Alexander Travis Hawthorn

Brigadier-General Alexander Travis Hawthorn (January 10, 1825 May 31, 1899) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War.[1]

Alexander Travis Hawthorn
Hawthorn c. 1863
Born(1825-01-10)January 10, 1825
Conecuh County, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMay 31, 1899(1899-05-31) (aged 74)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Buried
Greenwood Cemetery, Marshall, Texas, U.S.
(32°33′14.5″N 94°22′34.7″W)
Allegiance United States
 Confederate States
Service/branchUnited States Volunteers
 Confederate States Army
Years of service1847–1848 (USV)
1861–1865 (CSA)
Rank First Lieutenant (USV)
Brigadier-General (CSA)
Commands held
Battles/warsMexican–American War

American Civil War

Spouse(s)Anna Hawthorn
Other workLawyer, merchant, Baptist minister

Early life

Alexander Travis Hawthorn was born in Conecuh County, Alabama, on January 10, 1825 and was educated at Evergreen Academy and Mercer University. He then studied law at Yale University for two years, from 1846 to 1847,[2] and relocated to Camden, Arkansas, where he commenced the practice of law.[1]

American Civil War

When the 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was organized in 1861, Hawthorn was elected first its lieutenant-colonel and then, the following spring, was appointed its colonel. He was present at Battle of Shiloh and took a gallant part in the assault on Hindman Hill, in 1863, during the attack on Helena.[3] In 1864 he led a brigade in Churchill's division, during the joint campaign of U.S. generals Banks and Steele; and was a participant in the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry.[4][5] Meanwhile, he had been promoted brigadier-general from February 18, 1863. He continued in Churchill's division until the close of the war.[1]

Later life

Hawthorn emigrated to Brazil in 1867, but returned to the United States in 1874 and engaged in business in Atlanta. Six years later he entered the Baptist ministry and was ordained, after which he lived in Texas until his death, 31 May 1899, at Dallas. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Marshall, Texas.[1]

See also

References

  1. Warner, Ezra J. (1997), Generals in Gray: Lives of Confederate Commanders, Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, pp. 129–130, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5
  2. Catalogue of the Officers and Students in Yale College, 1846–7. New Haven: Yale College. 1846. p. 10 via Internet Archive.
  3. Thomas, David Y. (1926), Arkansas in War and Reconstruction, 1861-1874, Little Rock: Arkansas Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, p. 191, LCCN 27003960, OCLC 2306662 via Central Printing Company
  4. "Louisiana and Arkansas—Banks and Steele". The Daily Conservative. 1 (31). Raleigh, N. C. May 28, 1864. p. 1.
  5. Evans, Clement A., ed. (1899). Confederate Military History. Vol. X. Atlanta, Ga.: Confederate Pub. Co. pp. 402–403. LCCN 02017198 via Internet Archive.

Further reading

Military offices
Preceded by
Colonel Richard Lyon
Commanding Officer of the 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
1861–1862
Succeeded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon N. Peay
Acting
Preceded by
Colonel Albert W. Johnson
Commanding Officer of Hawthorn's Arkansas Infantry Regiment
1862–1864
Succeeded by
Colonel John B. Cocke
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