Abner Doubleday: Civil War General and Fort Sumter
Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 – January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter and commanded troops at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he led over 9,500 men against Confederate forces in what became his finest hour as a soldier.
Early Life and Education
Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York, the son of Ulysses F. Doubleday and Hester Donnelly. His family had deep military roots: his paternal grandfather fought in the American Revolutionary War, his maternal grandfather Thomas Donnelly served as a mounted messenger for George Washington, and his great-grandfather Peter Donnelly was a Minuteman. His father fought in the War of 1812 and later served four years in the United States Congress representing Auburn, New York.
Doubleday spent his childhood in Auburn before being sent to Cooperstown to attend a private preparatory high school with his uncle. He worked as a surveyor and civil engineer for two years before entering the United States Military Academy in 1838. He graduated in 1842, ranking 24th in a class of 56 cadets, and received a commission as a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery. In 1852, he married Mary Hewitt of Baltimore, daughter of a local lawyer.
Career and Achievements
Doubleday’s early military service included coastal garrison duty, service in the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848, and the Seminole Wars from 1856 to 1858. By 1858, he was transferred to Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor. When the Civil War began, he held the rank of captain and served as second in command of the garrison at Fort Sumter under Major Robert Anderson.
On April 12, 1861, Doubleday aimed the cannon that fired the first return shot in answer to the Confederate bombardment, an action he later referenced by calling himself the “hero of Sumter.” He was promoted to major on May 14, 1861, and commanded artillery in the Shenandoah Valley and later for Major General Nathaniel Banks’s division. Appointed brigadier general of volunteers on February 3, 1862, he led the 2nd Brigade during the Northern Virginia Campaign.
At Brawner’s farm, just before the Second Battle of Bull Run, Doubleday took the initiative to reinforce Brigadier General John Gibbon’s brigade against a larger Confederate force when his division commander became incapacitated. Though his men were later routed by Major General James Longstreet’s corps, Doubleday took command of the division on August 30 and led the retreat. He again commanded the division after South Mountain and at Antietam, where he led his men through the Cornfield and West Woods. An artillery shell wounded him there, and he received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel for his actions. He was promoted to major general of volunteers in March 1863.
Notable Events and Milestones
Doubleday’s defining moment came at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. His division arrived as the second infantry unit to reinforce cavalry under Brigadier General John Buford. When corps commander Major General John F. Reynolds was killed early in the fighting, Doubleday assumed command of the corps at 10:50 am. For five hours, he led approximately 9,500 men against ten Confederate brigades numbering more than 16,000. The Confederate brigades sustained casualties ranging from 35 to 50 percent, demonstrating the intensity of the Union defense. Though his men eventually retreated to Cemetery Hill south of town, the action was considered his finest performance of the war.
After the war, Doubleday was stationed in San Francisco, where he obtained a patent on the cable car railway system that still operates there. In his final years in New Jersey, he became a prominent member and later president of the Theosophical Society.
In 1908, fifteen years after Doubleday’s death, the Mills Commission declared him the inventor of baseball—a claim he never made himself. Baseball historians have thoroughly debunked this assertion.
Awards and Honors
Doubleday received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel in the regular army for his actions at Antietam. He was promoted to major general of volunteers, with the rank dating from November 29, 1862.
Additional Resources
Doubleday’s military record and life are documented in various historical archives and biographical sources. More detailed information about his Civil War service, his role at Fort Sumter and Gettysburg, and his post-war activities in San Francisco and New Jersey can be found through Wikipedia and other historical databases dedicated to American military history and the Civil War era.
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