Robert C . Buchanan Robert Christie Buchanan ( March 1 , 1811 – November 29 , 1878 ) was an American military officer who served in the Mexican War and then was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . In a career that spanned more than forty years , Buchanan held numerous commands ( including several forts ) and received multiple citations for bravery and distinguished service . Early life and career . Buchanan was born in Baltimore , Maryland . He was the nephew by marriage of President John Quincy Adams , and received his appointment to United States Military Academy during Adams ' administration . ( His mother ' s sister was Louisa Adams , the First Lady . ) He graduated from the Academy in 1830 and was assigned to the 4th U . S . Infantry as a brevet second lieutenant . His assignments included service in the Black Hawk War ( he was in charge of gunboat s during the Battle of Bad Axe ) and against the Seminoles , as well as in the removal of the Cherokees to the Indian Territory . He was promoted to captain during his service in Florida . Buchanan participated in the Mexican War in command of the Maryland Volunteers . He was in the Battle of Chapultepec , the Battle of Palo Alto , the Battle of Resaca de la Palma , the Battle of Molino del Rey , and the capture of Mexico City . For his service in Mexico , Buchanan was twice brevetted in recognition of his gallantry in action . After the war , Buchanan was assigned to various posts and recruiting duty . In 1853 , the 4th Infantry was assigned to the Pacific Coast . He established Fort Humboldt . Under his command was Cpt . Ulysses S . Grant . When Grant ' s drinking began to affect his duties , Buchanan allegedly asked for and received Grant ' s resignation from the Army . In 1855 , Buchanan was promoted to major . He commanded the District of Southern Oregon and Northern California from Fort Humboldt , and participated in the Rogue River Wars in Oregon . Civil War . Buchanan was stationed in San Francisco , California , at the beginning of the Civil War . He was ordered east , and his regiment was placed in the defenses surrounding Washington , D . C . . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular army on September 9 , 1861 and given command of a brigade in what became the Army of the Potomac . He participated in the Peninsula Campaign , including the Battle of Yorktown , and the Seven Days Battles , including the Battle of Gaines ' Mill , the Battle of Glendale , and the Battle of Malvern Hill . He then fought in the Northern Virginia Campaign in the Second Battle of Bull Run . Buchanan , by then nicknamed " Old Buck " by his men , commanded the 1st Brigade , 2nd Division , V Corps during the Maryland Campaign ( part of Brigadier General George Sykes ' s Regulars ) . At Antietam , Buchanan strongly protested a decision to halt his advance on what he maintained was a weakly defended portion of the enemy line . In his opinion , his Regulars could have and should have carried Cemetery Hill , defended primarily by artillery with only the depleted Virginia brigade of Richard B . Garnett in support . Buchanan was appointed brigadier general of volunteers on November 29 , 1862 , but his appointment expired on March 4 , 1863 , having not been confirmed by the U . S . Senate . Shortly after this appointment , and before its expiration , Buchanan fought at the Battle of Fredericksburg . Buchanan then went on recruiting duty and two months later was placed in command of the defenses of Fort Delaware , a prisoner of war facility , March – April , 1863 . He then was assistant provost marshal general at Trenton , New Jersey , April 29 , 1863 – November 8 , 1864 . On February 8 , 1864 , he was promoted to colonel of the 1st U . S . Infantry Regiment through seniority . For his service at the Battle of Malvern Hill , Buchanan was appointed brevet brigadier general , U . S . Army , to rank from March 13 , 1865 . In recognition of Buchanan ' s service at the Battle of Second Bull Run and the Battle of Fredericksburg , on June 30 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Buchanan for appointment to the grade of brevet major general , U . S . Army , to rank from March 13 , 1865 , and the U . S . Senate confirmed the appointment on July 25 , 1866 . Postbellum . After the war , as colonel in the Regular Army , Buchanan was placed in command of the 1st U . S . Infantry at New Orleans and helped enforce Reconstruction activities with his men . He subsequently commanded the Department of Louisiana , and then served in the Freedmen ' s Bureau . A further nomination of Buchanan to brigadier general , October 15 , 1868 , was tabled by the U . S . Senate and not acted upon . He retired from the Army on December 31 , 1870 . At the time of his retirement , he was in command of Fort Porter in New York . Robert C . Buchanan died in Washington , D . C . , on November 29 , 1878 and is buried at the Rock Creek Cemetery .