American Civil War
Biographies

Robert Ransom Jr. (February 12, 1828 – January 14, 1892) was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. His brother Matt W. Ransom was also a Confederate general officer and U.S. Senator. Ransom was born in Warren County, North Carolina to Robert…

Alexander William Campbell (June 4, 1828 – June 13, 1893), was a Confederate States Army Brigadier General during the American Civil War. He was a lawyer in Tennessee before and after the war, mayor of Jackson, Tennessee, 1856,…

Most famous for serving as the vice president of the Confederacy during the Civil War (1861-65), Alexander Hamilton Stephens was a near-constant force in state and national politics for a half-century. Born near Crawfordville, in…

Daniel Smith Donelson (June 23, 1801 – April 17, 1863) was a Tennessee politician and soldier. The historic river port of Fort Donelson was named for him as a Brigadier in the Tennessee militia, early…

Alexander Peter Stewart “Old Straight” (October 2, 1821 – August 30, 1908) was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.   Early life and…

Born on February 6, 1833, James Ewell Brown (“Jeb”) Stuart was one of the more colorful cavaliers in the Army of Northern Virginia. Stuart enrolled at the the US Military Academy at West Point and graduated in…

Legendary Rebel Lies In Remote Grave The Dallas Morning News, March 27, 1965 By Thomas E. Turner, Central Texas Bureau Of The News Maysfield, Milam County — The ancient but neat Little River Cemetery is…

American soldier, lawyer, and politician from Paris, Texas, United States. He was a Major General for the Confederacy in the Civil War and later represented Texas in the U.S. Senate. Early life Samuel was born…

George Wythe Randolph was a lawyer, Confederate general, and, briefly, Confederate secretary of war during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The grandson of former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, Randolph hailed from an elite Virginia family…

On the front line The outbreak of the Civil War challenged traditional American notions of feminine submissiveness and domesticity with hundreds of examples of courage, diligence, and self-sacrifice in battle. The war was a formative moment…

Robert Hopkins Hatton (November 2, 1826 – May 31, 1862) was a lawyer, politician, United States Congressman, and Confederate officer during the American Civil War.

John Y. Beall was a Confederate navy officer hanged as a spy by Union authorities at the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865). A militiaman who witnessed the execution of John Brown in 1859,…

Horace King was the most respected bridge builder in west Georgia, Alabama, and northeast Mississippi from the 1830s until the 1880s. He constructed massive town lattice truss bridges over nearly every major river from the…

James Ronald Chalmers (January 11, 1831 – April 9, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician, a state senator in Mississippi, and United States Congressman for several terms from the state’s 6th congressional district, beginning…

 (January 12, 1814 – March 13, 1890) was a United States Army officer who fought during the Mexican–American War and later served as a Confederate major general during the American Civil War. He also was…

John W. “Jack” Hinson was a man who found himself firmly on both sides at the outset of the Civil War. He claimed neutrality and achieved it by giving intelligence reports to both sides, including one…

The following is taken from General Robert E. Lee After Appomattox, edited by Franklin L. Riley (New York, 1922), pp. 182–95. Following, this contribution appeared in the “Lee Memorial Number” of the Wake Forest Student,…

He was a slave, soldier, cowboy, and perhaps the greatest big game hunter in United States history. And he influenced the popularity and nickname of our most beloved President. The little known story of Holt…

Colonel John Singleton Mosby, son of Alfred D. Mosby. of Amherst county, was born December 6, 1833, at Edgemont, Powhatan county, the residence of his maternal grandfather, Rev. McLaurin. At the age of sixteen years,…

Forty-one-year-old Robert Selden Garnett was a newly minted brigadier general in the Confederate army when he was sent to western Virginia in June 1861 to command the Department of Northwestern Virginia.

On May 25, 1843, Sam Houston, Jr. was the first of eight children born to General Sam Houston and Margaret Lea. Sickly when he was born at Washington-on-the Brazos, Texas, he improved so that his…

(October 15, 1836 – March 29, 1910) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and later an officer in the Spanish American War and railroad construction engineer. A favorite of J.E.B. Stuart, he…

Berry Benson was born on February 9th, 1843 in Hamburg, South Carolina, just across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. In 1860 Berry Benson enlisted with his brother in a local militia unit aged 17…

Overview Born near Hodgenville, Ky. on February 12, 1809, Lincoln was the central figure of the Civil War, and is regarded by many historians and laymen as not only the foremost of our presidents but…

Overview The idol of the South to this day, Virginian Robert E. Lee had some difficulty in adjusting to the new form of warfare that unfolded with the Civil war, but this did not prevent…

Overview Kearny was born in New York, 2 June 2, 1815 and after his mother died when he was 9, he spent his childhood and youth with his maternal grandfather, a man of wealth and…

Overview Petty considerations over rank and military etiquette and wounds cost the Confederacy, for lengthy periods, the services of one of its most effective, top commanders, Joseph E. Johnston. The Virginia native and West Pointer…

Overview At the beginning of the Civil War it was almost universally agreed that the finest soldier, North or South, was Albert Sidney Johnston. But his Civil War career was a definite disappointment to the…

Overview Next to Robert E. Lee himself, Thomas J. Jackson is the most revered of all Confederate commanders. A graduate of West Point (1846), he had served in the artillery in the Mexican War, earning…

Overview A transplanted New Yorker, Jedediah Hotchkiss became the most famous of Confederate topographers. After a tour of Virginia in the late 1840s he settled there and founded an academy. In 1861 he gave up…

Overview One of the most immodest and immoral of the high Union commanders, “Fighting Joe” Hooker frequently felt slighted by his superiors and requested to be relieved of duty. The Massachusetts native and West Pointer…

Overview Criticism of his army commander, Braxton Bragg, to Jefferson Davis cost South Carolinian West Pointer (1842) Daniel H. Hill his corps command and his promotion to lieutenant general in the Confederate army. Posted to…

Overview Known for his red battle shirt and his hard-hitting attacks at the head of the famed Light Division, Ambrose P. Hill proved to be an example of the Peter principle. Military In reserve at…

Overview Graduating at the very bottom of his 1847 class at West Point, Henry Heth served 14 years on frontier duty before resigning his infantry captaincy on April 25, 1861, to serve his native Virginia….

Overview Born in Manheim, Pa. on Sept 30,1805, Heintzelman devoted over 4 decades to the service of his country, rising from 2d lieutenant to major general and corps commander in the Civil War. While his…

Overview Problems with Braxton Bragg affected only slightly the outstanding record of the premier lieutenant general to serve in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. By the time that this Georgian West Pointer (1838) resigned as…

Overview Born in Montgomery  Square, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1824, and although named for America’s top military hero of the day, Winfield Scott Hancock was not originally intended for a military career; nevertheless he was destined…

Overview The Civil War career of the much-maligned Union commander in chief and chief of staff, Henry W. Halleck, was summarized by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles as he “originates nothing, anticipates nothing. ….

Overview Born in Port Tobbaco, Maryland, as a teenager O’Neal moved from her family’s Maryland farm to her aunt’s fashionable boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. Personable, intelligent, and outgoing, she adapted easily to the social scene…

Overview Born in Mount Pleasant, Pa., December 30, 1819, Geary was a man equally at home in politics and the military. He was a student at Jefferson College in Canons-burg, Pa., when the death of…

Overview The best evidence of the changes that had occurred in warfare from Jomini to Clausewitz can be found in the campaigns of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. The latter was born Hiram…

Overview Born in Upson City, Georgia, February 6, 1832 he attended the University of Georgia but dropped out to study law and become a member of the Atlanta Bar. A civilian turned soldier, John B….

Overview Born in Savannah, Georgia on January 21, 1813, Fremont was one four major generals appointed by President Lincoln, he was easily the most celebrated. As a Union general, Fremont’s major Civil War contribution was…

Born: July 13, 1821, Bedford County, TN Died: October 29, 1877, Memphis, TN Buried: Health Sciences Park, Memphis, TN Battles and wars: American Civil War, Battle of Fort Donelson, MORE Children: William Montgomery Bedford Forrest, Fanny Ann Forrest Overview With no formal military training, Nathan…

Born: July 30, 1837, Michigan Died: July 3, 1863, Gettysburg, PA Education: University of Michigan Years of service: 1861–1863 Battles and wars: Utah War, American Civil War, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg Overview Elon Farnsworth was an officer who experienced a meteoric rise to…

Born: February 8, 1817, Georgetown, D.C. Died: January 25, 1872, Spring Hill, TN Education: United States Military Academy Battles and wars: Battle of Contreras, Battle of Churubusco, MORE Siblings: Benjamin Stoddert Ewell Place of burial: Nashville City Cemetery, Nashville, TN, Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, VA Overview…

Born: February 25, 1833, Stewart County, GA Died: July 2, 1911, Atlanta, GA Education: Augusta Law School Battles and wars: American Civil War, Seven Days Battles, MORE Overview A Georgia lawyer and politician, Clement A. Evans became a division commander in the last…

Born: December 1841, Magaguadavic, Canada Died: September 5, 1898, La Porte, TX Spouse: Linnus. H. Seelye (m. 1867–1898) Years of service: 1861–1865 Education: Oberlin College Overview Emma Edmonds was one of approximately 400 women who succeeded in enlisting in the army (either…

Born: November 3, 1816, Franklin County, VA Died: March 2, 1894, Lynchburg, VA Resting place: Lynchburg Battles and wars: Seminole Wars, Mexican–American War, MORE Siblings: Richard Early, Anne Letitia Early, Robert Hairston Early, MORE Overview Always an irascible officer, Jubal A. Early suffered overwhelming defeats in the…

Born: April 4, 1802, Hampden, ME Died: July 17, 1887, Trenton, NJ Buried: Mount Auburn Cemetery, MA Life A noted social reformer, Dix became the Union’s Superintendent of Female Nurses during the Civil War. The soft spoken yet autocratic crusader…

Jefferson Davis Born: June 3, 1808, Kentucky Died: December 6, 1889, New Orleans, LA Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis was born June 3, 1808, in that portion of Christian county, Kentucky, which…

Born: December 5, 1839, New Rumley, OH Died: June 25, 1876, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, MT Spouse: Elizabeth Bacon Custer (m. 1864–1876) Place of burial: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY, Woodland Cemetery, Monroe, MI Overview Although better known for his…

Born: June 5, 1825, Lincoln County, GA Died: February 12, 1903, Asheville, NC Education: University of Georgia, Harvard Law School Life Although he played an active role in the events of 1861-65, Jabez L. M. Curry’s greatest service to the South…

Born: June 13, 1809, Leesburg, VA Died: March 20, 1895, Detroit, MI Place of burial: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, MI Battles and wars: Black Hawk War, Mexican–American War, MORE Children: Flora Cooke, John Rogers Cooke Life Born in Leesburg, Virginia, June 13, 1809, the U.S. Army…

Born: August 13, 1851, Newark, OH Died: May 13, 1937, San Antonio, TX Years of service: 1863–1864, 1871–1915 Place of burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA Awards: Civil War Campaign Medal, Indian Campaign Medal, Spanish War Service Medal Battles and wars: American Civil War, Battle of…

Born: March 1828, Killumney, Ireland Died: November 30, 1864, Franklin, TN Place of burial: Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena-West Helena, AR Unit: 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot Years of service: 1846–1849; 1861–1864 Battles and wars: American Civil War, Battle of Shiloh, MORE Life The most popular…

Born: September 8, 1828, Brewer, ME Died: February 24, 1914, Portland, ME Buried: Pine Grove Cemetery, Brunswick, ME Life A Bowdoin College professor, Joshua L. Chamberlain went to the Maine state capital to offer his services in 1862. Offered the…

Born: October 20, 1820, Nashville, TN Died: September 4, 1886, Nashville, TN Place of burial: Mount Olivet Funeral Home & Cemetery, Nashville, TN Battles and wars: Mexican–American War, American Civil War, MORE Life Serving throughout the Civil War in what would become the…

Born: May 23, 1824, Liberty, IN Died: September 13, 1881, Bristol, RI Nickname: Burn Spouse: Mary Richmond Bishop (m. 1852–1876) Battles and wars: Mexican–American War, American Civil War, MORE Life If there is any mitigating circumstance in the failure of Ambrose E.Burnside as commander…

Born: January 13, 1807, Woodford County, KY Died: March 28, 1883, Chicago, IL Battles and wars: American Civil War Service/branch: United States Army (Union Army) Allegiance: United States (Union) Siblings: John Buford Education: United States Military Academy, Harvard University Life In spite of a truly military name,…

Born: March 4, 1826, Woodford County, KY Died: December 16, 1863, Washington, D.C. Place of burial: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY Education: United States Military Academy Battles and wars: Utah War, American Civil War, MORE Siblings: Napoleon Bonaparte Buford, Helen Buford, Thomas Jefferson Buford, James Monroe Buford…

Born: March 23, 1818, Lowell, OH Died: November 19, 1898, Rockport, KY Nickname: The McClellan of the West Place of burial: Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, MO Battles and wars: Seminole Wars, Mexican–American War, MORE Life A highly capable organizer and administrator, Don Carlos Buell…

Born: October 31, 1831, Utica, NY Died: July 17, 1901, Cold Spring, NY Place of burial: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY Parents: John Butterfield Education: Union College Overview Thoroughly hated by his fellow officers, Daniel Butterfield was wounded at Gettysburg and…

Born: April 1, 1823, Kentucky Died: January 8, 1914, Hart County, KY Place of burial: Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY Education: United States Military Academy Children: Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. Spouse: Delia Clairborne (m. 1885), Mary Kingsbury (m. 1850) Overview The organizer of the Kentucky State Guard,…

Born: September 6, 1824, Phelps, NY Died: March 31, 1893, Washington, D.C. Other work: Inventor Place of burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA Battles and wars: American Civil War Commands helds: 2nd United States Sharpshooters, 1st United States Sharpshooters Overview The guiding force behind…

Born: May 28, 1818, St. Bernard Parish, LA Died: February 20, 1893, New Orleans, LA Buried: Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, LA Spouse: Marie Antoinette Laure Villeré (m. 1841–1850), Marguerite Caroline Deslonde (m. ?–1864) Battles and wars: Battle of Contreras, Battle of Churubusco, MORE Overview The services…

Born: May 9, 1800, Torrington, CT Died: December 2, 1859, Charles Town, WV Buried: December 8, 1859, John Brown Farm State Historic Site, North Elba, NY Known for: Involvement in Bleeding Kansas; raid on federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia Children: Owen Brown, Salmon Brown, John Brown Junior, MORE…

Born: March 22, 1817, Warrenton, NC Died: September 27, 1876, Galveston, TX Spouse: Eliza Brooks Ellis (m. 1849–1876) Education: United States Military Academy Buried: Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, AL Battles and wars: Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War, MORE Overview Of the eight men who reached the…

Born: August 11, 1811, Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands Died: May 6, 1884, Paris, France Place of burial: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France Overview US Senator, Confederate attorney general, secretary of war, and secretary of state. Born a British subject in…

Born: December 25, 1821, North Oxford, Oxford, MA Died: April 12, 1912, Glen Echo, MD Education: Clinton Liberal Institute Nicknames: Clara, The Angel of the Battlefield Life The youngest of 5 children in a middle-class family, Barton was educated at home,…

Born: January 30, 1816, Waltham, MA Died: September 1, 1894, Waltham, MA Speaker: James G. Blaine Battles and wars: American Civil War Place of burial: Grove Hill Cemetery, Waltham, MA Education: Harvard College Overview Of the 14 Union officers who received the Thanks…

Born: May 6, 1825, Morgan County, OH Died: March 21, 1867, Nevada, MO Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Battles and wars: American Civil War Commands helds: 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, XIX Corps, 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment Service/branches: United States Army, Union Army Overview An…

Born: February 18, 1817, New Bern, NC Died: July 5, 1863, Gettysburg, PA Buried: Old Saint Pauls Cemetery, Baltimore, MD Battles and wars: Battle of Chapultepec, Mohave War, MORE Uncle: George Armistead Wife: Cornelia Taliaferro Jamison wikipedia.org Overview Lewis A. Armistead nearly scuttled his military career…

Born: December 19, 1817, Havre de Grace, MD Died: October 24, 1864, Richmond, VA Place of burial: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA Education: Princeton University Units: Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen, 9th Infantry Regiment Battles and wars: Mexican–American War, Battle of Chapultepec, MORE Overview A lawyer…

Born: June 14, 1805, Louisville, KY Died: October 26, 1871, Nice, France Battles/wars: Black Hawk War; Second Seminole War; Mexican–American War; Spouse: Eliza Bayard Clinch Place of burial: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY Battles and wars: Black Hawk War, Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War, American Civil War, Battle…