Maxcy Gregg (August 1, 1814 – December 15, 1862) was a lawyer, soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

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 ...

, and a Confederate

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 to ...

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 ...

who was mortally wounded at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general (United ...

and died two days later.

Early life

Gregg was born in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, the great-grandson of

Esek Hopkins Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was an American naval officer, merchant captain, and privateer. Achieving the rank of Commodore, Hopkins was the only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary W ...

, commodore of the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

, and grandson of

Jonathan Maxcy Jonathan Maxcy (September 2, 1768 – June 4, 1820) was an American Baptist minister and college president. He was the second president of Brown University (then known as the ''College in the English Colony of Rhode Island & Providence Plantati ...

first president of South Carolina College (now called the University of South Carolina), where Gregg would later attend and graduate first in his class. He was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1839, practiced law with his father, and was a very respected member of Columbia society. His first military experience came as a

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicat ...

in the 12th U.S. Infantry in the

, but did not arrive in time to participate in any of the major battles. Gregg had many scholarly pursuits, including astronomy, botany,

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

, and languages, and owned his own private observatory. Maxcy Gregg was a strong advocate of states rights his entire life, one of the South Carolina

Fire-Eaters In American history, the Fire-Eaters were a group of pro-slavery Democrats in the Antebellum South who urged the separation of Southern states into a new nation, which became the Confederate States of America. The dean of the group was Robert ...

. He was a member of the 1860 convention which determined the secession of South Carolina. He was also a lifelong bachelor.

Civil War

Gregg was a major proponent of

secession 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 ...

prior to the commencement of the Civil War. In 1858, he issued the secessionists' manifesto in a pamphlet entitled, "An Appeal to the State Rights Party of South Carolina." In it, Gregg argued that Carolinians had looked unfavorably upon and rejected incorporation into the Democratic Party since the tariff controversy. Andrew P. Calhoun, James Tradewell, A.C. Garlington, and W.E. Martin also contributed statements to the "Appeal." When South Carolina seceded from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''U ...

in December 1860, Gregg helped organize the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, and served as the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripte ...

's first

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 ...

. He became a brigadier general and served in

A. P. Hill Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, Daniel Harvey H ...

's ''Light Division''. His brigade played a prominent role in Hill's assault on the Union lines at the

Battle of Gaines' Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles ( Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. Following the inc ...

. Gregg gained prominence at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

when his men repulsed six Union assaults, and he served in Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign. At

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...

he was wounded in the thigh by the same bullet that killed Brig. Gen. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch.

Death

At Fredericksburg, Union Maj. Gen.

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. ...

's troops penetrated the lines of the Light Division. Gregg's brigade was caught by surprise, and in the confusion he was shot in the back. Gregg was found by a group of staff officers and taken to a field hospital in the rear. An examination of the wound found that the bullet had penetrated his spine. Gregg was unable to feel anything in his lower body and assumed he was completely paralyzed from the waist down, but after being placed in bed he managed to regain some feeling in his legs. However, doctors pronounced the wound mortal, and Gregg died on December 15, saying on his deathbed "I yield my life cheerfully, fighting for the independence of South Carolina." Stonewall Jackson, who had previously quarreled with Gregg, came to see him on his deathbed.

In popular media

He was portrayed by actor

Buck Taylor Buck Taylor (born May 13, 1938) is an American actor and artist, best known for his role as gunsmith-turned- deputy Newly O'Brian in the CBS television series '' Gunsmoke''. He is the son of Florence Gertrude Heffernan and character actor Dub Ta ...

in the 2003 film '' Gods and Generals''.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War''. New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

External links

Online biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Maxcy 1814 births 1862 deaths Confederate States Army brigadier generals Lawyers from Columbia, South Carolina American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 People of South Carolina in the American Civil War American atheists Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War American proslavery activists American Fire-Eaters 19th-century American lawyers