CIVIL WAR WIA FAIR OAKS WEST POINT MAJOR GENERAL PECK AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 65

Description

Here’s an
End of the Civil War
–
April
14
th
1865
- Autograph Note Signed by Union Major General
JOHN JAMES PECK
(1821-1878)
CIVIL WAR WOUNDED-IN-ACTION WEST POINT MAJOR GENERAL
General J. J. Peck
graduated from West Point in the same class as U.S. Grant.
He went on to serve with great distinction in the Mexican-American War.
When the Civil War started, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Peck a Brigadier General, and he commanded the 2
nd
Division of Gen. Keyes’ IV Corps in the Peninsular Campaign. In 1862, he was promoted to Major General and commanded all Union troops in Virginia south of the James River, leading his brigade at Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Williamsburg, and Seven Pines, taking charge of a Division just before the Seven Days. At the battle of Suffolk, Peck rendered his finest service to the Union cause by beating off the two Confederate divisions of Gen. John B. Hood and George E. Pickett, where he was seriously wounded in action
!
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HERE'S AN AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED BY PECK ON “
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE EAST
” LETTERHEAD,
1p
., DATED AT THE END OF THE WAR AT NEW YORK CITY, APRIL
14
th
, 1865
, and BEAUTIFULLY SIGNED BY PECK:
“Very Respectfully
Your obdt svt
John J. Peck
Maj Genl”
BOLDLY SIGNED BY PECK AS MAJOR GENERAL
!
The document measures 7½” x 10½” and is in VERY FINE CONDITION, EXPERTLY INLAID.
BIOGRAPHY of GENERAL JOHN JAMES PECK
John James Peck
(January 4, 1821-April 21, 1878) was a United States soldier who fought in the
Mexican-American War
and
American Civil War
.
Early life
Peck was born on January 4, 1821 in
Manlius, New York
. His father, John W. Peck, who had served in the
War of 1812
, was among the earliest and most active settlers of Onondaga County. The family home was at 312 Seneca Street, Manlius and is one of the oldest residences in Manlius village, having been built by Finley McLaren prior to 1807. Today the home is marked by a New York State Education Department historic marker commemorating it as the birthplace of Gen. John J. Peck. His mother was Phebe Peck.
Peck entered the
United States Military Academy
at age 18 and graduated eighth from a class of 39 on July 1, 1843 along with
Ulysses S. Grant
and many other soon to be famous military officers. He served in the artillery as a second lieutenant and was stationed in New York until 1845.
Mexican-American War
In 1846 he was promoted second lieutenant and fought in
Zachary Taylor
's
Army of Occupation
during the battles of
Palo Alto
,
Resaca de la Palma
and
Monterrey
. He then joined
Winfield Scott
's army and landed at
Vera Cruz
and fought in all the battles of Scott's campaign culminating in the
fall of Mexico City
. He was brevetted captain for gallantry and meritorious conduct in the battles of
Contreras
and
Churubusco
and again brevetted to major for his services at the
battle of Molino del Rey
and received the praise of his division commander,
William J. Worth
. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War he was said to have been an intimate friend of Generals
Lee
,
Johnston
and
Beauregard
.
Returning to the U.S. after the war he served in the quartermasters department and against the
Apache
Indians on the frontier. Peck resigned from the army on March 1, 1853 and became the treasurer of a railroad project from New York to
Syracuse, New York
. In 1856 he stood as the Democratic candidate for Congress in the
Onondaga
district. At the time of Peck's reenlistment and appointment as
Brigadier General
he held the position of cashier at the Burnett Bank of Syracuse of which he was one of the founding members.
[1]
Peck also served as president of the Syracuse board of education, which position he continued to hold while on active service and only resigned in 1862.
Civil War
Peck & Staff, Tennallytown, DC, 1862.
From left to right: Lieutenant Daniel Lodor Jr., Aide de Camp; Major T. Rush Spence, Brigade Surgeon; Captain Green, Brigade Commissary; General John J. Peck; Captain William H. Morris, Assistant Adjutant Surgeon; Captain
Silas Titus
, Brigade Quarter Master (later Colonel of the
122nd NY Onondaga Regiment
); Lieutenant Charles R. Sterling, Aide-de-Camp.
The Peninsula Campaign
The outbreak of the
Civil War
brought Peck back into the army. He accepted a commission as brigadier general of volunteers on August 9, 1861. He was given command of a brigade defending Chain Bridge and the Northern defenses of Washington at
Tennallytown
and soon after joined
George B. McClellan
's
Army of the Potomac
in
Virginia
. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, (
55th NY
,
62d NY
, 93d Pa, 98th Pa & 102Pa)
Couch's
1st Division,
Keyes
'
IV Corps
during the
Peninsula Campaign
. He served in the
siege of Yorktown
, and distinguished himself in the battles of
Williamsburg
and
Fair Oaks
. He was placed in command of the 2nd Division, IV Corps during the
Seven Days Battles
where he again distinguished himself. On July 4, 1862 he was promoted to
major general
of volunteers for his services in the
Battle of Malvern Hill
.
Suffolk
When McClellan's forces began evacuating the peninsula, Peck was left in command of a Union garrison stationed at Yorktown. In September he was given command of all Union troops in Virginia south of the
James River
. In 1863 during
James Longstreet
's Tidewater Campaign the attention of both armies in southern Virginia turned to the city of
Suffolk
. Suffolk guarded the western land approaches to the naval yards at
Portsmouth
and
Norfolk
which were in Union control. Peck took command of a force designated the Suffolk Detachment,
VII Corps
. This force would eventually amount to three divisions commanded by
Michael Corcoran
,
George W. Getty
and
George H. Gordon
. Peck received a captured message informing him of the Confederate intentions against Suffolk with enough time to take appropriate measures. Longstreet's besiegers gained some initial advantages during the
siege of Suffolk
at the
battle of Norfleet House
cutting off the Union supply route. Yet Peck mounted a counter offensive and retook the lost positions in the
battle of Hill's Point
. The Confederates lifted the siege, and Longstreet's corps returned to northern Virginia for the upcoming Gettysburg campaign. Peck received the praise of his superior, General
John A. Dix
for his competent defense of Suffolk.
In the summer following the siege of Suffolk, Peck was transferred to command the District of North Carolina where he was involved in little action. Due to health reasons he went on sick leave. At the request of General Dix, he returned to command the Canadian frontier for the remainder of the war. His Chief of Staff was Colonel
John Watts de Peyster Jr.
, son of a prominent New York family.
Post War Career
After the close of the war, Peck returned to Syracuse where he became president of the New York State Life Insurance Company. His health deteriorating, he died on April 21, 1878 at his home in Syracuse.
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