Josiah Solomon Pender (March 11, 1819 – October 25, 1864) was an American soldier in the

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 ...

. He is best known for leading the capture of Fort Macon in April 1861.

Life

Pender was born in the Tarboro area of

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro. Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

to Solomon and Mary Batts Pender.''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Vol. 5, P-S: P-S, Volume 5'' edited by William Stevens Powell
/ref> Pender followed in his father's footsteps by entering the U.S. Military Academy in 1835, but left the following year due to his unwillingness to adapt to military life. After leaving the academy, he studied painting in Paris and Rome before returning to the United States in 1840. Pender bought the Atlantic Hotel on the waterfront in

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

in 1856."The Fascinating Story of Beaufort's Atlantic Hotel 1859-1879"
/ref> Pender married twice. He fathered nine children by his first wife, Maria, who died in 1861. He married a second time to a cousin, Laura Pender on September 23, 1862 and had a son by her.

Civil War

Pender joined the

in 1861, forming the Beaufort Harbor Guards with the purpose of taking over Fort Macon before Union troops could seize it.

Battle of Fort Macon

On April 14, 1861, Pender recaptured Fort Macon from Union soldiers.

Discharge

When his first wife became ill, Pender requested and was denied a leave of absence to return home to care for her; however, he decided to go home anyway. In November 1861, Pender was convicted of being absent without leave and was discharged from the army.

Aftermath

After his discharge, Pender became part of a blockade running operation, smuggling goods out of Bermuda to support the Confederates. He also sailed to England to obtain goods, where he caught yellow fever.

Death

Pender died in Beaufort from yellow fever on October 25, 1864.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pender, Josiah 1819 births 1864 deaths People from Tarboro, North Carolina People of North Carolina in the American Civil War Confederate States Army officers Deaths from yellow fever