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Civil War Soldiers - Rousseau
| Rousseau, Lovell H., major-general,
U.S. Army, was born in Stanford, Lincoln county, Ky., Aug. 4, 1818,
his father having emigrated from Virginia. He received the ordinary
school advantages afforded the pioneer settlers of that early period
and then devoted his attention to the study of law. Subsequently he
removed to Bloomfield, Ind., and was admitted to the bar of that state
in 1841. He became an active political leader at once, and was elected
to the state assembly in 1844 and to the state senate in 1847. He took
part in the Mexican war as captain of the 2nd Ind. regiment of
volunteers, and received special mention for his gallantry at Buena
Vista, Feb. 22-23, 1847. In 1849 he made Louisville, Ky., his home and
there opened a law office, where he soon attained prominence as a
criminal lawyer. He was elected to the Kentucky state senate in 1860,
being the choice of both parties. On the outbreak of the Civil war in
1861, he used his earnest efforts to restrain Kentucky from joining
the Confederacy, and was especially active in recruiting troops and
providing for their proper drill and equipment. He resigned from the
legislature to serve better the Federal cause, and to this end he
proposed and established Camp Joe Holt, near Louisville, which became
a prominent rendezvous for troops. He raised the 5th regiment, Ky.
volunteers, and was made colonel in Sept., 1861, becoming
brigadier-general on Oct. 6, following. He led the 4th brigade of the
2nd division, Army of the Ohio, at the second day's battle of Shiloh,
and greatly distinguished himself by retaking the headquarters
abandoned by Gen. McClernand the day before and otherwise contributing
to the success of the Federal army on that day. He again distinguished
himself at the battle of Perryville, Ky., on Oct. 8, and that day
gained his promotion to major-general of volunteers. He was next in
the field at Stone's river on Dec. 31, and from Nov., 1863, to the
close of the war, was in command of the districts of Tennessee. He led
an important and successful raid into the heart of Alabama in 1864 and
defended Fort Rosecrans during the siege of Nashville. He resigned
from the army on Nov. 30, 1865, and four days later took his seat in
the Thirty-ninth Congress, to which he had been elected as a
Republican representative from Kentucky. In June, 1866, Gen. Rousseau
made a personal assault on J. B. Grinnell of Iowa, for words spoken in
debate, and was, by resolution of the committee appointed to
investigate, recommended to be expelled. The house, however, adopted
the minority report to reprimand him, whereupon he resigned his seat.
He was re-elected during the subsequent recess to the same Congress
and served on the same committees as in the first session. He was
appointed on March 28, 1867, by President Johnson, a brigadier-general
in the regular army, being given on the same date the brevet rank of
major-general U. S. A., and he was assigned to duty in the new
territory of Alaska to receive that domain from the Russian government
and assume control of the territory. He succeeded Gen. Sheridan in
command of the Department of the Gulf, and continued in that command
with his headquarters at New Orleans up to the time of his death,
which occurred Jan. 7, 1869. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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