Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. (August 26, 1835 – June 20, 1882) was best known for having served as a military officer 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 ...

. During his tenure with the Confederate army, he eventually reached the rank of Brigadier-General. Brevard was captured by the forces of General

George Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

and imprisoned at

Johnson's Island Johnson's Island is a island in Sandusky Bay, located on the coast of Lake Erie, from the city of Sandusky, Ohio. It was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate officers captured during the American Civil War. Initially, Johnson ...

. He later died in 1882. He was the son of Judge

Theodorus W. Brevard Theodorus Washington Brevard (September 24, 1804 – 1877) was a Florida settler who served as Florida Comptroller for nearly ten years from April 3, 1851, to November 27, 1854, and from January 24, 1855, to December 14, 1860. He is the namesake ...

, the namesake of

Brevard County, Florida Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Ti ...

and Caroline E. Mays Brevard. He was the son-in-law of Florida territorial governor

Richard K. Call Richard Keith Call (October 24, 1792 – September 14, 1862) was an American attorney, politician, and slave owner who served as the 3rd and 5th territorial governor of Florida. Before that, he was elected to the Florida Territorial Council and a ...

. The historian and educator Caroline Mays Brevard was his daughter.

Early life and political career

Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. was born in

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

, on August 26, 1835, and studied law at 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 was admitted to the Florida bar in 1858, and later served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

from 1858 to 1859, and in the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

representing the 10th district from 1865 to 1866.The People of Lawmaking in Florida
/ref> On April 14, 1859, he married Mary Call, the daughter of Richard Keith Call. The wedding took place at The Grove, which was the residence of his sister-in-law Ellen Call Long. In June 1860, Brevard was appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

and

inspector-general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

for the

state of Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...

. At the beginning of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in 1861, he resigned from this post to enter active service, feeling that "he was too young a man to hold a safe and easy position whiles others were in peril".

Military career

Brevard started his military service as the First Lieutenant, under command of Captain John Parkhill, in a company of Florida Mounted Volunteers, called the "Leon Volunteers". The company of three officers and 76 soldiers mustered into service at Tallahassee in July 1857 and promptly moved to

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

where they searched for Seminoles hiding in the Everglades. On November 26 Captain Parkhill led a force to burn Seminole crops near Royal Palm Hammock. The next day he led a six-man patrol searching for Indian trails. His patrol was ambushed and he and five soldiers were killed. First Lieutenant Brevard took command after Parkhill's death and was promoted to Captain. The company mustered out of service in Tallahassee on January 28, 1858, and Brevard was promoted to Major and served as the Adjutant General of Florida's militia. When Florida Governor John Milton stood up the

2nd Florida Infantry The 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that fought in service of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. History The 2nd Florida was organized near Jacksonville, Florida on July 13, 1861, and mustered into Confe ...

of ten companies, Major Brevard had been serving as adjutant general of the militia. He resigned, commissioned as a captain, and raised an infantry company in Tallahassee called the Leon Volunteers, Company D, 2nd Florida. His company, with the 2nd Florida, rendezvoused near the Brick Church, just west of Jacksonville, now a neighborhood known as

LaVilla LaVilla is a historic African American neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida and a was formerly an independent city. It developed after the American Civil War and was eventually annexed to the city of Jacksonville in 1887 and is now considered pa ...

. They were mustered into Confederate service on July 13, 1861, and organized by the election of their commander, Colonel

George Taliaferro Ward George Taliaferro Ward (1810 – May 5, 1862) was a major cotton planter and politician from Leon County, Florida. He served in the Confederate Army as a colonel during the American Civil War, dying near Williamsburg, Virginia. Early life and m ...

of Leon County. Two days later, on Monday, July 15 the Regiment left by rail for Richmond, Virginia. They arrived Sunday afternoon, July 21, the same day that the Battle of First Manassas was fought some 100 miles to the north. The Regiment was in a Camp of Instruction in the neighborhood of Richmond where they trained for nearly two months. On September 17, 1861, the Regiment left Richmond for Yorktown. Captain Brevard fought with Leon Rifles in the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

and at the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

.Roberston, F. L., 1903. Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian-Civil and Spanish–American Wars. Live Oak, Florida: Democrat Print. Found at: https://archive.org/details/soldiersofflorid00flor Brevard, Theodore, Commander, 11th Florida Infantry, Civil War, Tallahassee, Florida

Brevard, Theodore, Commander, 11th Florida Infantry, Civil War, Tallahassee, Florida

Shortly after Williamsburg, the 2nd Florida held new officer elections and Captain Brevard left the 2nd Florida, returning to Florida in the summer of 1862. Brevard served for a short time certifying and mustering units until he was appointed Major and formed a cavalry battalion known as Brevard's Partisan Rangers which consisted of four companies. Brevard's Battalion fought in skirmishes around Jacksonville during 1863. His battalion was increased to five companies and Brevard promoted to Lieutenant Colonel shortly. On February 20, 1864, the battalion fought with Finegan's Brigade at the

Battle of Olustee The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on February 20, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war. Union General Truman Seymour had landed troops a ...

where they repulsed the Union advance from Jacksonville on Tallahassee. Shortly after the battle, Finegan's Brigade, of which Brevard's Battalion was a part of, was ordered to Virginia. On May 17 the unit left for Richmond by train, arriving on May 25. Finegan's troops and Perry's Florida Brigade consolidated and fought in the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

on May 28. On June 8, the Brigade reorganized and the

11th Florida Infantry The 11th Florida Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Florida that served in the Confederate States Army from 1864 to 1865. The 11th Infantry Regiment was organized in June 1864 by consolidating part of the 2nd and the 4th Florida I ...

was created with Brevard appointed its Colonel and commander. After the battle, the 11th Florida, with Finegan's Brigade marched to Petersburg where they joined the defense. Colonel Brevard and the 11th Florida fought in the

Weldon Railroad Weldon may refer to: Places In Canada: * Weldon, Saskatchewan In England: * Weldon, Northamptonshire * Weldon, Northumberland In the United States: * Weldon, Arkansas * Weldon, California * Weldon, Illinois * Weldon, Iowa * Weldon, North Caroli ...

where Brevard learned of the death of his younger brother,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Mays Brevard. Colonel Brevard led the 11th Florida through the Battle of Ream's Station on June 23, the

Battle of Globe Tavern The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, fought August 18–21, 1864, south of Petersburg, Virginia, was the second attempt of the Union Army to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg ...

on August 21, the Battle of Belfield on December 9, 1864, and the

Battle of Hatcher's Run The Battle of Hatcher's Run, also known as Dabney's Mill, Armstrong's Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of Union offensives during the siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate ...

, February 5–7, 1865. Brevard took command of the Florida Brigade on March 22, 1865, leading it until he and his command were captured at the

Battle of Sailor's Creek The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought on April 6, 1865, near Farmville, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, near the end of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, c ...

on April 6, 1865, just 3 days shy of General Lee's surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.

Capture

Upon the resignation of General Finegan, Brevard was made 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 ...

, making him the last Confederate General appointed by President Davis. On 6 April 1865, while leading a contingent of men from the 5th, 8th and 11th Florida regiments to break a flank movement of the enemy, Brevard and his men were captured by General

's cavalry. Brevard was sent to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and later to

where he was imprisoned until his release in August 1865. 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 ...

had not realized that they had captured ''General'' Brevard, they thought they had captured ''Colonel'' Brevard. Despite Custer's habit of enumerating all of his battlefield prizes, no federal provost marshal had counted Brevard as a General. Quite possibly, Brevard had no idea he was a General himself, as his March 28 commission to the post had not reached him due to the chaos of the retreat, and he may not have discovered that he was a general until the war was over.

Later life and death

Brevard bought a house in 1875 near the Grove at 622 North Monroe St. The house was built in 1833 for

Francis Eppes Francis Wayles Eppes (September 20, 1801 – May 30, 1881) was a planter and slave owner from Virginia who became a cotton planter in the Florida Territory and later civic leader in Tallahassee and surrounding Leon County, Florida. After reaching ...

. Brevard died on June 20, 1882 in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

Footnotes

References