Richard Coulter (general)
| Richard Coulter, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 1, 1827 Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 14, 1908 (aged 81) |
| Place of burial | St. Clair Cemetery near Greensburg |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1847–1848, 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Unit | 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteers |
| Commands held |
11th Pennsylvania Infantry 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps 2nd Division, V Corps 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, V Corps 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, V Corps |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican-American War American Civil War |
Richard Coulter, Sr. (October 1, 1827 – October 14, 1908) was an American Civil War general in the Union Army, a businessman, and banker. During the Civil War he was colonel of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, often rising to brigade command upon the wounding of superior officers.
Richard Coulter, Sr. was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, a son of Eli Coulter Jr. (1791–1830) and Rebecca Alexander. Eli Coulter was a prominent business man and managed a steam mill in Greensburg. Richard attended Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. After leaving college in 1845 at the age of 19, he worked in the law office of his uncle, Richard Coulter (1788–1852) in Greensburg where he remained until the beginning of the Mexican-American War.
Coulter enrolled in the Westmoreland Guards, a local militia company that was mustered into the United States Army as Company E of the Second Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. It was one of only two regiments sent from Pennsylvania to serve in Mexico. Coulter saw action under General Winfield Scott in the Siege of Vera Cruz and the subsequent battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and Chapultepec, and the capture and occupation of Mexico City in 1847. He served directly under future Civil War general John W. Geary, a man he had little respect for due to his vanity.
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