wounded, he refused to be taken prisoner a
second time and insisted on moving with the
troops. He lingered three days before dying at
Bunker Hill, Virginia, on July 17, 1863. His
passage was lamented by Lee and other lead-
ing generals, who came to respect his intelli-
gence, courage, and devotion to the cause.
Historian Douglas Southall Freeman con-
cluded that “for none who fought so briefly in
the Army of Northern Virginia was there more
praise while living or more laments when
dead.” North Carolina certainly did not forget
his sacrifice, for in 1939 his family plantation
was incorporated into Pettigrew State Park.
See also
Lee, Robert E.
Bibliography
Gallagher, Gary W., ed. The Third Day at Gettysburg and
Beyond.Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina
Press, 1994; Gallagher, Gary W., ed. First Day at Get-
tysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Military
Leadership.Kent, OH: Kent State University Press,
1992; Gragg, Rod. Covered with Glory: The 26th
North Carolina Infantry at Gettysburg.New York:
HarperCollins, 2000; Pfannes, Harry W. Gettysburg—
The First Day.Chapel Hill: University of North Car-
olina Press, 2001; Shier, Maynard J. “The Battle of
Falling Waters,” Civil War Times Illustrated15, no. 10
(1977): 16–19, 22–26; Wilson, Clyde N. Carolina Cava-
lier: The Life and Mind of James Johnston Petti-
grew.Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1990; Wil-
son, Clyde N. The Most Promising Man of the South:
James Johnston Pettigrew and His Men at Gettys-
burg.Abilene, TX: McWhiney Foundation Press, 1998.PHILLIPS, WILLIAM
Phillips, William
(ca. 1731–May 13, 1781)
English General
T
he aggressive Phillips was the finest
British artillery officer to serve in the
American Revolution. He accomplished
a number of military firsts for that arm before
dying of illness during a secondary operation.
William Phillips was born in England
around 1731, presumably into a middle-class
background. Because he lacked the money to
purchase a military commission, he enrolled
at the Woolwich Military Academy in 1746 as
a gentleman cadet. The Royal Artillery at this
time was a distinct, technical branch of the
British army, with civilian roots dating back
to the late Middle Ages. Compared to the in-
fantry and artillery, whose officer corps was
traditionally dominated by the landed gentry,
the artillery had a distinct middle-class out-
look, virtually the only military occupation
where officers of modest background could
acquire distinction. Phillips acquitted himself
well and became quartermaster of the Royal
Artillery Regiment in April 1750. He fulfilled
those duties for six years, rising to first lieu-
tenant in 1756 and transferring as an aide-de-
camp to Sir John Ligonier, lieutenant general
of ordnance. That year Phillips was entrusted
with raising a company of miners and sappers
for use during the siege of Minorca, but this
was subsequently absorbed into the artillery
regiment as a regular company. He was conse-
quently advanced to captain outside of the
usual line of seniority, an act engendering
great resentment from his fellow officers.
During the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763)
Phillips fought in Germany with the main
British army and emerged as the greatest ar-
tillerist of his generation. He commanded
three artillery companies at the August 1,
1759, Battle of Minden and performed so sat-
isfactorily that Prince Ferdinand of Prussia
rewarded him with 1,000 crowns. The follow-
ing year Phillips singularly distinguished him-
self at the Battle of Warburg (July 30, 1760).
Heretofore, artillery had traditionally been