John Gregg (September 28, 1828 – October 7, 1864) was an American politician who served as a deputy from Texas to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862. He served as a brigade commander officer of the Confederate States Army and was killed in action during the Siege of Petersburg.

Early life and career

John Gregg was born in Lawrence County, Alabama, to Nathan Gregg and Sarah Pearsall Camp. He graduated from LaGrange College (now the University of North Alabama) in 1847, where he was subsequently employed as a professor of mathematics. He later studied law in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Gregg relocated to

Freestone County, Texas Freestone County is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,435. Its county seat is Fairfield. The county was created in 1850 and organized the next year. History Native Ame ...

, in 1852, and settled in the town of Fairfield, Texas. In May 1854, John was initiated into the Masons at Fairfield Masonic Lodge 103 A.F. & A.M. He was elected as a district judge and served in that position from 1855 until 1860. In 1858, Gregg married Mary Francis "Mollie" Garth from Alabama, daughter of Jesse Winston Garth, a Unionist who was willing to give up his hundreds of slaves if it meant saving the Union. John and Mary appear in the 1860 US census in Fairfield, Freestone County, Texas. Gregg was one of the founders of the ''Freestone County Pioneer'', the first newspaper in Freestone County. He used his paper and political clout to call for a secession convention following the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860. Gregg served as a delegate to the Texas Secession Convention 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 ...

, in January 1861. The delegation issued the Ordinance of Secession on February 1, 1861. Gregg was one of six members of the convention who were elected to represent Texas in the Provisional Confederate Congress in Montgomery, Alabama, and later in

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 ...

American Civil War

Gregg served in the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States on February 15, 1861, from which he resigned in August 1861 to enter the Confederate Army. He returned to Texas and formed the 7th Texas Infantry, becoming its colonel in September. Gregg and the 7th saw their first action at the Battle of Fort Donelson from February 12 to February 16, 1862, where they were captured along with most of the garrison. His men were sent to a prisoner-of-war camp called Camp Douglas located near Chicago. Two Stars in the Southern Sky - General John Gregg C.S.A. and Mollie by Davis Blake Carter - 2001 - pg. 99He was sent to Fort Warren in Boston, Massachusetts for confinement.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. p. 267. .

Gregg was exchanged on August 15, 1862, and was promoted to brigadier general on August 29. He was sent to Mississippi for service in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, and was assigned to 10th Brigade, 1st Division of the Army of Mississippi, from October 24, 1862, to March 1863. Gregg's 10th Brigade was then assigned to the 3rd District of the Department of Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana from March to May 1863. His command, now styled Gregg's Brigade, was attached to

William H. T. Walker William Henry Talbot Walker (November 26, 1816 – July 22, 1864) was an American soldier. He was a career United States Army officer who fought with distinction during the Mexican-American War, and also served as a Confederate States Army, ...

's division in the Department of the West on May 10, 1863. Gregg's first major action in Mississippi came at the Battle of Raymond, on May 12, 1863, where his 3000-man brigade fought a tough 6-hour battle against the XVII Corps, 10,000 strong, under the command of Union Maj. Gen.

James B. McPherson James Birdseye McPherson (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the General's staff of Henry Halleck and late ...

. Gregg was forced to retreat to Jackson, Mississippi after the battle, where he was involved in the Battle of Jackson on May 14, 1863. Gregg's Brigade formed part of the Reserve Corps of the Army of Tennessee briefly that September. During the Battle of Chickamauga, he was assigned to Bushrod Johnson's division, Third Corps in the Army of Tennessee on September 19. Gregg was severely wounded on September 20, when he was hit in the neck. After recovering from his wounds, Gregg was given command of the famous

Hood's Texas Brigade The Texas Brigade (also known as Hood's Brigade) was an infantry formation of the Confederate Army that distinguished itself in the American Civil War. Along with the Stonewall Brigade, they were considered the Confederate Army's shock troops. ...

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

's Army of Northern Virginia. Gregg and his brigade participated in the Eastern Campaigns of the spring of 1864, seeing action at the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

, the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, the Battle of Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. During the fighting in the Wilderness, Gregg was wounded on May 6, 1864, and then went with Lee's army to

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

until 1864. General John Gregg IMG 3945

Death

On October 7, 1864, Gregg was struck in the neck for a second time and killed along the Charles City Road, near Richmond, Virginia. He was shot while leading a counterattack at the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads. Gregg was interred at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Aberdeen, Mississippi; his widow, Mary Garth Gregg, traveled through the lines to retrieve his body.

Legacy

Gregg County, Texas Gregg County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 124,239. Its county seat is Longview. The county is named after John Gregg, a Confederate general killed in action duri ...

(established 1873), is named after him.

References

External links

Mary Gregg
Wife Of Confederate General John Gregg *

at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, John 1828 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American politicians American Civil War prisoners of war Burials in Mississippi Confederate States Army brigadier generals Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Gregg County, Texas People from Lawrence County, Alabama People of Texas in the American Civil War Signers of the Confederate States Constitution Signers of the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States Texas Brigade United States politicians killed during the Civil War University of North Alabama alumni People from Fairfield, Texas