George William Brent (1821–1872), was a Virginia lawyer and politician, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. He represented Fauquier County and Rappahannock Counties in the Virginia Senate and Alexandria, Virginia in the

Virginia Secession Convention The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 was called in Richmond to determine whether Virginia would secede from the United States, to govern the state during a state of emergency, and to write a new Constitution for Virginia, which was subsequent ...

of 1861.

Early and family life

George William Brent was born in Alexandria, Virginia to George F. Brent (tax collector for the Port of Alexandria) and his wife Elizabeth Parsons Brent in August 1821. He studied law at the University of Virginia in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

and graduated in 1842. He married Cornelia D. Wood (1822-1848), daughter of Rice W. Wood and Sally Donahoe in Albemarle County on December 16, 1844. After her death, Brent married Lucy Goode (1830-1881), daughter of Dr. Thomas Goode, in

Bath County, Virginia Bath County is a United States county on the central western border of the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the West Virginia state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,209, the second-least populous county in Virginia. Bath's county ...

(where Dr. Goode operated a spa at the hot springs) on January 30, 1851. They had eight children, and Brent was ultimately survived by his widow Lucy, three sons and five daughters.

Career

The 1850 federal census at Turners in Fauquier County, Virginia, lists Brent after fellow lawyer B. H. Shackelford among about two dozen people at what seems a boardinghouse. In late 1851, voters elected Brent to the Virginia Senate to represent Fauquier County, Virginia and Rappahannock County, Virginia; he served one year before fellow lawyer and former Virginia delegate

James Keith Marshall James Keith Marshall (February 13, 1800 – December 2, 1862) was a Virginia planter and politician. He served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, including after Virginia declared its secession during the American Civil War. Early ...

won the seat. Brent also served on the board of visitors of the Virginia Military Institute in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

in 1852 and 1853. By the 1860 election, Brent had returned to his native Alexandria, Virginia. He unsuccessfully campaigned to become a presidential elector for Stephen A. Douglas. In 1861, Alexandria's voters elected Brent, a Unionist and pro-slavery, as the city's delegate to the

. Days after Virginia seceded despite his votes, on May 2, 1861, Brent fulfilled his promise to put the state's interests first and was commissioned a major in Company S, 17th Virginia Infantry. He served with the Army of Tennessee at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

. However, most of his service was as a staff officer and inspector, which earned him promotion to lieutenant colonel and full colonel. Brent served on the staff of Confederate Generals Braxton Bragg,

P. G. T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly ...

, and Joseph E. Johnston. By 1864, he was trying to reorganize the remaining Georgia railroads to assist Gen. Beauregard. He also reported on the condition of Richmond's hospitals. Brent surrendered with General Johnston and his troops in Greensboro, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.

Death

On April 27, 1870, Brent was among the many people severely injured when the floor of Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals collapsed in Richmond with 300 people in the chamber. Although he recovered from those injuries, about a year later, Brent caught typhus and pneumonia, and died at his home in Alexandria, age 51, as 1872 began. He was buried at Old St. Mary's Church in Alexandria. His wartime diary is variously listed at the archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society and

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brent, George William 1821 births 1872 deaths University of Virginia School of Law alumni Democratic Party Virginia state senators Virginia Secession Delegates of 1861 Confederate States Army officers People of Virginia in the American Civil War Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia Virginia lawyers 19th-century American legislators Lawyers from Alexandria, Virginia 19th-century American lawyers