Samuel McGowan (October 19, 1819 – August 9, 1897) was an American military officer, lawyer, politician, judge, and a

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 ...

in the Confederate army 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 th ...

. Born 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 = ...

, he commanded a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

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 famous "Light Division" and was wounded several times. Ezra Warner's book, ''Generals in Gray'', claims that "McGowan's career and reputation were not excelled by any other brigade commander in the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

." Following reconstruction, he was elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

but refused to take his seat, later serving as an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

South Carolina Supreme Court The South Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices.

.Brooks, pp. 72–77

Early life and education

Born to

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

parents in the Laurens District of South Carolina, McGowan's father was a prosperous farmer who had intended his son to study law. McGowan attended and graduated from South Carolina College in 1841, where he was a member of the

Clariosophic Society The Clariosophic Society, also known as ΜΣΦ (Mu Sigma Phi), is a literary society founded in 1806 at the University of South Carolina, then known as South Carolina College, as a result of the splitting in two of the Philomathic Society, wh ...

.Morgan, p. 31 Subsequently, he studied law in

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

and was admitted to the bar. Prior to the Civil War, McGowan practiced law as partner of Thomas C. Perrin and served in state politics. He volunteered for service in 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 enlisted as a private in the

Palmetto Regiment The Palmetto Regiment of Volunteers of South Carolina was an infantry regiment that participated in the Mexican–American War. It suffered heavy losses and was known for the first American colors over Mexico City, when it raised its regimental fla ...

. He was commended for his gallantry near

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, rose to the rank of captain and served as quartermaster and staff officer.Tucker, p. 1321

Career

American Civil War

In late 1860 he was appointed to command a brigade of the South Carolinian militia, being a major general in the same, and was present at the attack on Fort Sumter. At the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

, McGowan served as an aide-de-camp on the staff of General

Milledge Bonham Milledge Luke Bonham (December 25, 1813August 27, 1890) was an American politician and Congressman. He was later the 70th Governor of South Carolina from 1862 until 1864, and a Confederate General during the American Civil War. Early life an ...

. In September 1861 he was appointed

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 14th South Carolina Infantry; and became the

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 ...

of 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 conscripted ...

in April 1862. The 14th was assigned to

Maxcy Gregg Maxcy Gregg (August 1, 1814 – December 15, 1862) was a lawyer, soldier in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War who was mortally wounded at the Battle of ...

's brigade in A.P. Hill's Light Division. After Gregg was killed in 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 Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, McGowan 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 ...

(to rank from January 17, 1863) and took command of the Light Division's South Carolina brigade. One of his fellow officers was

Abner M. Perrin Brigadier general, Brigadier-General Abner Monroe Perrin (February 2, 1827 – May 12, 1864) was an American lawyer who served as a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War until killed in act ...

, the nephew of his former law partner, who would succeed him in command of the regiment. Except for when wounded, McGowan commanded this brigade for the rest of the war, surrendering with it at Appomattox Court House. McGowan was wounded four times during the Civil War. The first occurrence was at Cold Harbor during the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

on June 27, 1862, where he was bruised in the right side by canister. The second wound happened at

Second Manassas 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 McGowan was hit in the thigh. McGowan suffered his worst wound at Chancellorsville. A

Minié ball The Minié ball or Minie ball, is a type of hollow-based bullet designed by Claude-Étienne Minié, inventor of the French Minié rifle, for muzzle-loading rifled muskets. It was invented in 1847 and came to prominence in the Crimean War and ...

severely injured McGowan's leg below the knee. Although he kept the leg, it was not until February 1864 that he was able to return to field command. McGowan received his final wound at Spotsylvania where he was hit and suffered a minor wound to the forearm.

Reconstruction

Returning to Abbeville after the war ended, McGowan was elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

as a member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, but refused his seat. He became a leader in the fight against "

carpetbagger In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the lo ...

" influences in the state's legislature. He was elected as an associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1879 and served there until July 1894.

Death

McGowan died in Abbeville August 9, 1897 and was buried there in

Upper Long Cane Cemetery Upper Long Cane Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Abbeville, South Carolina, founded c. 1760. Over 2,500 marked graves and numerous unmarked graves cover the cemetery's approximately 25 acres. It was listed on the National Register of Histori ...

. In reference to Hanz Holzer's book named Ghosts, Samuel McGowen actually may have died in New York City in an apartment building on Fifth Avenue. It was haunted by his ghost and a medium had made contact several times to free his spirit. Samuel was a brigadier and when he left Abbeville, SC, people wouldn't really even recognize that he was gone. His body was never buried in the grave. He did have an affair with a French lady and had a son named Gregory who ended up living in the south. In the book, Samuel's spirit is relentless in Gregory knowing he didn't off himself but was murdered. Samuel's spirit also wanted Gregory to know he wanted him to have things as well, but Samuel's other family from his wife etc, left Gregory nothing.

Notes

References

* * * * * * http://trrcobb.blogspot.com/2014/12/samuel-mcgowan-fifth-avenue-ghost.html?m=1

External links

Biographical Sketches: Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan
''South Carolina in the Civil War''

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGowan, Samuel 1819 births 1897 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American people of Irish descent Confederate militia generals Confederate States Army brigadier generals Conservative Party (South Carolina) politicians Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 People from Abbeville, South Carolina People from Laurens County, South Carolina People of South Carolina in the American Civil War Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court 19th-century American judges