Generals in Stone – Gen. James S. Negley
In my continuing journey through the cemeteries of America, I recently visited Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I happened across the grave of Gen. James S. Negley.
Patterned after the great 19th century rural cemeteries – including Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts – Allegheny Cemetery was incorporated in 1844 and now boasts over 300 acres. The gothic revival gatehouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1826, James S. Negley was an alum of the University of Pittsburgh. During the Mexican War, Negley served with the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, gaining valuable combat experience. He entered the Civil War with a regiment that he raised of Pennsylvania volunteers at the rank of brigadier general under Robert Patterson. Negley was later transferred to the Department of the Ohio.
Promoted to major general in 1862, Negley commanded the 8th division in the Army of the Ohio. The winds of war took Negley to the battle of Stone’s River, where he served with distinction. After the battle of Chickamauga, Negley was relieved of command. He resigned his commission in January 1865.
Negley spent most of his post-war career as a Republican congressman. He died in New Jersey in August 1901 at age 74. His body was brought back for internment at Allegheny Cemetery.
I grew up in and still live in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh where this gem of a cemetery is located. It’s about a one minute walk from my house, and once inside, the Civil War awaits around every bend. I’ve always found it interesting that Gen. Alexander Hays and Gen. Thomas Rowley are buried within about one hundred yards from one another, but their Gettysburg stories are light-years apart. History and memory.
What happened at Chickamauga?
Neat article! Thanks for sharing!
The cemetery is also the site of the mass grave and monument to honor the memory of 54 (43 young women) of the approximately 78 young workers killed in an explosion at the Allegheny Arsenal. The accident on September 17, 1862 was the worst industrial accident associated with the Civil War. As tragic as is was, the news from Antietam reporting almost 23,000 casualties overshadowed all other news reports and stories in newspapers outside of the Pittsburgh area.