Hiram Bronson Granbury (March 1, 1831 – November 30, 1864) was a lawyer and county judge in Texas before 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 ...

("Civil War"). He organized a volunteer company for 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 ...

after the outbreak of the Civil War and became its captain. He rose to the grade of

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 ...

in the Confederate army. Granbury was one of the six

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

generals killed at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.

Early life

Hiram Bronson Granbury was born in Copiah County, Mississippi, March 1, 1831.Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Gray,'' p. 114. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . He was the son of a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister. He was born Hiram Granberry, but upon reaching adulthood, by 1852 Granberry had changed the spelling of his name to Granbury. After being educated at Oakland College, near

Rodney, Mississippi Rodney is a former city in Jefferson County in southwest Mississippi, approximately northeast of Natchez. Rodney was founded in 1828, and in the 19th century, it was only three votes away from becoming the capital of the Mississippi Territor ...

, he moved to

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, in the early 1850s. Granbury studied law at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

in Waco, was admitted to the bar and served as chief justice of

McLennan County McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2021 county population estimate is 263,115. The county is ...

, Texas (a largely administrative position as head of the county court), from 1856 to 1858.Faust, Patricia L., ed., ''Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War,'' p. 317. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1986. Stanchak, John E., Article on "Hiram Granbury." . During that time, Granbury also served as secretary of Waco Masonic Lodge #92.

Civil War

Fort Donelson, capture, exchange

Upon the secession of Texas from the Union, Granbury organized the Waco Guards, a volunteer infantry company, and headed east to Kentucky with them as their first captain.Sifakis, Stewart, ''Who Was Who in the Civil War,'' p. 259. New York: Facts On File, 1988. . In October 1861, he was elected major of the 7th Texas Infantry Regiment. He was captured along with his regiment at the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

on February 16, 1862. Granbury was imprisoned at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor but was permitted to visit

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on parole in order to attend to his wife, who was to have an operation. He was freed in an exchange of prisoners on August 27, 1862 for two lieutenants. Almost immediately, on August 29, 1862, Granbury was promoted to colonel of the 7th Texas Infantry Regiment. He was temporarily without a command until January 1863 because the 7th Texas Infantry Regiment was not exchanged until November 1862 and was consolidated with two other regiments until January 1863.

Vicksburg campaign, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Atlanta campaign

Granbury and his regiment served in north Mississippi with

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia seceded ...

’s

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...

during the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

. Colonel Granbury led the regiment in the battles of

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

. Granbury fought and was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga. He then participated in the Siege of Chattanooga and the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...

. When

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 ...

James Argyle Smith James Argyle Smith (July 1, 1831 – December 6, 1901) was a United States Army officer, and a graduate of West Point. He is known for being a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War, his works in the educational system in Mississipp ...

was wounded at Chattanooga, Granbury led the brigade in the retreat from Chattanooga. Division commander,

Major General 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 ...

Patrick R. Cleburne, commended Colonel Granbury for his handling of the brigade.

Battle of Franklin, death

Brigadier General James A Smith returned to the brigade command for the Atlanta Campaign. At about the same time, on February 29, 1864, Colonel Granbury was promoted to brigadier general. He then led the Texas brigade. This brigade was composed of eight (8) understrength Texas regiments, including the 7th Texas Infantry, through the Atlanta Campaign. He fought with particular distinction at the

Battle of Pickett's Mill The Battle of Pickett's Mill (May 27, 1864) was fought in Paulding County, Georgia, between Union forces under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces led by General Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign in th ...

in the Atlanta Campaign.

John B. Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the dec ...

had taken over command of the

during the Atlanta Campaign. After the fall of Atlanta, Hood moved his army into Tennessee in an effort to retake Nashville for the Confederacy. At the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, Hood ordered 18 brigades to make numerous hopeless frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

forces under

John M. Schofield John McAllister Schofield (September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later served a ...

. Granbury's brigade charged the center of the Federal breastworks and he was shot and killed, along with Major General Patrick R. Cleburne, just 40 yards outside the Union works.Warner, 1959, p. 115 In total, six Confederate generals died in or as a result of the battle. Brigadier General James A. Smith took command of Cleburne's division at the subsequent

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1 ...

Reburial at Granbury, Texas

Twenty-nine years after the battle of Franklin, Hiram Granbury's body was moved to

Granbury, Texas Granbury is a city in and the county seat of Hood County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,958, and it is the principal city of the Granbury micropolitan statistical area. Granbury is named after Confede ...

, a town named after him. At the time of Granbury's death, he was serving as the elected Senior Warden of Waco Masonic Lodge #92, the oldest organization still in existence in McLennan County. This meant that had he survived the War, he was in line to become the lead officer of the lodge the very next year. The city of Granbury celebrates an annual General Granbury's Birthday Bash.

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. . * Faust, Patricia L., ed., ''Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War.'' New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1986. Stanchak, John E., Article on "Hiram Granbury." . * * * 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

*
Cleburne: The Graphic Novel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granbury, Hiram B. 1831 births 1864 deaths People from Copiah County, Mississippi Confederate States Army brigadier generals American Civil War prisoners of war Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War People of Texas in the American Civil War Baylor University alumni People from Waco, Texas Military personnel from Texas