Pleasonton, Alfred

Pleasonton, Alfred,1824–97, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Washington, D.C. He served in theMexican Warand in theIndian warson the frontier. In theCivil War, he distinguished himself in the Peninsular campaign (1862) and was made brigadier general of volunteers. He fought at Antietam and Fredericksburg, and his stand against Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville averted a total Union defeat. He commanded the Union cavalry atBrandy Stationand in the ensuing Gettysburg campaign, as well as later engagements. Transferred to Missouri, Pleasonton defeated Gen. Sterling Price at Westport and Marais des Cygnes (1864), ending the last Confederate threat in the West.

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