By October, however, he decided the physical demands of the campaign were too much for his fragile health and resigned, never having received a commission of brigadier general. That slight was also a factor in pushing him out of the military, though he did receive the lesser honor of brevet brigadier general. In an ironic twist, Wilder returned to Chattanooga after the war and became wealthy operating a factory that made railroad rails.

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He even became the mayor of the city he had once ordered Lilly’s cannons to fire upon. Wilder died in 1917 and was buried in Chattanooga, his military accomplishments largely overlooked until a later generation of military historians began to research and analyze the successes of the innovative and deadly Lightning Brigade.

This article was written by By Graham Garrison and Parke Pierson and originally published in America’s Civil War magazine.

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