John Morrison Oliver (September 22, 1828 – March 30, 1872) was an American military officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Born in Penn Yan, New York, Oliver moved to Michigan in his early adulthood. Following the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, he entered military service and was commissioned as the colonel of the 15th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in 1862. He led this regiment during the Battle of Shiloh, where the unit suffered significant casualties.
Throughout the war, Oliver served primarily in the Western Theater within the Army of the Tennessee. He held various commands at the brigade and division levels, participating in major operations including the Siege of Vicksburg, the Atlanta Campaign, and William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea. In early 1865, he participated in the Carolinas Campaign. In recognition of his service, he was brevetted to the rank of brigadier general and subsequently to major general of volunteers in March 1865.
After the conclusion of the war, Oliver relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he practiced law. He later moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as an assessor for the Internal Revenue Service. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1872 and is buried in Penn Yan, New York.
