Robert Ludwell Yates Peyton (February 8, 1822 – September 3, 1863) was a

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

attorney, politician and Confederate States Army officer who served as a Confederate States Senator from February 18, 1862, until his death in Alabama of malaria contracted while defending

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

in 1863.

Early and family life

Robert Ludwell Yates Peyton was born in

Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

to Townsend Dade Peyton (1774-1852) and his second wife, the former Sarah Yates (1800-1864). His grandfather Francis Peyton (who died before the boy's birth) had been a prominent planter and politician in Loudoun County, representing it in the House of Burgesses, all five Virginia revolutionary conventions and both houses of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

. The family owned slaves in Virginia, but reportedly freed them before 1840 when Townsend Dade moved his family to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Butler County, Ohio Butler County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 during St. Clair' ...

, where they lived first with a free Black woman and her two children, then retired with his wife and a 12 year old free mulatto servant. Meanwhile, Robert Ludwell Yates Peyton studied both at Miami College in Ohio, and the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. He never married.

Career

By 1850, the 23 year old Peyton was an attorney and he and a 35 year old Ohio-born attorney boarded with merchant Squire Allen in

Cass County, Missouri Cass County is a County (United States), county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 107,824. Its county ...

(near modern Kansas City). A decade later, he was among the dozens of people boarding with landlord W.J. Taylor in Harrisonville, the Cass County seat. He may or may not have been the "Robert N. Patton" who owned an enslaved man and woman in Deepwater, about 40 miles away. Missouri voters elected Peyton to the

Missouri State Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

in 1858. He became one of

's delegates to the

Provisional Confederate Congress 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 body ...

and afterwards won election to the

Confederate States Senate 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 nat ...

. On July 16, 1861, days after the victory of the

Missouri State Guards Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to th ...

commanded by Governor Claiborne F. Jackson over federal forces at the Battle of Carthage, Peyton organized a cavalry troop that became known as the 3rd Missouri cavalry, with Peyton as its

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 of ...

, but would resign that commission on December 13, 1861.Confederate States Army card index on ancestry.com He joined 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 ...

and died in Bladon Springs, Alabama on September 3, 1863, after catching

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

while defending

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyton, Robert Ludwell Yates 1822 births 1863 deaths 19th-century American politicians Confederate States Army officers Confederate States of America senators Deaths from malaria Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Infectious disease deaths in Alabama Missouri state senators Missouri lawyers People from Loudoun County, Virginia People of Missouri in the American Civil War Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War

Early and family life

Career

See also

Notes