John Bordenave Villepigue

Last updated
John Bordenave Villepigue
Image Villepigue.JPG
Born(1830-07-02)July 2, 1830
Camden, South Carolina
DiedNovember 9, 1862(1862-11-09) (aged 32)
Port Hudson, Louisiana
Place of burial
Old Quaker Cemetery
Camden, South Carolina
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
Flag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States of America
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1854–1861 (USA)
  • 1861–1862 (CSA)
Rank
Commands held Fort McRee, Fort Pillow, Brigade
Battles/wars

John Bordenave Villepigue (July 2, 1830 November 9, 1862) was a career U.S. Army officer who served on the Western Frontier and became a Confederate general in the American Civil War. One of his descendants would later be World War I Medal of Honor recipient John Cantey Villepigue.

United States Army Land warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)—before the United States of America was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

Confederate States Army Army of the Confederate States

The Confederate States Army (C.S.A.) was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting against the United States forces. On February 28, 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a provisional volunteer army and gave control over military operations and authority for mustering state forces and volunteers to the newly chosen Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. Davis was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and colonel of a volunteer regiment during the Mexican–American War. He had also been a United States Senator from Mississippi and U.S. Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. On March 1, 1861, on behalf of the Confederate government, Davis assumed control of the military situation at Charleston, South Carolina, where South Carolina state militia besieged Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, held by a small U.S. Army garrison. By March 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress expanded the provisional forces and established a more permanent Confederate States Army.

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Contents

Early career

Villepigue (pronounced VIL-uh-PIG) was born in Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina, of French descent; one of no less than six Confederate generals who came from Kershaw County. Admitted to The South Carolina Military Academy at the Arsenal 1 Jan 1846, transferred The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina on 1 Jan 1847, a pay cadet and not eligible for a Beneficiary Cadet scholarship, he left to enter the United States Military Academy. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, in 1854, as a brevet second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. His initial service was out on the frontiers of Kansas and Nebraska and he was involved in the Sioux expedition of 1855, the march to Fort Lookout, Dakota in 1856, and the Utah campaign of 1857-58. By now a first lieutenant, Villepigue spent time at the Carlisle Cavalry School and was on duty in Utah at the time of the secession, whereupon he resigned his commission on March 31, 1861, to enter the service of the Confederacy.

Camden, South Carolina Place in South Carolina, United States

Camden is a city in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. It is the largest city and county seat of Kershaw County. The population was 6,838 in the 2010 census. In 2016, the population went up to 7,126. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Kershaw County, South Carolina County in the United States

Kershaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2016 census, its population was 64,097. The county seat and largest city is Camden. The county was created in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, Fairfield, and Richland counties. It is named for Col. Joseph Kershaw (1727-1791), an early settler and American Revolutionary War patriot.

The French are an ethnic group and nation who are identified with the country of France. This connection may be ethnic, legal, historical, or cultural.

Defense of Fort McRee

Villepigue was initially commissioned as a captain of artillery but was quickly promoted to the rank of colonel in the provisional army and assigned to the 36th Georgia Infantry Regiment. His first notable action was to command the defense of Fort McRee, guarding Pensacola harbor, during the bombardment of November 22, 1861. At the time, his commanding officer, General Braxton Bragg, suggested that for the number and caliber of guns involved, this would surely rank as the heaviest bombardment in the world to date. Bragg praised Villepigue's coolness under fire, even while grievously wounded, and noted that his example caused the troops he was leadingfor the most part raw volunteers from Georgia and Mississippito fight with the courage of veterans.

Captain (United States O-3) company-grade rank in U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force

In the United States Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), and U.S. Air Force (USAF), captain is a company grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.

Colonel (United States) Military rank of the United States

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, colonel is the most senior field grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and immediately below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. The pay grade for colonel is O-6.

Regiment Military unit

A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country and the arm of service.

General Bragg wrote of Colonel Villepigue that he was, "an educated soldier, possessing in an eminent degree the love and confidence of his officers and men, he had been specially selected for this important and perilous post. The result fully vindicates the fortunate choice, and presents for our admiration, blended in perfect harmony, the modest but heroic soldier with the humble but confiding Christian."

Defense of Fort Pillow

Villepigue was promoted to the staff of General Bragg as chief of engineers and artillery. He moved to Mobile, Alabama, and was appointed a brigadier general early in 1862. General P.G.T. Beauregard, who also held him in high esteem, then moved him to command Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Villepigue recognized the weaknesses of the forts location, and made efforts to reduce them, however they were under fairly constant bombardment by Union gunboats. Ordered to retire by General Beauregard, and to destroy all government property including guns, cannon and ammunition, his men blew up his fortifications and retreated to safety. 19 pieces of artillery were left behind.

Mobile, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

Mobile is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 as of the 2010 United States Census, making it the third most populous city in Alabama, the most populous in Mobile County, and the largest municipality on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans, Louisiana, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Brigadier general (United States) one-star general officer in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps

In the United States Armed Forces, brigadier general is a one-star general officer with the pay grade of O-7 in the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. The rank of brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services. The NATO equivalent is OF-6.

Tennessee State of the United States of America

Tennessee is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States. Tennessee is bordered by Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the west, and Missouri to the northwest. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, and the Mississippi River forms the state's western border. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, with a 2017 population of 667,560. Tennessee's second largest city is Memphis, which had a population of 652,236 in 2017.

The Second Battle of Corinth Battle of Corinth II.jpg
The Second Battle of Corinth

Brigade commander

Villepigue commanded a brigade at the Second Battle of Corinth in October 1862, in the division of Major General Mansfield Lovell, under the overall command of Maj. Gen. Earl van Dorn. He distinguished himself in both the successful opening attack and the covering of the eventual retreat. The arduous nature of the campaign laid him low with a fever however, and, with the promise of a major general's commission, he was sent to Port Hudson, Louisiana, to recuperate. Unfortunately, no sooner had he arrived there than his condition worsened and he died of pneumonia.

Brigade Military formation size designation, typically of 3-6 battalions

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of 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.

Second Battle of Corinth battle during the American Civil War

The Second Battle of Corinth was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. For the second time in the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans defeated a Confederate army, this time one under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn.

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. A major general typically commands division-sized units of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. Major general is equivalent to the two-star rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, and is the highest-permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed-services. Higher ranks are technically-temporary ranks linked to specific positions, although virtually all officers promoted to those ranks are approved to retire at their highest earned rank.

Brigadier General Villepigue is buried in the "Old Quaker Cemetery" in his home town of Camden, South Carolina. John Cantey Villepigue was buried there also after his death in World War I. That cemetery also maintains the grave of World War I Medal of Honor recipient Richmond Hobson Hilton, the graves of Civil War Confederate Generals Joseph B. Kershaw and John Doby Kennedy, and that of Confederate soldier and hero from the Battle of Fredericksburg, Richard Rowland Kirkland.

Old Quaker Cemetery, founded in 1759, is a cemetery located in Camden, South Carolina, in Kershaw County. It dates back to the earliest days of Camden, which was first settled in 1730, and is the oldest inland city in South Carolina. The cemetery is notable in that it maintains the gravesites of numerous famous people, to include three Civil War Confederate Army Generals, two Medal of Honor recipients, and one South Carolina Governor.

Richmond H. Hilton United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

Richmond Hobson Hilton was a S.C. National Guard 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Sergeant during World War I, and a Medal of Honor recipient—the first of two from Kershaw County, South Carolina to be awarded the medal during that war. He was also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal by Great Britain, the Médaille militaire and Croix de guerre with bronze palm by France, the Croce al Merito di Guerre by Italy, the Medalha da Cruz de Guerra, Third Class by Portugal, and the Medal for Military Bravery by Montenegro. All were awarded for bravery in the face of the enemy.

Joseph B. Kershaw Confederate Army general

Joseph Brevard Kershaw was a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.

See also

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References