Goode Bryan (August 31, 1811 – August 16, 1885) was a planter, politician, military officer, and

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 ...

general 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 ...

. His

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. B ...

played a prominent role during the Battle of the Wilderness, fighting stubbornly until exhausting its ammunition.

Early life and career

Bryan was born in

Hancock County, Georgia Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a Founding Father of the Amer ...

. Through his great-great-great-grandmother

Elizabeth Thynne, Viscountess Weymouth Elizabeth Thynne, Viscountess Weymouth (c.1711 – 19 June 1729), formerly Lady Elizabeth Sackville, was the wife of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, and his wife Eli ...

he was descended from Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset,

Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex, KG (24 January 164329 January 1706) was an English poet and courtier. Early life Sackville was born on 24 January 1643, son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (1622–1677) ...

and

Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (16 September 1622 – 27 August 1677) was an English peer and politician. Background He was born at Dorset House, the second of three children of Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset and Mary Curzon, ...

. His fourth great grandmomther was

Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset (c. 1689 – 12 June 1768), formerly Elizabeth Colyear, was a British court official and noble, the wife of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. She was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Walter Colyear (wh ...

. He was appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, graduating 25th of 36 in the Class of 1834. He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry. However, he resigned his commission after only ten months in the army, and moved back to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to pursue a vocation as a planter. He later moved to

Tallapoosa County, Alabama Tallapoosa County is located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Tallapoosa County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpageACES-Tallapoosa As of the 2020 census, the populati ...

, and studied law. He briefly entered politics, serving in the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

general assembly in 1843. In June 1846, Bryan joined the 1st Alabama Volunteer Infantry as its major. He served 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 ...

, seeing action at a number of battles. After the war, he resumed his law practice before returning to Georgia and farming. He married Anna Twiggs, daughter of a prominent

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

planter. In 1859, their daughter Sarah was born.

Civil War

Bryan served as a delegate to the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

convention in 1861. Enlisting in the Confederate Army, he was named a captain in the 16th Georgia Volunteer Infantry before being promoted to lieutenant colonel. On February 15, 1862, he became 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 conscript ...

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 led it during the subsequent Peninsula Campaign, Second Battle of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Gettysburg Campaign. During the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, the 16th Georgia was among the troops that were poised for a late attack on a perceived weak spot in the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

line near

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left f ...

, but were recalled by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet. To his dying day, Bryan remained bitter, convinced that his men could have moved forward and won the battle.CSA, ''Southern History of the War''
p. 528
He 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 ...

on August 29, 1863, to replace the deceased Paul Jones Semmes and commanded the brigade during the

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

. In September 1863, Bryan's Brigade traveled with James Longstreet to Georgia to reinforce the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

and they fought in the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. I ...

and the Knoxville Campaign. In the spring of 1864 they returned to 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 ...

before the start of 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 ...

. Bryan fought at

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 ...

and the beginning of the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. On September 20, 1864, he resigned his commission due to chronic ill health and returned home to Georgia.

Postbellum activities

After the war, with his health never again the same, Bryan lived a quiet life in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...

. Northern visitors remarked in the 1880s that "his manners were impeccable."Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy by Jon L. Wakelyn - 1977 pg. 115 He helped establish the Confederate Survivors Association, serving as the chairman of its first organizational meeting. Bryan died in Augusta and was interred in the city's Magnolia Cemetery, where six other Confederate generals are also buried.

Notes

References

* Confederate States of America
''Southern History of the War. Official Reports of Battles, as Published by Order of the Confederate Congress in Richmond''
New York: Charles B. Richardson, 1863. . * 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, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Evans, Clement A., ed
''Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History''
12 vols. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. . * Gottfried, Bradley M. ''Brigades of Gettysburg''. New York: Da Capo Press, 2002. . * 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