William Henry Fitzhugh Payne (January 27, 1830 – March 29, 1904) was a
brigadier general in the
Confederate States Army during the
American Civil War.
Early life
William Payne was born in
Fauquier County, Virginia to Arthur Alexander Morson Payne and Mary Conway Mason Fitzhugh. He attended the
Virginia Military Institute in 1846-47, but left school after only one year. He was declared an honorary graduate by the Board of Visitors in 1873.
Payne studied law at the
University of Virginia and established a law practice in
Warrenton, Virginia in 1851. The following year, he married his cousin, Mary Elizabeth Winston Payne, a daughter of
William Winter Payne; the couple would have ten children. He served as the Commonwealth's Attorney for Fauquier County for several years.
Civil War
Payne enrolled in early 1861 as a private and participated in the occupation of
Harpers Ferry in April. Later in the year, he became a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the famed Black Horse Cavalry, serving as under
J.E.B. Stuart. He was promoted to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
of the
4th Virginia Cavalry and commanded the
regiment at the
Battle of Williamsburg during the
Peninsula Campaign. He was severely wounded and captured by
Union forces.
After being exchanged, he returned to duty as the
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 2nd North Carolina Cavalry and fought in the
Chancellorsville Campaign. During the subsequent
Gettysburg Campaign, he was captured at the
Battle of Hanover in 1863 after being dehorsed and falling into an open vat of tanning liquid.
After being imprisoned at
Johnson's Island,
Ohio, he was promoted to
brigadier general in November 1864 and led a
brigade in
Early's Valley Campaigns of 1864, where he fought in the battles of
Opequon,
Fisher's Hill, and
Cedar Creek. He was badly wounded at the
Battle of Five Forks. During the final operations in early 1865 around
Richmond, he commanded a cavalry brigade under
Fitzhugh Lee.
Postbellum
After the war, Payne returned to his Virginia law practice. He was the general counsel for the
Southern Railway Company. Payne served in the legislature of Virginia in the session of 1879–80.
He died in
Washington, D.C.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
References
* Eicher, John H., and
David J. Eicher, ''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
*
"Generals of the Confederate Army." ''BigCountry.de''.
''The Virginia Civil War Home Page''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, William Henry Fitzhugh
1830 births
1904 deaths
American Civil War prisoners of war
Confederate States Army generals
Fitzhugh family of Virginia
People from Warrenton, Virginia
People of North Carolina in the American Civil War
People of Virginia in the American Civil War
Virginia lawyers
Virginia Military Institute alumni