Winfield Scott Hancock

Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886), American general, who ran for the presidency in 1880. Hancock, born near Lansdale, Pennsylvania, distinguished himself in many battles of the American Civil War. At Gettysburg (1863) he was in sole command until the arrival of General George Meade, and, in command of the left flank and later of the center of the Union troops, he was largely responsible for stemming the main Confederate attacks. In 1864 Hancock was especially prominent at the Battle of the Wilderness, at Spotsylvania Court House, and at the Battle of Cold Harbor; in that year he was made brigadier general of the regular army.

In 1866, after the war, Hancock became a major general, commanding the Department of Missouri and participating in campaigns against the Native Americans there. He was then transferred to the South to supervise the rehabiliation of Louisiana and Texas. The moderation of his measures was opposed in Washington, D.C., and in 1867 he was relieved at his own request and assigned to command the Military Division of the Atlantic.

Hancock was active in the Democratic Party; in 1880 he ran for the presidency on the Democratic ticket, but was narrowly defeated by the Republican candidate, James Garfield.