Maj. Gen. George B. Crittenden

[jkBluesman]

Maj. Gen. George Bibb Crittenden (b. 1812, d. 1880). Crittenden’s career as Confederate general was short lived as his defeat at Mill Springs lost Eastern Kentucky for the South. Born in Russellville, Kentucky as the son of John J. Crittenden, a politician who would become governor of Kentucky in 1848, George graduated from West Point in 1832 and served in the Black-Hawk-War the same year. After the conflict he left the army and studied law in Lexington. Although admitted to the bar he chose a more military life and moved to Texas in 1842, where he became part of the forces that fought for Texas’ independence from Mexico. He was taken prisoner a year later during the Mier Expedition and expelled from the country but volunteered his service during the Mexican-American War to the US-Army. In that conflict he fought at Contreras and Churubusco with the Mounted Rifles, winning a brevet. He stayed in the army during the 1850’s. In the secession crisis of 1860 he sided with the South and accepted a commission as Confederate colonel in March 1861 before resigning his commission in the US-army in June. On August he accepted the promotion to brigadier general and was assigned to a brigade in Virginia. On November 9 however, he rose to the rank of major general and was given command of the District of East Tennessee. There he superseded Gen. Felix Zollicoffer, a political general. When Zollicoffer had gone into winter quarters north of the Cumberland River, Crittenden ordered him to cross the river to get on better defensive ground. Zollicoffer however could not get over the swollen river and when Union forces under Gen. George Thomas marched against him in January 1862, Crittenden tried to save Zollicoffer. Swollen rivers had separated the Union forces and Crittenden ordered Zollicoffer to attack the Northern advance column. In the Battle of Mill Springs the Confederates lost not only Zollicoffer but Eastern Kentucky as well. The first Confederate defeat ended Crittenden’s career–rumour had it that he was drunk during the battle. He served only briefly in the Army of Central Kentucky before being arrested for drunkenness in April. Although restored two weeks later a court of inquiry was ordered and Crittenden chose to resign as general officer, reverting to colonel in October. For the rest of the war he held only minor posts in the Trans-Alleghany department. During Reconstruction he settled in Kentucky once again and worked as state librarian from 1867 to 1871. After his death in Danville he was buried in the State Cemetery at Frankfort, Kentucky. His brother Thomas Leonidas and his cousin Thomas Turpin fought as generals in the Union Army.

Ldr: 4
Tact: 2
Init: 2
Cmd: 1
Cav: 0

Teaches: nothing

[Gil R.]

Copied, thanks!