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Civil War Soldiers - Gregg
| Gregg, David McM. - David McMurtrie
Gregg, U.S. Army, was born in Huntingdon, Pa., April 10, 1833, the son
of Matthew Duncan and Ellen (McMurtrie) Gregg. The Gregg, Potter,
McMurtrie and Elliott families, from whom Gen. Gregg is directly
descended, all settled in the colony of Pennsylvania at a very early
date, and had much to do with the development and improvement of the
Keystone State. Gen. Gregg spent his earlier boyhood with his father's
family in Bellefonte, Harrisburg and Hollidaysburg. In April, 1845,
the family removed to Potomac Furnace, Loudoun county, Va., where the
father died in the following July, and the widowed mother with her
nine children returned to Hollidaysburg, where her death occurred in
Aug., 1847. The future general then became a member of the family of
his uncle, David McMurtrie, living in Huntingdon, and for two years
attended the school of that excellent teacher, John A. Hall. From that
school he went to Milnwood academy, in the lower end of Huntingdon
county, and a year later joined his elder brother, Andrew, at the
university at Lewisburg. While at the university he received an
appointment as cadet at the United States military academy at West
Point, which he entered July 1, 1851. He was graduated in June, 1855,
standing eighth in a class of thirty- four members. Among his
class-mates were Gens. Averell, Webb, Ruggles and Comstock, all
prominent officers in the Union army in the Civil war, and Gen.
Nichols of the Confederate army. He was promoted in the army to brevet
second lieutenant of dragoons, July 1, 1855, and served in garrison at
Jefferson barracks, Mo., in 1855-56, being commissioned second
lieutenant of first dragoons, Sept. 4, 1855. In 1856 he was assigned
to frontier duty in the west and on the Pacific coast, and remained
there until the outbreak of the Civil war recalled him to the east. He
was stationed at Fort Main, N. M., in 1856; took part in the march to
California in the same year; was at Fort Tejon, Cal., in 1856-57 ;
Fort Vancouver, Wash., in 1857-58; and at Fort Walla Walla, Wash., in
1858. He took part in the Spokane expedition of 1858, being engaged in
a desperate combat with the Indians at To-hots-nimme, Wash., May 17;
was present at the combat of Four Lakes, Wash., Sept. 1 ; the combat
on Spokane plain Sept. 5, and the skirmish on Spokane river Sept. 8.
He was on frontier duty at Fort Walla Walla in 1859; at Fort Dallas,
Ore., in 1859-60; was scouting against the Snake Indians in 1860, and
was engaged in a skirmish near Hamoy lake, Ore., May 24. The winter of
1860-61 was spent in duty on the Warm Spring reservation. He became
first lieutenant of the first dragoons on March 21, 1861, and was made
captain in the 6th cavalry on May 14, 1861. During the first months of
the war he saw duty in the defenses of Washington, D. C, and
throughout the remainder of the war was connected with the Army of the
Potomac. From Oct. 12, 1861, to Jan., 1862, he was on sick leave. He
became colonel of the 8th Pa. cavalry on Jan. 24, 1862, and took part
in the Peninsular campaign of that year. He was engaged in the battles
of Seven Pines, or Fair Oaks, New Kent Court House, Savage Station,
Bottom's bridge, White Oak swamp, Glendale and Malvern hill, and
covered the movement from Harrison's landing to Yorktown in August. He
was in the Maryland campaign of the Army of the Potomac, which
extended from Sept. to Nov., 1862, being engaged in several skirmishes
on the march to Falmouth, Va., in October and November. On Nov. 29,
1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers. From Dec.
1862, to June, 1863, Gen. Gregg commanded a division of cavalry, being
engaged in the skirmish at Rappahannock bridge and in "Stoneman's
Raid" towards Richmond in April and May, 1863. He was in the
Pennsylvania campaign of the Army of the Potomac in 1863 as a cavalry
commander; was engaged in the combat at Brandy Station; the skirmishes
at Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville in June; the battle of Gettysburg,
a skirmish at Shepherdstown and the pursuit of the Confederate army to
Warrenton, Va., in July; and participated in the actions at Rapidan
Station, Beverly ford, Auburn and New Hope Church later in the year.
He distinguished himself especially at Gettysburg, where, on the third
day of the battle, he repulsed Stuart's cavalry charge. From March 26
to April 6, 1864, Gen. Gregg was in command of the cavalry corps of
the Army of the Potomac, and in the Richmond campaign from April 6 to
Aug. 1864, was in command of the second cavalry division of the Army
of the Potomac. During this time he was engaged in the actions at
Todd's tavern, where he was in command, Ground Squirrel Church, Meadow
bridge, Haw's shop, Gaines' house, Trevilian Station, Tunstall's
station, St. Mary's Church, where he was in command, Warwick swamp,
Darby town and Lee's mills. On Aug. 1, 1864, Gen. Gregg came into
command of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, being brevetted on
that date major-general U. S. volunteers "for highly meritorious and
distinguished conduct throughout the campaign, particularly in the
reconnoissance on the Charles City road." From that time to the close
of the war he fought at Deep Bottom, Reams' station, Peebles' farm,
Vaughan road, where he was in command, Boydton plank road, destruction
of Stony creek Station and Bellefield, the last terminating Gen.
Gregg's active work in the army. He resigned from the service Feb. 3,
1865. In Feb., 1874, President Grant appointed Gen. Gregg United
States consul at Prague, Bohemia, which position he resigned and
returned to Reading, Pa., in the following August, at which place he
has since made his home. In 1891 he was nominated by the Republican
party as its candidate for auditor-general of Pennsylvania, was
elected, and made a splendid record in his three years of service. He
was elected commander of the Pennsylvania Commandery, Military Order
of the Loyal Legion of the United States, in 1886, and was continued
in office by successive elections every year until 1894, when he
resigned to accept the position of national commander, serving in the
latter position two years and then declining reelection. He is
president of the board of directors of the Charles Evans Cemetery
Company of Reading, and is a member of the board of trustees of the
state lunatic hospital at Harrisburg. He takes a deep interest in all
matters pertaining to the veterans of 1861-65, and as the editor for
Pennsylvania has carefully revised the Keystone State's department in
this publication. On Oct. 6, 1862, Gen. Gregg married Ellen F. Sheaff
of Reading, a great-granddaughter of Frederick A. Muhlenberg, as also
of Gov. Joseph Hiester. They have two sons: George Sheaff, David
McMurtrie, Jr. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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