Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. One of the first general officers to be killed in the American Civil War, he is best remembered for inspiring the famous nickname "Stonewall" upon then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as First Manassas). Born in Charleston, South Carolina to a prominent family of English ancestry, he moved with his family to Pendleton, South Carolina in 1833, where he attended the Pendleton Academy. Three years later, his parents moved to Texas, but he stayed behind with his mother's sisters to pursue his education. He received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in 1845 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to the 3rd United States Infantry. His first assignment was serving in the military occupation of Texas. During the Mexican-American War, he was twice brevetted for gallantry, first at the Battle of Cerro Gordo near Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, where he was wounded, and then at the Battle of Chapultepec in Mexico City. After the Mexican-American War, he was assigned to garrison duty at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he served as adjutant, followed by frontier duty, mostly at Fort Fillmore in New Mexico Territory from 1849 to 1855. In 1855 he was promoted to the rank of captain of Company D of the 10th United States Infantry and assigned to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. In 1857 his unit participated in the Utah War, where he was placed in command of the Utah Volunteer Battalion and brevetted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1860 he was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, briefly serving as the fort's commanding officer. When the Southern States seceded from the Union in 1861, he resigned from the United States Army and returned to Charleston where he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regulars. On June 17, 1861 he was appointed Brigadier General and given command of the 3rd Brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah, under Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston, that was mobilized at Manassas Junction in Virginia. During the subsequent battle, later known as the First Battle of Bull Run, he is purported to have used the term "stone wall" in reference to then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson and his men, giving rise to the name "Stonewall Jackson" and his Stonewall Brigade. He was mortally wounded as the Confederates began to gain the upper hand in the battle and he died the following day at Manassas, Virginia at the age of 37. Because he died shortly after the battle, it could not be fully determined whether his naming of "Stonewall" Jackson was intended as praise, a condemnation, or whether it was simply a misattributed quote. His older brother, Hamilton P. Bee, was also a Confederate Army Brigadier General who served in the Texas campaign. A monument stands today in the Manassas Battlefield Military Park in Manassas, Virginia where he fell in battle.
Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. One of the first general officers to be killed in the American Civil War, he is best remembered for inspiring the famous nickname "Stonewall" upon then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as First Manassas). Born in Charleston, South Carolina to a prominent family of English ancestry, he moved with his family to Pendleton, South Carolina in 1833, where he attended the Pendleton Academy. Three years later, his parents moved to Texas, but he stayed behind with his mother's sisters to pursue his education. He received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in 1845 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to the 3rd United States Infantry. His first assignment was serving in the military occupation of Texas. During the Mexican-American War, he was twice brevetted for gallantry, first at the Battle of Cerro Gordo near Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, where he was wounded, and then at the Battle of Chapultepec in Mexico City. After the Mexican-American War, he was assigned to garrison duty at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he served as adjutant, followed by frontier duty, mostly at Fort Fillmore in New Mexico Territory from 1849 to 1855. In 1855 he was promoted to the rank of captain of Company D of the 10th United States Infantry and assigned to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. In 1857 his unit participated in the Utah War, where he was placed in command of the Utah Volunteer Battalion and brevetted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1860 he was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, briefly serving as the fort's commanding officer. When the Southern States seceded from the Union in 1861, he resigned from the United States Army and returned to Charleston where he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regulars. On June 17, 1861 he was appointed Brigadier General and given command of the 3rd Brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah, under Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston, that was mobilized at Manassas Junction in Virginia. During the subsequent battle, later known as the First Battle of Bull Run, he is purported to have used the term "stone wall" in reference to then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson and his men, giving rise to the name "Stonewall Jackson" and his Stonewall Brigade. He was mortally wounded as the Confederates began to gain the upper hand in the battle and he died the following day at Manassas, Virginia at the age of 37. Because he died shortly after the battle, it could not be fully determined whether his naming of "Stonewall" Jackson was intended as praise, a condemnation, or whether it was simply a misattributed quote. His older brother, Hamilton P. Bee, was also a Confederate Army Brigadier General who served in the Texas campaign. A monument stands today in the Manassas Battlefield Military Park in Manassas, Virginia where he fell in battle.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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