, while ConfederateGen.Robert E. Leelaunched assaults on both ends of the line.[34]On the Union left,Lt. Gen.James Longstreet's assault smashed the III Corps and Hancock sent in his 1st Division, under Brig. Gen.John C. Caldwell,to reinforce the Union in theWheatfield.As Lt. Gen.A.P. Hill's corps continued the attack toward the Union center, Hancock rallied the defenses and rushed units to the critical spots.[34]First, he sent the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Division, under Col. George Willard, into the fray to stop the advance of Confederate Brigadier General William Barksdale's Brigade.[35]In one famous incident, he sacrificed a regiment, the1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment,by ordering it to advance and charge a Confederate brigade four times its size, causing the Minnesotans to suffer 87% casualties.[36]While costly, this sacrifice bought time to organize the defensive line and saved the day for the Union Army.[36]Following the action toward his right, he sent the13th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regimentof the 1st Corps, which had come from Cemetery Hill to help quell the crisis, to recover some artillery pieces the Confederates had captured and were pulling away. The Vermonters were successful.[37]Having stabilized his line, he turned his attention to the sound of fighting on East Cemetery Hill. There, with darkness falling, Confederates from Maj. Gen.Jubal Early's Division had gotten into Union batteries and were fighting the cannoneers hand-to-hand.[38]Hancock sent the First Brigade of his Third Division, under Colonel Samuel S. Carroll, to the fighting.[39]The brigade was crucial in flushing the enemy out of the batteries and dispatching them back down the face of East Cemetery Hill.

On July 3, Hancock defended his position on Cemetery Ridge and thus bore the brunt ofPickett's Charge.[40]During the massive Confederate artillery bombardment that preceded the infantry assault, Hancock was prominent on horseback, reviewing and encouraging his troops. When one of his subordinates protested, "General, the corps commander ought not to risk his life that way," Hancock is said to have replied, "There are times when a corps commander's life does not count."[41]During the infantry assault, his old friend,Brig. Gen.Lewis A. Armistead,now leading a brigade inMaj. Gen.George Pickett's division, was wounded and died two days later. Hancock could not meet with his friend because he had just been wounded himself, a severe wound caused by a bullet striking the pommel of his saddle, entering his inner right thigh along with wood fragments and a large bent nail.[42]Helped from his horse by aides, and with atourniquetapplied to stanch the bleeding, he removed the saddle nail himself and, mistaking its source, remarked wryly, "They must be hard up for ammunition when they throw such shot as that."[43]News of Armistead's mortal wounding was brought to Hancock by a member of his staff, Capt.Henry H. Bingham.Despite his pain, Hancock refused evacuation to the rear until the battle was resolved. He had been an inspiration for his troops throughout the three-day battle. Hancock later received the thanks of theU.S. Congressfor "... his gallant, meritorious and conspicuous share in that great and decisive victory."[13]

One military historian wrote, "No other Union general at Gettysburg dominated men by the sheer force of their presence more completely than Hancock."[27]As another wrote, "his tactical skill had won him the quick admiration of adversaries who had come to know him as the 'Thunderbolt of theArmy of the Potomac'. "[44]

Virginia and the end of the war

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Hancock, surrounded by three of his division commanders:Francis C. Barlow,David B. Birney,andJohn Gibbonduring the Wilderness campaign

Hancock suffered from the effects of his Gettysburg wound for the rest of the war.[27]After recuperating in Norristown, he performed recruiting services over the winter and returned in the spring to field command of the II Corps for Lt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant's 1864Overland Campaign,but he never regained full mobility and his former youthful energy.[45]Nevertheless, he performed well at theBattle of the Wildernessand commanded a critical breakthrough assault of the Mule Shoe at the "Bloody Angle" in theBattle of Spotsylvania Court Houseon May 12, shattering the Confederate defenders in his front, including theStonewall Brigade.[46]His corps suffered enormous losses during a futile assault Grant ordered atCold Harbor.[47]

After Grant's army slipped past Lee's army to cross theJames River,Hancock found himself in a position from which he might have ended the war. His corps arrived to supportWilliam Farrar Smith's assaults on the lightly heldPetersburgdefensive lines, but he deferred to Smith's advice because Smith knew the ground and had been on the field all day, and no significant assaults were made before the Confederate lines were reinforced. One of the great opportunities of the war was lost.[2]After his corps participated in the assaults atDeep Bottom,Hancock was promoted to brigadier general in theregular army,effective August 12, 1864.[13]

Hancock's only significant military defeat occurred during thesiege of Petersburg.His II Corps moved south of the city, along theWilmington and Weldon Railroad,tearing up track. On August 25, Confederate Maj. Gen.Henry Hethattacked and overran the faulty Union position atReams's Station,shattering the II Corps, capturing many prisoners.[48]Despite a later victory atHatcher's Run,the humiliation of Reams's Station contributed, along with the lingering effects of his Gettysburg wound, to his decision to give up field command in November.[49]He left the II Corps after a year in which it had suffered over 40,000 casualties, but had achieved significant military victories. His next assignment was to command the ceremonial First Veteran Corps.[49]He performed more recruiting, commanded the Middle Department, and relieved Maj. Gen.Philip Sheridanin command of forces in the now-quietShenandoah Valley.[2]He was promoted to brevet major general in the regular army for his service at Spotsylvania, effective March 13, 1865.[13]

Post-war military service

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Execution of Lincoln assassination conspirators

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Theexecutionof theLincoln assassinationconspirators, July 7, 1865

At the close of the war, Hancock was assigned to supervise the execution of the conspirators in theassassination of President Abraham Lincoln.[50]Lincoln had been assassinated on April 14, 1865, and by May 9 of that year, a military commission had been convened to try the accused.[51]The actual assassin,John Wilkes Booth,was already dead, but the trial of his co-conspirators proceeded quickly, resulting in convictions. PresidentAndrew Johnsonordered the executions to be carried out on July 7. Although he was reluctant to execute some of the less-culpable conspirators, especiallyMary Surratt,Hancock carried out his orders, later writing that "every soldier was bound to act as I did under similar circumstances."[52]

Service on the Plains

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After the executions, Hancock was assigned command of the newly organizedMiddle Military Department,headquartered inBaltimore.[53]In 1866, on Grant's recommendation, Hancock was promoted to major general and was transferred, later that year, to command of the militaryDepartment of the Missouri,which included the states ofMissouriandKansasand the territories ofColoradoandNew Mexico.[54]Hancock reported toFort Leavenworth,Kansas, and took up his new posting.

Soon after arriving, he was assigned by GeneralShermanto lead an expedition to negotiate with theCheyenneandSioux,with whom relations had worsened since theSand Creek massacre.[55]The negotiations got off to a bad start, and after Hancock ordered the burning of an abandoned Cheyenne village in central Kansas, relations became worse than when the expedition had started.[56]

The official report to the President by theIndian Peace Commissionfound that the actions ofGeorge Custerand other subordinates just after Hancock's arrival led to an instigation of violent reprisals by the Native Americans:

Orders were then given to surround the village and capture the Indians remaining. The order was obeyed, but the chiefs and warriors had departed. The only persons found were an old Sioux and an idiotic girl of eight or nine years of age. It afterwards appeared that the person of this girl had been violated, from which she soon died. The Indians were gone, and the report spread that she had been a captive among them, and they had committed this outrage before leaving. The Indians say that she was an idiotic Cheyenne girl, forgotten in the confusion of flight, and if violated, it was not by them.

The next morning General Custer, under orders, stated in pursuit of the Indians with his cavalry, and performed a campaign of great labor and suffering, passing over a vast extent of country, but seeing no hostile Indians. When the fleeing Indians reached the Smoky Hill they destroyed a station and killed several men. A courier having brought this intelligence to General Hancock, he at once ordered the Indian village, of about 300 lodges, together with the entire property of the tribes, to be burned.

The Indian now became an outlaw -- not only the Cheyennes and Sioux, but all the tribes on the plains. The superintendent of an express company, Cottrell, issued a circular order to the agents and employees of the company in the following language: "You will hold no communications with Indians whatever. If Indians come within shooting distance, shoot them. Show them no mercy, for they will show you none." This was in the Indian country. He closes by saying: "General Hancock will protect you and our property."

Whether war existed previous to that time seems to have been a matter of doubt even with General Hancock himself. From that day forward no doubt on the subject was entertained by anybody. The Indians were then fully aroused, and no more determined war has ever been waged by them. The evidence taken tends to show that we have lost many soldiers, besides a larger number of settlers, on the frontier. The most valuable trains belonging to individuals, as well as to government, among which was a government train of ammunition, were captured by those wild horsemen. Stations were destroyed. Hundreds of horses and mules were taken, and found in their possession when we met them in council; while we are forced to believe that their entire loss since the burning of their village consists of six men killed.

The Kiowas and Comanches, it will be seen, deny the statement of Jones in every particular. They say that no war party came in at the time stated, or at any other time, after the treaty of 1865. They deny that they killed any Negro soldiers, and positively assert that no Indian was ever known to scalp a Negro. In the latter statement they are corroborated by all the tribes and by persons who know their habits; and the records of the adjutant general's office fail to show the loss of the 17 Negro soldiers, or any soldiers at all. They deny having robbed Jones or insulted Page or Tappan. Tappan's testimony was taken, in which he brands the whole statement of Jones as false, and declares that both he and Page so informed Major Douglas within a few days after Jones made his affidavit. We took the testimony of Major Douglas, in which he admits the correctness of Tappan's statement, but, for some reason unexplained, he failed to communicate the correction to General Hancock. The threats to take the horses and attack the posts on the Arkansas were made in a vein of jocular bravado, and not understood by any one present at the time to possess the least importance. The case of the Box family has already been explained, and this completes the case against the Kiowas and Comanches, who are exculpated by the united testimony of all the tribes from any share in the late troubles.

The Cheyennes admit that one of their young men in a private quarrel, both parties being drunk, killed a New Mexican at Fort Zarah. Such occurrences are so frequent among the whites on the plains that ignorant Indians might be pardoned for participating, if it be done merely to evidence their advance in civilization. The Indians claim that the Spaniard was in fault, and further protest that no demand was ever made for the delivery of the Indian.

The Arapahoes admit that a party of their young men, with three young warriors of the Cheyennes, returning from an excursion against the Utes, attacked the train of Mr. Weddell, of New Mexico, during the month of March, and they were gathering up the stock when the war commenced.

Though this recital should prove tedious, it was thought necessary to guard the future against the errors of the past. We would not blunt the vigilance of military men in the Indian country, but we would warn them against the acts of the selfish and unprincipled, who need to be watched as well as the Indian. The origin and progress of this war are repeated in nearly all Indian wars. The history of one will suffice for many.

Nor would we be understood as conveying a censure of General Hancock[empasis added] for organizing this expedition. He had just come to the department, and circumstances were ingeniously woven to deceive him. His distinguished services in another field of patriotic duty had left him but little time to become acquainted with the remote or immediate causes producing these troubles. If he erred, he can very well roll a part of the responsibility on others; not alone on subordinate commanders, who were themselves deceived by others, but on those who were able to guard against the error and yet failed to do it. We have hundreds of treaties with the Indians, and military posts are situated everywhere on their reservations. Since 1837 these treaties have not been compiled, and no provision is made, when a treaty is proclaimed, to furnish it to the commanders of posts, departments, or divisions. This is the fault of Congress.

[57]

Reconstruction

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Andrew Johnsonthought Hancock was the ideal Reconstruction general.

Hancock's time in the West was brief. President Johnson, unhappy with the way Republican generals were governing the South underReconstruction,sought replacements for them.[58]The general who offended Johnson the most wasPhilip Sheridan,and Johnson soon ordered General Grant to switch the assignments of Hancock and Sheridan, believing that Hancock, a Democrat, would govern in a style more to Johnson's liking.[59]Although neither man was pleased with the change, Sheridan reported to Fort Leavenworth and Hancock toNew Orleans.[59]

Hancock's new assignment found him in charge of theFifth Military District,coveringTexasandLouisiana.Almost immediately upon arriving, Hancock ingratiated himself with the secessionist white population by issuing his General Order Number 40 of November 29, 1867. In that order, written while traveling to New Orleans, Hancock expressed sentiments in support of President Johnson's policies, writing that if the residents of the district conducted themselves peacefully and the civilian officials perform their duties, then "the military power should cease to lead, and the civil administration resume its natural and rightful dominion."[60]The order continued:

The great principles of American liberty are still the lawful inheritance of this people, and ever should be. The right of trial by jury, the habeas corpus, the liberty of the press, the freedom of speech, the natural rights of persons and the rights of property must be preserved. Free institutions, while they are essential to the prosperity and happiness of the people, always furnish the strongest inducements to peace and order.[61]

Hancock's order encouraged white Democrats across the South who hoped to return to civilian government more quickly, but discomforted blacks and Republicans in the South who feared a return to the antebellum ways of traditional white dominance.[62]

Hancock's General Order Number 40 was quickly condemned by Republicans in Washington, especially by theRadicals,while President Johnson wholeheartedly approved.[63]Heedless of the situation in Washington, Hancock soon put his words into action, refusing local Republican politicians' requests to use his power to overturn elections and court verdicts, while also letting it be known that open insurrection would be suppressed.[63]Hancock's popularity within the Democratic party grew to the extent that he was considered a potential presidential nominee for that party inthe 1868 election.[64]Although Hancock collected a significant number of delegates at the 1868 convention, his presidential possibilities went unfulfilled. Even so, he was henceforth identified as a rare breed in politics: one who believed in the Democratic Party's principles of states' rights and limited government, but whose anti-secessionist sentiment was unimpeachable.[65]

Return to the Plains

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FollowingGeneral Grant's1868 presidential victory, the Republicans were firmly in charge in Washington. As a result, Hancock found himself transferred, this time away from the sensitive assignment of reconstructing the South and into the relative backwater that was theDepartment of Dakota.[66]The Department coveredMinnesota,Montana,andthe Dakotas.As in his previous Western command, Hancock began with a conference of the Indian chiefs, but this time was more successful in establishing a peaceful intent.[67]Relations worsened in 1870, however, as an army expedition committeda massacreagainst theBlackfeet.[68]Relations with theSiouxalso became contentious as a result of white encroachment into theBlack Hills,in violation of theTreaty of Fort Laramie.[69]

It was during this tour that Hancock had the opportunity to contribute to the creation ofYellowstone National Park.In August 1870, he ordered the 2nd Cavalry atFort Ellisto provide a military escort for GeneralHenry D. Washburn's planned exploration of the Yellowstone Region. The expedition, which was a major impetus in creating the park, became known as theWashburn-Langford-Doane Expedition.Hancock's order led to the assignment of Lt.Gustavus Cheyney Doaneand a troop of 5 cavalrymen from Fort Ellis to escort the expedition. In 1871, CaptainJohn W. Barlowduring his exploration of the Yellowstone region formally named a summit on what would become the southern boundary of the parkMount Hancockto honor the general's decision to provide the escort.[70]

Command in the East and political ambitions

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In 1872,General Meadedied, leaving Hancock the army's senior major general. This entitled him to a more prominent command, and President Grant, still desirous to keep Hancock from a Southern post, assigned him command of theDivision of the Atlantic,headquartered atFort ColumbusonGovernors Island,inNew York City.[71]The vast department covered the settled northeast area of the country and was militarily uneventful with the exception of the army's involvement in theGreat Railroad Strike of 1877.When railroad workers went on strike to protest wage cuts, the nation's transportation system was paralyzed. The governors of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland asked President Hayes to call in federal troops to re-open the railways. Once federal troops entered the cities, most of the strikers melted away, but there were some violent clashes.[72]

All the while Hancock was posted in New York, he did his best to keep his political ambitions alive. He received some votes at the Democrats'1876 convention,but was never a serious contender as New York governorSamuel J. Tildenswept the field on the second ballot.[73]The Republican candidate,Rutherford B. Hayes,won the election, and Hancock refocused his ambition on 1880. Theelectoral crisisof 1876 and the subsequent end to Reconstruction in 1877 convinced many observers that the election of 1880 would give the Democrats their best chance at victory in a generation.[74]

Election of 1880

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Main article:1880 United States presidential election
Hancock after the War

Democratic convention

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Hancock's name had been proposed several times for the Democratic nomination for president, but he never captured a majority of delegates. In 1880, however, Hancock's chances improved. President Hayes had promised not to run for a second term, and the previous Democratic nominee, Tilden, declined to run again due to poor health.[75]Hancock faced several competitors for the nomination, includingThomas A. Hendricks,Allen G. Thurman,Stephen Johnson Field,andThomas F. Bayard.Hancock's neutrality on themonetary question,and his lingering support in the South (owing to his General Order Number 40) meant that Hancock, more than any other candidate, had nationwide support.[76]When theDemocratic conventionassembled inCincinnatiin June 1880, Hancock led on the first ballot, but did not have a majority.[77]By the second ballot, Hancock received the requisite two-thirds, andWilliam Hayden EnglishofIndianawas chosen as his running mate.[78][79]

Campaign against Garfield

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Hancock-English election poster

The RepublicansnominatedJames A. Garfield,a Congressman fromOhioand a skillful politician, as well as a former general from the Civil War. Hancock and the Democrats expected to carry theSolid South,but needed to add a few of the Northern states to their total to win the election. The practical differences between the parties were few, and the Republicans were reluctant to attack Hancock personally because of his heroic reputation.[80]The one policy difference the Republicans were able to exploit was a statement in the Democratic platform endorsing "atarifffor revenue only. "[81]Garfield's campaigners used this statement to paint the Democrats as unsympathetic to the plight of industrial laborers, a group that would benefit by a high protective tariff. The tariff issue cut Democratic support in industrialized Northern states, which were essential in establishing a Democratic majority.[82]In the end, the Democrats and Hancock failed to carry any of the Northern states they had targeted, with the exception ofNew Jersey.Hancock lost the election to Garfield. Garfield polled only 39,213 more votes than Hancock, the popular vote being 4,453,295 for Garfield and 4,414,082 for Hancock. The electoral count, however, had a much larger spread, as Garfield polled 214 electoral votes and Hancock only 155. Garfield would be shot four months into his presidency on July 2, 1881, and would die on September 19, 1881.[83]

Later life

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Hancock took his electoral defeat in stride and attended Garfield's inauguration.[84]Following the election, Hancock carried on as commander of the Division of the Atlantic. He was elected president of theNational Rifle Associationin 1881, explaining that "The object of the NRA is to increase the military strength of the country by making skill in the use of arms as prevalent as it was in the days of the Revolution."[85]Hancock was a Charter Director and the first president of theMilitary Service Institution of the United Statesfrom 1878 until his death in 1886.[86]He was commander-in-chief of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United Statesveterans organization from 1879 until his death in 1886. He was the author ofReports of Major General W. S. Hancock upon Indian Affairs,published in 1867.[13]Hancock's last major public appearance was to preside over the funeral of President Grant in 1885, although he also made a less publicized trip that year to Gettysburg.[87]

Hancock died in 1886 at Governors Island, still in command of the Military Division of the Atlantic, the victim of an infectedcarbuncle,complicated bydiabetes.[27][2]He is buried inMontgomery CemeteryinWest Norriton Township, Pennsylvania,nearNorristown,Pennsylvania.[13]Hancock's wife, Almira, publishedReminiscences of Winfield Scott Hancockin 1887.

In 1893, Republican GeneralFrancis A. Walkerwrote,

Although I did not vote for General Hancock, I am strongly disposed to believe that one of the best things the nation has lost in recent years has been the example and the influence of that chivalric, stately, and splendid gentleman in theWhite House.Perhaps much which both parties now recognize as having been unfortunate and mischievous during the past thirteen years would have been avoided had General Hancock been elected.[88]

His noted integrity was a counterpoint to the corruption of the era, for as PresidentRutherford B. Hayessaid,

If, when we make up our estimate of a public man, conspicuous both as a soldier and in civil life, we are to think first and chiefly of his manhood, his integrity, his purity, his singleness of purpose, and his unselfish devotion to duty, we can truthfully say of Hancock that he was through and through pure gold.[89]

General Winfield Scott Hancock leading Ulysses S. Grant's funeral procession in New York City

The last public act performed by Hancock was his oversight of the funeral of Ulysses S. Grant in 1885, and his organizing and leading of Grant's nine-mile funeral procession in New York City. From Grant's home at Mount McGregor, New York, to its resting place in Riverside Park, the casket containing Grant's remains was in the charge of General Hancock. As he appeared on the scene at the commencement of Grant's funeral procession, Hancock was met with a mild applause, but with a gesture he directed a silence and respect for Grant.[90]

Legacy

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Statue of Hancock on theSmith Memorial Archin Philadelphia
General Winfield Scott Hancock MemorialinWashington, D.C.

Winfield Scott Hancock is memorialized in a number of statues:

The original Winfield Scott Hancock Elementary School, located at Arch and East Spruce Streets in Norristown, Pennsylvania, was built in 1895 in memory of the General who grew up not far from the site. It was replaced in 1962 by a new building still in use by theNorristown Area School Districtonly a few blocks away at Arch and Summit Streets, which is also named after General Hancock. The original 1895 building still stands and is used by a community non-profit organization.

APennsylvania historical markerwas dedicated September 11, 1947, along Bethlehem Pike (PA 309), just south ofUS 202,where Hancock was born.

1886 $2 Silver Certificate depicting Hancock

Hancock's portrait adorns U.S. currency on the $2 Silver Certificate series of 1886. Approximately 1,500 to 2,500 of these bills survive today in numismatic collections. Hancock's bill is ranked number 73 on a list of "100 Greatest American Currency Notes".[91]

Hancock was an important character in the Shaara family's Civil Warhistorical novels:The Killer AngelsbyMichael Shaara,andGods and GeneralsandThe Last Full MeasurebyJeffrey Shaara.In the filmsGettysburg(1993) andGods and Generals(2003), based on the first two of these novels, Hancock is portrayed by Brian Mallon,[92]and is depicted in both films in a very favorable light. A number of scenes in the novelGods and Generalsthat depict Hancock and his friendLewis A. Armisteadin Southern California before the war were omitted from the film.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^abcdJordan, p. 5.
  2. ^abcdeCluff, pp. 922–23.
  3. ^Walker, p. 7.
  4. ^Jenkins, Howard M. (1886)."Genealogical Sketch of General W.S. Hancock".Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.X:100.RetrievedSeptember 8,2007.
  5. ^Jordan, p. 6.
  6. ^Tucker, pp. 18–21; Walker, p. 10.
  7. ^ Jordan, pp. 10–11; Walker, pp. 12–15;list of West Point officers in the Civil WarArchivedDecember 30, 2013, at theWayback Machine.
  8. ^Jordan, p. 13; Walker, p. 17.
  9. ^Jordan, p. 13.
  10. ^abJordan, p. 14; Walker, p. 18.
  11. ^Jordan, pp. 15–16.
  12. ^Jordan, p. 16; Walker, p. 20.
  13. ^abcdefghijEicher, pp. 277–78.
  14. ^Jordan, pp. 16–17.
  15. ^Jordan, p. 19.
  16. ^Tucker, p. 44.
  17. ^Walker, pp. 21–22.
  18. ^Walker, p. 22.
  19. ^Jordan, p. 24.
  20. ^Jordan, p. 25; Hancock, pp. 24–27.
  21. ^abJordan, p. 25.
  22. ^Jordan, pp. 26–27.
  23. ^Jordan, pp. 28–32.
  24. ^Jordan, pp. 33–34.
  25. ^A History of US, Revised Third Edition, War, Terrible War, by Joy Hakim
  26. ^Grant, Ulysses S.,Personal Memoirs,1885, Vol. II, pp. 539–40.
  27. ^abcdefTagg, pp. 33–35.
  28. ^Walker, pp. 41–42.
  29. ^Walker, pp. 51–52.
  30. ^Sears, p. 257.
  31. ^Walker, pp. 81–91
  32. ^Jordan, p. 81.
  33. ^Tucker, pp. 131–34
  34. ^abJordan, pp. 89–94.
  35. ^Hancock, Almira (1999).Reminiscences of Winfield Scott Hancock.Scituate, Massachusetts: Digital Scanning, Inc. p. 198.ISBN1-58218-056-3.
  36. ^abJordan, p. 93.
  37. ^Pfanz, Harry (1987).Gettysburg: The Second Day.Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. pp.422.ISBN0-8078-1749-X.
  38. ^Pfanz, Harry (1993).Gettysburg: Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill.Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. p. 269.ISBN0-8078-2118-7.
  39. ^Pfanz, Harry (1993).Gettysburg: Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill.Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 263–64.ISBN0-8078-2118-7.
  40. ^Jordan, pp. 96–99.
  41. ^Foote, p. 545.
  42. ^Jordan, p. 98.
  43. ^Foote, p. 561.
  44. ^Tucker, p. 15.
  45. ^Jordan, p. 103.
  46. ^Jordan, pp. 126–33.
  47. ^Jordan, pp. 136–39.
  48. ^Jordan, pp. 159–64.
  49. ^abJordan, pp. 169–73
  50. ^Jordan, p. 177.
  51. ^Trefousse, pp. 211–12; Jordan, pp. 176–77.
  52. ^Jordan, pp. 179–80; Tucker, p. 272.
  53. ^Jordan, p. 182.
  54. ^Jordan, pp. 183–84.
  55. ^Jordan, pp. 185–89.
  56. ^Jordan, p. 194; Walker, p. 296.
  57. ^Indian Peace Commission 1868
  58. ^Trefousse, pp. 289–90.
  59. ^abJordan, pp. 200–01.
  60. ^Jamieson, pp. 152–53.
  61. ^Jordan, p. 203.
  62. ^Jordan, pp. 204–05; Tucker, pp. 279–84.
  63. ^abJordan, pp. 206–08; Walker, pp. 301–03.
  64. ^Jordan, 213–28; Warner, p. 204.
  65. ^Jordan, p. 212; Walker pp. 301–02.
  66. ^Jordan, p. 229.
  67. ^Jordan, pp. 220–21.
  68. ^Jordan, p. 232.
  69. ^Jordan, pp. 233–34.
  70. ^Whittlesey, Lee (1996).Yellowstone Place Names.Gardiner, MT: Wonderland Publishing Company. p. 178.ISBN1-59971-716-6.
  71. ^Jordan, p. 235; Tucker, p. 292.
  72. ^Jordan, pp. 242–50.
  73. ^Jordan, p. 239.
  74. ^Robinson, Lloyd,The Stolen Election: Hayes versus Tilden–1876,Agberg, Ltd. 1968, pp. 199–213.
  75. ^Jordan, pp. 255–59.
  76. ^Jordan, p. 262.
  77. ^Walker, p. 306.
  78. ^Walker, p. 306; Jordan, p. 281.
  79. ^Tucker, pp. 300–01.
  80. ^Jordan, pp. 292–96; Walker, p. 307.
  81. ^Jordan, p. 297.
  82. ^Jordan, pp. 297–301.
  83. ^Jordan, p. 306.
  84. ^Walker, p. 311.
  85. ^Kopel,National Review.
  86. ^Constitution, by-laws and register: together with memoranda relating to the history and work of the institution,Military Service Institution of the United States, Governor's Island, N.Y.H., Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford co., 1906.
  87. ^Jordan, pp. 312–13.
  88. ^They Also Ran, Irving Stone, p. 188.
  89. ^Jordan, p. 319.
  90. ^Goodrich, 1886,pp. 333–34
  91. ^Bowers, D.Q., and Sundman, D.M.,100 Greatest American Currency Notes,Whitman Publishing, LLC, 2006.
  92. ^"Gods and Generals" review,Variety,February 16, 2003. Retrieved 2008-07-05.

References

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Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toWinfield Scott Hancock.
Party political offices
Preceded by DemocraticnomineeforPresident of the United States
1880 		Succeeded by
National Rifle Association of America
Preceded by President of the NRA
1881 		Succeeded by
E. L. Molineux
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