James Blair Steedman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Steady |
| Born | July 29, 1817 Northumberland County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 18, 1883 (aged 66) Toledo, Ohio |
| Place of burial | Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio |
| Allegiance |  Republic of Texas United States of America |
| Service | Texian Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1835 (Texas Army) 1861–1866 (U.S.) |
| Rank |  Major general (U.S.) |
| Commands | 14th Ohio Infantry |
| Battles / wars | Texas War of Independence American Civil War |
| Other work | Ohio legislator, printer, Toledo Police Chief |
James Blair Steedman (July 29, 1817 – October 18, 1883) was an American printer, contractor and lawyer who rose to the rank of general in the Union Army during the Civil War. A printer by trade, as well as a soldier during the Texas War of Independence, Steedman returned to Ohio and later became a delegate in the state's General Assembly as well as President of Public Works, although he lost his campaign to become a U.S. Congressman.
Col. Steedman raised a ninety-day regiment that participated in the early fighting at Battle of Philippi in western Virginia in June 1861. Posted to the Western theater and promoted to brigadier general under Major General Don Carlos Buell, Steedman was credited with saving a whole division from being routed at the Battle of Perryville (Kentucky). At the desperate Battle of Chickamauga (Georgia), he lent valuable support to General George Thomas, and won praise for saving the remaining Union forces after their defeat. He reunited with Thomas at Nashville (December 1864), taking heavy losses at first, but played a big part in the dramatic victory that ended the war in the west.