Confederate States of America General-Staff Officer

Confederate generals

__NOTOC__ * Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith * Incomplete appointments * State militia generals The Confederate and United States processes for appointment, nomination and confirmation of general officers were essentially the same. The military laws of the United States required that a person be nominated as a general officer by the president and be confirmed by the Senate and that his commission be signed and sealed by the president. Despite legal interpretations that would preclude posthumous confirmation of appointments or delivery of commissions, the U.S. Senate and the Confederate Senate confirmed a few appointments of officers known to be dead and did not recall or revoke a few other confirmed appointments for officers who had recently died or died before receiving their commissions. No

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

appointments were made 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 ...

but twenty acting or temporary general officers were authorized by and appointed under Confederate States law. At least one State militia (

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 ar ...

) had at least one brevet general (

Francis Henney Smith Francis Henney Smith (October 18, 1812 – March 21, 1890) was an American military officer, mathematician and educator. After graduating from West Point and a brief service in the United States Army, he became the first Superintendent of the ...

). Although not as prevalent as in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, some dates of rank in the Confederate States Army were before the date of appointment or commission. Under an Act of September 1, 1861, the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...

permitted

Confederate President The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...

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 a ...

to make recess appointments and nominations subject to Confederate Senate confirmation during the next term. Confederate Senate confirmation of general officer appointments was usually prompt early in the war but often was delayed in the last two years of the war. Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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 ...

in the Confederate

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississ ...

, who have been thought of as generals and exercised command as generals but who were not duly appointed and confirmed or commissioned, and state militia generals who had field commands in certain actions in their home states but were never given appointments or commissions in the Confederate States Army are in the

List of American Civil War generals (Acting Confederate) Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who ...

. Not all colonels or lower ranking officers who exercised brigade or division command at any time are in this list but those most often erroneously referred to as generals are. A few acting or temporary Confederate generals were duly appointed and confirmed as such. The full entries for these officers are in this list. The notes mainly show pre-war military education or experience, pre-war political office, ranks and appointments prior to general officer appointments, some major assignments or events, information on wounds, killed in action or otherwise during the war, a few close relationships, deaths soon after the war, several of the longest lived generals and Spanish–American War service. Abbreviations and notes: *Rank column: conf. = date appointment confirmed by Confederate Senate; nom. = date nominated by Confederate President Jefferson Davis; rank = date of rank *USMA =

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 ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

; *South Carolina Military Academy = Predecessor to

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

; *VMI =

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

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 ...

*Additional notes: ranks: lt. = lieutenant

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The full text of the following three sections has been moved to

List of American Civil War Generals (Acting Confederate) Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who ...

. The names of the officers in each section are retained under each section here for convenience and reference.

Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith

* Bagby, Arthur Pendleton Jr. * DeBray, Xavier * Gordon, Benjamin Franklin * Jackman, Sidney Drake * King, Wilburn Hill * Lewis, Levin Major * Maclay, Robert Plunket * Randal, Horace * Terrell, Alexander Watkins

Incomplete appointments, unconfirmed appointments, refused appointments, posthumous appointments or undelivered commissions

* Ashby, Henry Marshall * Ashby, Turner * Barry, John D. * Bartow, Francis Stebbins * Benton, Samuel * Bowles, Pinckney Downie * Brevard, Jr. Theodore W. * Browne, William Montague, "Constitution" * Cobb, Thomas Reade Rootes * Dearing, James * Deshler, James * Dunovant, John * Fauntleroy, Thomas Turner * Fiser, John Calvin * Frazer, John W. * Garrott, Isham Warren * Girardey, Victor J. B. * Godwin, Archibald C. * Goggin, James M. * Hagan, James * Hannon, Moses Wright * Hatton, Robert Hopkins * Henderson, Robert Johnson * Hodge, George B. * Johnson, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" * Jones, John R. * Martin, John D. * Moore, Samuel Preston * Munford, Thomas Taylor * Northrop, Lucius B. * O'Neal, Edward Asbury * Pegram, William "Willie" * Phifer, Charles W. * Porterfield, George * Rains, James Edwards * Robertson, Felix Huston * Semmes, Raphael, "Beeswax", "Bim" – rear admiral, Confederate States Navy; brigadier general, appointed April 5, 1865 (unconfirmed) * Taylor, Thomas H. * Thomas, Bryan Morel * Walker, Francis Marion

State militia generals

The highest rank attained in the named state militia is shown. The rank in the Confederate Army, if known, is shown. * Alcorn, James Lusk - brigadier general, Mississippi militia, the

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 ...

* Anderson, Charles David - brigadier general, Georgia Militia Brigade; received his state militia appointment after his resignation from the CSA in 1864, related to injuries. * Boggs, James - brigadier general, Virginia militia; he continued his brigade command in the CSA after his forces were incorporated into the Confederate Army * Brogden, Curtis Hooks - major general, North Carolina State militia * Carson, James Harvey - brigadier general, Virginia militia * Carswell, Reuben Walker - brigadier general, Georgia militia * Chapman, Augustus A. - brigadier general, Virginia militia * Chase, William Henry - major general, Florida militia * Clark, Edward - brigadier general, Texas * Clark, John Bullock - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard * Clark, Meriwether Lewis Sr. - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard; rose to rank of colonel in the Confederate States Army * Davis, Jefferson - major general, Mississippi State Militia, the

; thereafter Elected President and Commander in Chief of the Confederate States * de Saussure, Wilmot Gibbes - brigadier general, South Carolina militia; subsequently elected adjutant general and inspector general of the S.C. militia * Ford, John Salmon "R.I.P." "Rip" - senior captain, Texas state troops; Captain Texas Rangers; served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army * Garlington, Albert Creswell - major general, South Carolina militia, after serving as brigadier general of the US Army prior to 1860; * Harman, William Henry - brigadier general, Virginia militia, assistant adjutant general, Confederate Army * Harper, Kenton - major general, Virginia Militia; brigadier general, Virginia Provisional Army, and colonel once the VPA was joined to the Confederate Army * Harris, Jeptha Vining - brigadier general of state troops in Mississippi, later returned to serve as colonel within Mississippi (CSA rank status uncertain) * Harrison, Sr., George Paul - brigadier general, George militia, served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army * McBride, James Haggin - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard * McCay, Henry Kent - Georgia militia - served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army * Meem, Gilbert Simrall - brigadier general, Virginia militia * Philips, Pleasant J. - brigadier general, Georgia Militia * Rains, George W. - brigadier general, George militia, served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army * Smith, Francis Henney - Major general, Virginia militia; served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army * Thompson, Meriwether Jefferson, "Jeff", "Swamp Fox" - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard * Watkins, Nathaniel W. - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. (pbk.). * Boatner, III, Mark M., ''The Civil War Dictionary''. David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1959. . * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Faust, Patricia L., ed., ''Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War''. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., New York, 1986. . Entries by Faust, various authors. * Heidler, David S., and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. ''Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History.'' New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. . Entries by Heidler and Heidler, various authors. * Sifakis, Stewart, ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' Facts On File, New York, 1988. . * United States War Department, The Military Secretary's Office
''Memorandum relative to the general officers appointed by the President in the armies of the Confederate States--1861-1865''
(1908) (Compiled from official records). Caption shows 1905 but printing date is February 11, 1908. Retrieved August 5, 2010. * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Gray.'' Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1959. .

External links

retrieved February 18, 2008

retrieved February 18, 2008
The Generals of the American Civil War
retrieved from

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

, April 9, 2009
US Civil War Generals
retrieved September 12, 2010 {{American Civil War Civil War generals Confederate

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 ...

Generals A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

American Confederate