Editor’s note: part of a series on Civil War heroes.
William Starke Rosecrans was a Union major general whose early-war successes were overshadowed by his defeat at Chickamauga.
Rosecrans was born on a farm in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1819. His father was a veteran of the War of 1812, in which he served as adjutant to Gen. William Henry Harrison, then ran a tavern, store and family farm. William had little formal education, relying heavily on reading books. Unable to afford college, he gained an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, where he excelled academically, particularly in engineering and mathematics. He graduated in 1842, fifth in his class of 56 cadets.
He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the prestigious U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, reflecting his high academic achievement. He met Anna Elizabeth “Eliza” Hegeman of New York City at his graduation and immediately fell madly in love. The couple married and had eight children, their union lasting until her death in 1883. He served in engineering assignments and as a professor at West Point, then left the Army to pursue a successful career in civil engineering involving mining, navigation and petroleum.
When the Civil War broke out, he returned to service as an aide to Gen. George McClellan, led troops from Ohio and achieved early combat success in western Virginia. In 1862, he won the Battle of Luka and the Second Battle of Corinth (both in Mississippi) while under the command of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. His brusque, outspoken manner and willingness to quarrel openly with superiors caused a professional rivalry with Grant.