| Name |
Halleck, Henry Wager |
| Title |
Major General |
| Suffix |
Sr. |
| Birth |
16 Jan 1815 |
Westernville, Oneida, New York, United States  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Graduation |
1 Jul 1839 |
West Point, Orange, New York, United States |
- United States Military Academy at West Point
|
| Census |
1860 |
San Fransciso District 10, San Francisco, California, United States [1] |
| Page: 69 |
| Occupation |
1860 |
San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States |
| Lawyer |
| Census |
1870 |
Louisville Ward 6 Jefferson, Kentucky, United States |
| Page: 134 |
| Find A Grave |
Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States [2] |
| 3300 |
- Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3300/henry_wager-halleck: accessed September 18, 2025), memorial page for Henry Wager Halleck (16 Jan 1815–9 Jan 1872), Find a Grave Memorial ID 3300, citing Green-Wood Cemetery, Greenwood Heights, Kings County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
|
| LifeSketch |
- Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 - January 9, 1872) was a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory, "Old Brains." He was an important participant in the admission of California as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer. Early in the American Civil War, he was a senior Union Army commander in the Western Theater and then served for almost two years as general-in-chief of all U.S. armies. Halleck became chief of staff to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, when he assumed the position of general-in-chief.
Halleck was a cautious general who believed strongly in thorough preparations for battle and in the value of defensive fortifications over quick, aggressive action. He was a master of administration, logistics, and the politics necessary at the top of the military hierarchy, but exerted little effective control over field operations from his post in Washington, D.C. President Abraham Lincoln once described him as "little more than a first rate clerk.
He was known as an excellent adminstrator but poor strategist
In July of 1862 became Lincoln's military advisor and titled General-in-Chief. Under Grant, "Old Brain" Hallec was Chief of Staff.
Commissioned an officer in the Regular Army General Staff Infantry Regiment on 19 Aug 1861.Promoted to Full Major-Gen on 23 Jul 1862.
|
| Death |
9 Jan 1872 |
Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States |
| Cause: Congestion of the Brain |
- Superinduced by disease of the liver which he had been afflicted with for some time
|
| Obituary |
15 Jan 1872 |
Barton, Vermont, United States [3] |
| Orleans County Monitor |
| _AMTID |
122722688763:1030:207924248 |
| _COLOR |
5 |
| _COLOR1 |
20 |
| _FSFTID |
M77W-SQD |
| _UID |
45B44020B9874179BD6B757CB69C03763767 |
| Burial |
Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States [2] |
- Plot: Section 185, Lot 20293
|
| Person ID |
I131 |
Charles Banks and Jon Ray Family Tree |
| Last Modified |
22 Nov 2025 |
| Father |
Halleck, Lieutant Joseph Sr, b. 16 Oct 1785, Westernville, Oneida, New York, United States d. 22 Jun 1857, Westernville, Oneida, New York, United States (Age 71 years) |
| Mother |
Wager, Catherine, b. 18 Feb 1795, Westernville, Oneida, New York, United States d. 23 Feb 1868, Westernville, Oneida, New York, United States (Age 73 years) |
| Marriage |
7 Mar 1813 |
New York City, New York, New York, United States |
| Family ID |
F53 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Hamilton, Elizabeth, b. 9 Feb 1831, New York City, New York, New York, United States d. 15 Sep 1884, Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States (Age 53 years) |
| Marriage |
12 Apr 1855 |
New York City, New York, New York, United States |
| Children |
| | 1. Halleck, Henry Wager Jr., b. 23 Feb 1856, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States d. 8 May 1882, Lillington, Harnett, North Carolina, United States (Age 26 years) |
|
| Family ID |
F54 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
10 Mar 2026 |
1815 - 1872 (56 years)
