George Augustus Woodruff

A member of the US Military Academy Class of (June) 1861, he was commissioned 2nd Lt and 1st Lt, 1st US Artillery, on 24 June 1861.

Headquarters 6th Army Corps, Culpeper, October 1, 1863.

To George Woodruff, Esq.
Dear sir:

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communications of the 25th instant in regard to the services of your son, the late Lieutenant G.A. Woodruff, 1st Artillery, U.S.A. I will to-day forward your letter to Lieutenant-Colonel James H. Taylor, who was Chief of Staff to the late Major-General Sumner, under whose command the artillery of the division was directed ...

At the battle of Antietam I again had occasion to notice your son's gallantry, then in command of his battery. Whilst leaving the field, my horse having been killed, and badly wounded myself, I was left for some time within the battery, which was then engaged in repulsing and did repulse the column of the enemy that had broken my division. No veteran could have selected a better position, and no one could have shown more gallantry in defending it. I made no report of this battle, or I should have mentioned especially the services of your son and his battery. This was the last of my service with him; but I presume Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor will give you a more detailed and connected history of your son's service ...

[John Sedgwick, Major General]

He was mortally wounded 3 July 1863 in action at Gettysburg, and died the next day. He was initially buried on the battlefield, but later returned home by his father.

Basic military data found in Heitman1, and his photo is from the MOLLUS Collection2. Life dates from his grave site on Findagrave. The quote above from a letter by John Sedgwick, from Correspondence of John Sedgwick Major-General, Volume II (Printed for Carl and Ellen Battelle Stoeckel, 1908), pp. 158-159 as researched and posted by Jim Buchanan in a blog post.

05/27/1840; Marshall, MI

7/4/1863; Gettysburg, PA; burial in Oakridge Cemetery, Marshall, MI