Alfred Cumming (January 30, 1829 – December 5, 1910) was a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
for the
Confederacy in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
Early life
Born in
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...
, he was the son of
Henry Harford Cumming
Henry Harford Cumming (1799–1866) was an important figure in antebellum Augusta, Georgia.
His main business was in cotton but he also engaged J. Edgar Thomson to design the Augusta Canal, in order to run his mills and had started a law firm wi ...
, a cotton magnate, and Julia Ann (Bryan) Cumming. At twenty, he graduated from
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, ranking 35th in his class of 43. In the prewar
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
, he served mainly in the West, including two years in
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
as an aide to
Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
David E. Twiggs. Later he accompanied
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...
's expedition to
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...
, where he aided his uncle,
Alfred Cumming (the
Governor of Utah
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
) in the
Utah War
The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the US go ...
.
Civil War
![Flag of the Cummings Brigade](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Flag_of_the_Cummings_Brigade.svg)
In January 1861, he resigned a captaincy in the
10th United States Infantry to accept the
Lieutenant Colonelcy of the Augusta Volunteer Battalion. He soon resigned that position to become
major of the 1st Georgia Infantry. By June, he was the Lieutenant Colonel of the
10th Georgia Infantry Regiment and four months later its
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
, succeeding
Lafayette McLaws
Lafayette McLaws ( ; January 15, 1821 – July 24, 1897) was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served at Antietam and Fredericksburg, where Robert E. Lee praised his defense of Marye's Heights, ...
. He served with distinction during the
Peninsula Campaign of 1862, including the
Battle of Yorktown, the
Battle of Savage's Station
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as the fourth of the Seven Days Battles ( Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general with ...
, and the
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. ...
, where he was wounded. His performance earned him the temporary command of an
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
B ...
prior to the
Maryland Campaign due to the illness of Brigadier General
Cadmus M. Wilcox
Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox (May 20, 1824 – December 2, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and also was a Confederate general during the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Wilcox was ...
.
On September 14, 1862, Cumming's brigade came up quickly to support troops under Brig. Gen.
Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 184 ...
, forced back from
Crampton's Gap
Crampton's Gap, also known as Crampton Gap, is a wind gap on South Mountain in Maryland.
The gap connects Burkittsville in the Middletown Valley to the east with Gapland and Rohrersville in the Pleasant Valley to the west.
Documentation o ...
by a Federal offensive. His promptness helped keep the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
advance from its objective,
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...
. He was awarded a brigadier general's star six weeks later. Afterward, Cumming went west: first to
Mobile
Mobile may refer to:
Places
* Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city
* Mobile County, Alabama
* Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S.
* Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Mobile ( ...
, then in April 1863 to
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
as a subordinate to
Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton
John Clifford Pemberton (August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He resigned his commission to serve as a Confederate Stat ...
. He led a brigade in
Maj. Gen.
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Carter L. Stevenson
Carter Littlepage Stevenson, Jr. (September 21, 1817 – August 15, 1888) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army in several antebellum wars and then in the Confederate States Army as a general in the Western Theater ...
's
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
at
Champion's Hill and in the actions outside
Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to:
* Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States
* The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign
* The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle
Vicksburg is also the name of ...
. Captured and paroled with the city's garrison, he reorganized Stevenson's old brigade at
Decatur, Georgia, in the fall of 1863 and led it gallantly at
Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, a ...
.
He was conspicuous in many actions during the
Atlanta Campaign, winning praise for several successful and unsuccessful attacks. At
Jonesboro, he was disabled by another wound.
Postbellum
In postwar years, he farmed in
Floyd County, Georgia
Floyd County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 98,584. The county seat is Rome.
Floyd County comprises the Rome, GA metropolitan statistical area.
...
before moving to
Rome, Georgia, and then to his native city.
Cumming died in
Rome, Georgia, and was buried in Summerville Cemetery.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
Confederate generals
__NOTOC__
*#Confederate-Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith, Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith
*#Confederate-Incomplete appointments, Incomplete appointments
*#Confederate-State militia generals, State militia generals
Th ...
Notes
References
* Eicher, John H., and
David J. Eicher
David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...
, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
* Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
*
Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
External links
*
Letter from Alfred Cumming to Stephen D. Lee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumming, Alfred
1829 births
1910 deaths
People from Augusta, Georgia
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army officers
Confederate States Army brigadier generals
People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War
Farmers from Georgia (U.S. state)
American Civil War prisoners of war