Joseph Lee Smith (May 28, 1776 – May 24, 1846) was an American lawyer, military officer, judge, veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, and the father of

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 ...

General

E. Kirby Smith Four-star rank, General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Lo ...

(1824–1893).

Life

Joseph Lee Smith was born in New Britain, Connecticut, the son of Elnathan (1738-1826) and Chloe ( Lee) Smith (1746-1825). He was a descendant of

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

. His maternal grandfather, Colonel Isaac Lee, Jr. (1717-1802), was a veteran of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and was a member of the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

in 1776, 1778 to 1781, and 1783 to 1791. Smith practiced law in Connecticut until the

when he became 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 colo ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and served with distinction in combat. At the Battle of Stoney Creek in Ontario, Canada, on June 7, 1813, his quick thinking and action saved the 25th Infantry Regiment from capture. After the war, he remained in the Army, rising to the rank of

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 o ...

, when he was placed in command of the 3rd Infantry Regiment in 1818. Discharged from the Army in 1821, he returned to his Connecticut law practice. SeguiKirbySmithHouse

Smith and his family moved to

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...

in 1821, when it became part of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. From 1823 to 1832, he was a territorial judge. On February 3, 1825, Richard K. Call, Delegate from Florida, introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to investigate Smith on the charge that he took bribes and kickbacks. The resolution was adopted. The investigation went on for years, with the last reference to it being in 1830, but it did not lead to articles of impeachment. Subsequently, Smith practiced law in St. Augustine where he lived with his family at 12 Aviles Street. After his death, the house served as the St. Augustine Free Public Library. It currently houses the research library of the St. Augustine Historical Society.

Alexander Darnes Alexander Hanson Darnes (c. 1840 – February 11, 1894) was the first African-American physician in Jacksonville, Florida, and the second in the state. Born into slavery in St. Augustine, Florida, as a young man he served as a valet to Edmund ...

, son of slave Violet Pinkney, was born there. Darnes, who would remain enslaved until the end of 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 ...

, would become a celebrated and successful physician, the first Black physician in Florida. Smith and his wife Frances are buried in St. Augustine at the Huguenot Cemetery.

Family

On August 25, 1806, in Litchfield, Connecticut, Smith married Frances Kirby, daughter of Connecticut politician

Ephraim Kirby Ephraim Kirby (February 23, 1757 – October 4, 1804) was a Revolutionary War soldier, published the first volume of law reports in the United States, was the first General High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of the United States, and was the fir ...

, and his wife, Ruth Marvin Kirby. She died in 1875. His son, Ephraim Kirby Smith, was born in Litchfield on June 17, 1807. A graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, he died in combat on September 11, 1847, during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. Ephraim's wife, Mary Isaacs (nee Jerome) Smith, was a second cousin, twice removed of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, and following her husband's death, she married General

Amos Beebe Eaton Amos Beebe Eaton (May 12, 1806 – February 21, 1877) was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a general for the Union during the American Civil War. Biography Amos B. Eaton was born in Catskill, New York. He graduated from West ...

on September 7, 1870. Ephraim and Mary had three children: Joseph Lee Kirby Smith, who was killed in action during the American Civil War in 1862 in Corinth, Mississippi; Emma Jerome Smith Blackwood; and George Geddes Smith, a veteran of the American Civil War, who committed suicide while serving in the United States Army and posted at Fort Russell, Wyoming. Smith's son

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

was born in Florida in 1824, graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845, and served with his uncle in the Mexican–American War. He was one of seven full generals of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. They also had two daughters: Frances Marvin Smith (b. 1809), who married Lucien Bonaparte Webster, and Josephine Lee Smith (1818-1835). His grandson is

Joseph Lee Kirby-Smith Joseph Lee Kirby-Smith (April 16, 1882 – November 5, 1939) was an American college football player and dermatologist. He was once instructor of dermatology at New York University. Early years Kirby-Smith was born on April 16, 1882, in Sewanee, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joseph Lee 1776 births 1846 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Edmund Kirby Smith Burials in Florida Military personnel from Connecticut People from New Britain, Connecticut People from St. Augustine, Florida United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States federal judges appointed by James Monroe

Life

Family

References

Further reading

External links