George Leonard Andrews

George Leonard Andrews (August 31, 1828 – April 4, 1899) was an American professor, civil engineer, and soldier. He was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was awarded the honorary grade of brevet major general.

During the Civil War, Andrews served in a number of important commands, first as the colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts, a regiment which saw heavy action in the Battles of Cedar Mountain and Antietam, among other actions. Mentored by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Prentice Banks, Andrews became part of Banks's staff and was assigned several command roles in the Army Department of the Gulf during the later years of the war.

After the war, Andrews pursued a variety of vocations, including service as a United States Marshal, before returning to the United States Military Academy at West Point as a professor until his retirement.

Early career George Andrews was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, son of Manasseh and Harriet Leonard Andrews.

In the spring of 1862, Banks's forces were confronted by Lt. Gen. Thomas Jackson's Confederate forces in a series of battles known as Jackson's Valley Campaign. In May 1862, Andrews succeeded Col. George Henry Gordon as commander of the 2nd Massachusetts and led the regiment during the First Battle of Winchester. On June 13, 1862, Andrews was promoted to colonel. During this campaign, Andrews led the 2nd Massachusetts in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. The regiment took part in the assaults on the Confederate position through the infamous Cornfield and suffered heavy casualties before being forced to make an orderly retreat.

In October 1862, Andrews was elevated to brigade command and briefly commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the XII Corps, then the 4th Brigade of the same division while the Army of the Potomac re-grouped in the aftermath of the Maryland Campaign.

Andrews reached New Orleans with the last detachment of new troops on February 11, 1863.

District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson The day after the fall of Port Hudson, Andrews was assigned to organize the African-American troops in the Army of the Gulf, forming the Corps d'Afrique.

Post-war career After the Civil War, Andrews spent two years as a planter in Mississippi. He then moved back to Massachusetts and was a United States marshal from 1867 to 1871. He was a professor of French at West Point from 1871 to 1882, and of modern languages from 1882 until his retirement in 1892.