# James M. Tuttle > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_M._Tuttle > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_M._Tuttle.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._Tuttle > Source revision: 1354887977 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American politician James Madison Tuttle Gen. James M. Tuttle Born (1823-09-24)September 24, 1823 Summerfield, Ohio Died October 24, 1892(1892-10-24) (aged 69) Casa Grande, Arizona Place of burial Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa Allegiance United States of America Union Branch United States Army Union Army Service years 1861–1864 Rank Brigadier General Unit Army of the Tennessee Commands 3rd Division, XV Corps 1st Division, XVI Corps Conflicts American Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Shiloh Siege of Corinth Vicksburg Campaign Other work businessman, Iowa state representative Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the Polk County district In office 1884–1885 Serving with Charles L. Watrous Preceded by Thomas W. Havens and Thomas E. Haines Succeeded by Wesley Redhead and J. G. Berryhill In office 1872–1872 Serving with John A. Kasson Preceded by John A. Kasson and George W. Jones Succeeded by William G. Madden and Isaac Brandt **James Madison Tuttle** (September 24, 1823 – October 24, 1892) was a soldier, businessman, and politician from the state of [Iowa](/source/Iowa) who served as a [general](/source/General_officer) in the [Union Army](/source/Union_Army) during the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War). He commanded a [brigade](/source/Brigade) and then a [division](/source/Division_(military)) in the [Army of the Tennessee](/source/Army_of_the_Tennessee) in several campaigns in the [Western Theater](/source/Western_Theater_of_the_American_Civil_War) of operations. He led the first Union troops that entered the enemy-held [Fort Donelson](/source/Fort_Donelson) in 1862, paving the way for the fort's subsequent surrender to [Ulysses S. Grant](/source/Ulysses_S._Grant) and opening the [Cumberland River](/source/Cumberland_River) as an avenue of invasion of the [South](/source/Southern_United_States).[1] ## Early life and career James M. Tuttle was born near [Summerfield, Ohio](/source/Summerfield%2C_Ohio), in rural [Noble County](/source/Noble_County%2C_Ohio) (then Monroe County) to James and Esther (Crow) Tuttle. When he was ten years old, Tuttle's family moved to [Indiana](/source/Indiana), where his father, a [Maine](/source/Maine)-born farmer who kept migrating westward, finally settled in [Fayette County](/source/Fayette_County%2C_Indiana).[2] Young Tuttle was educated in the common schools of Ohio and Indiana. In the spring of 1846 the 23-year-old Tuttle moved to [Farmington, Iowa](/source/Farmington%2C_Iowa), where he engaged both in agricultural and mercantile pursuits. He briefly returned to Fayette County, Indiana, in the fall of 1847, where he married Elizabeth Conner on September 22. They established a household in Farmington. Elizabeth Tuttle died on their fourth wedding anniversary. On August 17, 1853, Tuttle married Ohio-born Laura M. Meek in Farmington; they would have five children together.[3] Tuttle entered local politics as a [Democrat](/source/Iowa_Democratic_Party), and was elected in 1855 as the sheriff of [Van Buren County](/source/Van_Buren_County%2C_Iowa), serving two years. In the autumn of 1857, he was elected as the County Treasurer and Recorder, serving a pair of 2-year terms.[3] ## Civil War service Following the outbreak of the war in April 1861, Tuttle raised a company of volunteers and was elected as its [captain](/source/Captain_(United_States)). He and his men traveled to [Keokuk](/source/Keokuk%2C_Iowa), where they were assigned to the [2nd Iowa Infantry](/source/2nd_Iowa_Infantry), the first three-years regiment organized in Iowa. The [regiment](/source/Regiment) soon elected Tuttle as its [lieutenant colonel](/source/Lieutenant_colonel_(United_States)), and the regiment was mustered formally into Federal service on May 27. The 2nd Iowa was assigned to duty under General Grant, who promoted Tuttle to [colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_States)) on September 6 of that year.[3] At the February 1862 [Battle of Fort Donelson](/source/Battle_of_Fort_Donelson) in [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee_in_the_American_Civil_War), he led his regiment in a successful charge into the [Confederate](/source/Confederate_States_Army) earthworks. Tuttle's men planted the first Union flag inside Fort Donelson. Despite being wounded, Tuttle stayed in command throughout the assault. At the [Battle of Shiloh](/source/Battle_of_Shiloh) in April, Tuttle commanded a [brigade](/source/Brigade) in Maj. Gen. [W. H. L. Wallace](/source/W._H._L._Wallace)'s division, composed of the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 12th and 14th Iowa Infantry, as well as an [artillery battery](/source/Artillery_battery). After Wallace was mortally wounded and the other ranking officers also fell, Tuttle temporarily assumed command of the division and led the 2nd Division troops in fighting around the "Hornet's Nest," where he barely escaped capture. In recognition of his gallantry in action at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, he was promoted to [brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) on June 9, 1862.[2] BG [Thomas A. Davies](/source/Thomas_A._Davies) took command of the division during the [Siege of Corinth](/source/Siege_of_Corinth), and Tuttle returned to brigade command. During the fall and winter of 1862, General Tuttle commanded the Union garrison at the vital supply town of [Cairo, Illinois](/source/Cairo%2C_Illinois). In the spring of 1863, he was assigned command of a division in Maj. Gen. [William T. Sherman](/source/William_T._Sherman)'s [XV Corps](/source/XV_Corps_(ACW)). Tuttle went on to participate that summer in the [Vicksburg Campaign](/source/Vicksburg_Campaign) and thereafter the [capture of Jackson, Mississippi](/source/Battle_of_Jackson_(MS)), where he again distinguished himself in action and parlayed his growing name recognition into a run for [Governor of Iowa](/source/Governor_of_Iowa) as a [Democrat](/source/Iowa_Democratic_Party). In the autumn elections, Tuttle was defeated by another Shiloh veteran, [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_of_Iowa) [William M. Stone](/source/William_M._Stone).[3][4] In 1864, while commanding the forces around [Natchez](/source/Natchez%2C_Mississippi), Mississippi, Tuttle ordered the [Roman Catholic Bishop of Natchez](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Jackson), [William Henry Elder](/source/William_Henry_Elder), to have certain prayers for the [President of the United States](/source/President_of_the_United_States) recited publicly in the churches of his diocese. Elder refused and petitioned President [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln) for relief from the order. Through the efforts of U.S. Senator [Francis Kernan](/source/Francis_Kernan), Elder was granted the freedom to practice his religion without obeying Tuttle's directive.[5] In September 1864, Tuttle resigned his commission and returned to civilian life in Iowa.[4] ## Postbellum career After the war, Tuttle settled in [Des Moines, Iowa](/source/Des_Moines%2C_Iowa), where he was engaged in various mining and manufacturing interests, including partnerships in mines in [Colorado](/source/Colorado), [Arizona](/source/Arizona), and [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico). Among his many business interests was Tuttle Brothers, a pork packing operation he owned with his brother Martin.[3] In 1866, he was the Democratic candidate for the [U.S. Congress](/source/U.S._Congress), but was beaten by former general [Grenville M. Dodge](/source/Grenville_M._Dodge) in the general election. In 1871, he was elected to the [Iowa House of Representatives](/source/Iowa_House_of_Representatives) and served one term.[6][7] He served as the state commander of the [Grand Army of the Republic](/source/Grand_Army_of_the_Republic) for the Department of Iowa.[2] In 1883, Tuttle switched political parties and was easily elected to another term in the Iowa House as a Republican.[6][7] Three years later, he was named as the president of the board of directors for the Iowa Soldiers Home.[3] ## See also - [American Civil War portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:American_Civil_War) - [List of American Civil War generals (Union)](/source/List_of_American_Civil_War_generals_(Union)) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Warner513_1-0)** Warner, p 513. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Howe356_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Howe356_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Howe356_2-2) Howe, p. 356. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Polk_3-5) [*Portrait and Biographical Album, Polk County, Iowa, 1890*](http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/historical/1890polk_4.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20051112051007/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/historical/1890polk_4.html) 2005-11-12 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), pp. 194-95. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hubbell542_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hubbell542_4-1) Hubbell, p. 542. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *Character Glimpses of Most Reverend William Henry Elder, D.D.*, New York and Cincinnati: Frederick Pustet & Company, 1911. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iaga_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iaga_6-1) ["Representative James Madison Tuttle"](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=14&personID=4346). Iowa General Assembly. Retrieved June 1, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-historyiowa_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-historyiowa_7-1) [*History of Iowa*](https://archive.org/details/historyofiowafro03gueb/page/486/mode/2up). Vol. 3. The Century History Company. 1903. pp. 486, 501. Retrieved 2023-10-02 – via [Archive.org](/source/Archive.org). ## References - Eicher, John H., and [Eicher, David J.](/source/David_J._Eicher), *Civil War High Commands*, Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press, 2001, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8047-3641-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8047-3641-3). - Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., *Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History*, W. W. Norton & Company, 2000, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-393-04758-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-393-04758-X). - Howe, Henry, *Historical Collections of Ohio*, Vol. 2, 1908. - U.S. War Department, [*The War of the Rebellion*](http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/records/list.cfm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090913062844/http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/sources/records/list.cfm) 2009-09-13 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine): *a Compilation of the [Official Records](/source/Official_Records_of_the_American_Civil_War) of the Union and Confederate Armies*, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. ## External links - Media related to [James M. Tuttle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:James_M._Tuttle) at Wikimedia Commons - [Tuttle photo gallery at generalsandbrevets.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20080208215607/http://www.generalsandbrevets.com/ngt/tuttle.htm) at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (archived February 8, 2008) Retrieved 2008-11-25 Party political offices Preceded by William H. Merritt Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa 1863 Succeeded by Thomas H. Benton --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James M. Tuttle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._Tuttle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._Tuttle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.