John Buford

John Buford Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. Buford is best known for his actions in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, by identifying Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge as high ground that would be crucial in the impending battle, and by placing vedettes (the cavalry equivalent of "picket lines") to the west and north that delayed the enemy long enough for the Union Army to arrive. Born in the divided border state of Kentucky, Buford graduated from West Point in 1848. He remained loyal to the United States when the Civil War broke out and fought against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia as part of the Army of the Potomac. His first command was a cavalry brigade under Major General John Pope. He distinguished himself at Second Bull Run in August 1862, where he was wounded. He also saw action at Antietam in September and during Stoneman's Raid in spring 1863. Buford's cavalry division played a crucial role in the Gettysburg campaign that summer. Arriving at the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on June 30, before the Confederate troops, Buford set up defensive positions. On the morning of July 1, Buford's division was attacked by a Confederate division under the command of Major General Henry Heth. His men held just long enough for Union reinforcements to arrive. After a massive three-day battle, the Union troops emerged victorious. Later, Buford rendered valuable service to the Army, both in the pursuit of Robert E. Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg, and in the Bristoe Campaign that autumn, but his health started to fail, possibly from typhoid. Just before...