James G. Spears
American politician and general / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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James Gallant Spears (March 29, 1816 – July 22, 1869) was an American general who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Leading a unit composed primarily of Tennessee loyalists, he participated in early battles in the Cumberland Gap area before marching with the Army of the Cumberland at Stones River and Chickamauga. He later provided support for the Knoxville Campaign.
James G. Spears | |
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Born | (1816-03-29)March 29, 1816 Bledsoe County, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | July 22, 1869(1869-07-22) (aged 53) Bledsoe County, Tennessee, U.S. |
Buried | Pikeville City Cemetery Pikeville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Allegiance | United States of America Union |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1864 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Commands held | 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment 25th Brigade, Army of the Ohio 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XIV Corps |
Battles/wars | American Civil War • Camp Wildcat (1861) • Mill Springs (1862) • Cumberland Gap (1862) • Stones River (1863) • Chickamauga (1863) • Knoxville Campaign (1863) |
An ardent Southern Unionist, Spears was appointed vice president of the 1861 East Tennessee Convention, which sought to form a separate, Union-aligned state in East Tennessee. He opposed the abolition of slavery, however, and was dismissed from the Army in 1864 for speaking out against the Emancipation Proclamation.