SILL, Joshua Woodrow

Affiliation:  Union

Born: December 6, 1831, Chillicothe, OH

Died: December 31, 1862, Murfreesboro, TN

Pre-War Profession: During his four years at West Point he ranked among the best scholars and graduated third in his class of 52 cadets. In May 1858, Sill was sent to Vancouver in Washington Territory to superintend the building of an arsenal. Difficulties with the British Government prevented the construction of this arsenal and he was reassigned to Watervleit Arsenal.

War Service: In August 1861 he was commissioned colonel of the 33rd Ohio Infantry and accompanied Brig. Gen. William "Bull" Nelson in the Eastern Kentucky expedition. He was then assigned as a brigade commander in Brig. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel's division of the Army of the Ohio. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on July 16, 1862. Shortly thereafter, Sill was elevated to command of a division, though was soon reassigned to command a brigade in Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's division of the now-named Army of the Cumberland. Sill took part in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War (in terms of percentage of casualties on both sides), the Battle of Stones River, just outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Post War: He was killed at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee in 1862