General George S Greene (Union) For a man pushing 60 when the war broke out, General Greene could st

General George S Greene(Union)

For a man pushing 60 when the war broke out, General Greene could still show off an impressive head of hair to go along with his remarkable beard and moustache. His uniform was in rather tattier shape when this photo was taken, as a couple of buttons appear to have got lost somewhere.

Greene had originally left the military in 1836 to become an engineer, but he returned to the colours after a gap of 25 years and served prominently at the battles of Cedar Mountain and Antietam. The oldest Union general at Gettysburg, he put his engineering experience to good use by ordering the construction of fortifications on Culp’s Hill, which his brigade successfully defended against fierce Confederate attacks. He lived until he was 97.