CSA Bios: Pettigrew, W.F. Perry, E.A. Perry, Perrin

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew (b. 1828, d. 1863) Without the sacrifice of men such as James Johnson Pettigrew, the Army of Northern Virginia might not have made it back to Virginia at the end of the Gettysburg Campaign. Pettigrew, a brigade commander in A.P. Hill’s Corps, was commanding a rearguard action against Federal cavalry near Falling Waters, Maryland, July 13, 1863, when he was fatally wounded. He lingered for three days before dying near Bunker Hill, Virginia, July 17, 1863. “The army has lost a brave soldier and the Confederacy an accomplished officer,” said Gen. Robert E. Lee on Pettigrew’s death. It wasn’t the first time Pettigrew had been in the thick of the action. He had been severely wounded and captured during Seven Pines. Exchanged, Pettigrew returned in a defensive command before being given a brigade. Pettigrew was born at “Bonarva” in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, July 4, 1828. A child prodigy, he entered the University of North Carolina at the age of 15 and upon his graduation, President James K. Polk appointed him as an assistant professor at the Naval Observatory in Washington. He held that spot for two years before starting to study law. After traveling abroad, Pettigrew settled in Charleston, South Carolina, to practice law. He entered the political realm by being elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1856. In 1861, he held the rank of colonel in the state militia and served in Charleston harbor during the siege of Fort Sumter. He later enlisted in Hampton’s Legion and was elected colonel of the 12th South Carolina. In Virginia, Pettigrew accepted a commission as a brigadier general Feb. 26, 1862. Fighting in the division of Gen. G.W. Smith, Pettigrew was wounded and captured at Seven Pines. He was exchanged two months later and commanded defenses at Petersburg and in North Carolina before being given another brigade in Gen. Henry Heth’s division. When Heth suffered a head wound at Gettysburg, Pettigrew ascended to lead the division. Pettigrew suffered a hand wound during Pickett’s Charge, but refused to leave the field. He was back with his brigade on the march back to Virginia and was fatally wounded near the Potomac River crossing point.

Brig. Gen. William F. Perry (b. 1823, d. 1901) William Flank Perry served in the Confederate army at every rank from private to brigadier general, although he nearly didn’t make the final rank. Perry was one of the final Confederate brigadiers, being promoted to the rank Feb. 21, 1865, after the insistence of Gen. Longstreet and others. Perry had led the brigade formerly of Gen. Law from Cold Harbor until the end of the war. Perry was born in Jackson County, Georgia, March 12, 1823. When he was 10, the family moved to Chambers County, Ala. He had little formal schooling, learning for himself. He then taught what he learned to others. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854, but never practiced, likely because he was elected Alabama’s first superintendent of public instruction the same year. He twice won re-election to that post. He laid the foundation for the state’s public school system during his tenure. From 1858-62, Perry was the president of the East Alabama Female College. He resigned to enlist as a private in the 44th Alabama. When elections were held a few weeks later, Perry was appointed the unit’s major. After fighting at Second Manassas and Sharpsburg, Perry was promoted to colonel and commanded the regiment. His unit served in Law’s brigade in the First Corps during that unit’s campaigns in the Army of Northern Virginia and its adventures through Tennessee. Notable engagements included Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. After Cold Harbor, Perry led the brigade until the end of the war. His promotion to brigadier general finally caught up with him near the end of the war. After the war, Perry was a planter in Alabama for two years before moving to Kentucky to teach. He was a professor in English and philosophy for many years at Ogden College in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He died in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Dec. 18, 1901.

Brig. Gen. Edward A. Perry (b. 1831, d. 1889) Commander of the Florida brigade, Edward Aylesworth Perry overcame wounds and illness to lead his unit in the Army of Northern Virginia. Perry was born in Richmond, Massachusetts, March 15, 1831. He received early education at the Richmond Academy and entered Yale in 1850, but left after a year to teach and study law in Alabama. He later moved to Pensacola, Florida, and opened a law practice there in 1857. In 1861, he entered Confederate service as a captain in charge of Company A, Second Florida Infantry. In May 1862, he became colonel of the Second Florida. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Frayser’s Farm during the Seven Days Campaign. His promotion to brigadier general came Aug. 28, 1862, and his command of the Florida Brigade ran through the Battle of Chancellorsville. He came down with typhoid fever after that and was out of action until the 1864 Overland Campaign. After being severely wounded at the Wilderness, Perry was reassigned to duty with the reserve forces in Alabama, where he served the rest of the war. After the war, Perry became well known within the Florida bar. He was an outspoken opponent of the carpetbag rule and he was elected governor on the Democratic ticket in 1884. After his term, he retired. Perry died while visiting Kerrville, Texas, Oct. 15, 1889.

Note--Perry’s bio was written on his 176th birthday!

Brig. Gen. Abner M. Perrin (b. 1827, d. 1864) “I shall come out of this fight a live major general or a dead brigadier,” declared Abner Monroe Perrin at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. On May 12, 1864, he was the latter, holed by seven balls while leading his men in a counterattack against Federal forces in the Mule Shoe. Perrin was born on Groundhog’s Day, Feb. 2, 1827, in Edgefield District, South Carolina. Fighting in the Mexican War, Perrin was a second lieutenant and later was promoted to first lieutenant in the regular army. After the war, he studied law in South Carolina and was admitted to the bar in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1854. At the start of the Civil War, Perrin entered Confederate service as a captain in the 12th South Carolina and was sent to defensive duties in the Virginia peninsula. He fought in the Seven Days Campaign, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg before being promoted to colonel Feb. 20, 1863. He led his regiment at Chancellorsville and briefly led McGowan’s brigade after the general was wounded during that battle. With McGowan still out, Perrin led the brigade at Gettysburg. Perrin’s promotion to brigadier general was made official Sept. 10, 1863 and he took over the brigade formerly commanded by Cadmus Wilcox in Anderson’s division in the Army of Northern Virginia’s Third Corps. At the Wilderness, Perrin drew praise for his performance. When Federal Gen. Hancock’s men hit the Mule Shoe, capturing most of Edward Johnson’s division, Perrin was in the middle of A.P. Hill’s counterattack. He was mounted, with a sword in his hand and leading his men toward the works when he was struck down. He is buried in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, City Cemetery.

[Gil R.]

Thanks.

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew (b. 1828, d. 1863) Without the sacrifice of men such as James Johnson Pettigrew, the Army of Northern Virginia might not have made it back to Virginia at the end of the Gettysburg Campaign. Pettigrew, a brigade commander in A.P. Hill’s Corps, was commanding a rearguard action against Federal cavalry near Falling Waters, Maryland, July 13, 1863, when he was fatally wounded. He lingered for three days before dying near Bunker Hill, Virginia, July 17, 1863. “The army has lost a brave soldier and the Confederacy an accomplished officer,” said Gen. Robert E. Lee on Pettigrew’s death. It wasn’t the first time Pettigrew had been in the thick of the action. He had been severely wounded and captured during Seven Pines. Exchanged, Pettigrew returned in a defensive command before being given a brigade. Pettigrew was born at “Bonarva” in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, July 4, 1828. A child prodigy, he entered the University of North Carolina at the age of 15 and upon his graduation, President James K. Polk appointed him as an assistant professor at the Naval Observatory in Washington. He held that spot for two years before starting to study law. After traveling abroad, Pettigrew settled in Charleston, South Carolina, to practice law. He entered the political realm by being elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1856. In 1859, he returned to Europe to join the war for Italian independence, but the war ended as he arrived. He spent time abroad, gathering materials for a book, “Notes on Spain and the Spainards in the Summer of 1859, With a Glance at Sardinia.” The book was published in 1861. Returning home, in1861, he held the rank of colonel in the state militia and served in Charleston harbor during the siege of Fort Sumter. He later enlisted in Hampton’s Legion as a private, but learned he had been elected colonel of the 22nd North Carolina. In Virginia, Pettigrew accepted a commission as a brigadier general Feb. 26, 1862. Fighting in the division of Gen. G.W. Smith, Pettigrew was wounded in the throat, left behind, shot and bayoneted and eventually captured at Seven Pines. He was exchanged two months later and commanded defenses at Petersburg and in North Carolina before being given another brigade in Gen. Henry Heth’s division. At Gettysburg, Pettigrew’s brigade drove Federal troops from McPherson’s Ridge July 1. When Heth suffered a head wound at Gettysburg, Pettigrew ascended to lead the division. Pettigrew suffered a hand wound during Pickett’s Charge, but refused to leave the field. He was back with his brigade on the march back to Virginia and was fatally wounded near the Potomac River crossing point.

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. Edward A. Perry (b. 1831, d. 1889) Commander of the Florida brigade, Edward Aylesworth Perry overcame wounds and illness to lead his unit in the Army of Northern Virginia. Perry was born in Richmond, Massachusetts, March 15, 1831. He received early education at the Richmond Academy and entered Yale in 1850, but left after a year to teach and study law in Alabama. He later moved to Pensacola, Florida, and opened a law practice there in 1857. In 1861, he entered Confederate service as a captain of the Pensacola Rifle Rangers, a unit he commanded in action during the occupation of the Pensacola navy base and Fort Barrancas. He took the unit to Virginia, where it just missed First Manassas. Assigned garrison duty in Yorktown, the Rifle Rangers were incorporated into the Second Florida Infantry. When that unit’s colonel, George T. Ward, was killed at Williamsburg in May 1862, he became colonel of the Second Florida. At Seven Pines, the unit suffered heavy casualties, but captured a New York artillery battery and its battle flag. Brig. Gen Samuel Garland, Perry’s brigade commander, wrote that Perry “discharged his duty with signal honor to himself." He was severely wounded at the Battle of Frayser’s Farm during the Seven Days Campaign. His promotion to brigadier general came Aug. 28, 1862, and his command of the Florida Brigade ran through the Battle of Chancellorsville. He came down with typhoid fever after that and was out of action until the 1864 Overland Campaign. After being severely wounded at the Wilderness, Perry was reassigned to duty with the reserve forces in Alabama, where he served the rest of the war. After the war, Perry became well known within the Florida bar. He was an outspoken opponent of the carpetbag rule and he was elected governor on the Democratic ticket in 1884. After his term, he retired. Perry died while visiting Kerrville, Texas, Oct. 15, 1889.

[Gil R.]

Got both changes. Thanks.

[Gil R.]

I reworked this bio because some information was repeated, and added a quote that I found on Wikipedia. It’s now ready to be added. Nice job.

Brig. Gen. James Johnson Pettigrew (b. 1828, d. 1863). Without the sacrifice of men such as Pettigrew, the Army of Northern Virginia might not have made it back to Virginia at the end of the Gettysburg Campaign. Pettigrew, a brigade commander in Gen. A.P. Hill’s III Corps, was commanding a rearguard action against Union cavalry near Falling Waters, Maryland, on July 13, 1863, when he was fatally wounded. He lingered briefly before dying near Bunker Hill, Virginia, on July 17, 1863. “The army has lost a brave soldier and the Confederacy an accomplished officer,” said Gen. Robert E. Lee on Pettigrew’s death. Pettigrew was born at the Pettigrew family’s Bonarva Plantation in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, on July 4, 1828. A prodigy, he entered the University of North Carolina at the age of 15 and upon his graduation was appointed an assistant professor at the Naval Observatory in Washington by Pres. James K. Polk. Pettigrew held that position for two years before starting to study law. After traveling abroad, he settled in Charleston, South Carolina, to practice law. Pettigrew soon entered the political realm by being elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1856. In 1859, he returned to Europe to join the Second War of Italian Independence, but the conflict ended as he arrived. He spent more time abroad, gathering materials for a travel book entitled, “Notes on Spain and the Spaniards in the Summer of 1859, With a Glance at Sardinia,” which was published in 1861. Returning home that same year, he held the rank of colonel in the state militia and served in Charleston harbor during the siege of Fort Sumter. Pettigrew later enlisted in Hampton’s Legion as a private, but learned that he had been elected colonel of the 22nd North Carolina. Serving in Virginia, Pettigrew accepted a commission as a brigadier general on February 26, 1862 in the division of Gen. G.W. Smith. Fully expecting to be immersed in the fighting, he would respond to the request of a relative for a “safe place” on his staff by stating, “I assure you that the most unsafe place in the Brigade is about me. By all means let him get rid of this idea of a safe place, which he will regret after time. The post of danger is certainly the post of honor.” This expectation proved true three months later, at the Battle of Seven Pines, when Pettigrew was severely wounded in the throat and shoulder and then shot and bayoneted while lying on the battlefield. Believing that his wounds were mortal, Pettigrew insisted that his men leave him behind, and he ended up being captured by the Union. Exchanged two months later, Pettigrew returned in a defensive command at Petersburg and in North Carolina before being given another brigade in Gen. Henry Heth’s division. At Gettysburg, Pettigrew’s brigade drove Union troops from McPherson’s Ridge on the first day of the battle, despite having been badly roughed up by the Iron Brigade. When Heth suffered a head wound, Pettigrew ascended to lead the division. He suffered a hand wound during Pickett’s Charge, but refused to leave the field. Though still in command of Heth’s division at the time, Pettigrew was with his brigade at the time he was fatally wounded by one of Gen. George Custer’s Michigan Brigade cavalrymen near the Potomac River crossing point his men were defending. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 5
Tactical: 4
Initiative: 2
Command: 3
Cavalry:

Teaches: Chargers, Shooters, Steady

Start date: 27
Death date: 60

[Gil R.]

And here's Perry, having undergone just some minor cosmetic changes. Good to know about the Florida Brigade -- the game could use a "Legendary Unit" from Florida other than the Cow Cavalry.


Brig. Gen. Edward Aylesworth Perry (b. 1831, d. 1889). Commander of the Florida Brigade, Perry overcame wounds and illness to lead his unit in the Army of Northern Virginia. Perry was born in Richmond, Massachusetts, on March 15, 1831. He received early education at the Richmond Academy and entered Yale in 1850, but left after a year to teach and study law in Alabama. He later moved to Pensacola, Florida, and opened a law practice there in 1857. In 1861, Perry entered Confederate service as a captain of the Pensacola Rifle Rangers, a unit he commanded in action during the occupation of the Pensacola navy base and Fort Barrancas. He took the unit to Virginia, where it just missed the fighting at First Bull Run. Assigned garrison duty in Yorktown, the Rifle Rangers were incorporated into the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment. When that unit’s colonel, George T. Ward, was killed at Williamsburg in May 1862, Perry became regimental colonel. At the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31-June 1, the unit suffered heavy casualties, but captured a New York artillery battery and its battle flag. Brig. Gen. Samuel Garland, Perry’s brigade commander, wrote that Perry “discharged his duty with signal honor to himself.” Perry was severely wounded at the Battle of Frayser’s Farm during the Seven Days’ Campaign. His promotion to brigadier general came later that summer, on August 28, 1862, and his command of the Florida Brigade ran through the Battle of Chancellorsville. Perry came down with typhoid fever after that and was out of action until the 1864 Overland Campaign. After being severely wounded in the fighting at the Wilderness, Perry was reassigned to duty with the reserve forces in Alabama, where he served the rest of the war. After the war, Perry became well known within the Florida legal community. He was an outspoken opponent of the carpetbag rule and he was elected governor on the Democratic ticket in 1884, retiring from public service after a single term. Perry died while visiting Kerrville, Texas, on October 15, 1889. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 3
Tactical: 4
Initiative: 3
Command: 3
Cavalry:

Teaches: Blasted (15)

Start date: 39

[Gil R.]

Here's Perrin, edited because I wanted a short one that I could finish quickly and get the number of new bios in the patch to a nice, round number (45).


Brig. Gen. Abner Monroe Perrin (b. 1827, d. 1864). “I shall come out of this fight a live major general or a dead brigadier,” declared Perrin at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. On May 12, 1864, he became the latter, holed by seven balls while leading his men in a counterattack against Union forces in the exposed salient known as the “Mule Shoe.” Perrin was born on Groundhog’s Day, February 2, 1827, in Edgefield District, South Carolina. Fighting in the Mexican War, he was a second lieutenant and later was promoted to first lieutenant in the regular army. After the war, he studied law in South Carolina and was admitted to the bar in Columbia in 1854. At the start of the Civil War, Perrin entered Confederate service as a captain in the 12th South Carolina Infantry and was sent to serve defensive duties in the Virginia peninsula. In 1862, Perrin fought in the Seven Days Battles’, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Harper’s Ferry, Antietam and Fredericksburg. He was promoted to colonel on February 20, 1863 and put in command of a regiment, which he led at Chancellorsville in May 1863. When fellow South Carolinian Gen. Samuel McGowan lost his leg to a minie ball, Perrin briefly led McGowan’s brigade during the battle. With McGowan still out, Perrin led the brigade during the Gettysburg Campaign as well. His promotion to brigadier general was made official on September 10, and he took over the brigade formerly commanded by Gen. Cadmus Wilcox in Anderson’s Division in the Army of Northern Virginia’s III Corps. The following spring, Perrin drew praise for his performance in the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864. Just a few days later, at Spotsylvania Court House, Perrin was in the middle of Gen. A.P. Hill’s counterattack after Union Gen. Winfield S. Hancock’s men hit the Mule Shoe and captured most of Gen. Edward Johnson’s division. Perrin was mounted, brandishing a sword in his hand and leading his men toward the works when he was struck down. He is buried in nearby Fredericksburg, in the City Cemetery. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 4
Tactical: 3
Initiative: 3
Command: 4
Cavalry:

Start date: 64
Death date: 81

Teaches: Brave (2)