Colonel Harvey Washington Walter (1819–1878) was an American lawyer and railroad business executive. He served as the President of the

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad operating over 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, to Grand Junction, Tennessee, owned by Pioneer Railcorp. The railroad's principal commodities are wood products and ...

. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he invited Union General

Ulysses Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

and his wife,

Julia Grant Julia Boggs Grant (née Dent; January 26, 1826 – December 14, 1902) was the first lady of the United States and wife of President Ulysses S. Grant. As first lady, she became a national figure in her own right. Her memoirs, '' The Personal Memo ...

, to stay in his mansion, Walter Place. He succumbed to the

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

after turning it into a hospital for patients in 1878.

Early life

Harvey Washington Walter was born in

Fairfield, Ohio Fairfield is a suburban city located in both Butler and Hamilton counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Fairfield is located approximately 25 miles north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was ...

on May 21, 1819.

Career

Walter moved to

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the southern border of Tennessee. Near the Mississippi Delta, the area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations and was dep ...

, where he practised the Law. He also served as the President of the

. During the Civil War, Colonel Walter served as a Judge Advocate under General Bragg 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 ...

. However, he was staunchly opposed to secession, and he invited Union General

and his wife,

, to stay in his house for the duration of the war. When Confederate General

Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) started his military career as a United States Army officer but joined Confederate forces in 1861 after the Civil War broke out. He was a major general when he was killed in a private conflict. A g ...

liberated Holly Springs, Walter forbid him to enter the house until Julia Grant has gone out. To thank him, the Union Army did not ransack the house. Julia Dent Grant's version of this story, as published in her memoirs, differs slightly. She wrote that she had actually left Holly Springs and was en route to join her husband when the Confederate soldiers took over the town. She goes on to say that Van Dorn's men wanted to take her belongings, but were refused access to the Walter's house, but they did burn her coach and take the horses. Van Dorn's intention was not to liberate the town but to destroy

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

that may have been of benefit to the Union troops and then withdraw. In 1878, Walter turned his mansion into a hospital for patients with the

. He sent away his wife and youngest children, but his three sons remained to help. All four died of the disease within a week of each other

Personal life

Walter married Fredonia Brown (1830-1898). They had five sons and five daughters. Walter Place, Holly Springs, Mississippi

In 1858–1860, he commissioned architect

Spires Boling Spires Boling (1812–1880), whose name is often misspelled as Spires Bolling, was a slaveowner, master builder, architect, and distillery founder in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He is known for holding the journalist Ida B. Wells and her family i ...

to build Walter Place, a mansion in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

Death and legacy

Walter died of yellow fever in 1878. He was buried at the

Hillcrest Cemetery Hillcrest Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States. Established in 1837, it is known as the "Little Arlington of the South." It contains the burials of five Confederate generals. Location The cemetery is locat ...

in Holly Springs, Mississippi. His mansion, Walter Place, was inherited by his widow until it was acquired by his son-in-law, Oscar Johnson Sr., the co-founder of the

International Shoe Company Furniture Brands International, Inc., was a Clayton, Missouri-based home furnishings company. Some of the brands it owned in the furniture industry included Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville, Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Hickory Chair, Pearson, Laneventu ...

and husband of daughter Irene, in 1889.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Harvey Washington 1819 births 1878 deaths People from Fairfield, Ohio People from Holly Springs, Mississippi Businesspeople from Mississippi 19th-century American railroad executives Confederate States Army officers Deaths from yellow fever 19th-century American lawyers