Darius N. Couch
Darius Nash Couch (July 23, 1822 – February 12, 1897) was an American soldier, businessman, and naturalist. He served as a career U.S. Army officer during the Mexican–American War, the Second Seminole War, and as a general officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Darius Nash Couch | |
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Portrait of Darius Couch by Mathew Brady or Levin C. Handy taken in 1861 or 1862 | |
| Born | July 23, 1822 Putnam County, New York, US |
| Died | February 12, 1897 (aged 74) Norwalk, Connecticut, US |
| Place of burial | Mount Pleasant Cemetery Taunton, Massachusetts |
| Allegiance | United States (Union) |
| Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1846–1855, 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | II Corps, Army of the Potomac Department of the Susquehanna 2nd Division, XXIII Corps |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War Seminole Wars American Civil War |
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During the Civil War, Couch fought notably in the Peninsula and Fredericksburg campaigns of 1862, and the Chancellorsville and Gettysburg campaigns of 1863. He rose to command a corps in the Army of the Potomac, and led divisions in both the Eastern Theater and Western Theater. Militia under his command played a strategic role during the Gettysburg Campaign in delaying the advance of Confederate troops of the Army of Northern Virginia and preventing their crossing the Susquehanna River, critical to Pennsylvania's defense.
He has been described as personally courageous, very thin in build, and (after his time in Mexico) frail of health.