James B. McPherson

James B. McPherson
Portrait c. 1863 by Mathew Brady
Born(1828-11-14)November 14, 1828
DiedJuly 22, 1864(1864-07-22) (aged 35)
Resting place
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Service years1853–1864
RankMajor general
UnitU.S. Army Corps of Engineers
CommandsXVII Corps
Army of the Tennessee
Conflicts
Signature

James Birdseye McPherson (/məkˈfərsən/) (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the general staff of Henry Halleck and later of Ulysses S. Grant and was with Grant at the Battle of Shiloh. He was killed during the Battle of Atlanta, facing the army of his old West Point classmate John Bell Hood, who paid a warm tribute to his character. He was the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action during the war.