Arthur Pendleton Bagby Jr. (May 17, 1833 – February 21, 1921) was an American lawyer, editor, and

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

during the

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

. Confederate

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

E. Kirby Smith, commander of the

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a territorial department of the Confederate States Army that embraced Arkansas, Louisiana west of the Mississippi river, Texas (including what is now New Mexico and Arizona), and the Indian Territory. It w ...

assigned Bagby to duty as a brigadier general on April 13, 1864, to date from March 17, 1864, and as a major general on May 16, 1865. These extra-legal appointments were not made official by appointments of Bagby to general officer grade by

Confederate President The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the unrecognized breakaway Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and commander-in-chief of the Confederate Ar ...

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

or by confirmation by the Confederate Senate. Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . p. xvi.Warner, 1959, p. 351.

Early life

Bagby was born in Claiborne, Alabama, on May 17, 1833.Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. . p. 24. He was a son of Alabama Governor Arthur P. Bagby and his second wife, Anne Connell. He attended school in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He was appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, in 1847. In 1852, at age 19, he was the youngest graduate to be commissioned a brevetEicher, 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. 588. second lieutenant of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in the 8th U.S. Infantry Regiment.Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . pp. 25–26. He was stationed at Fort Columbus in 1852-53, and he saw frontier duty at

Fort Chadbourne Fort Chadbourne was a fort established by the United States Army on October 28, 1852, in what is now Coke County, Texas, to protect the western frontier and the Butterfield Overland Mail route. It was named after Lt. T.L. Chadbourne, who was k ...

in 1853. Bagby resigned on September 30, 1853 to study law and was admitted to the bar in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

in 1855. He practiced in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, until 1858, when he moved to

Gonzales, Texas Gonzales is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, with a population of 7,165 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Gonzales County, Texas, Gonzales County. Gonzales was the site of several integral events in the T ...

where he practiced law until after the start of the Civil War.Allardice, Bruce S. ''Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register.'' Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. . p. 49. There, he married Frances Taylor in June 1860.

Civil War

On October 12, 1861, Bagby joined the Confederate Army, serving as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 7th Regiment of Texas Mounted Volunteers Bagby served in Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley's Army of New Mexico during the

New Mexico Campaign The New Mexico campaign was a military operation of the trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War from February to April 1862 in which Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley invaded the northern New Mexico Territory in ...

from February to April 1862. While Sibley's main force moved on to the

Battle of Valverde The Battle of Valverde, also known as the Battle of Valverde Ford, was fought from February 20 to 21, 1862, near the town of Val Verde at a Ford (crossing), ford of the Rio Grande in Union (American Civil War), Union-held New Mexico Territory, ...

and

Battle of Glorieta Pass The Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought March 26–28, 1862, in the northern New Mexico Territory, by Union Army, Union and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces during the American Civil War. While not the largest battle of the New Mexic ...

, Bagby's men served on garrison duty in southern New Mexico towns. Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. ''The Civil War Dictionary.'' New York: McKay, 1988. . First published 1959 by McKay p. 38. Bagby was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 4, 1862. After Sibley's retreat to Texas, Bagby was accused of drunkenness. He tendered his resignation after this accusation was made but the Confederate War Department refused the resignation and cleared him through a court-martial which was set up for that purpose.Sifakis, 1988, p. 26 says that Bagby was in service on the frontier until the Red River Campaign but this is inconsistent with other sources which state his service in earlier battles in Louisiana. Bagby was promoted to

on November 15, 1862. In the Second Battle of Galveston, on January 1, 1863, Bagby led his "Horse Marines" aboard an improvised gunboat in the capture of the USS ''Harriet Lane''. The 7th Texas Cavalry Regiment fought dismounted at the Battle of Fort Bisland or Battle of Berwick Bay on April 13, 1863. Bagby was wounded in the arm during the battle but would not leave the field until a Union Army attack was driven back. When Brigadier General Thomas Green was promoted to division command, Bagby was placed in command of a brigade. He led the brigade at the Battle of Stirling's Plantation (Battle of Fordoche Bridge), Battle of Bayou Bourbeux and the

Battle of Mansfield The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, on April 8, 1864, in Louisiana formed part of the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War, when Union forces were attempting to occupy the Louisiana state capit ...

during the Red River Campaign. Bagby's cavalry then harassed the retreat of the Union Army under Major General

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union Army, Union general during the American Civil War, Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local ...

from

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

Simmesport, Louisiana Simmesport is a town in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,161 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the northernmost town on the Atchafalaya River, located near the Old Ri ...

. General E. Kirby Smith previously recommended Bagby for promotion. In the absence of action on his request, and despite his lack of formal authority to make promotions, Smith assigned Bagby to duty as a brigadier general on April 13, 1864, to rank from March 17, 1864.Allardice, 1995, p. 25 Bagby's

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

brigade was renowned as one of the best in the

. Bagby commanded a brigade under Brigadier General Hamilton P. Bee for a time before replacing Bee in command in mid-May 1864. In September 1864, Bagby was given command of a new brigade of three Texas cavalry regiments in the 2nd Cavalry Division. In early 1865, Smith assigned Bagby to permanent command of a cavalry division. On May 16, 1865, after

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

and

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

had surrendered their armies, the Confederate Senate had held their last meeting and Jefferson Davis had been captured by Union troops, General E. Kirby Smith assigned Bagby to duty as a major general. Smith had no authority to promote officers to general grades and the Confederate President and Senate were no longer able to appoint or confirm general officers in May 1865.

Aftermath and death

After the war, Bagby settled in

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a city and the county seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria, Texas metropolitan area, Victoria Metropolitan Statis ...

, resumed practicing law, and was in 1870–1871 assistant editor of the local newspaper, the ''Victoria Advocate''. He later moved to

Hallettsville, Texas Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population, as the town founders were mainly German ...

, where he continued his law practice and became a prominent member of the state bar. He had two children, William Taylor Bagby and A. P. Bagby. Arthur Pendleton Bagby Jr. was the last surviving member of his West Point class. He died in Hallettsville, Texas, on February 21, 1921. He is buried in Hallettsville City Cemetery.

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. . * Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. ''The Civil War Dictionary.'' New York: McKay, 1988. . First published 1959 by McKay. * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * (accessed October 18, 2006). * 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. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bagby, Arthur P. Jr. 1833 births 1921 deaths People from Monroe County, Alabama United States Military Academy alumni Confederate States Army brigadier generals United States Army officers People of Texas in the American Civil War People from Victoria, Texas People from Lavaca County, Texas Military personnel from Texas

Early life

Civil War

Aftermath and death

See also

Notes

References