Rosecrans, William S

Rosecrans, William S(tarke)

(born Sept. 6, 1819, Kingston Township, Ohio, U.S.—died March 11, 1898, Redondo Junction, Calif.) U.S. general. He served in the army before resigning to become an architect and civil engineer. In the American Civil War he led Union forces to victory at Iuka and Corinth, Miss., and at Murfreesboro, Tenn. In 1863 he advanced on Confederate troops under Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga, Tenn., forcing them out of the city. An ill-planned move precipitated the Battle of Chickamauga and forced his troops to retreat into Chattanooga, where they were besieged; Rosecrans's error led to his removal from command. He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1881–85).