Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/361

 WEBB

WEBB

to Anna Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Rutgers and Elizabeth Waldron (Phoenix) Remsen; served in the Seminole Indian war in Florida, 1856; and was assistant professor of mathematics at the U.S. Military academy, 1857-61. He formed Griffin's battery at West Point, which became Battery •' D," 5th U.S. artillery, and proceeded to Washington, Feb, 14, 1861, in the defence of the capital; was transferred to Bat- tery A, 2d U.S. ar- tillery, for service at Fort Pickens, Fla., (this battery having done service in the war with Mexico as " Duncan's Bat- tery"), and while at Fort Pickens was made captain of volunteers and directed to recruit the 11th New York in- fantry. Ordered north he reached Washington in time to take part with Battery D, 5th U.S. artillery, in the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, where he witnessed its partial destruction, and on returning to Washington he accepted a cap- tainc}" in the 11th New York infantry, but im- mediately after was appointed assistant to Gen. W. F. Barry, chief of artillery. Army of the Po- tomac, with the volunteer rank of major of the 1st Rhode Island light artillery. He took part in the siege of Yorktown; made reconnaissance to Hanover Court House by order of General McClellan, and destroyed the railroad under fire from the brigade of Gen. L. O'B. Branch, C.S.A. He guided Gen. Fitz John Porter to the ground, which had been selected by General McClellan for the battle of Hanover Court House on the report made by Webb arter his reconnaissance, and represented McClellan ' at Porter's head- quarters during the battle of Gaines's Mill. He was assistant adjutant-general and chief of staff, 5th army corps; was pi'oaioted lieutenant-colonel of staff, U.S.V., Aug. 20, 1862, and was present at Antietam, Sheplierdstown and Snicker's Gap. He was inspector of artillery at Camp Berry, Washington, D.C., November, 1862- Jan- uary, 1863; assistant inspector-general, 5th army corps, in the Rappahannock campaign; was promoted brigadier-general, U.S.V., June 23, 1863; commanded the 20th brigade, 2d division, 2d corps in the Gettysburg campaign, and was with the color guard of the 72d Pennsylvania volunteers, of which every man was killed or wounded. He left the color guard, and crossed the front of the companies to the right of the

69th Pennsylvania, all the way between the lines, in order to direct the fire of the latter regi- ment to repel the advance of Gen. Lewis A. Armistead, C.S.A., and by this act of gallantry kept his men at their work until more than half were killed or wounded. This movement placed both Armistead and Webb between the lines, and both officers were wounded. Meade mentions it as an act of bravery not surpassed by any gen- eral of the field, and it won for General Webb the congressional medal of honor. He was brevetted major, U.S.A. for Gettysburg; com- manded the 2d division, 2d army corps, Au- gust, 1863-May, 1864; and was brevetted lieu- tenant-colonel, Oct. 11, 1863, for Bristoe Station, Va. He commanded the 1st brigade. 2d division, 2d army corps in the Wilderness; was severely wounded in the head at Spottsylvania, and for service there was brevetted colonel, U.S.A. May 12, 1864. He was brevetted major-general, U.S.V., Aug. 1, 1884, for Gettysburg, Bristoe Sta- tion, the Wilderness and Spottsylvania; was chief of staff to General Meade, January- June, 1865; was brevetted brigadier-general, U.S.A., and nmjor-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for services during the war; was acting inspector-general. Department of the Atlantic, 1865-66, and was honorably mustered out of the volunteer service, Jan. 15. 1866. He was princi- pal assistant professor of geography, history and ethics at the U.S. Military academy, 1866-68, teaching constitutional, international and mil- itary law; was promoted lieutenant-colonel, U.S.A., July 28, 1866; assigned to the 44th U.S. infantry; was promoted by President Johnson major-general, U.S.A., and commanded the 5tli military district, 1869-70. He was assigned to the 5th U.S. infantry in 1870, but declined and was honorably discharged from the service, Dec. 3, 1870. He was elected president of the College of the City of New York in 1869, and accepted the position in 1870, resigning Dec. 1, 1902, but serving until the close of the term June, 1903. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hobart in 1870; served as commander-general of the ^Military Order of Foreign Wars; member of the Order of the Cincinnati; commander of New York Commandery, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States; an original mem- ber of the California Society of the Sons of the Revolution, 1876; a life member of the Albany Burgesses Corps, and a member of the New York Monuments Commission for the Battle Fields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. His son, William Remsen Webb (1st lieutenant U.S. infantrj^), representing the fourth generation of the Webb family in the U.S. army, died at Huntsville, Ala., March 8, 1900. General Webb is the author of: Tlie Peninsula: McClellan s Campaign of 1862,