Civil War Generals of Tennessee

By Randy Bishop

From James Patton Anderson to Felix Zollicoffer, author Randy Bishop, a native Tennessean, offers compelling portraits of the sons of a state regarded by many as the most torn asunder by the War Between the States. This collection brings together biographies of the fifty-one Confederate and Union generals born in Tennessee as well as those with significant ties to the state. Each entry focuses on the major military contributions of the individuals—no matter their affiliations—and also teases out the most intriguing aspects of their civilian life, particularly how they fared after the war. With fascinating details, including the men’s relationships before the divisiveness of war drove intruded, Bishop provides an insight into lives that have rarely been seen as a whole.

Arranged in alphabetical order for ease of reference, the work includes such luminaries as Nathan Bedford Forrest and Leonidas Polk, while also detailing the contributions of many lesser-known figures, including Samuel Powhatan Carter and Otho French Strahl. Each entry spans approximately five pages and provides, as the author states, “insight into the contributions of selfless men who offered their best, in years of their lives as well as time, that could have been spent with their families.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781455618125

Book preview

CIVIL WAR GENERALS

TennesseE

of

CIVIL WAR GENERALS

ofTennesseE

By Randy Bishop

PELOGO.TIF

PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Gretna 2013

Copyright © 2013

By Randy Bishop

All rights reserved

The word Pelican and the depiction of a pelican are

trademarks of Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., and are

registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bishop, Randy.

Civil War generals of Tennessee / Randy Bishop.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4556-1811-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4556-1812-5 (e-book) 1. Tennessee—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Biography. 2. United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Biography. 3. Generals—Confederate States of America—Biography. 4. Generals—United States—Biography. 5. United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Campaigns. I. Title.

E467.B573 2013

355.0092'2—dc23

[B]

2013019080

All photographs from the Library of Congress except Alexander Peter Stewart, National Park Service; John Crawford Vaughn, Thomas County Historical Society; and Felix Kirk Zollicoffer, Tennessee State Library and Archives

ACIDCREA.EPS

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.

1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana 70053

To Sharon, my wife and best friend

Contents

Preface 9

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 John Adams, C.S.A. 13

Chapter 2 James Patton Anderson, C.S.A. 18

Chapter 3 Samuel Read Anderson, C.S.A. 22

Chapter 4 William Brimage Bate, C.S.A. 26

Chapter 5 Tyree Harris Bell, C.S.A. 32

Chapter 6 John Calvin Brown, C.S.A. 35

Chapter 7 James Patton Brownlow, U.S.A. 40

Chapter 8 Alexander William Campbell, C.S.A. 43

Chapter 9 William Bowen Campbell, U.S.A. 48

Chapter 10 William Henry Carroll, C.S.A. 51

Chapter 11 John Carpenter Carter, C.S.A. 55

Chapter 12 Samuel Perry Powhatan Carter, U.S.A. 58

Chapter 13 Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, C.S.A. 61

Chapter 14 Joseph Alexander Cooper, U.S.A. 64

Chapter 15 Henry Brevard Davidson, C.S.A. 67

Chapter 16 George Gibbs Dibrell, C.S.A. 70

Chapter 17 Daniel Smith Donelson, C.S.A. 74

Chapter 18 David Glasgow Farragut, U.S.A. 77

Chapter 19 Nathan Bedford Forrest, C.S.A. 82

Chapter 20 Alvan Cullem Gillem, U.S.A. 89

Chapter 21 George Washington Gordon, C.S.A. 93

Chapter 22 Robert Hopkins Hatton, C.S.A. 97

Chapter 23 Benjamin Jefferson Hill, C.S.A. 102

Chapter 24 William Young Conn Humes, C.S.A. 106

Chapter 25 Alfred Eugene Jackson, C.S.A. 108

Chapter 26 William Hicks Jackson, C.S.A. 111

Chapter 27 Bushrod Rust Johnson, C.S.A. 114

Chapter 28 Robert Johnson, U.S.A. 121

Chapter 29 George Earl Maney, C.S.A. 124

Chapter 30 Matthew Fontaine Maury, C.S.A. 130

Chapter 31 William McComb, C.S.A. 133

Chapter 32 John Porter McCown, C.S.A. 138

Chapter 33 Joseph Benjamin Palmer, C.S.A. 141

Chapter 34 Gideon Johnson Pillow, C.S.A. 147

Chapter 35 Leonidas Knox Polk, C.S.A. 154

Chapter 36 Lucius Eugene Polk, C.S.A. 164

Chapter 37 William Andrew Quarles, C.S.A. 167

Chapter 38 James Edward Rains, C.S.A. 171

Chapter 39 Robert Vinkler Richardson, C.S.A. 175

Chapter 40 James Argyle Smith, C.S.A. 179

Chapter 41 Preston Smith, C.S.A. 182

Chapter 42 Thomas Benton Smith, C.S.A. 186

Chapter 43 Alexander Peter Stewart, C.S.A. 191

Chapter 44 Otho French Strahl, C.S.A. 197

Chapter 45 Robert Charles Tyler, C.S.A. 201

Chapter 46 Alfred Jefferson Vaughan, Jr., C.S.A. 206

Chapter 47 John Crawford Vaughn, C.S.A. 209

Chapter 48 Lucius Marshall Walker, C.S.A. 214

Chapter 49 Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, C.S.A. 217

Chapter 50 Marcus Joseph Wright, C.S.A. 225

Chapter 51 Felix Kirk Zollicoffer, C.S.A. 231

Chapter 52 Others with Tennessee Ties 236 Notes 255

Bibliography 282

Index 294

Preface

The initial decision for the topic of this book was reached by pure accident. As I thought about major Civil War figures from my home state of Tennessee, it struck me that if I were to explore the state’s political instability and the divided loyalties of its citizens, no better example presented itself than the large numbers of enlisted men and officers Tennessee provided to the opposing sides. Narrowing the topic even more, I decided to focus upon the generals that Tennessee supplied to both the United States and the Confederate States of America.

From that point forward, choosing whom to include became a far more difficult task than one would imagine. Issues of Confederate Veteran, specifically from June 1904 and April 1910, noted that two lieutenant generals, eight major generals, and thirty-one brigadier generals served in the Confederate army and are generally regarded as hailing from Tennessee. The Photographic History of the Civil War contained photographs of twenty-seven Confederate generals indicated as being from the Volunteer State. Adding confusion to the initial selection process was the fact that textbooks such as Harry Joiner’s Tennessee Then and Now and Robert E. Corlew’s Tennessee: A Short History, the former published for younger learners and the latter for college students, offered similar numbers but also included high-ranking Southern naval officers. Additionally, Corlew identified five Tennesseans who became Federal generals. Joiner, The Photographic History, and Corlew also included a small number of men who rose to significant leadership roles in the naval forces of the United States.1

In his presentation to the Tennessee Historical Association, recorded in the aforementioned April 1910 issue of Confederate Veteran, Col. John P. Hickman gave his impression of who should be included in a list of Confederate generals from Tennessee. Hickman muddied the waters for future researchers by explaining that Tennessee governor Isham G. Harris appointed at least four men as Provisional Army brigadier generals before the Volunteer State was added to the Confederacy’s ranks.2 There are also the generals who were born or died in the state yet may have spent most, if not all, of their adult lives living, working, and serving in military units based in other Southern states. The stage was obviously set for a liberal interpretation of whom to include in this book.

This work is the result of research, consideration, and rationalization about the gentlemen included or omitted from its pages. There are certain to be individuals who will immediately argue for the addition or exclusion of various personalities in this or related future books. The basis of each case for these will be, as I have found, difficult, if not at times impossible, to justify. However, it is my intention to provide interested readers with a foundation for additional studies of the people and contributions contained within this book. Succeeding generations will hopefully gain from this work, as well as from those that it inspires.

Introduction

The divided loyalties present in Civil War-era Tennessee are well documented. The varying political philosophies and interpretations of the value or morality of slavery are also well known. The beliefs of the citizens were as diverse as the landscapes of West, Middle, and East Tennessee and the vocations within these three major regions of the state. The fact that Tennessee was the last state to secede from the United States and tender the services of its citizens and resources to the newly formed Confederate States of America provides strong evidence of the state’s initial reluctance and subsequent divisiveness over the decision.

It has been stated that Tennessee provided over 120,000 troops to the Confederacy while almost 40,000 men from the state joined the Federal forces. The latter number has been noted to be higher than the number supplied from any other Southern state and five Northern states.1 These numbers are staggering, especially given Tennessee’s total population at the time of less than 1,000,000.

The prevalent ideologies of a pro-Union East Tennessee and secession-minded and proslavery Middle and West Tennessee led to the divisions among Tennesseans. The dedication of thousands of individuals who were willing to leave their families, many of whom would soon become political if not military enemies, and devote years of their lives to fight for a cause they firmly believed in is mindboggling to many modern Americans.

Sadly, an astounding number of these outstanding young warriors, and far too many of their abandoned family members, failed to survive the war and reach reconciliation at a personal and national level. As will be evidenced within the following pages, the personal tragedies of war were not reserved for the common foot soldiers alone. Several of the personalities addressed were unable to live to the war’s conclusion, while others spent their postwar years attempting to better society and help initiate and facilitate the reunion of the nation that had yet to reach its first century of existence.

Brief biographies of over sixty men are provided in the following pages. Although their military contributions are the primary focus of the text, related and relevant material regarding their civilian lives will be presented when available. It is imperative to be aware of the mindset of the time in order to perceive this work as more than a series of biographies of soldiers from a Southern state. It is, in fact, a book that provides insight into the contributions of selfless men who offered their best years and best efforts, in time that could have been spent with their families.

Chapter 1

John Adams, C.S.A.

1825-64

John Adams001_upsized.tiff

In September of 1811, Nathan and Martha Patten Adams, recent immigrants from Ireland, arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following Nathan’s death, Martha and her children moved to Nashville in 1817. In that growing city, Thomas Adams, the eldest child of Nathan and Martha, established himself as a successful merchant and banker. On July 1, 1825, Thomas and his wife celebrated the birth of a son whom they named John. Eventually the family moved to Pulaski, Tennessee, where Thomas continued his career in banking.1 There John would grow into an outstanding young man destined for military glory.

John was admitted to West Point, where he was a roommate of George Pickett. Adams graduated in 1846, ranking twenty-fifth in his class. He was commissioned second lieutenant of the First Dragoons and placed under the command of Philip Kearny.2 As tensions mounted between the United States and Mexico, it was not long before Adams participated in battle in the Mexican War.

Following his actions during the battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales, Mexico, Adams was brevetted for gallantry in 1848 and, in October of 1851, was promoted to first lieutenant. He spent several years serving at Fort Crook, California and then in Minnesota. In the latter location he served as a governmental aide and was given the rank of lieutenant colonel of the state forces. Although a separate rank from his army position, the designation did not affect Adams’ regular service. In addition, he served a stint as a recruiting officer. In November of 1856 Adams was promoted to the rank of captain.3

In the meantime, on May 4, 1854, Adams married Miss Georgia McDougal, the daughter of Dr. Charles McDougal, a distinguished surgeon of the U.S. Army. John and Georgia Adams would have six children, four sons and two daughters.4 The outbreak of the American Civil War brought about major decisions for the couple and their children, as it did for thousands of families across the United States.

In May of 1861, while at Fort Crook, Adams resigned his commission and offered his services to the recently formed Confederate government. As he made his way to New York City, he was informed of orders to arrest U.S. Army officers who were considered to have resigned in order to serve the Confederate military. Therefore, Adams headed to Tennessee, having tendered his services to President Davis.5

John Adams arrived in Memphis, where, as a recently commissioned captain in service of the Confederacy, he took command of the post in that city. He remained in Memphis until he was ordered to Western Kentucky and afterward was transferred to Jackson, Mississippi. By mid-1862, the recently promoted Colonel Adams was attracting the attention of such Confederate commanders as Joseph E. Johnston and John Pemberton. Upon the May 16, 1863, death of Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman at the battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi, then brigadier general John Adams assumed the command of Tilghman’s Mississippi brigade.6

Adams followed new orders and, with his brigade, provided relief to the besieged city of Vicksburg. His command then joined Leonidas Polk’s forces in marching from Meridian, Mississippi, through Alabama, and into Georgia. Adams participated in the campaigns around Atlanta, where he joined the Army of Tennessee at Resaca [and] . . . commanded his brigade in constant service during the memorable one hundred days’ battle from Dalton to Atlanta, including the battle about the Gate City.7

Union officers praised the performance of Adams and his men, despite being the victims of their actions. The Union troops said of their foes, On Hood’s movement from Palmetto, near Atlanta, to Dalton, Adams’s Brigade captured many prisoners. It was in advance much of the time on the memorable march of Hood’s advance into Tennessee.8 The purpose of the march, according to numerous sources, was to lead Sherman northward from Georgia.

On November 30, 1864, Adams joined thousands of other Confederates in pursuing Union troops who had escaped a seemingly perfect trap in Spring Hill, Tennessee the previous night and early on the morning of the thirtieth. That afternoon, the Confederate forces arrived at the outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee and observed Union troops entrenched in a strong defensive position. The decision was made to attack the Union lines, an order that the Confederate commander, John Bell Hood, would have to defend the remainder of his life, just as his supporters have to do to this day.

Confederate Military History noted that Brig. Gen. John Adams shared a similar fate to that of his West Point roommate, George Pickett, in that he would reach the pinnacle of his fame in a desperate but unsuccessful charge.9 While Pickett’s name would become synonymous with the carnage that met his Confederates at Gettysburg, he survived the charge and the remainder of the Civil War. Adams would be far less fortunate.

At approximately 4:00 P.M., Adams’ brigade, consisting of the Sixth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-Third, and Forty-Third Mississippi infantry regiments, advanced from the rear and east of the McGavock home, commonly known as Carnton. Adams’ troops belonged to Loring’s Division of Stewart’s Corps at the time of the movement. It was noted, Gen. Adams was about ten paces in front of his line of battle, and thus led his troops for about half a mile. Capt. Thomas Gibson, Adams’s cousin and a member of his staff, says that he was calm and self possessed, vigilantly watching and directing the movements of his men.10

Adams was severely wounded in his right arm, near the shoulder, and was urged to move to the safety of the rear lines. However, he refused to abandon his men, reportedly saying, No, I am going to see my men through.11 His decision would soon prove fatal.

Seventeen years after the battle, Lt. Col. Edward Adams Baker, a member of the Sixty-Fifth Indiana Infantry, a unit positioned near the point Adams was attacking, wrote to Mrs. Adams, detailing the ensuing events. In June of 1997, his letter was published in a Confederate Veteran tribute to Brigadier General Adams.

Baker wrote, The battle of Franklin was one of the most desperate contests of the war . . . the enemy was within a few paces and received a terrific volley from our guns . . . their decimated ranks fell back to reform and come again. Baker explained that nine separate and distinct charges were made, each time men falling in every direction and each time being repulsed.12

Baker noted the tragic events that followed. Gen. Adams rode up to our works and, cheering his men, made an attempt to lead his horse over them. The horse fell dead upon the top of the embankment and the General was caught under him, pierced by nine bullets.13

According to Baker, As soon as the charge was repulsed our men sprang upon the works and lifted the horse, while others dragged the General from under him. He was perfectly conscious, and knew his fate. The story continued that Adams asked for water and was given a canteen to drink from while a Union soldier brought an armload of cotton from an old gin nearby and made him a pillow.14

Adams reportedly stated, It is the fate of a soldier to die for his country. Soon after making his proclamation, Brig. Gen. John Adams passed away.15

Adams’ advance was so near the point of success that the front legs of his horse were on the Federal side of the earthworks while the rear legs were on the Confederate side. John McQuaide, a veteran of the battle, substantiated this in noting that while he assisted in moving the general’s body, the horse’s front legs were inside the inner line of the Federal works. Pvt. John M. Payne, a member of the Fourteenth Mississippi, a unit in Adams’ brigade, recalled that Adams was shot while near him and that his horse fell across the breastworks.16

Another Federal soldier, J. S. Casemate, returned the saddle from Adams’ horse to Mrs. Adams several years after the battle of Franklin. He strongly wished that he also had the power to return the gallant rider! Casemate stated. There was not a man in my command that witnessed the gallant rider that did not express his admiration of the rider and wish that he might have lived long to wear the honors that he so gallantly won.17

Yet another witness to the death of Adams proclaimed, I have long been of the opinion that the conduct of Gen. John Adams at the battle of Franklin was the most gallant action of the war.18

Adams was one of six Confederate generals killed at Franklin. The thirty-nine-year-old general was among the 450 members of his brigade who were killed or wounded in the battle. A major reason for the heavy losses was the fact that most of the fighting took place as the sun was setting and had already set, and with the opposing lines located only a few feet from one another.19

Brig. Gen. John Adams was buried in the Maplewood Cemetery in Adams’ hometown of Pulaski, Tennessee.

Chapter 2

James Patton Anderson, C.S.A.

1822-72

James Anderson002_upsized.tiff

James Patton Anderson was born in the Franklin County, Tennessee town of Winchester on February 16, 1822. Known as Patton among family members and friends, he was one of seven children of Margaret and William Preston Anderson, a War of 1812 veteran. Patton spent his early years on the family farm, but his idyllic lifestyle came to an abrupt end when William Preston Anderson passed away in April of 1831.1

Following his father’s death, Patton moved with his family to Kentucky, where they lived with his grandfather. Patton’s mother eventually married Dr. Joseph Bybee. Dr. Bybee felt it to be in Patton’s best interest to pursue an education at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1836 young Patton honored his stepfather’s request and entered that institution. Financial problems led to Anderson’s difficult decision to postpone his education, and he returned to the South in 1838, moving with his family to DeSoto County, Mississippi. Evidently, their circumstances improved, as Anderson returned to Jefferson College in April 1839 and graduated in 1840.2

A subsequent move carried Anderson to Kentucky, where he began to study law at Montrose Law School in Frankfort. Upon graduation, Anderson relocated to Mississippi, where he passed the bar in 1843. With his credentials in hand, he established a law practice in Hernando, Mississippi. The young lawyer formed a partnership and maintained his practice through 1847.3 As financial problems had delayed Anderson’s completion of college, the advent of war brought about a change in Anderson’s career plan.

An early biographer proclaimed that Anderson answered the first call for troops to Mexico, raising a company of Mississippi volunteers. Initially, Anderson was made a captain in the group, but he was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel. His leadership of a battalion of the Mississippi Rifles proved a good school for him in the military art, especially since he had not had the advantages of an education at the United States Military Academy. One historian said that the good use Anderson made of the opportunities in that practical military training school became fully apparent a little more than a decade later when he assumed a leadership role during the American Civil War.4 Anderson held his position of lieutenant colonel until the conclusion of the Mexican War.

Patton Anderson used his popularity and leadership skills from his military experiences to run for and win a political position. In the fall of 1849 he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives and took his seat in 1850. It was at this time that he became familiar with Jefferson Davis,5 the man who would later serve as president of the Confederate States of America.

Anderson moved to the Washington Territory in 1853 and established a residence in Olympia, where he was appointed the territorial marshal on July 4, the first civil officer appointed to that locality. That same year he married Henrietta Buford Adair, his cousin. From 1855 to 1857 Anderson served as a Democratic delegate to the U.S. Congress. In 1857 Pres. James Buchanan offered, but Anderson declined, the governor’s job for the Washington Territory. Anderson moved to Florida, where he lived on his plantation near Monticello in Jefferson County.6

Anderson’s political power and leadership skills led to major developments for him in the Sunshine State. Primarily he was one of three delegates appointed to the Florida secession convention. Upon the state’s withdrawal from the United States, the Florida governor expressed his desire for Anderson to raise a regiment of troops for the Confederate States. When this was accomplished, Anderson was, without opposition, elected colonel of the First Florida Regiment, having earlier been named captain of the Jefferson Rifles. Anderson, who was a brigadier general by mid-February of 1862, was ordered to Jackson, Tennessee in March of that year. He proceeded to Corinth, Mississippi, and soon led a brigade from Bragg’s Division at Shiloh, where troops from Florida, Texas, and Louisiana followed him into battle.7

The following months saw Anderson commanding troops throughout Kentucky and Tennessee. Perryville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and his childhood home of Winchester served as sites where Anderson and his brigade conducted various military operations. During their stay in Winchester, he was able to visit his father’s gravesite for the first time in several years. Following the battle of Murfreesboro (or Stone’s River), in which Anderson led Col. Edward Walthall’s brigade, Anderson commanded the entire division for a month due to his superior being incapacitated.8

Anderson later moved his troops to Chattanooga and again led his division into battle at Missionary Ridge. On February 9, 1864, the newly promoted Maj. Gen. James Patton Anderson was assigned to lead Breckinridge’s Division in the Army of Tennessee, Provisional Army. The role was shortlived, as Anderson was appointed to command the Florida District a week later.9

On July 25, 1864, Braxton Bragg ordered Anderson to Atlanta without delay for the purpose of supporting General Hood. Five days later, Anderson again assumed command of his old division, comprised of Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina regiments. During the following weeks, he led his troops into action at Ezra Church, at Utoy Creek, through the siege of Atlanta, and at Jonesboro (or Jonesborough). At the latter location, he was severely wounded and was absent from his command until March of 1865.10

More than thirty years after Anderson’s wounding, the incident was recalled in a Confederate Veteran article. The reporter stated, At Jonesboro, under a hailstorm of bullets, Gen. Anderson was shot. . . . He lived several years, but never recovered from the painful wound. One source reported that Anderson’s wound was to his jaw, almost severing his tongue, while another recalled the wound was to his upper chest. Regardless, the severity of the wound would hamper Anderson the remainder of his life and he was unable to work actively because of his war wound.11

Anderson’s return was deemed premature, even at that time, as his doctor advised him against assuming a new command. Anderson did in fact return to military service, taking over Taliaferro’s division in North Carolina. He held that position until the war ended and the division surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina.12

When the war concluded, Anderson returned to his home state of Tennessee, where he resided in Memphis and exhibited his animosity toward the Reconstruction policies of the era by refusing to sign his presidential pardon. Financially devastated, Anderson tried his hand at collecting delinquent taxes in Shelby County, Tennessee, participating in the insurance business, and serving as the editor of an agricultural publication.13

On September 20, 1872, James Patton Anderson passed away in Memphis. His body was buried in a plot in Elmwood Cemetery in the same city. His widow lived another forty-five years before she died and was buried beside him.14

The Memphis Appeal paid a wonderful tribute to General Anderson following his death. The article stated:

Gen. Anderson was the soul of honor and integrity, a few ever lived whose personal qualities attracted so many warm friendships. His generosity was only limited by his means. He united the bravery of a lion with the gentleness of a woman. He never evaded a personal or public obligation or responsibility, nor turned his back on a friend. A purer man in thought and action never lived. He would not have accepted the highest station in the world at the cost of his consistency; . . . wealth . . . could not have corrupted him . . . he gave