Graduated from West Point in 1856. Nicknamed "Old Brick Top." In December 1861, he was Colonel of 8th Ohio Regiment, joining the command in West Virginia. He fought in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. His command at the Battle of Round Tops at Gettysburg was important to the Union Army's win. In 1864, he was promoted Brigadier General and at the Battle of Spotsylvania in May, his arm was splintered by a bullet putting him out of action for the rest of the war. For extreme gallantry and devotion to duty, he was brevetted Major General of US Volunteers in 1865.