Charles Courtenay Tew (October 17, 1827 – September 17, 1862) was a

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 of ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and was killed in action at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

during 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 th ...

Early life

Tew was born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

to Henry Slade Tew and Caroline Courtenay. Tew's paternal ancestry was

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

and his maternal grandfather was a native of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Tew was one of twenty cadets initially admitted to the new South Carolina Military Academy in 1843, now known as The Citadel. Tew graduated first in his class in 1846, becoming both the first graduate of the school and the first honor graduate. Upon graduation, he took a position as a professor at the Citadel Academy until 1852, when he then traveled to Europe for a year and studied military tactics. After returning from Europe he was made

Commandant of Cadets The Commandant of Cadets is the officer in charge of the cadets at an academy. Lists include: * List of commandants of cadets of the United States Air Force Academy * List of commandants of cadets of the United States Military Academy The Comm ...

, in 1857 was appointed superintendent of the Arsenal Academy in

Columbia, SC Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

, the SCMAs 'second campus'. In 1859 Tew founded the

Hillsborough Military Academy North Carolina Polytechnic Academy, founded as Hillsborough Military Academy and also known as North Carolina Military Academy, was a school in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Col. Charles C. Tew CSA founded Hillsborough Military Academy. He was ...

in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Civil War

When North Carolina seceded, the first two colonels appointed by Governor

John Willis Ellis John Willis Ellis (November 23, 1820 – July 7, 1861) was the 35th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1859 to 1861. He was born in Rowan County, North Carolina. Ellis attended the University of North Carolina, studied law under ...

were Tew and

D.H. Hill Lieutenant-General Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil War ...

. Tew was commissioned to the 2nd North Carolina State Troops, which, during the Peninsula Campaign was attached to the

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. Br ...

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 to ...

George B. Anderson George Burgwyn Anderson (April 12, 1831 – October 17, 1862) was a career military officer, serving first in the antebellum U.S. Army and then dying from wounds inflicted during the American Civil War while a general officer in the Confede ...

in the Army of Northern Virginia. Tew took part in the Peninsula Campaign, the Northern Virginia Campaign, and the Maryland Campaign. Tew was killed-in-action at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, while leading his regiment, the 2nd North Carolina State Troops.

Antietam

During the mid-day portion of the Battle of Antietam at the Sunken Road, Tew took command of Anderson's brigade after Anderson fell mortally wounded. Tew was speaking with Col.

John B. Gordon John Brown Gordon () was an attorney, a slaveholding plantation owner, general in the Confederate States Army, and politician in the postwar years. By the end of the Civil War, he had become "one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals." Af ...

of the 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment on the Sunken Road (the famed Bloody Lane) along the Confederate line when both men were struck. Gordon later wrote -

"The first volley from the Union lines in my front sent a ball through the brain of the chivalric Colonel Tew, of North Carolina, to whom I was talking, and another ball through the calf of my right leg. On the right and the left my men were falling under the death-dealing crossfire like trees in a hurricane...."

Capt. Matthew Manly of Company D, 2nd North Carolina wrote -

"During the battle in this bloody lane Colonel Charles Courtenay Tew was killed, his body falling into the hands of the enemy . . . . He was shot through the head and placed in the sunken road . . . Here he was found, apparently unconscious, the blood streaming from a wound in the head, with his sword held in both hands across his knees. A Federal soldier attempted to take the sword from him, but he drew it toward his body with his last remaining strength, and then his grasp relaxed and he fell forward, dead."

Tew was shot through both temples, but evidently did not die immediately. His body was ostensibly pulled down into the Sunken Road after he was struck. When the Confederates were forced to retreat from the Sunken Road, Tew's body was never identified or recovered.

Tew's fate and legacy

Many conflicting stories and rumors were spread concerning Tew's fate. A prominent one was that Tew was alive and a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Tew's father went to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and received permission to visit the prison but he was unable to locate him. His place of burial remains unknown. In October 1874, a Union veteran, Capt. J. W. Bean, sent a silver cup, which had been taken from Tew's body, to Tew's father. Bean's letter also informed Tew's father that he had buried Tew on the field. Tew's sword (presented by the cadets of The Arsenal, the Columbia, SC campus of the SCMA, and inscribed with his name) and his watch were never returned to his family. A photograph taken by Alexander Gardner was believed to contain an image of Tew's body. The photograph, often called
Dead at Bloody Lane
shows a Confederate officer in the bottom right of the photo, lying on his back against the bank of the Sunken Road. Further research confirmed that picture was taken from a point further up the hill and not near the intersection of Bloody lane and the Roulette Farm lane which is where Tew was killed. Recently The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina announced that the Tew Sword had been identified by the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

unit 33 Signal Regiment of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, and would be returned to the school on Friday, September 18, 2015 prior to a Dress Parade by the Corps of Cadets. The exchange took place in a ceremony at 1:30pm, 16 Sept 2015, at the spot Col Tew fell on The Bloody Lane.

References

Bibliography * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tew, Charles Courtenay 1827 births 1862 deaths American people of Irish descent American people of French descent Confederate States Army officers Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War Military personnel from Charleston, South Carolina People from Hillsborough, North Carolina People of North Carolina in the American Civil War People of South Carolina in the American Civil War The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina faculty The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina staff