Thomas Taylor Munford (March 29, 1831 – February 27, 1918) was an American farmer, iron, steel and mining company executive and Confederate

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 o ...

and acting

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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Munford was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Colonel George Wythe Munford and Lucy Singleton Taylor. He was descended from Lewis Dyve who fought in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. Hotchkiss, Jed. ''Virginia.'' Volume 3 in Evans, Clement A., ed
''Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History''
12 vols. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. . p. 640. Retrieved January 20, 2011. On July 30, 1849, Munford enrolled at

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

and was graduated in July 1852,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. . p. 606. standing 14th in a class of 24. He married Elizabeth Henrietta Tayloe, daughter of Mary Langhorne and

George Plater Tayloe George Plater Tayloe ( October 15, 1804 – Apr 18, 1897) was a Virginia businessman, soldier and legislator who also served as one of the original trustees of Hollins University. Early life George Tayloe was born October 15, 1804, at Mount Airy ...

, in 1853. Prior to the Civil War, Munford was a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

planter in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and farmer in

Bedford County, Virginia Bedford County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Bedford, which was an independent city from 1968 until rejoining the county in 2013. Bedford County was ...

. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Munford was mustered into 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 ...

on May 8, 1861 by Colonel Jubal A. Early and served as a lieutenant colonel with the 30th Virginia Volunteer Regiment, a mounted infantry regiment, which fought at the

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

.Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . p. 171. When the cavalry was reorganized under

J.E.B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

, he was promoted to colonel of the

2nd Virginia Cavalry The 2nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The unit was organized by Colonel Jubal E ...

as the 30th Virginia Volunteer Regiment had been redesignated. In the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Munford served under Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson as commander of a cavalry brigade of two regiments, succeeded Colonel and acting Brigadier General

Turner Ashby Turner Ashby Jr. (October 23, 1828 – June 6, 1862) was an American officer. He was a Confederate cavalry commander in the American Civil War. In his youth, he organized an informal cavalry company known as the Mountain Rangers, which beca ...

as commander of all of Jackson's cavalry, upon that officer's death, and fought well at the Battle of Cross Keys and captured many prisoners at Harrisonburg, Virginia. Hotchkiss, Jed. ''Virginia.'' Volume 3 in Evans, Clement A., ed
''Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History''
12 vols. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. . p. 640. Retrieved January 20, 2011. During the Peninsula Campaign, he led his men at the

Battle of White Oak Swamp The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles ( Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. As the Union Army of the Potomac retreated southeast toward the James River ...

. He served with efficiency in the Second Manassas Campaign in which he was slightly wounded at Turkey Run Bridge and the Second Battle of Bull Run. Munford was temporarily given an independent command of Robertson's brigade in the Maryland Campaign. During that campaign he successfully cleared

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northeas ...

of Union forces at the Battle of Mile Hill so that the army could cross the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

from there. He led his troops in a key defensive position protecting Crampton's Gap at the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...

. His men saw limited action at the Battle of Antietam. They participated in several of Stuart's cavalry battles during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign and the Bristoe Campaign, as well as in cavalry actions in the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

in Spring 1864 under

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Fitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of Sydney S ...

. Munford was appointed to duty as a brigadier commander by Fitzhugh Lee on November 9, 1864, but, despite being described as a general in several sources, he was never officially commissioned and confirmed as a brigadier general. He took command of Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division late in the war with that general's promotion to cavalry corps commander.For the Record see official listing as Brig Gen of Fitzhugh Lee's Division of Fitzhugh Lee's Cavalry Corps ppomattox Campaign(Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Vol IV .p.753) and fought at Five Forks, High Bridge, and Sailor's Creek. He led men away from 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 ...

prior to

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and escaped with a goal of reaching

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 ...

to link up with the army of General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

during the

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January ...

.Hotchkiss, 1899, p. 641. However, hearing that Johnston had since surrendered, Munford dispersed his force after reaching Lynchburg, Virginia. His first wife died in 1863, and Munford was remarried to her cousin, Emma Tayloe, daughter of Henrietta Ogle and

William Henry Tayloe William Henry Tayloe (January 29, 1799 – January 7, 1871) was an American plantation owner, horse breeder, businessman and land speculator during the first half of the 19th century. He inherited a vast estate from his father and expanded his ...

, in 1866. After the war, Munford inherited his father-in-law's plantation, Oakland, in Perry County, Alabama and worked as a cotton planter in Alabama. He returned to Virginia and worked as a cotton planter and as an

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

manufacturer and writer. He was Vice President of Lynchburg Iron, Steel & Mining Company. He served as President of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors from 1884 to 1888. On February 27, 1918 at the age of 86, Munford died at the home of his son in Uniontown, Alabama. He was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce S. ''Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register.'' Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. . * Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Hotchkiss, Jed. ''Virginia.'' Volume 3 in Evans, Clement A., ed
''Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History''
12 vols. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. . pp. 639–641. Retrieved January 20, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Munford, Thomas T. 1831 births 1918 deaths Confederate States Army generals Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia Military Institute alumni Tayloe family of Virginia Southern Historical Society

Biography

See also

Notes

References