John Milton Brannan

John Milton Brannan was born July 1, 1819, in Washington, D.C. Representative Ratliff Boone of Indiana appointed Brannon to West Point Military Academy in 1837 while he served as a messenger in the House of Representatives. He graduated in 1841, was posted to the artillery as a brevet second lieutenant, served garrison duty at various posts, and was regimental adjutant of the 1st Artillery in the Mexican War. He was awarded the brevet of captain for gallantry at Contreras and Churubusco. On September 28, 1861, Brannan was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and served on the Atlantic coast. He commanded an infantry division under W. S. Rosecrans in the Tullahoma campaign and at Chickamauga under General G. H. Thomas where he lost 38 percent of his command in defense of Horseshoe Ridge (the last union position). Brannan was made chief of artillery of the Army of the Cumberland and simultaneously brevetted colonel in the Regular Army for gallant services during the battle. He supervised the defenses of Chattanooga, took part in the Atlanta campaign, and was in charge of construction of Union defenses after the occupation of Atlanta. After October 1864, Brannan went on an inspection tour of the Department of the Cumberland’s artillery. He was brevetted major general in both the regular and volunteer services at the end of the Civil War. John Milton Brannan was mustered out of the volunteer service on May 31, 1866, and returned to his regular rank of major, 1st Artillery in the regular army. His service included tours of duty at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut and Fort Wadsworth and Fort Ogdensburg in New York. For a short time, he commanded troops in Tallahassee, Florida, during the period when Samuel J. Tilden was denied the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes in the much-disputed election of 1876. He retired in 1882 as colonel of the 4th Artillery and settled in New York. He died there December 16, 1892, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

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