General Napoleon Bonaparte Buford (Union) The American Civil War was notably influenced by the Napol

General Napoleon Bonaparte Buford(Union)

The American Civil War was notably influenced by the Napoleonic Wars half a century earlier, particularly in the way many of the battles were conducted. Several generals who had learned all about Napoleon at military school modelled themselves on the great man to a greater or lesser extent. But none shared both of his names, with the exception of the immaculately bearded Napoleon Bonaparte Buford.

Buford had only spent four years in the US Army after graduating from West Point, leaving to become an engineer in 1835. A quarter of a century later he returned to the colours on the outbreak of war, and perhaps his most notable achievement came at the Battle of Island Ten on the Mississippi in early 1862, where he commanded a brigade of infantry on board Union vessels. His younger brother John Buford achieved greater fame, playing a prominent role at the Battle of Gettysburg.