John Clifford Pemberton (August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881) was a career
United States Army officer who fought in the
Seminole Wars and with distinction during the
Mexican–American War. He resigned his commission to serve as a
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 ...
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a 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-command on the ...
during the
American Civil War. He led the
Army of Mississippi from December 1862 to July 1863 and was the commanding officer during the Confederate surrender at the
Siege of Vicksburg.
Early life and career
Pemberton was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of John and Rebecca Clifford Pemberton. He entered the
United States Military Academy at
West Point in 1833 and was a roommate and close friend of
George G. Meade.
He graduated in 1837, standing 27th in his class out of 50 cadets.
[Eicher, p. 423.] He was commissioned a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the 4th U.S.
Artillery Regiment on July 1, 1837. He participated with the 4th during the
U.S. Army actions against the
Seminole Indian tribe during the
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
in 1837 and 1838, fighting in
Florida at the
Battle of Loxahatchee
The Battles of the Loxahatchee occurred west of what is now Jupiter, Florida in January 1838 between the United States military and the Seminole Indians (including Black Seminoles). The First Battle of the Loxahatchee (Powell's Battle) occurred ...
on January 24, 1838.
Pemberton and the 4th Artillery served in
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
duty at
Fort Columbus, Governors Island, New York from 1838-39, and then at the Camp of Instruction located near
Trenton, New Jersey in 1839. He then served along the northern U.S. frontier during the brief
Canadian Border Disturbances of the Aroostook War. Pemberton and the 4th were next stationed in
Michigan, serving at
Detroit in 1840, at
Fort Mackinac in the upper
Great Lakes in
Michigan in 1840 and 1841, and at Fort Brady in 1841. He then served in
Buffalo, New York, in 1841 to 1842, and was promoted to
first lieutenant on March 19, 1842. Pemberton and the 4th returned to garrison duty at
Fortress Monroe, in
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
harbor on coastal
Virginia in 1842, then were stationed at the U.S. Army Cavalry School at
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military base. The first structures were built in 1757, during the French and In ...
,
Pennsylvania, in 1842 and 1843, and returned to Fort Monroe from 1844 to 1845.
Mexican-American War
From 1845 to 1846, Pemberton and the 4th Artillery were part of the U.S. military occupation of
Texas before the admission of the
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...
into the Union as
the 28th state in 1845, and then the 4th was sent to
Mexico at the start of the
Mexican–American War the following year. He fought at the
Battle of Palo Alto on May 8, 1846, and at the
Battle of Resaca de la Palma
The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the North ...
the next day. He then fought well at the
Battle of Monterrey in that fall, and was appointed a
brevet
Brevet may refer to:
Military
* Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay
* Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college
* Aircre ...
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
"for Gallant Conduct in the several Conflicts at
onterrey on September 23.
Pemberton then fought in the
United States Army's 1847 actions in
Mexico, including the
Siege of Vera Cruz in March, the
Battle of Cerro Gordo in April, the skirmish near Amazoque in May, the capture of San Antonio and the
Battle of Churubusco
The Battle of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, while Santa Anna's army was in retreat from the Battle of Contreras or Battle of Padierna during the Mexican–American War. It was the battle where the San Patricio Battalion, made up ...
in August, and most notably in the
Battle of Molino del Rey
The Battle of Molino del Rey (8 September 1847) was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican–American War as part of the Battle for Mexico City. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio León against ...
that September. Pemberton was appointed a brevet
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 ...
for his performance at Molino del Rey on September 8. He then was part of the storming of
Chapultepec Castle on September 13, and the
Battle for Mexico City that day and the next,
where Pemberton was wounded.
[ Pemberton held the position of Aide-de-Camp to Brevet Brigadier General ]William J. Worth
William Jenkins Worth (March 1, 1794 – May 7, 1849) was an American officer during the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican–American War.
Early military career
Worth was commissioned as a first lieutenant in March 1813, ...
from August 4, 1846, to May 1, 1849, and was a fellow staff lieutenant in the same division as his future opponent in the Civil War, Ulysses S. 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 ...
. He was an original member of the Aztec Club of 1847
The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It exists as a hereditary organization including members who can trace a direct lineal connection to those originally eligib ...
– a military society founded by U.S. Army officers who served in Mexico City during the military occupation following the war.
After Mexican-American War
In 1848, Pemberton married Martha Thompson of Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
.
After the war with Mexico, Pemberton and the 4th Artillery served in garrison duty at Fort Pickens near Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, in 1849. He then fought in Florida during hostilities against the Seminoles in 1849 and 1850. The 4th returned to garrison duty at New Orleans Barracks
Jackson Barracks is the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard. It is located in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. The base was established in 1834 and was originally known as New Orleans Barracks. On July 7, 1866, it was renam ...
in New Orleans in Louisiana in 1850, and Pemberton was promoted to captain on September 16. He next served in Fort Washington, Maryland, along the lower Potomac River below the capital in 1851 and 1852, at Fort Hamilton, New York
Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which is ...
, in 1852 to 1856. He and the 4th Artillery fought again in Florida during further hostilities against the Seminoles from 1856 to 1857.
Pemberton and the 4th were then on frontier duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from 1857 to 1858, and participated in the Utah War in 1858. He was then stationed at Fort Kearny in the New Mexico Territory
The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...
in 1859, at Fort Ridgely in Minnesota from 1859 to 1861, and after returning from the West in April 1861, he passed through Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
during the infamous "Pratt Street Riots" / "Baltimore Civil War Riots" in command of a regiment in transit on April 18–19, 1861, en route to Fort McHenry. Later he was briefly on garrison duty at the Washington Arsenal
Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chann ...
in Washington, D.C., in April 1861.
Civil War
At the start of the American Civil War in 1861, Pemberton chose to resign his commission in the Union and join the Confederate cause, despite his Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
birth and the fact that his two younger brothers both fought for the Union. He resigned his commission, effective April 29, despite pleas from his family and his former commander Winfield Scott.[ His decision was due to the influence of his Virginia-born wife and many years of service in the southern states before the war.] He was appointed a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in the Army of the Confederate States of America (ACSA), the regular Confederate 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 ...
on March 28, and was made assistant adjutant general of the forces around and in the Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
capital of Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, on April 29, the date of his resignation from the U.S. Army. He was promoted to colonel on May 8. On May 9, Pemberton took a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the Artillery of the Provisional Army of Virginia. Upon the absorption of the Virginia Provisional Army into the Confederate volunteer army, the Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS), Pemberton was appointed a major of artillery, a line field commission, on June 15, 1861, and was quickly promoted to brigadier general two days later. His first brigade command was in the Department of Norfolk, leading its 1st Brigade from June to November.[
Pemberton was promoted to major general on January 14, 1862, and given command the Confederate Department of South Carolina and Georgia, an assignment lasting from March 14 to August 29,][ with his headquarters in ]Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
. As a result of Pemberton's abrasive personality, his public statement that if he had to make the choice he would abandon the area rather than risk the loss of his outnumbered army, and the distrust of his Northern birth, the governors of both states in his department petitioned Confederate President
The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
for his removal. Davis needed a commander for a new department in Mississippi and also a command for Gen.
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...
P.G.T. Beauregard, so he sent Pemberton west and assigned the more popular Beauregard to Charleston.[Foote Vol. I, pp. 776–78.]
Vicksburg
On October 10, 1862, Pemberton was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general,[ and assigned to defend the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Mississippi River, known as the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Davis gave him the following instructions regarding his new assignment: "... consider the successful defense of those States as the first and chief object of your command." Pemberton arrived at his new headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 14.][Winters, p. 171.]
His forces consisted of fewer than 50,000 men under the command of Maj. Gens. Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price, with around 24,000 in the permanent garrisons at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863.
...
.[ ]John D. Winters
John David Winters (December 23, 1916 – December 9, 1997)John D. Winters obituary, '' Ruston Daily Leader'', December 10, 1997 was an American historian at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. He is known for his monograph ''T ...
described the men under Pemberton as "a beaten and demoralized army, fresh from the defeat at Corinth, Mississippi."[ Pemberton faced his former Mexican War colleague, the aggressive Union commander Maj. Gen. ]Ulysses S. 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 over 70,000 Union soldiers in the Vicksburg Campaign.
In an attempt to carry out his orders from both Davis and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Pemberton and his Army of Mississippi set out east to combine with Johnston's forces gathering around Jackson, while remaining in contact and covering Vicksburg. Another order from Johnston changing their proposed meeting location caused Pemberton to turn around, and when he did he accidentally collided with Grant's army at the Battle of Champion Hill
The Battle of Champion Hill of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confe ...
on May 16 and suffered a major defeat. Pemberton retreated to the Big Black River, where he fought and suffered even more heavy losses on May 17. Pemberton resolved to defend Vicksburg and led his defeated men back into its defenses on May 18. In the process, he gave up the high ground on Hayne's Bluff which Sherman had failed to take in December. Johnston had advised him that if this ground should ever fall, Vicksburg would be untenable, and that he should escape with his army of 31,000, sacrificing the city. Pemberton refused to take this advice. He held firm for over six weeks, while soldiers and civilians were starved into submission. (Pemberton, well aware of his reputation as a Northerner by birth, was probably influenced by his fear of public condemnation as a traitor if he abandoned Vicksburg.)
On the evening of July 2, 1863, Pemberton asked in writing his four division commanders if they believed their men could "make the marches and undergo the fatigues necessary to accomplish a successful evacuation" after 45 days of siege. With four votes of no, the next day Pemberton asked the Federals for an armistice to allow time for the discussion of terms of surrender, and at 10:00 a.m. on July 4 he surrendered the city and his army to Grant. The written terms (which in the first talks were simply unconditional surrender) were negotiated so that the Confederate soldiers would be paroled and:[Foote Vol. II, pp. 606–13.]
Pemberton surrendered 2,166 officers and 27,230 men, 172 cannons, and almost 60,000 muskets and rifles to Grant.[ This, combined with the successful Siege of Port Hudson on July 9, gave the Union complete control over the Mississippi River, resulting in a major strategic loss for the Confederacy, and cutting off Lt. Gen. ]Edmund Kirby Smith
General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indi ...
's command and the Trans-Mississippi Theater from the Confederacy for the rest of the war.
After his surrender, Pemberton was exchanged as a prisoner on October 13, 1863, and he returned to Richmond. There he spent some eight months without an assignment. At first Gen. Braxton Bragg thought he could use Pemberton, but after conferring with his own ranking officers he advised Davis that taking on the discredited lieutenant general "would not be advisable." Pemberton finally wrote Davis directly, asking he be returned to duty "in any capacity in which you think I may be useful." Davis replied that his own personal confidence in him remained unshaken, saying:[Foote Vol. II, p. 645.]
Pemberton resigned as a general officer on May 9, 1864, and Davis offered him a commission as a lieutenant colonel of artillery three days later,[ which he accepted, a testimonial of his loyalty to the South and the Confederate cause. He commanded the artillery of the defenses of Richmond until January 9, 1865. He was appointed ]inspector general
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
of the artillery as of January 7,[ and held this position until he was captured in ]Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...
, on April 12. Along with Pemberton and his 14 remaining guns, the Federals rounded up about 1,300 men and nearly 10,000 small arms.[Foote Vol. III, p. 967.] There is no record of his parole after his capture.[
]
Postbellum life
After the war, Pemberton lived on his farm near Warrenton, Virginia, from 1866 to 1876. He carried on a feud with Johnston about the Vicksburg campaign.[ His mother Rebecca Clifford Pemberton (1782–1869) had survived her husband John Pemberton (1783–1847) by more than two decades, and a few years after her death Pemberton returned to Pennsylvania.
]
Death and legacy
Pemberton died in Lower Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on July 13, 1881, although his widow Martha Thompson Pemberton would survive until 1907. The families of several famous people, including General George Meade and Admiral John A. Dahlgren
John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870) was a United States Navy officer who founded his service's Ordnance Department and launched significant advances in gunnery.
Dahlgren devised a smoothbore howitzer, adaptable ...
(whose brother also served as a Confederate General), protested against the unrepentant Confederate Pemberton's burial at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, where his mother and father had been buried. Despite a supposed decision that the Confederate Pemberton would be interred elsewhere; he was interred at the cemetery. His sisters Rebecca Clifford Pemberton Newbold (1820–1883) and Anna Clifford Pemberton Hollingsworth (1816–1884) and brother Israel Pemberton (1813–1885, a railroad engineer) were buried at Laurel Hill shortly thereafter.
A statue depicting Pemberton, sculpted by Edmond Thomas Quinn
Edmond Thomas Quinn (1868 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 1929 in New York City) was an American sculptor and painter. He is best known for his bronze statue of ''Edwin Booth as Hamlet'', which stands at the center of Gramercy Park in ...
, was erected in the Vicksburg National Military Park. His grandson, also John C. Pemberton (1893–1984), in 1942 published a book about his grandfather's defense of Vicksburg, and donated family papers and his own research concerning his grandfather to the University of North Carolina, which maintains them in its Special Collections.
See also
* List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
Notes
References
*
* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher
''Civil War High Commands.''
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
* Foote, Shelby. '' The Civil War: A Narrative''. 3 vols. New York: Random House, 1974. .
* Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
* Warner, Ezra J.br>''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.''
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
* Winters, John D.br>''The Civil War in Louisiana''
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963. .
from the Cullum biographies
US National Park Service biography of Pemberton
Further reading
* Ballard, Michael B
''Vicksburg, The Campaign that Opened the Mississippi''
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004. .
* Bearss, Edwin C. ''The Campaign for Vicksburg''. 3 vols. Dayton, OH: Morningside House, 1985. .
* Groom, Winston
''Vicksburg, 1863''
New York: Knopf, 2009. .
* Winschel, Terrence J. ''Triumph & Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign''. Campbell, CA: Savas Publishing Company, 1999. .
* Woodworth, Steven E. ''Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West''. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1990. .
External links
John C. Pemberton
''National Park Service''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pemberton, John C.
1814 births
1881 deaths
American Civil War prisoners of war
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Confederate States Army lieutenant generals
19th-century American military personnel
Members of the Aztec Club of 1847
Military personnel from Philadelphia
Northern-born Confederates
People from Warrenton, Virginia
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
People of the Utah War
United States Military Academy alumni