James Barnes ( general ) James Barnes ( December 28 , 1801 – February 12 , 1869 ) was a railroad executive and a Union Army general in the American Civil War . Early life . Barnes was born in Boston , Massachusetts . He attended the Boston Latin School and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1829 , in the same class as Robert E . Lee . However , at age 28 he was older than most West Point cadets upon completion , and placed fifth out of 46 cadets . He was then commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 4th U . S . Artillery , but spent most of his army service as an instructor of tactics and French at the Academy . Barnes resigned his commission on July 31 , 1836 , to become a railroad civil engineer and by 1839 he was superintendent of the Western Railroad , a job he would hold for 22 years . Civil War service . On July 26 , 1861 , Barnes was commissioned a colonel in the 18th Massachusetts Regiment . He and his regiment joined the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign , but saw no combat . During the Seven Days Battles the 18th was assigned to guard duty in the rear , and again Barnes saw no combat . His brigade commander , Brig . Gen . John Martindale , was relieved of command after the Battle of Malvern Hill and Barnes became the new commander of the 1st Brigade , 1st Division , V Corps on July 10 , 1862 . For reasons unrecorded , Barnes was not present with his brigade at the Second Battle of Bull Run and although the V Corps marched to the Battle of Antietam , it was left in reserve and once again saw no action . However , during Lee ' s retreat back to Virginia , Barnes saw his first combat when his brigade was attacked by the rearguard of the Confederate Army , resulting in over 200 men shot or drowned in the Potomac River and over 100 more captured . At the Battle of Fredericksburg in December , Barnes distinguished himself for the first time , leading his brigade in one of the final assaults against Confederate positions on Marye ' s Heights . His division commander wrote after the battle , " James Barnes . . . is entitled to special notice for his coolness , energy , and marked ability . " On April 4 , 1863 , Barnes was promoted to brigadier general , U . S . Volunteers , with date of rank established as November 29 , 1862 . At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May , Barnes ' brigade was not heavily engaged . Late in the battle , his division commander , Brig . Gen . Charles Griffin , fell ill and Barnes assumed command of the 1st Division on May 5 , 1863 . In 1863 Barnes ' division camped at Union Mills , Maryland , on its way to Pennsylvania , where the Battle of Gettysburg would turn out to be the most significant action in his career . The new division commander , now 61 years old ( older than any other Union general present except Brig . Gen . George S . Greene ) , arrived early on the morning of the second day , July 2 , 1863 , with the rest of the V Corps . During the massive Confederate assault on the Union left flank that afternoon , one of Barnes ' brigades , under Col . Strong Vincent , was diverted to defend the flank at Little Round Top . The brigade performed magnificently , but Barnes had essentially nothing to do with its actions or the decision to send it there . Barnes did get personally involved with his other two brigades , who were sent to reinforce the Union line in the Wheatfield , and here his career took a fatal downward turn . He was criticized after the battle for withdrawing his two brigades under Colonels Jacob B . Sweitzer and William S . Tilton 300 yards back from the Wheatfield without permission , despite protests from the generals on his flanks . When reinforcements from the II Corps arrived , Maj . Gen . David B . Birney gave orders for Barnes ' men to lie down while the brigade of Brig . Gen . Samuel K . Zook marched over them . Sweitzer ' s brigade was sent into the Wheatfield , where it was attacked in the flank by another Confederate charge led by Brig . Gen . William T . Wofford . Aides could not find Barnes in the vicinity of his troops . Later that day , Barnes was wounded in the leg and although it healed , he would never return to combat duty . After recovering from his wound , Barnes spent the remainder of the war on garrison duty in Virginia and Maryland . This included commanding the District of St . Mary ' s , Maryland , which contained the prisoner - of - war camp at Point Lookout , Maryland , in the Middle Department . He was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15 , 1866 . On January 13 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated and on March 12 , 1866 the U . S . Senate confirmed the award to Brigadier General Barnes of the honorary grade of brevet major general , U . S . Volunteers , to rank from March 13 , 1865 . Postbellum career . After the war , Barnes returned to his profession of railroad civil engineering and was a member of the government commission that supervised the building of the Union Pacific Railroad . Barnes died in Springfield , Massachusetts , and is buried there in Springfield Cemetery .