George D . Wagner George Day Wagner ( September 22 , 1829 – February 13 , 1869 ) was an Indiana politician , farmer , and soldier , serving as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . His controversial actions at the Battle of Franklin in 1864 overshadowed his positive performance earlier in the war . Early life and career . Wagner was born in rural Ross County , Ohio . When he was four years old , Wagner ' s family moved to Warren County , Indiana , where he was educated in the common schools . He became a prosperous farmer , and was elected in 1856 as a Republican to the Indiana House of Representatives . Two years later , he was elected to the State Senate . He was selected as the president of the Indiana State Agricultural Society , a post he held when the Civil War began in April 1861 with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina . Civil War service . In June of that year , Wagner enlisted in the state volunteer troops as colonel of the 15th Indiana Infantry and initially served in western Virginia . He commanded the 21st brigade in the Army of the Ohio during the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 . He subsequently participated in the Battle of Perryville and commanded the 21st brigade in the Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Stones River at the end of the year . In April 1863 , he was promoted to brigadier general , backdated to November 29 , 1862 . Wagner commanded the 21st brigade during Maj . Gen . William S . Rosecrans ' s occupation of Chattanooga , Tennessee , in September 1863 . Wagner ' s 21st brigade was kept as the garrison force in Chattanooga during the battle of Chickamauga . His men suffered heavy losses in an assault on Missionary Ridge during the Chattanooga Campaign . Wagner was again active in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign , commanding the 2nd brigade in the IV Corps ( his brigade suffering exceptionally heavy losses at Kennesaw Mountain ) and a division during the Franklin - Nashville Campaign . His military career was ruined at the Battle of Franklin . He diverged from the orders of his superior , Brig . Gen . Jacob D . Cox , to withdraw his outnumbered force from an exposed forward position . Instead , he chose to stand firm and face the impending assault . Two of his brigades were routed , and running toward the primary defensive line , intermixed with the attacking Confederates . As a result , the main Union force held its fire for fear of killing friendly troops , allowing the Confederate assault column to penetrate the Union center . Federal reinforcements finally stabilized the position , but Wagner ' s controversial course of action drew significant criticism and questioning . As a result of the debacle , Wagner asked to be relieved of duty , citing concerns for his wife ' s health . Wagner was returned to Indiana to await orders . He briefly served in St . Louis , Missouri , toward the end of the war . He was mustered out of the service in August 1865 . Postbellum career . Less than a year after the war ended , Wagner ' s wife died from her infirmities . He established a legal practice in Williamsport , Indiana , in 1866 . He once again became president of the state Agricultural Society and was influential in helping publicize modern agricultural practices and procedures . Wagner died unexpectedly in Indianapolis , Indiana . He was buried at Armstrong Cemetery in Green Hill , Indiana , not far from the farm where he was raised .