Published by E. Anthony 501 Broadway New York from Photographic Negative in Brady's National Portrait Gallery. William B. Franklin (February 27, 1823 – March 8, 1903) was a classmate and friend of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant while at West Point Military Academy. Franklin fought against Gen. Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Fredericksburg. This Carte De Visite is signed “Franklin” on the front bottom. Written along the top is “Maj. Gen. Wm. B. Franklin” and along the side is written “Gen. Franklin". William Buel Franklin was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable battles in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. He also distinguished himself as a civil engineer before and after the war. One of his great-grandfathers, Samuel Rhoads, was a member of the First Continental Congress from Pennsylvania. Future President James Buchanan, then a Senator, appointed Franklin to the United States Military Academy in June 1839. Franklin graduated first in the class of 1843 and joined the Corps of Topographical Engineers. His first assignment was to assist in the survey of the Great Lakes. Then, he was sent to the Rocky Mountains for two years to survey the region with the Stephen W. Kearny Expedition. He served under General John E. Wool during the Mexican–American War and received a brevet promotion to first lieutenant after the Battle of Buena Vista. Soon after the beginning of the Civil War, Franklin was appointed colonel of the 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment, but three days later, on May 17, 1861, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers. He was promoted to major general on July 4, 1862. His command was with the main army and did not participate in the Northern Virginia Campaign. In the Maryland Campaign, he saw action against Gen. Howell Cobb at the Crampton's Gap during the Battle of South Mountain. He cleared off the Crampton's Gap but did not advance further in order to strike the rear of the Stonewall Jackson's troops that were laying siege to Harpers Ferry, which contributed to the factors causing the largest surrender of Federal forces during the Civil War that happened at the Battle of Harpers Ferry. During the Battle of Antietam, his VI Corps was in reserve and Franklin tried in vain to convince Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner to allow his corps to exploit a weak point in the Confederate center, but Sumner, who outranked him, refused. Franklin was a staunch ally of Major General George B. McClellan, part of the reason he was not considered for command of the Army of the Potomac following the latter's dismissal in November 1862. During the Battle of Fredericksburg, he commanded one of the three so-called grand divisions—the Left Grand Division, which consisted of the I and VI Corps. Franklin advanced against the Confederate right flank, commanded by Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, across the Rappahannock River to the south of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He failed to timely reinforce his subordinate Maj. Gen. George G. Meade and lost an opportunity to break through the Confederate positions. Army of the Potomac commander Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside blamed Franklin personally for this failure, although he appears to have executed his orders exactly. Others who were there would disagree that Franklin executed his orders exactly. "Had the left grand division vigorously performed its part in the earlier movement, can any one doubt the result? I cannot think so. Had Meade, Reynolds, or Hancock been in command on the left that day, I feel confident that Fredericksburg would have been recorded a glorious victory instead of a horrible slaughter." As political intrigue swept the Union Army after the Battle of Fredericksburg and the infamous Mud March, Franklin allegedly became a principal instigator of the cabal against Burnside's leadership. Burnside caused considerable political difficulty for Franklin in return, offering damaging testimony before the powerful U.S. Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War and keeping him from field duty for months. When Joseph Hooker took command of the army that February, Franklin resigned his command, refusing to serve under him. During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, Franklin was home in York, Pennsylvania, and assisted Maj. Granville Haller in developing plans for the defense of the region against an expected enemy attack. Following the Civil War, General Franklin relocated to Hartford, Connecticut, and became the vice-president of the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company, serving in that capacity until 1888, as well as serving on the boards of several other manufacturing companies, including being a vice president of a Hartford area insurance company.. Between 1872 and 1880, he supervised the construction of the Connecticut State Capitol, and served on other commissions, where his engineering experience proved helpful for the public. He contributed to expanding Hartford's public water service, among other engineering achievements. For two years he also served as adjutant general of the Connecticut state militia. In 1872, Franklin was approached by a Pennsylvania and New Jersey faction of the Democratic Party to run against Horace Greeley for the party's nomination as President of the United States, a task he declined, citing a need for party unity. He was a delegate to the 1876 Democratic National Convention. During the 1876 presidential election, he served as elector for Samuel J. Tilden. In June 1888, after his retirement from Colt Firearms, he was named as the U.S. Commissioner-General for the Paris Exposition of 1889, when he was made a grand officer of the Legion of Honour. Between 1880 and 1899, he was president of the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. William Franklin died in Hartford, Connecticut on March 8, 1903 of complications of senility and was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery (York, Pennsylvania). He was one of a relatively few general officers in the Civil War to live into the 20th century. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. 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