Teacher, Lawyer, CSA Brigadier General, United States Congressman, United States Senator. He was a schoolteacher, then a prosperous lawyer during the antebellum period. Elected as commonwealth attorney in his county, he engaged in politics and served in the state militia, becoming a Colonel, then a Brigadier General. A member of the Virginia secession convention, he was elected Colonel of the 8th Virginia, which he recruited and equipped, after Virginia withdrew from the Union. At First Bull Run he and his regiment performed gallantly, participating in the defense of Henry Hill and charging bravely in the final Confederate assault that routed the Union army. His conduct earned him commendation in the battle reports. Assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General George E. Pickett, the 8th Virginia's next major action was in the Seven Days' Campaign. When Pickett fell wounded at Gaines' Mill, he assumed command of the brigade, leading it for 3 days until he collapsed from exhaustion. He commanded the regiment for another year, leading it at Antietam and at Gettysburg. During Pickett's famed charge, he suffered a severe wound. His deserved promotion to Brigadier General, delayed because of his health, finally came on August 9, 1863. Replacing the deceased Brigadier General Richard B. Garnett as a brigade commander, he fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. At Five Forks, on April 1, 1865, he and his brigade fought bravely against overwhelming Union forces. On April 6, he was captured, along with other Confederate generals, at Sayler's Creek and imprisoned in Fort Warren. His postwar career was even more distinguished than the one he had enjoyed prewar. He resumed his legal practice, in Warrenton, Virginia. He then served 4 terms as a United States Congressman from 1873 to 1881. He was the only Southern member of the electoral commission that decided the disputed presidential election of 1876 between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. He was also a United States Senator for 3 years from 1892 to 1895. He then retired to Warrenton until his death in Richmond, Virginia.
Teacher, Lawyer, CSA Brigadier General, United States Congressman, United States Senator. He was a schoolteacher, then a prosperous lawyer during the antebellum period. Elected as commonwealth attorney in his county, he engaged in politics and served in the state militia, becoming a Colonel, then a Brigadier General. A member of the Virginia secession convention, he was elected Colonel of the 8th Virginia, which he recruited and equipped, after Virginia withdrew from the Union. At First Bull Run he and his regiment performed gallantly, participating in the defense of Henry Hill and charging bravely in the final Confederate assault that routed the Union army. His conduct earned him commendation in the battle reports. Assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General George E. Pickett, the 8th Virginia's next major action was in the Seven Days' Campaign. When Pickett fell wounded at Gaines' Mill, he assumed command of the brigade, leading it for 3 days until he collapsed from exhaustion. He commanded the regiment for another year, leading it at Antietam and at Gettysburg. During Pickett's famed charge, he suffered a severe wound. His deserved promotion to Brigadier General, delayed because of his health, finally came on August 9, 1863. Replacing the deceased Brigadier General Richard B. Garnett as a brigade commander, he fought at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. At Five Forks, on April 1, 1865, he and his brigade fought bravely against overwhelming Union forces. On April 6, he was captured, along with other Confederate generals, at Sayler's Creek and imprisoned in Fort Warren. His postwar career was even more distinguished than the one he had enjoyed prewar. He resumed his legal practice, in Warrenton, Virginia. He then served 4 terms as a United States Congressman from 1873 to 1881. He was the only Southern member of the electoral commission that decided the disputed presidential election of 1876 between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. He was also a United States Senator for 3 years from 1892 to 1895. He then retired to Warrenton until his death in Richmond, Virginia.
Bio by: Ugaalltheway
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