William Farrar Smith (February 17, 1824February 28, 1903), known as "Baldy" Smith, was a Union general in the American Civil War, notable for attracting the extremes of glory and blame. He was praised for his gallantry in the Seven Days Battles and the Battle of Antietam, but was demoted for professional and political reasons after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg. As chief engineer of the Army of the Cumberland, he achieved recognition by restoring a supply line that saved that army from starvation and surrender, known as the "Cracker Line", that helped Union troops to success in the Chattanooga campaign in the autumn of 1863. Leading the first operation against Petersburg, Smith's caution, possibly illness-related, may have cost the Union a prime opportunity for a quick end to the war. He was relieved of command shortly thereafter.

Early life

Smith, known to his friends as "Baldy", was born at St. Albans, Vermont, the son of Ashbel and Sarah Butler Smith, and a cousin of J. Gregory Smith (governor of Vermont, 1863–1865).

During his service in the Corps, Smith conducted surveys of the Great Lakes, the states of Texas, Arizona, and Florida, as well as much of Mexico. While serving in Florida, Smith was stricken with the infectious disease malaria. Although he would recover at the time, the illness affected his physical health for the rest of his life. In 1856 Smith began his involvement in the lighthouse service, which was headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and eventually rose to become the Engineer Secretary of the Lighthouse Board.

Smith was also twice assistant professor of mathematics at West Point (1846–48 and 1855–56). He was promoted to captain on July 1, 1859. maintained that they were purely of a personal character.

thumb|General William Farrar Smith and staff

For the Overland Campaign of 1864, Smith was assigned by Grant to command the XVIII Corps in Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler's Army of the James, which he led in the Battle of Cold Harbor and the first operations against Petersburg. Smith's corps and a division of black troops (under Edward W. Hinks) were ordered to take the city. Remembering the debacle at Cold Harbor, Smith performed exhaustive reconnaissance. Determining that the section of the defensive line was manned primarily by artillery, he ordered an attack. The attack was successful in capturing several Confederate batteries and over a mile of entrenchments. However, by the time this was accomplished, Smith determined that darkness prevented him from effectively moving further. Both the time it took to prepare for the attack and suspending the attack at night has led some historians to see the outcome of the battle as a missed opportunity to shorten the war by nearly a year. But the fault may also lay with General Grant who failed to communicate with Smith, Major General George Gordon Meade and Major General Winfield Scott Hancock the full picture of the battle's true objective and provide the time to develop an effective operational plan. Smith's personal and professional differences with Generals Butler and Meade led General Grant to relieve Smith from command of the XVIII Corps on July 19, 1864. Smith spent the remainder of the war serving on military commissions, including one that discovered significant corruption in the Department of the Gulf. His Autobiography of Major General William F. Smith, 1861–1864 was published posthumously in 1990.

See also

  • List of American Civil War generals (Union)

References

Further reading

  • Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. .