Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski Włodzimierz Bonawentura Krzyżanowski ( ; in the United States ; 8 July 1824 – 31 January 1887 ) was a Polish engineer , politician , and military leader — a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . A Polish noble , he took part in the 1848 uprising against Prussia and left Poland after its suppression . In early 1861 he enlisted in the US Union Army , recruiting a company of Polish immigrants , becoming colonel of the 58th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , listed in the official Army Register as the " Polish Legion " In the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg , Krzyżanowski helped repel an evening assault by the famed Louisiana Tigers on the Union defenses atop East Cemetery Hill . He was appointed brigadier general in 1862 . After the war , he held several government posts , and might have been the first American administrator of Alaska Territory . Early life . Krzyżanowski was born in Rożnowo , Grand Duchy of Poznań , into an old Polish noble family that bore the Świnka coat of arms , and whose roots reached back to the 14th century and ownership of the village of Krzyżanowo near Kościan . Krzyżanowski ' s father and both uncles had fought for Polish independence under Napoleon ' s banners , and his brother fought in the November 1830 Uprising . Krzyżanowski was a first cousin to Frédéric Chopin , whose mother Justyna Krzyżanowska ' s brother was Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski ' s father . After the death of Krzyżanowski ' s father , the family fell into debt and had to leave their estate . The mother sent Włodzimierz to relatives in Poznań , while the rest of the family moved to Warsaw . Young Krzyżanowski attended St . Mary Magdalen " Gymnasium " in Poznań , a principal center of the Polish nationalist underground in Prussian Poland . Krzyżanowski took part in the 1848 uprising against Prussia and , after its suppression , fled Poland to avoid arrest . He went to Hamburg , Germany , and from there sailed to New York . In the United States he learned the English language and continued his education . After completing his education , Krzyżanowski worked as a civil engineer and surveyor in Virginia and was instrumental in pushing America ' s railroads west . There he made the acquaintance of General Burnett and married his daughter Caroline , with whom he moved to Washington , D . C . , to set up his own company , which brought him substantial wealth . He also became active in Republican Party politics . In 1860 he supported Abraham Lincoln ' s candidacy for president of the United States . Civil War . In Washington , D . C . , in early 1861 , Krzyżanowski enlisted as a private two days after President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers . Krzyżanowski recruited a company of Polish immigrants , one of the first companies of Union soldiers . He moved the company to New York City , enlisted more immigrants , and soon became colonel of the 58th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , listed in the official Army Register as the " Polish Legion " . Krzyżanowski participated in the battles of Cross Keys in the Shenandoah Valley , and Second Bull Run ( Second Manassas ) , where he was injured when his horse fell , Chancellorsville , where his brigade and the corps they were part of were routed by a Confederate flank attack , and Gettysburg in the Eastern Theater . President Lincoln appointed Krzyżanowski brigadier general on November 26 , 1862 . The appointment expired by law on March 4 , 1863 because the U . S . Senate failed to confirm the promotion . The Senate belatedly approved the appointment on March 9 , 1863 but recalled and tabled it on March 11 , 1863 . At Gettysburg on July 1 , 1863 , his men were pushed back through the town as the Union XI Corps retreated . Krzyżanowski was injured when his horse stumbled during this action . However , Krzyżanowski led a counterattack on July 2 on Cemetery Hill that helped stabilize the faltering Union line . Later in the year , the XI Corps was sent to the Western Theater to help relieve the Confederate siege of Chattanooga . Krzyżanowski played a role in the Battle of Wauhatchie , where he followed Maj . Gen . Joseph Hooker ' s orders very literally ; and he was present at the Battle of Missionary Ridge . When the XI Corps was dissolved , much of it being added to XX Corps , Krzyżanowski was assigned to command at Bridgeport , Alabama , to guard the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad , and later to Stevenson , Alabama , both commands within the Department of the Cumberland . He also commanded the 3rd Brigade of the Defenses of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad , reporting to Maj . Gen . Robert H . Milroy . On March 2 , 1865 , President Lincoln nominated Krzyżanowski for the award of the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 2 , 1865 . The U . S . Senate confirmed the award on March 9 , 1865 . Krzyżanowski was mustered out of the volunteers on October 1 , 1865 . Postbellum . After the war , Krzyżanowski was given governing duties in Alabama . He later served as the appointed governor of several Southern states ( Florida , Georgia , and Virginia . ) Supposedly he also served as the first American administrator of Alaska Territory . However , the " Anchorage Daily News " was unable to find conclusive information to support or disprove this claim . It is said that the supposed posting was a reward for his performance as personal representative of Secretary William H . Seward during the negotiations for the purchase of Alaska . He served in the U . S . Treasury Department and later in the customs service in Panama and New York . Krzyżanowski died in New York City . On October 13 , 1937 , the 50th anniversary of his death , his remains were transferred with military honors from Green - Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn , New York , to Arlington National Cemetery . President Franklin D . Roosevelt broadcast a nationwide tribute via radio , and Poland ' s President , Ignacy Mościcki , transmitted his from Warsaw . Legacy . Krzyzanowski ' s legacy was honored by the American Polish Civil War Centennial Committee during the 1960s , which lobbied politicians for a greater appreciation of his remembrance . Thomas J . Lane pushed for a House Joint Resolution 707 which would have made July 9 , 1962 Gen . Kryzanowski Memorial Day . It did not receive the support of the U . S . Congress and was abandoned .