Randal William McGavock (1826–1863) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, Southern planter, and colonel 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 ...

.Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN
/ref>Nashville Public Library: Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee
/ref>

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...

Battle of Raymond
/ref>Tennessee State Library and Archives
/ref> He served as the mayor of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, from 1858 to 1859.

Early life

Randal William McGavock was born on August 10, 1826, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a fourth-generation Irish-American. His paternal grandfather's brother was

Randal McGavock Randal McGavock (1766–1843) was an American politician and Southern planter in Nashville, Tennessee. Identifying as a Jeffersonian Republican, he served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1824 to 1825. His daughter Elizabeth married Will ...

(1766–1843), who served as Mayor of Nashville from 1824 to 1825 and owned the

Carnton Carnton is a historic home and museum in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The plantation played an important role during and immediately after the Battle of Franklin during the American Civil War. It is managed by the no ...

plantation. His father, Jacob McGavock, fought in the Creek War of 1813–1814 with

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. His mother was Louisa Caroline (Grundy) McGavock. His maternal grandfather was

Felix Grundy Felix Grundy (September 11, 1777 – December 19, 1840) was an American politician who served as a congressman and senator from Tennessee as well as the 13th attorney General of the United States. Biography Early life Born in Berkeley Cou ...

(1775–1840), U.S. Congressman from Tennessee from 1829 to 1838 and 13th

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

from 1838 to 1840. McGavock attended a private academy, The Classical and Mathematical Seminary run by Professor Moses Stevens (1790–1841) in Nashville, which closed down in 1846. From 1843 to 1846, he attended the University of Nashville. In 1847, he enrolled at the Harvard Law School, where he was active in the debating club called Kent Club and the

Moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

. He received his law degree from the Harvard Law School in 1849.Helen P. Trimpi, ''Crimson Confederates: Harvard Men who Fought for the South'', Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press, 2010, p. 38

/ref> He then went on a twenty-month tour of Europe, Asia and Africa. He wrote articles about his experiences abroad for the ''Daily Nashville Union'' and published them in a book in 1854.

Career

Upon his return from Europe, McGavock worked as a lawyer in Nashville. He joined the A.O.M.C., a fraternal organization whose members wore black robes and hoods during ceremonies. He also oversaw his family plantations in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. His portrait was painted by Washington Bogart Cooper (1802–1888) . McGavock was active in the

Tennessee Democratic Party The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Tennessee. The party was founded in 1826 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tennessee Democratic Party began alongside President Andrew Jack ...

. For example, he canvassed for James Buchanan in the 1856 campaign. He served as Mayor of Nashville from 1858 to 1859. He had won the election thanks to the Irish vote. In 1860, he campaigned for

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

. He was a strong proponent of states's rights. Prior to 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 ...

of 1861–1865, McGavock established a militia in Tennessee among the Irish. Meanwhile, his wife founded the Ladies Soldiers' Friend Society, a patriotic group that included

Sarah Childress Polk Sarah Childress Polk (September 4, 1803 – August 14, 1891) was the first lady of the United States from 1845 to 1849. She was the wife of the 11th president of the United States, James K. Polk. Well educated in a successful family, Sarah met h ...

, the widow of President

James Polk James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

(1795–1849). During the war, he organized, outfitted, and served as lieutenant colonel of the 10th Tennessee Infantry ("Sons of Erin") in the

. In 1862, he succeeded to command of the 10th Tennessee at

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

when its colonel,

Adolphus Heiman Adolphus Heiman (April 17, 1809 – November 16, 1862) was a Prussian-born American architect and soldier; later becoming a Confederate States Army, Confederate officer during the American Civil War.Christine Kreyling (ed.), ''Classical Nashville ...

, was given command of a brigade. He was captured in the ensuing siege and imprisoned in Fort Warren on Georges Island in

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for five months. He was paroled in September 1862 and re-elected lieutenant colonel when the regiment was exchanged and reorganized. Upon Heiman's death from illness in November, McGavock became colonel of the 10th Tennessee and was killed in action leading a counter-attack at the

Battle of Raymond The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Initial Union attempts to capture the strategically important Mississippi River city of Vicksburg failed. Beg ...

in Mississippi on May 12, 1863.

Personal life

McGavock married Seraphina Deery in 1855.

Death and legacy

After he was killed in combat on May 12, 1863, McGavock was first buried in Raymond, but his sister Ann and her husband, Judge Henry Dickinson made arrangements for the body to be brought to their home in Columbus, Mississippi. Finally, on St. Patrick's Day, 1866, he was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville during a ceremony conducted by the Masons. McGavock's portrait, done by Washington Bogart Cooper, hangs in the

Nashville Public Library Nashville Public Library is the public library serving Nashville, Tennessee and the metropolitan area of Davidson County. In 2010, the Nashville Public Library was the recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The library ...

Bibliography

Primary source

*Randal William McGavock, ''A Tennessean Abroad'' (1854).

Secondary source

*Jack Allen, ''The Diary of Randal William McGavock, 1852–1862: An Interpretation of a Period'' (Nashville, Tennessee: George Peabody College for Teachers, 1941).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGavock, Randal William 1826 births 1863 deaths American people of Irish descent Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee University of Nashville alumni Harvard Law School alumni Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee Democrats American planters Confederate States Army officers American Freemasons McGavock family 19th-century American politicians United States politicians killed during the Civil War Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) 19th-century American lawyers