Jesse L. Reno (1823-1862)
Sugarcreek, Venango County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A distinguished Civil War general, Reno commanded a brigade of Burnside's Army in its North Carolina expedition and the 9th Corps of the Army of the Potomac at the battle of South Mountain, Md. where he was killed. He served previously in the Mexican War, taught at West Point, commanded several arsenals at Philadelphia and elsewhere, and wrote a manual on arsenal warfare. Reno was raised in nearby Franklin and this town was named for him.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Jesse L. Reno rose from a boyhood in nearby Franklin to become one of the Union's promising corps commanders, cutting his teeth in the Mexican War and teaching at West Point before the Civil War. Leading the 9th Corps of the Army of the Potomac, he was killed in September 1862 at the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland, on the eve of Antietam. Grateful neighbors named this Venango County town Reno in his honor.
Why it matters
Reno is one of a generation of professional soldiers whose careers bridged the Mexican War and the Civil War, and the town that bears his name shows how communities wrote fallen officers into the everyday map of America.
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Related people
- · Jesse L. Reno
- · Ambrose Burnside
Related events
- · Battle of South Mountain
Themes & tags
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