James Chesnut Jr. (January 18, 1815 – February 1, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician, and a Confederate functionary.
Chesnut, a lawyer prominent in
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
state politics, served as a Democratic
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
in 1858–60, where he proved moderate on the slavery question. But on Lincoln's election in 1860, Chesnut resigned from the U.S. Senate and took part in the South Carolina secession convention, later helping to draft the
Confederate States Constitution. He was Deputy from
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to the
Provisional Congress of the Confederate States
The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the governing bo ...
from 1861 to 1862. He also served as a senior
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
of 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), fightin ...
in the
Eastern Theater 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 ...
.
As aide to General
P.G.T. Beauregard, he ordered the
firing on Fort Sumter and served at
First Manassas. Later he was aide to
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 ...
and promoted to Brigadier-General. Chesnut returned to law practice after the war.
His wife was
Mary Boykin Chesnut, whose published diaries reflect the Chesnuts' busy social life and prominent friends such as
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the d ...
,
Louis T. Wigfall,
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818April 11, 1902) was an American military officer who served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War and later a politician from South Carolina. He came from a wealthy planter family, an ...
, and Jefferson Davis.
Early life and education
James Chesnut Jr., was born the youngest of fourteen children and the only (surviving) son of James Chesnut Sr. (1775–1866) and his wife, Mary Cox (1777–1864) on
Mulberry Plantation near
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the largest city and county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Camden is the oldest inland city in South Caro ...
. Chesnut Sr. was one of the wealthiest
planters
Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gent ...
in the South, who owned 448 slaves and many large plantations totaling nearly five square miles before the outbreak of the Civil War. Chesnut Jr. graduated from the
law department of the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
) in 1835, and initially rose to prominence in
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
state politics.
Political career
Admitted to the bar in 1837, Chesnut Jr. commenced practice that year in Camden. He was later elected as a member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seati ...
(1840–52) and the
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...
(1852–58, serving as its president 1856–58). He was a delegate to the
southern convention at
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, in 1850.
In 1858 Chesnut was elected by the
South Carolina Legislature
The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and t ...
to the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
as a
Democrat to replace
Josiah J. Evans. He served there for two years alongside Senator
James Henry Hammond
James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was an attorney, politician, and planter from South Carolina. He served as a United States representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, an ...
of South Carolina. Although a defender of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
and
states' rights
In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and t ...
, Chesnut opposed the re-opening of the
African slave trade
Slavery has historically been widespread in Africa. Systems of servitude and slavery were common in parts of Africa in ancient times, as they were in much of the rest of the Ancient history, ancient world. When the trans-Saharan slave trade ...
and was not as staunch a
secessionist
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
as most of the South Carolinian politicians. Moderate in his political views, he believed in extending protections for slavery's westward expansion while remaining within the
Union.
But the political atmosphere tightened towards the
Presidential Election of 1860, since the
Republican Party and its presidential candidate,
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, opposed slavery. After the results of the election were known, Chesnut decided that he could no longer stay in his office in the Senate. Shortly after Lincoln's election, he was the first Southern senator to withdraw from the Senate, on November 10, 1860. (He was
expelled ''in absentia'' from the Senate the next year.)
Chesnut participated in the South Carolina secession convention in December 1860 and was subsequently elected to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. He was a member of the committee which drafted the Confederate States Constitution. Believing that the United States would not resist southern secession, Chesnut famously boasted that he would drink all of the blood which would be spilled in the subsequent Civil War.
American Civil War
In the spring of 1861, he served as an
aide-de-camp to General
P.G.T. Beauregard and was sent by the general to demand the surrender of
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...
in
Charleston. After the commander of the fort, Major
Robert Anderson of the
U.S. Army declined to surrender, Chesnut gave orders to the nearby Fort Johnson to open fire on Fort Sumter. In consequence the first shots of the Civil War were fired, on April 12, 1861. In the summer of 1861 Chesnut also took part in the
First Battle of Manassas
The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas as an aide-de-camp to Beauregard.
In 1862 Chesnut served as a member of the South Carolina's Executive Council and the Chief of the Department of the Military of South Carolina. Later in the war he served the Confederate Army as 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 ...
and an aide to
Confederate President 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 ...
. In 1864 he was promoted to
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
and given command of South Carolina reserve forces until the end of the war. He was third in command of the confederate forces at the
Battle of Tulifinny. He was in overall command before the arrival of Maj. Gen.
Samuel Jones and later Brig. Gen.
Lucius Gartrell. After the war, he returned to the practice of law in Camden and formed the
Conservative Party.
Personal life
Although James Chesnut Jr. was the only son, his father had given him little of his extensive property. Because his father lived to the age of 90 and gave his son but a small allowance, the son James had to live mainly on his law practice. The Chesnut fortune declined in the course of the war and thus, after his father died in 1866, Chesnut inherited little more than the extensive debts that encumbered the Mulberry and Sandy Hill plantations.
Chesnut married seventeen-year-old
Mary Boykin Miller (1823–86), on April 23, 1840. She later became well known for her book on life during the Civil War, published as a diary but revised extensively from 1881 to 1886. The daughter of U.S. Senator
Stephen Decatur Miller (1788–1838) and Mary Boykin (1804–85), she was well-educated and intelligent and took part in her husband's career. The Chesnuts' marriage was at times stormy due to difference in temperament (she was hot-tempered and passionate and came occasionally to regard her husband as cool and reserved). Their companionship was mostly warm and affectionate but they had no children. The couple resided at
Chesnut Cottage in Columbia during the Civil War period.
As Mary Chesnut described in depth in her diary, the Chesnuts had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in the society of the South and the Confederacy. Among their friends were, for example, Confederate general
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the d ...
, ex-Governor
John L. Manning, Confederate general and politician
John S. Preston and his wife Caroline, Confederate general and politician
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818April 11, 1902) was an American military officer who served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War and later a politician from South Carolina. He came from a wealthy planter family, an ...
, Confederate politician
Clement C. Clay and his wife
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, and Confederate general and politician
Louis T. Wigfall and his wife Charlotte. The Chesnuts were intimate family friends of President Jefferson Davis and his wife
Varina Howell. James Chesnut was also a first cousin of fellow Confederate general
Zachariah C. Deas.
Death
James Chesnut was "regarded as an amiable, modest gentleman of decent parts
ifts,
[Hammond, ''Secret And Sacred'', p. 214.] who performed his duties with ability and dignity both in political and military life. He died at home in Camden in 1885; interment was in Chesnut Family Cemetery,
Kershaw County, South Carolina.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
Confederate generals
__NOTOC__
*#Confederate-Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith, Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith
*#Confederate-Incomplete appointments, Incomplete appointments
*#Confederate-State militia generals, State militia generals
Th ...
*
List of United States senators expelled or censured
*
Johnson Chesnut Whittaker (1858–1931), born on the Chestnut plantation, one of the first black men to win an appointment to 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 grou ...
at
West Point
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 grou ...
Notes
References
* Cauthen, Charles E.: ''South Carolina Goes to War: 1860–1865''. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press 1950.
* Chesnut, Mary Boykin: ''Mary Chesnut's Civil War''. New Haven: Yale University Press 1981), ed. C. Vann Woodward.
* Eicher, John H. & Eicher, David J.: ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
* Hammond, James Henry: ''Secret And Sacred: The Diaries of James Henry Hammond, a Southern Slaveholder''. Edited by Carol Bleser. New York: Oxford University Press 1988.
* Muhlenfeld, Elisabeth: ''Mary Boykin Chesnut: A Biography''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1992.
* Scarborough, William Kaufman: ''The Masters of the Big House: Elite Slaveholders of the Mid-Nineteenth-Century South''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2003.
* Sifakis, Stewart: ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
* Sinha, Manisha, ''The Counterrevolution of Slavery: Politics and Ideology in Antebellum South Carolina''. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2000.
*
Warner, Ezra J.: ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
* Williams, T. Harry: ''Beauregard: Napoleon in Gray''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press 1955.
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
James Chesnut Jr.at ''
The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...
''
*
James Chesnut Letter Bookat Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesnut, James Jr.
1815 births
1885 deaths
19th-century American politicians
Burials in South Carolina
Confederate States Army brigadier generals
Conservative Party (South Carolina) politicians
Democratic Party United States senators from South Carolina
Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States
Expelled United States senators
Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
People of South Carolina in the American Civil War
Signers of the Confederate States Constitution
Signers of the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States