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James Blair Steedman (July 29, 1817 – October 18, 1883) was an American general in the Union Army in the Civil War. A printer by trade, and then President of Public Works in Ohio, he raised a ninety-day regiment that saw action in the early fighting at Philippi, Western Virginia (June 1861). Posted to the Western theatre and promoted brigadier under Buell, Steedman was credited with saving a whole division from being routed at the Battle of Perryville. At the desperate Battle of Chickamauga, he lent valuable support to General George Thomas, and his courageous acts were praised as the salvation of the remaining Union forces after their defeat. He reunited with Thomas at Nashville (December 1864), taking heavy losses at first, but playing a big part in the dramatic victory that ended the war in the west. ==Early life and career== Steedman was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1817, the second out of five children.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Toledo's Attic biography of Steedman )〕 Steedman would not receive any formal education while growing up.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=History Central biography of Steedman )〕 He was fifteen years old when both of his parents died, and to support his siblings he worked as a typesetter for the ''Lewisburg Democrat'' newspaper in Lewisburg. Two years later he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and found work there again as a typesetter for the ''Louisville Journal''. He was employed as a printer until joining the Texas Army of Sam Houston in 1835.〔 After fighting in the Texas War of Independence, Steedman returned to home to Pennsylvania, where he worked on a public works project as a supervisor. In 1835 Steedman moved to Ohio, desiring to become a public works contractor, but failed initially to find work for his firm. He decided to return to his newspaper roots and bought a printing press in the city of Napoleon in Henry County, Ohio, where he began publishing the ''Northwest Democrat'' newspaper in 1838. Also during this time he married Miranda Slides, and contracts for public works began to come in. Steedman prospered as a contractor, his firm building early parts of both the Wabash and Erie Canal and the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway.〔 Steedman began his career in politics in 1847, serving two terms in the Ohio General Assembly. Afterwards he worked as a railroad conductor and then went to California in 1849, prospecting for gold.〔Eicher, p. 507.〕 In 1850, he returned to Ohio, and was on the state's board for public works from 1852 to 1857, three out of those four years serving as its president. Also during that time, he was admitted to the state's bar association and then established a law practice in Toledo.〔 Steedman became an editor of the ''North-Western Democrat and Toledo Times'' newspaper and a major general of the 5th Division in the Ohio State Militia in 1857, holding both positions until the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861. From 1856 to 1860, he also worked as a printer to the United States Congress.〔 In 1860, Steedman was part of Ohio's delegation to the Democratic National Convention when it met in Charleston, South Carolina, and was an active supporter of Stephen Douglas in Baltimore, Maryland. Also in 1860, he campaigned unsuccessfully for election to the U.S. House of Representatives for the district of Toledo.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James B. Steedman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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