Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who were not duly appointment and confirmed or commissioned, and State militia generals who had field commands in certain actions in their home states but were never given appointments or commissions in the Confederate States Army are in this list. Not all colonels or lower-ranking officers who exercised brigade or division command at any time are in this list but those most often erroneously referred to as generals are in the list. A few acting or temporary Confederate generals were duly appointed and confirmed as such. The full entries for these officers are in the List of American Civil War generals (Confederate).
Abbreviations and notes:
After the fall of Vicksburg, communication between the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department and the Confederate government in Richmond was slow and difficult. The commander of the department, General E. Kirby Smith, appointed several officers to duty as brigadier generals and as major generals. He tried to get President Jefferson Davis to formally appoint these officers and nominate them to the Confederate Senate for approval. While Davis did appoint some of Smith's earlier nominees, at least nine officers who were appointed by Smith late in the war and may have served in the capacity of generals for a period of time were never appointed and confirmed by the civilian authorities. The ten acting generals assigned to duty by General Smith listed below are in this category. One of them, Horace Randal, was killed in action while commanding a brigade at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry under the overall command of General Smith.
| Name | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bagby, Arthur Pendleton Jr. | Colonel |
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| DeBray, Xavier | Colonel |
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| Gordon, Benjamin Franklin | Colonel |
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| Jackman, Sidney Drake | Colonel |
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| Jones, Alexander C. | Colonel |
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| King, Wilburn Hill | Colonel |
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| Lewis, Levin Major | Colonel |
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| Maclay, Robert Plunket | Major |
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| Randal, Horace | Colonel |
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| Terrell, Alexander Watkins | Colonel |
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The following Confederate officers are often referred to in historical writings as generals but their appointments were never completed or confirmed or their commissions were not properly delivered. [1] The appointments of a few were withdrawn before they were voted upon by the Confederate Senate. Some of the officers' appointments were nominated to but not confirmed by the Confederate Senate. Some of the officers' commissions as generals were not delivered until after they had died. In a few cases, promotions of officers to general officer grades were posthumous even as early as the dates of appointment or nomination and clearly were meant only to be tokens of respect or honor. Other general officer commissions remained undelivered when the war ended. At least two general officer appointments that appear in the historical record were unauthorized battlefield appointments which were not approved and confirmed by the civil authorities as the war was coming to a close. Nonetheless, these officers are notable because of their assignments or actions in the capacity of a general, almost always a brigadier general. The Eichers call most or all such officers "might-have-beens." About 24 of the officers in the alphabetical tables above are shown by Warner and Wright as full grade general officers but in fact their appointments, confirmations or commissions were incomplete or they died or the war ended before they received their commissions. The entries for these officers will be moved to the section below as the article is completed.
| Name | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ashby, Henry Marshall | Colonel |
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| Ashby, Turner | Colonel Brigadier General May 23, 1862 unconfirmed at death |
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| Barry, John D. | Colonel Brigadier General appointed August 2, 1864 unconfirmed canceled a few days later |
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| Bartow, Francis Stebbins | Colonel Brigadier General posthumous |
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| Benton, Samuel | Colonel Brigadier General rank: July 26, 1864 died before commission received |
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| Bowles, Pinckney Downie | Colonel |
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| Brevard, Jr. Theodore W. | Colonel Brigadier General rank: March 22, 1865 nom: March 28, 1865 unconfirmed |
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| Browne, William Montague "Constitution" | Colonel Brigadier General temporary rank: from November 11, 1864 unconfirmed: rejected |
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| Cobb, Thomas Reade Rootes | Colonel Brigadier General rank: November 1, 1862 unconfirmed: died |
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| Dearing, James | Colonel Brigadier General rank: April 29, 1864 not confirmed; continued as brigade commander |
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| Deshler, James | Colonel Brigadier General rank: July 28, 1863 not confirmed |
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| Dunovant, John | Colonel Brigadier General (temporary) rank: August 22, 1864 unconfirmed at death |
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| Fauntleroy, Thomas Turner | Brigadier General, Provisional Army of Virginia Major Refused brigadier general appointment |
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| Fiser, John Calvin | Colonel |
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| Frazer, John W. | Colonel Brigadier General nom or appt: May 3, 1863 rank: May 19, 1863 unconfirmed |
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| Garrott, Isham Warren | Colonel Brigadier General rank: May 28, 1863 |
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| Girardey, Victor J. B. | Brigadier General (temporary) rank: July 30, 1864 commissioned: August 3, 1864 unconfirmed? |
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| Godwin, Archibald C. | Colonel Brigadier General rank: August 5, 1864 unconfirmed |
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| Goggin, James M. | Major Brigadier General rank: December 4, 1864 cancelled unconfirmed |
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| Hagan, James | Colonel |
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| Hannon, Moses Wright | Colonel |
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| Harris, David Bullock | Colonel |
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| Harrison Jr, George P. | Colonel | |
| Hatton, Robert Hopkins | Colonel Brigadier General not confirmed: died |
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| Henderson, Robert Johnson | Colonel |
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| Hodge, George B. | Colonel Brigadier General nominations rejected paroled as brig. gen. |
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| Johnson, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" | Colonel Brigadier General (not confirmed) |
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| Jones, John R. | Lt. Colonel Brigadier General (not confirmed) |
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| Martin, John Donelson | Colonel Acting Brigadier General appointed April 29, 1862 |
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| Moore, Samuel Preston | Colonel Surgeon General |
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| Munford, Thomas Taylor | Colonel Assigned {Acting Brigadier General} not commissioned/commission never received |
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| Northrop, Lucius B. | Colonel Brigadier General rank: November 26, 1864 nomination not sent for Senate confirmation |
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| O'Neal, Edward Asbury | Colonel Brigadier General: commission cancelled |
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| Pegram, William "Willie" | Colonel Acting brigadier general |
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| Phifer, Charles W. | Major Acting brigadier general appt: May 25, 1862 canceled: October 16, 1862 |
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| Porterfield, George | Colonel Acting Brigadier General |
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| Rains, James Edwards | Colonel Brigadier General rank, nom: November 4, 1862 not confirmed, died |
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| Robertson, Felix Huston | Colonel Brigadier General (temporary) rank: July 26, 1864 nom: rejected: February 22, 1865 |
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| Rucker, Edmund Winchester | Colonel Brigadier General (Acting) |
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| Semmes, Raphael "Beeswax", "Bim" | Rear Admiral, Confederate States Navy Brigadier General appointed April 5, 1865 (unconfirmed) |
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| Taylor, Thomas H. | Colonel Brigadier General unconfirmed |
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| Thomas, Bryan Morel | Colonel Brigadier General rank: August 4, 1864 not confirmed |
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| Walker, Francis Marion | Colonel |
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At the beginning of the Civil War, the Union Army incorporated most State militia units from the States adhering to the Union, mainly because they were offered for federal service by their States in response to President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers to put down the rebellion of the Confederate States. If the generals of these units did not receive appointments by the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate and come into federal service with their units, new Union Army generals were appointed and confirmed for the Union Army brigades or divisions in which the units were placed. States often retained or further recruited some militia units for local defense but these units, including any generals, saw little, if any, combat in the Civil War as State units. State militia units remaining under State control did not leave their States for service elsewhere and few battles or lesser actions were fought in the Northern States. The battles of South Mountain, Antietam, Gettysburg and Monocacy were among the more notable exceptions.
The Confederate States Army followed a similar pattern with respect to incorporating volunteer militias but certain States retained a significant number of militia units for local defense. Because most of the battles of the Civil War occurred in Southern States, some of these units, and their State-appointed generals, saw significant service and combat. They were usually brought under the command of Confederate State Army commanders and forces in their areas but on a few occasions were the only forces available to oppose Union forces. State units fought in Texas, in Missouri, especially early in the war, in Virginia, especially during Jackson's Valley Campaign, in Mississippi, especially during the Vicksburg Campaign, in Georgia, especially during Sherman's March to the Sea, and in South Carolina, especially in the Carolinas Campaign.
Authors have not always pointed out that the generals in certain Civil War battles, actions or campaigns were State militia generals, not duly appointed and confirmed Confederate States Army (almost always Provisional Army of the Confederacy) generals. They were fighting for the Confederate cause and may have commanded a large number of troops but they are still properly described only as State militia generals.
Many of the Southern States' militia officers are identified by historian Bruce C. Allardice. [7] Allardice, and others like him who take an expansive view of Confederate general officer appointments, identify many militia officers who were never mustered into national service for the Confederacy, nor did they serve as generals in any campaign or significant battle. The list below does not include those officers. It is limited to those known to have served in the field in command of militia units, on in another significant capacity such as guard duty in an active theater or in temporary command of Confederate Army brigades or divisions.
Below is a list of the more significant State militia generals from the Confederate States. These generals commanded and participated in battles and campaigns, at least in their home states, and thus provided some field service during the war. As such, they are likely to be referred to as Confederate generals in some books, articles or sources, even though they were State militia generals and not duly commissioned Confederate generals.
| Name | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alcorn, James Lusk | Brigadier General, Mississippi Militia |
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| Anderson, Charles David | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia |
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| Boggs, James | Brigadier General, Virginia Militia |
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| John T. Hughes | Brigadier General, Missouri Militia |
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| Carson, James Harvey | Brigadier General, Virginia Militia |
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| Carswell, Reuben Walker | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia |
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| Chapman, Augustus A. | Brigadier General, Virginia Militia |
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| Chase, William Henry | Major General, Florida Militia |
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| Clark, Edward | Brigadier General, Texas Militia Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Clark, John Bullock | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard |
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| Clark, Meriwether Lewis Sr. | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Dahlgren, Charles G. | Brigadier General, Mississippi Militia |
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| de Saussure, Wilmot Gibbes | Brigadier General, South Carolina Militia |
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| Ford, John Salmon | Brigadier General, Texas Militia Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Garlington, Albert Creswell | Brigadier General, South Carolina Militia |
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| Greene, Colton | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard Colonel, 3rd Missouri Cavalry (CSA) Acting brigadier general (CSA) |
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| Harman, William Henry | Brigadier General, Virginia Militia |
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| Harper, Kenton | Major General, Virginia Militia |
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| Harris, Jeptha Vining | Brigadier General, Mississippi Militia |
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| Harrison, Sr., George Paul | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia |
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| McBride, James Haggin | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| McCay, Henry Kent | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia |
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| Meem, Gilbert Simrall | Brigadier General, Virginia Militia |
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| Pearce, Nicholas Bartlett | Brigadier General, Arkansas State Troops Major, Confederate States Army |
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| Phillips, Pleasant J. | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia |
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| Rains, George W. | Brigadier General, Georgia Militia Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Smith, Francis Henney | Brevet Brigadier General, Virginia Militia Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Steen, Alexander E. | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard Colonel, Confederate States Army |
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| Thompson, Meriwether Jefferson | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard |
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| Tupper, Tulius Cicero | Major General, Mississippi State Troops |
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| Watkins, Nathaniel W. | Brigadier General, Missouri State Guard |
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Francis Henney Smith was an American military officer, mathematician and educator. After graduating from West Point and a brief service in the United States Army, he became the first Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute on its establishment in 1839, and held that post until shortly before his death. His superintendency included the four years of the American Civil War, during which he served as a major general in the Virginia militia and a colonel in the Confederate States Army.
Thomas Taylor Munford was an American farmer, iron, steel and mining company executive and Confederate colonel and acting brigadier general during the American Civil War.
Arthur Pendleton Bagby Jr. was an American lawyer, editor, and Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. Confederate General E. Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department 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 Jefferson Davis or by confirmation by the Confederate Senate.
Pinckney Downie Bowles was a lawyer, county prosecutor, probate judge, and a Confederate military officer during the American Civil War.
The general officers of the Confederate States Army (CSA) were the senior military leaders of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. They were often former officers from the United States Army before the Civil War, while others were given the rank based on merit or when necessity demanded. Most Confederate generals needed confirmation from the Confederate States Congress, much like prospective generals in the modern U.S. armed forces.
Charles David Anderson was an American planter, businessman, legislator, and soldier. He served as an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, in which he was wounded three times. After the war Anderson was a tax collector in Georgia.
Pleasant Jackson Philips was an American planter, banker, and soldier. He served as a Confederate colonel and brigadier general in the Georgia Militia during the American Civil War. In his capacity as a militia general, he commanded the Confederate infantry force of Georgia militia in the 1864 Battle of Griswoldville, Georgia. After the war he resumed his banking career.
Kenton Harper was an American newspaper editor, soldier, Indian agent, plantation owner, banker and politician. An officer of the Virginia militia then U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War, Harper later became a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War, and reportedly helped nickname Stonewall Jackson.
John Calvin Fiser was an American merchant and soldier. He served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, fighting in both the Eastern as well as the Western theaters. Fiser was seriously wounded five times in the conflict, losing an arm in 1863's Battle of Fort Sanders, and he was appointed a general officer late in the war; however, the appointment was never confirmed by the Confederate Senate. Afterward he returned to his business interests and was active in Confederate veterans organizations.
Horace Randal was a Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. Randal was mortally wounded while commanding a brigade at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas on April 30, 1864, dying two days later. Confederate President Jefferson Davis did not act upon a request made by General E. Kirby Smith on November 8, 1863, to promote Randal to brigadier general. After Randal's performance at the Battle of Mansfield, General Smith, as the Confederate commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, assigned Randal to duty as a brigadier general on April 13, 1864. Randal was not officially promoted. Jefferson Davis subsequently revoked Smith's appointment of Randal as a brigadier general.
Robert Plunket Maclay was a Confederate States Army major during the American Civil War. On May 13, 1864, he was assigned to duty as a brigadier general to rank from April 30, 1864, by General E. Kirby Smith. He was never officially appointed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate to that grade.
Henry Marshall Ashby was a Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. Although he commanded a brigade from June 1864 and a division at the Battle of Bentonville and through the surrender of the Confederate force under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, he was never appointed a brigadier general by Confederate President Jefferson Davis or confirmed as a general officer by the Confederate Senate.
James Hagan was a United States Army captain during the Mexican–American War and a Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. He was a prosperous businessman and planter at Mobile, Alabama, between the wars.
Robert Johnson Henderson was a Confederate States Army colonel during the American Civil War. His obituary stated that he was made a brigadier general by General Joseph E. Johnston, after Johnston witnessed Henderson making a desperate charge at the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, on March 10, 1865. At the suggestion of his divisional commanders, Henderson signed his parole as a brigadier general. Later, Henderson stated in his pardon application that he had been recommended for promotion to brigadier general but had never received a commission. Henderson commanded a brigade for several weeks at the end of the war but never was officially appointed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and confirmed by the Confederate States Senate to brigadier general rank.
Reuben Walker Carswell was a lawyer, member of the Georgia State Legislature, Confederate States Army lieutenant colonel and brigadier general in the Georgia militia during the American Civil War, and, after the war, a lawyer and judge.
William Henry Harman was a brigadier general in the Virginia militia and colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, who was killed in action during the Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 2, 1865.
David Henry Williams was a railroad surveyor, civil engineer and writer in civilian life. He was a volunteer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War and a volunteer Union Army colonel during the American Civil War. He was appointed colonel of the 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment on July 23, 1861. He was appointed a brigadier general in the Union Army on November 29, 1862, but his appointment expired on March 4, 1863, without being confirmed by the United States Senate. His actual highest rank remained colonel. After the expiration of his appointment in 1863, Williams resigned from the Union Army and returned to his career as a civil engineer and, after his health soon declined, a writer for newspapers and magazines.
