James Monroe Goggin (October 23, 1820 – October 10, 1889) was a
Confederate States Army major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
and Assistant
Adjutant General during the
American Civil War (Civil War). He began his service as a major in the
32nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment until May 21, 1862. Although he was a staff officer for most of the rest of his war service, he commanded a brigade at the
Battle of Cedar Creek on October 13, 1864. On December 4, 1864, he was appointed as a (special)
brigadier general. The appointment was soon cancelled and he returned to his duties as a staff officer for
Major General Joseph B. Kershaw for the remainder of the war.
Early life and Texas
Goggin was born on October 23, 1820, in
Bedford County, Virginia.
[ Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . p. 108.][Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 599.][Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . p. 252.] He was married to Elizabeth Nelson Page.
[ ]
Goggin entered the
United States Military Academy at
West Point, New York, in the Class of 1842 but left before graduating.
After leaving West Point, Goggin relocated to
Texas, where he joined the
Army of the Republic of Texas
The Texas Army, officially the Army of the Republic of Texas, was the land warfare branch of the Texas Military Forces during the Republic of Texas. It descended from the Texian Army, which was established in October 1835 to fight for independenc ...
as a
first lieutenant.
Goggin also began purchasing real estate in
Waller County, Texas.
In 1848, Goggin moved to
California where he took a job establishing mail routes.
Goggin then moved to
Memphis, Tennessee, where he began working as a cotton broker.
He was engaged in this business until the beginning of the Civil War.
Civil War service
In 1861, Goggin moved back to
Virginia, entering the Confederate States Army on July 1, 1861, as a major in the
32nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment where he was assigned to lead a
battalion.
Goggin and the 32nd Virginia Infantry served under
Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder
John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807 – February 18, 1871) was an American and Confederate military officer. A graduate of West Point, Magruder served with distinction during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and was a prominent Confede ...
in 1861 and into 1862 during the
Peninsula Campaign.
Goggin joined the
First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia in April 1862, serving on the staff of Maj. Gen.
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, ...
as his assistant
adjutant general.
He served in this capacity during all of the First Corps' engagements, in both the
Army of Northern Virginia and the
Army of Tennessee, until the spring of 1864.
[Warner, 1959, p. 109.] During the
Battle of Fort Sanders in November 1863, Goggin carried a message from McLaws to
Lt. Gen.
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star rank, three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in ...
James Longstreet
James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...
, informing him that the attack was beginning to fail and it was futile to carry in on.
When McLaws was replaced with Maj. Gen.
Joseph B. Kershaw in May 1864, Goggin served as his assistant adjutant general as well.
His service in this post was highly praised by Goggin's superiors.
On October 13, 1864, during the
Battle of Cedar Creek in the
Valley Campaigns of 1864, Goggin was given temporary command of
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 ...
James Conner's brigade. Conner had lost his left leg in combat earlier that day, and Kershaw assigned Goggin to lead his brigade in the battle at Cedar Creek. On December 4 he was appointed a "special"
brigadier general, but this appointment was canceled soon afterwards.
[ Wright, Marcus J., ''General Officers of the Confederate Army'', J. M. Carroll & Co., 1983. . pp. 135-6. "Appointed from Virginia, to rank from December 4, 1864; appointment canceled.]
Goggin returned to the staff of Kershaw in December 1864, once again as assistant adjutant general, and served until Goggin, Kershaw, and the rest of the staff were captured on April 6, 1865, at the
Battle of Sayler's Creek during the
Appomattox Campaign.
They were paroled from that location on the same day.
Postbellum
After the American Civil War ended in 1865, Goggin returned to Texas, initially in the state's Waller County, and then in
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.
Goggin died at the age of 68 on October 10, 1889, in Austin, Texas.
He was buried in the city's
Oakwood Cemetery.
See also
*
List of American Civil War Generals (Acting Confederate)
Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who ...
Notes
References
* "Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches - Goggin">
* Eicher, John H., and
David J. Eicher, ''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. .
*
Wert, Jeffry D. ''General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier: A Biography''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. .
*
Wright, Marcus J., ''General Officers of the Confederate Army'', J. M. Carroll & Co., 1983. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goggin, James Monroe
1820 births
1889 deaths
People from Bedford County, Virginia
Confederate States Army officers
People of Virginia in the American Civil War
People of Texas in the American Civil War
United States Military Academy alumni