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 ...

Thomas Pleasant Dockery (December 18, 1833 – February 26, 1898) was a senior

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of 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 ...

who served in both the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Trans-Mississippi Trans-Mississippi was a common name of the geographic area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century. The area included Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), and many other territories. The term "Tr ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

s of 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 ...

Early life

Thomas Pleasant Dockery was born in

Montgomery County, North Carolina Montgomery County is a rural county located in the southern Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,751. Its county seat is Troy. History The county was formed in January 1779, by an act of th ...

, to Colonel John Dockery, who had participated in the

Indian removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...

s in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. His father moved first to

Hardeman County, Tennessee Hardeman County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 25,462. Its county seat is Bolivar, Tennessee, Bolivar. History Hardeman County was ...

, and then to

Columbia County, Arkansas Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,801. The county seat is Magnolia. The county was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus. The Magnolia, ...

, where he established a large

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. John Dockery also played a role in establishing the first railroad 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 Osage ...

American Civil War

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Dockery received a commission on June 17, 1861, as captain of a Volunteer Militia Company in the 68th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Columbia County. This company became Company B of the 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, and Dockery was elected

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 new regiment. Dockery's regiment was assigned to

Nicholas Bartlett Pearce Nicholas Bartlett Pearce (commonly known as N. Bart Pearce) (July 20, 1828 – March 8, 1894) was a brigadier general in the Arkansas State Troops during the American Civil War. He led a brigade of infantry in one of the war's earliest battles in ...

's Division, Arkansas State Troops, and participated in the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, Springfield, Missou ...

, August 10, 1861. Pearce's Division of State Troops, voted to disband following the battle, rather than be transferred to Confederate Service. Dockery then helped raise and was elected Colonel of the 19th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. After the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Federal forces, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, moved south ...

, most Confederate units were withdrawn from Arkansas to the east side of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Dockery and his unit participated in the

Second Battle of Corinth The second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, M ...

. Dockery commanded the 19th Arkansas Infantry in

Martin E. Green Martin Edwin Green (June 3, 1815 – June 27, 1863) was a Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War, and a key organizer of the Missouri State Guard in northern Missouri. Early life Green was born in Fauquier County, Virginia. ...

's 2nd Brigade in

John S. Bowen John Stevens Bowen (October 30, 1830 – July 13, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who later became a general in the Confederate Army and a commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. He fought at the battles ...

's Division during the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

. The brigade was involved in heavy fighting at the

Battle of Port Gibson The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and was victo ...

on May 1, 1863, losing 222 casualties, and the

Battle of Champion's Hill The Battle of Champion Hill of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confe ...

on 16 May, losing 268 casualties. At the

Battle of Big Black River Bridge The Battle of Big Black River Bridge was fought on May 17, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. After a Union army commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's Confed ...

on May 17, the brigade was overrun, losing one killed, nine wounded, and 1,012 captured. When Green was killed during the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

, Dockery assumed command of the brigade. Dockery was captured when the city capitulated on July 4, 1864. After being paroled, Dockery was ordered by Confederate Secretary of War J.A. Seddon to assemble the Arkansas Confederate prisoners who had been released following the surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson at

Washington, Arkansas Washington is a city in Ozan List of Arkansas townships, Township, Hempstead County, Arkansas, Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 180 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 148 in 2000 United States Ce ...

, in the

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississ ...

. He was to reform them and recruit the units up to a full brigade. On August 10, 1864, Dockery received his commission as a brigadier-general and raised an Arkansas brigade, which he led in the Red River Campaign and participated in the Battle of Mount Elba,

Battle of Prairie D'Ane The Battle of Prairie D'Ane (April 9 – 13, 1864), also known as the Skirmish at Prairie D'Ane, Battle of Gum Springs or Battle of Moscow, was fought in present-day Nevada County, Arkansas, as part of the Camden Expedition, during the American ...

Battle of Poison Spring The Battle of Poison Spring was fought in Ouachita County, Arkansas on April 18, 1864, as part of the Camden Expedition, during the American Civil War. A Union force commanded by Major General Frederick Steele had moved from Little Rock, Arka ...

Battle of Marks' Mill and the

Battle of Jenkins' Ferry The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, also known as the Engagement at Jenkins' Ferry, was fought on April 30, 1864, at Jenkins' Ferry, southwest of Little Rock (present-day Grant County, Arkansas), during the American Civil War. Although the battle en ...

. During this campaign, Dockery commanded a brigade in

Fagan Fagan or Phagan is also a Norman-Irish surname, derived from the Latin word 'paganus' meaning ‘rural’ or ‘rustic’. Variants of the name Fagan include Fegan and Fagen. It was brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth ...

's cavalry division. The brigade consisted of the 18th Arkansas, 19th Arkansas, and 20th Arkansas Mounted Infantry Regiments, and the 12th Arkansas Infantry Battalion (mounted). Late in 1864, Dockery was assigned to command the Reserve Forces of the State of Arkansas. In May 1865 Dockery signed the instrument of surrender which surrendered all remaining Confederate forces in Arkansas.

Later life

Dockery died on February 26, 1898, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and was buried in

Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States * Grand Village of the Natchez, a site o ...

's city cemetery.Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders'', Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959, .

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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dockery, Thomas Pleasant 1833 births 1898 deaths American militia officers Burials in Mississippi Cavalry commanders Confederate States Army brigadier generals Farmers from Arkansas Military personnel from Arkansas People of Arkansas in the American Civil War People of the Brooks–Baxter War People from Columbia County, Arkansas People from Hardeman County, Tennessee People from Montgomery County, North Carolina Recipients of American presidential pardons