Joseph Drake (June 14, 1806 – October 24, 1878) lawyer and plantation owner, was a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

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 ...

during 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 ...

, who commanded a brigade in two major battles. He was also a member of the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 me ...

before and during the war.

Early life

His grandfather Joseph Drake was one of Daniel Boone's Kentucky "Long Hunters" and was killed by Indians near

Boonesborough, Kentucky Boonesborough is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by famed frontiersman Daniel Boone in 1778 as one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains, Boonesborough lies in ...

in August, 1778. Sometime between 1807 and 1816 his family moved to

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also inc ...

and later to

Franklin County, Tennessee Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the eastern boundary of Middle Tennessee in the southern part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,052. Its county seat is Winchester. Franklin ...

. He attended

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

during 1825–26. Joseph registered and was sworn in as an attorney and counselor at law of

Carroll County, Mississippi Carroll County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 9,998. Its county seats are Carrollton, Mississippi, Carrollton and Vaiden, Mississippi, Vai ...

in 1834. In 1835, Drake served in the capacity of district attorney of the Circuit Court of the county. He was married there on November 14, 1837, to Martha M. Burton. He represented Carroll County in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

from 1838 to 1839 and was a probate Judge of Carroll County, from 1855 to 1861.

Civil War

Joseph Drake was Captain of Company H, "Carroll County Rebels," which mustered into

State service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies o ...

Carrollton, Mississippi Carrollton is a town in and the second county seat of Carroll County, Mississippi, United States, which is within the Mississippi Delta. The population was 190 at the 2010 census, down from 408 in 2000. Centrally located in the county, the town i ...

August 24, 1861 and organized at

Grenada, Mississippi Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,092 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County. History ...

as the Fourth Regiment, Second Brigade,

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of the Mississippi, Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the ...

, and enlisted for twelve months. He was elected Colonel on September 11 in a camp near

Trenton, Tennessee Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census, down from 4,683 in 2000. History Trenton was established in 1824 as a county se ...

. This regiment was then put under Van Dorn's command. After being promoted to major general on September 19, 1861, Van Dorn was transferred to Virginia and on October 4, was given command of the 1st Division in Beauregard's corps in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

, under

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 ...

. The Fourth Mississippi infantry, which had been detached from Van Dorn's division of the Army of the Potomac, was one of the two regiments at Fort Henry which were at all experienced in war, and the men conducted themselves as veterans. Col. Joseph Drake sent two companies of Mississippians to meet the first advance of the enemy on February 4, who held the rifle-pits alone until reinforced. During the bombardment of the 6th, which resulted in the surrender of Fort Henry, Colonel Drake commanded General Tilghman's Second Brigade. After the naval attack compelled the surrender of Fort Henry, Drake retreated to

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, where he commanded Brig. Gen.

Bushrod Johnson Bushrod Rust Johnson (October 7, 1817 – September 12, 1880) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War and an officer in the United States Army. As a university professor he had been active in the state militias of Kentucky and Tenness ...

's 3rd brigade. The Fourth was under fire in the trenches at Donelson during February 13 and 14, and participated in the assault which was made on the 15th for the purpose of opening a line of retreat. Gen. Johnson reported that Drake's Brigade, under its very gallant, steady and efficient commander, moved in admirable order, almost constantly under fire, driving the enemy slowly from hill to hill until about 1 p.m., when he was instructed to return to the rifle pits, leaving Drake's Brigade for a time unsupported. Col.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

went to Drake's support and advised him to fall back, which he did without disorder. Col. Smith's brigade advanced a short distance up the hill, repeatedly rushing and then falling to the ground in the prone position, all the while listening to taunts from Drake's Confederate brigade opposing them. The surrender followed on the 16th. It is said that Colonel Drake broke his sword and threw it in the river when told of the surrender. His son John Beckenridge Drake (1840–1922) joined Company K, 30th Mississippi infantry on February 27, 1862, shortly after his father was captured. He was imprisoned at

Johnson's Island Johnson's Island is a island in Sandusky Bay, located on the coast of Lake Erie, from the city of Sandusky, Ohio. It was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate officers captured during the American Civil War. Initially, Johnson ...

, then admitted Feb 21 1862 to U.S.A. Prison Hospital, Camp Douglas Chicago, Illinois received at

Camp Chase Camp Chase was a military staging and training camp established in Columbus, Ohio in May 1861 after the start of the American Civil War. It also included a large Union-operated prison camp for Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War ...

Columbus, Ohio on March 1, transferred March 6, to Fort Warren, Boston and released on parole on 7 April for the purpose of exchange for Colonel Milton Cogswell, 42d New York Volunteers, April 11, 1862, awaiting exchange at Baltimore, to report to Maj. Gen.

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. By the time of the Mexican-American War ...

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, Virginia. He retired after he was exchanged on August 27, 1862, considered too old for active service. He was 56.

Postbellum career

Drake returned to his plantation and served as a member the

Mississippi Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

from Carroll County in 1864.

Notes

References

* ''Catalogue of the officers and alumni of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1749–1888'', J. Murphy & Co., 1888. * Lowry, Robert and McCardle, William H. ''A history of Mississippi: from the discovery of the great river by Hernando DeSoto, including the earliest settlement made by the French under Iberville, to the death of Jefferson Davis'', R. H. Henry & Co., 1891. * ''The Official and statistical register of the state of Mississippi'', Volume 1, Mississippi. Dept. of Archives and History, 1904. * ''The Official and statistical register of the state of Mississippi'', Volume 2, Mississippi. Dept. of Archives and History, 1908. * Rowland, Dunbar ''Military history of Mississippi, 1803–1898'', 1900. *''United States Congressional serial set'', Issue 3789, 1898.

External links