Henry DeLamar Clayton, Sr. (March 7, 1827 – October 3, 1889) was a prominent

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 = 135,7 ...

attorney, politician, Redeemer judge, and college president. He also served as a

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 ...

in the

Confederate 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), fighti ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, commanding a division in 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 ...

in the Western Theater.'History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alaba Biography,' Thomas McAdory Owen and Marie Bankhead Owen, S.J.Cements Publishing:1921, pg. 347

Early life and career

Henry D. Clayton was born in

Pulaski County, Georgia Pulaski County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,010. The county seat is Hawkinsville. History Pulaski County was created by an act of the Georgia Genera ...

. He graduated from Emory and Henry College in

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 are ...

. He moved to

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now modern-day Eufaula was occupied by three Muscogee Cree ...

, after graduation and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under t ...

. He passed the bar exam in 1849 and opened an office in

Clayton, Alabama Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Barbour County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,008 at the 2010 census, up from 1,475 in 2000. History Clayton has been the county seat since 1834, two years after the creation of Barbo ...

, where he married Victoria Hunter and raised a family. Two of his sons, Henry De Lamar Clayton, Jr. and Bertram Tracy Clayton, later became United States Congressmen. His brother-in-law

James L. Pugh James Lawrence Pugh (December 12, 1820March 9, 1907) was a U.S. senator from Alabama, as well as a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. Biography Pugh was born in Burke County, Georgia, and moved to Alabama in 18 ...

was also a Congressman. He was twice elected to the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

, serving from 1857 until 1861. Clayton recruited and organized a local

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

organization and was elected as its

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 ...

. Among his subordinate officers was future fellow Civil War general William W. Adams. In August 1860, he was elected as

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 the 3rd Alabama Volunteers, a statewide militia organization.

Civil War

Following 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 l ...

of Alabama from the Union, Clayton led his men to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

, to enroll into the service of the new

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

in January 1861. Their services were initially not needed, but Clayton was subsequently ordered to take command of all incoming Alabama volunteer troops as they assembled in Pensacola. The 1st Alabama Infantry was formally mustered into Confederate service in late March, with Clayton as its first colonel. 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 ...

saw combat over two days, of which the 1st Alabama performed admirably at the Battle in the Bay for Port Barrancas. In January 1862, Clayton resigned his commission and returned to Alabama. There, the governor authorized him to raise a new

for Confederate service, the 39th Alabama. Clayton was appointed as its first colonel, and the regiment joined the

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. ...

of Brig. Gen.

Franklin Gardner Franklin Kitchell GardnerMiddle name Kitchell from his father, miswritten Franklin K. Gardner on his gravestone. (January 29, 1823 – April 29, 1873) was a Confederate major general in the American Civil War, noted for his service at the Siege ...

. Clayton's first significant campaign was as a part of the army of

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Wester ...

during his 1862

Kentucky Campaign The Confederate Heartland Offensive (August 14 – October 10, 1862), also known as the Kentucky Campaign, was an American Civil War campaign conducted by the Confederate States Army in Tennessee and Kentucky where Generals Braxton Bragg an ...

. Clayton's regiment fought at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Am ...

in the early winter as a part of the brigade of Brig. Gen. Zachariah Deas. Clayton suffered a severe wound, but recovered and was promoted to brigadier general in April 1863. He was assigned command of a brigade previously led by

Alexander P. Stewart Alexander Peter Stewart (October 2, 1821 – August 30, 1908) was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He fought in many of the most significant ba ...

consisting of the 18th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, and 58th Alabama regiments. Clayton was active in a number of subsequent campaigns and battles, including

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

and

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. His brigade played a prominent role in several fights during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign. Following the

Battle of New Hope Church The Battle of New Hope Church (May 25–26, 1864) was a clash between the Union Army under Major General William T. Sherman and the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by General Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign of the American ...

, Clayton was promoted to major general and assigned command of Stewart's division in the Army of Tennessee, where it participated in the unsuccessful Franklin-Nashville Campaign. In April 1865, 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 ...

, Clayton resigned his commission and returned home, a victim of

chronic stress Chronic stress is the physiological or psychological response induced by a long-term internal or external stressor. The stressor, either physically present or recollected, will produce the same effect and trigger a chronic stress response. There i ...

Postbellum career

With the fall of the Confederacy, Clayton resumed his law practice. In May 1866, he was elected as a circuit court judge. Like so many other former Confederates, he was removed from his office by the

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology * Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

government. He was twice reelected as judge in 1874 and 1880. In 1886, Clayton accepted a position as the president of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

, a role he held until his death in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population o ...

, in the fall of 1889. He is buried in Eufaula.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
History of Clayton's Brigade
* 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