Bradley Winslow (August 1, 1831 – October 24, 1914) was an American soldier, politician and lawyer who served as colonel of the 186th New York Regiment from 1864 to 1865 during the American Civil War. Winslow was also a member of the New York State Senate in 1880, and mayor of Watertown, New York, in 1875.
Winslow fought in the Northern Virginia campaign in 1862 as a lieutenant colonel, and was promoted to colonel in September 1864. During his time as colonel, he assisted the Union Army in capturing forts during the Siege of Petersburg, and was discharged in June 1865 after suffering a gunshot wound. Winslow was given a brevet by Abraham Lincoln on April 9, 1865, for "brave and gallant conduct" during the siege.
Childhood and early career
Winslow's ancestors were English pioneers. One such ancestor was Kenelm Winslow, a pilgrim who traveled to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1629.
Bradley Winslow was born on August 1, 1831, on the farm of his father, John Winslow in the town of Watertown, New York away from the city of Watertown. Winslow attended schools in the Watertown City School District as a boy. On December 1, 1847, Winslow began attending Cazenovia College. In 1851 and 1852, he studied at Falley Seminary. From 1852 to 1853, Winslow studied at Wyoming Seminary.
Winslow began to study law in the office of James F. Starbuck in autumn of 1853. In 1854 Winslow began attending Poughkeepsie Law School. Winslow was admitted to the bar in July 1855. Winslow was taught by Starbuck in Winslow's first year lawyering. Winslow opened a law firm on January 1, 1856, after a year with Starbuck. In spring 1856 Winslow began work with J.L. Bigelow, and the pair started a Winslow & Bigelow, a law firm. In 1859, Winslow was nominated to be district attorney of Jefferson County, New York, and was elected on January 1, 1861.
Military career
The American Civil War broke out in 1861. When it started, Winslow resigned as district attorney and volunteered to become a First lieutenant in the Black River Corps, a Union Army military organization in Watertown, on May 13, 1861. Winslow was mustered in to Company A of the 35th New York Infantry Regiment on June 11, 1861, as captain. Winslow was promoted to lieutenant colonel on August 31, 1861. On October 26, 1861, Winslow and his regiment captured Lieutenant H. J. Siegal's Cavalry near Falls Church, Virginia.
In August 1862, Winslow fought in the Northern Virginia campaign, and assisted General Nathaniel P. Banks during the enemy retreat in the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 11, 1862, as well as commanding his regiment in the First Battle of Rappahannock Station on August 23, 1862. From August 28 to 30, 1862, Winslow fought in the Second Battle of Bull Run. While fighting in the Northern Virginia campaign, Winslow contracted typhoid fever, and he resigned from the Union Army on December 18, 1862, and received an honorable discharge. In 1864, president Abraham Lincoln called for 500,000 men to join the Union Army, and Winslow rejoined the army on August 22, 1864. He was mustered in as the colonel of the 186th New York Infantry Regiment on September 28, 1864.
Attack on Fort Mahone
General Ulysses S. Grant wanted to attack the Confederate Army in Petersburg, Virginia, and force them to abandon Petersburg and the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. After the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Grant commanded the Union Army to attack Petersburg.
The day afterwards, on April 2, 1865, the Union Army attacked Petersburg. General Simon Goodell Griffin commanded six of his regiments to stand in a column at around 2 am, with one regiment standing in front of the other. His plan was to have all of his regiments attack Battery 28, a fort between Fort Heaven and Fort Mahone, and eventually one of the regiments would breach the fort. The 186th New York Regiment was the very last in the column. Winslow later remembered that while getting ready to capture the fort, he heard "Screaming, hissing shot and shell, interspersed with the sharp whiz and ping of leaden bullets, seemed passing everywhere above our heads".
At 4:30 am, the attack started. The front regiments were all shot, until the 186th regiment was the last regiment remaining. The 186th New York Regiment quickly captured Battery 28. The Confederate Army still maintained a secondary line, and still had Fort Mahone captured, and they shot at Winslow and his regiment. Winslow was shot below between his lower left ribs by a Minié ball, which passed through his body and came out on the right side near his spine.