George Henry Chapman George Henry Chapman ( November 22 , 1832 – June 16 , 1882 ) was an American sailor , newspaper editor , lawyer , and soldier . He served in the United States Navy during the Mexican - American War and as a Union Army general during the American Civil War . Later in life he was a judge and a state legislator . Early life and career . Chapman was born in Holland , Massachusetts in 1832 . At the age of six , Chapman and his family moved to Indiana . His father and uncle published newspapers in Terre Haute and then in Indianapolis , including " Indiana State Sentinel " , a pro - democratic newspaper . Chapman later studied at Marion County Seminary . In 1847 Chapman was appointed to the U . S . Navy as a midshipman . He served on the frigates USS " Cumberland " and USS " Constitution " until 1850 , when he resigned following the death of his uncle . He then had a short - lived career in the mercantile business , and afterward he studied law . Chapman was admitted to the bar in 1857 . From 1854 – 55 , he edited and published his own newspaper called the Indiana " Republican " . He became the assistant clerk to the U . S . House of Representatives in 1860 . Civil War service . At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861 , he resigned his clerk position to volunteer in the Union Army . On November 2 he was commissioned a major in the 3rd Indiana Cavalry . Briefly Chapman lead the cavalry division of the Army of the Ohio in May of the following year . Transferring to the infantry , he commanded a brigade in the Army of the Potomac until June 27 , 1862 . Chapman was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 25 , 1862 . He fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August , the Battle of Antietam in September , and the Battle of Fredericksburg in December . On March 12 , 1863 , Chapman was promoted to colonel , and that May he participated in the Battle of Chancellorsville . Returning to the cavalry service , Chapman led his regiment during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 . Here his command was part of Col . Thomas C . Devin ' s brigade , and was noted as the first Union soldiers to engage Confederate forces approaching Gettysburg via the Cashtown road . Shortly after the battle , Chapman was given brigade command in the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac until March 1864 . Chapman participated in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 against Confederate Lt . Gen . Jubal Early ' s forces , lasting from May to October . He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on July 21 . Chapman led a cavalry brigade in the Union Army of the Shenandoah from August 6 until September 19 , when he was wounded during the Third Battle of Winchester . Recovered by the following month , Chapman resumed leading a cavalry brigade in the Shenandoah Valley . Beginning on January 5 , 1865 , Chapman led a cavalry division of the Army of the Shenandoah . After the Battle of Waynesboro , Virginia on March 2 , he was ordered to remain in the Shenandoah Valley while the rest of the Union forces headed for Petersburg , Virginia . Chapman had with him now three small regiments and a few artillery pieces to hold the Valley . Near the end of the war he was brevetted to major general in the Union Army on March 13 , in recognition of his performance at Winchester in September 1864 . Beginning on April 19 , 1865 , he was given command of the cavalry division assigned to Washington , D . C . Postbellum . After the war , Chapman spent two months serving on court - martial boards . His military career ended with his resignation on January 7 , 1866 . He then served as a judge of the Criminal Court of Marion County , Indiana for five years . He also served as receiver for two financially challenged railroads during the 1870s . He then served as a state legislator in the Indiana Senate , after being elected to the Senate in 1880 . In June 1882 he died near Indianapolis , Indiana , and was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery located in Indianapolis .