George W . Getty George Washington Getty ( October 2 , 1819 – October 1 , 1901 ) was a career military officer in the United States Army , most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War . Early life . Getty was born in Georgetown , Washington , D . C . He was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York , at the age of 16 , and graduated 15th out of 42 graduates in the Class of 1840 . Among his classmates were future Civil War generals William T . Sherman and George H . Thomas of the Union Army and Richard S . Ewell and Bushrod R . Johnson of the Confederate States Army . He was assigned to the artillery as a second lieutenant . During the Mexican - American War , he campaigned with Winfield Scott ' s army and received a brevet appointment as captain for gallantry at Contreras and Churubusco . He fought against the Seminole Indians in Florida in the last two Seminole Wars , seeing action in 1849 – 50 and again in 1856 – 57 . Civil War . At the beginning of the Civil War , Getty was a captain in the 4th U . S . Artillery . In September 1861 , he was appointed lieutenant colonel . He commanded four batteries in Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan ' s 1862 Peninsula Campaign . Named Chief of Artillery of Maj . Gen . Ambrose Burnside ' s IX Corps , he served at the battles of South Mountain and Antietam during the Maryland Campaign . On September 25 , 1862 , Getty was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers and assigned to the infantry . During the Battle of Fredericksburg in December , he commanded the 3rd Division of IX Corps . In March 1863 , Getty ' s division was sent to Suffolk , Virginia , where the Federal Army under Maj . Gen . John A . Dix successfully resisted Lt . Gen . James Longstreet ' s investment of the town , which guarded the southern approaches to Norfolk and Hampton Roads . After subsequent engineering duty and command of a diversion to the South Anna River during the Gettysburg Campaign , Getty served as acting Inspector General of the Army of the Potomac in early 1864 , He was assigned to command 2nd Division , VI Corps . He was wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness , but recovered to lead his troops during the lengthy Siege of Petersburg , and later in Maj . Gen . Philip Sheridan ' s Shenandoah Valley Campaign . Getty became acting commander of VI Corps when Brig . Gen . James B . Ricketts was wounded leading the corps at the Battle of Cedar Creek . On December 12 , 1864 , President Abraham Lincoln nominated Getty for appointment to the brevet grade of major general of volunteers , to rank from August 1 , 1864 , confirmed by the U . S . Senate on February 14 , 1865 . Getty ' s division , including the famed Vermont Brigade , made the initial breakthrough at Petersburg on April 2 , 1865 , and took part in the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac , which concluded with the surrender of Robert E . Lee at Appomattox Court House . On July 17 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Getty for appointment to the brevet grade of major general , U . S . Army ( Regular Army ) , to rank from March 13 , 1865 , which the U . S . Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23 , 1866 . Getty was mustered out of the volunteer force on October 9 , 1866 . Postbellum career . On July 28 , 1866 , Getty was appointed colonel of the 37th U . S . Infantry in the regular army . He transferred to the 3rd U . S . Infantry , March 15 , 1869 . Getty then transferred to the 3rd U . S . Artillery on December 31 , 1870 , and then commanded the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe , Virginia , for six years . Getty was a member of the Board of Conduct which exonerated former V Corps commander Maj . Gen . Fitz John Porter in 1879 . He transferred to the 4th U . S . Artillery on July 17 , 1882 . After he retired from the Army on October 2 , 1883 , Getty lived on a farm near Forest Glen , Maryland , before his death on October 1 , 1901 at Forest Glen . He was buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery .