CSA bios: Wigfall, Wickham, Whiting, Whitfield

[Battleline]

Louis T. Wigfall, CSA (b. 1816 d. 1874) An advocate of secession for most of his life, Louis Trezevant Wigfall was born near Edgefield, S.C., April 21, 1816. Wigfall’s major contributions to the Confederate cause came in the U.S. and Confederate Senates. Educated at the University of Virginia and South Carolina College, graduating from the latter with the Class of 1837. Moving to Marshall, Texas, in 1848, Wigfall was elected to both houses of the state legislature. In 1859, he waged a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. There, he was a thorn in the side of northerners and was a key player in the defeat of the Crittenden compromise. He advocated withdrawal of southern states from the Union until he was expelled July 11, 1861. Present at the bombardment of Fort Sumter as an aide to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, Wigfall visited the fort and demanded its surrender. A member of the Provisional Confederate Congress, he was commissioned as colonel of the First Texas Infantry Aug. 28, 1861. President Jefferson Davis appointed him brigadier general in the Provisional Army Oct. 21, 1861. After briefly leading the Texas Brigade, Wigfall resigned his commission Feb. 20, 1862, to take a seat in the Confederate Senate. A supporter of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and a violent opponent of President Jefferson Davis’ conduct of the war, Wigfall worked to pass legislation to cut the president’s powers. He pushed for passage of the bill to make Robert E. Lee general in chief of all Confederate armies in the closing weeks of the war. He escaped to England and returned in 1872. He returned to Galveston, Texas, in 1874, dying there, Feb. 18 of the same year.

Williams C. Wickham, CSA (b. 1820 d. 1888) Like others, Williams Carter Wickham had his Confederate military service cut short by election to the Confederate Congress. His early life mirrored many of his contemporaries. Born Sept. 21, 1820, Wickham attended the University of Virginia and passed the bar in 1842. He eventually gave up the life of a lawyer to become a planter and was elected to the Virginia State Senate. At the same time, he served as presiding justice of the Hanover County court. A Union man, he went with his state into Confederate service with his Hanover Dragoons. His unit was at First Manassas and he was soon after promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Fourth Virginia Cavalry. He received his promotion to colonel in August of 1862. Serving with J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry corps, Wickham was wounded at Williamsburg and again during the Maryland Campaign. He remained with the army until the fall of 1864 despite having been elected to the Second Regular Confederate Congress in 1863. He was appointed brigadier general Sept. 1, 1863, and last saw action during Early’s Valley Campaign. He resigned his commission Nov. 9, 1864, joining the Confederate Congress. After the war, Wickham became a Republican and was the chairman of the Hanover County board of supervisors from 1871 until his death. He became the president of the Virginia Central Railroad and later held the same post with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. He was offered the post of Secretary of the Navy by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880, but declined the post. The next year, he turned down the Republican nomination for Virginia governor. He served the final five years of his life in the state senate, dying in Richmond July 23, 1888.

William H.C. Whiting, CSA (b. 1824 d. 1865) William Henry Chase Whiting, born in Biloxi, Miss., March 22, 1824, was one of the stars of the U.S. Military Academy class of 1845. He posted the academy’s highest grades ever posted up to that point. His first military assignment was supervision of river and harbor improvements. Next was construction of fortifications in California and the south. He went with Mississippi after secession and joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah as chief engineer. He arranged the army’s movement to arrive for First Manassas. Promoted to brigadier general on the field by President Jefferson Davis, his grade ranked as of July 21, 1861. He commanded a division at the Battle of Seven Pines, was in the Valley Campaign under Gen. T.J. Jackson, and returned to the Seven Days Campaign around Richmond. After the Battle of Malvern Hill, Whiting was ordered to Wilmington, N.C., where he engineered Fort Fisher, then the Confederacy’s strongest fortress. He was appointed major general April 22, 1863, and had a brief command at Petersburg in 1864. His command performed poorly during movement to Port Walthall Junction against Union Gen. Butler, earning accusations of being under the influence at the time. He was moved back to North Carolina, leading the Fort Fisher defenses. When Gen. Braxton Bragg failed to lead the Wilmington defenses to assist during the naval landing and subsequent assault, Whiting was severely wounded and captured by the Union Army. He was sent to Fort Columbus, N.Y., and died of his wounds in captivity there, March 10, 1865.

John W. Whitfield, CSA (b. 1818 d. 1879) Born in Franklin, Tenn., March 11, 1818, John Wilkins Whitfield received education in local schools before joining the military during the Mexican War. He was a captain in the First Tennessee Infantry and later became lieutenant colonel of the Second Tennessee Infantry. In 1853, he moved to Independence, Mo., and was employed as an Indian agent in Missouri and Arkansas. When Kansas Territory was established, he was elected its delegate to Congress, serving in that role until 1857. He served as register of the land office in Doniphan, Kansas, until 1861. He joined the Confederate Army as a major in the Fourth Texas Cavalry. He was colonel of the 27th Regiment and fought at the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern (Pea Ridge) Arkansas in 1862 and the Battle of Iuka in Mississippi under the command of Gen. Sterling Price. At Iuka, he was wounded. Returning, he was attached to the command of Gen. Earl Van Dorn and received commission as brigadier general May 9, 1863, and assigned to command a brigade in the division of Gen. W.H. Jackson in Mississippi. He was without a command at the end of the war and paroled in Columbus, Texas, June 29, 1865. He served in the Texas state legislature and died near Hallettsville, Texas, Oct. 27, 1879.

[Gil R.]

Okay, got 'em all.

[Gil R.]

Wigfall's ready. If you're wondering about his poor ratings, I'll point out not only his limited experience during the Civil War, but this line from the Heidler's encyclopedia: "He served briefly in the Second Seminole War and gained a small amount of military experience whose importance he would later exaggerate." Still, since he fought the Seminoles, I figure he knew swamps, so I gave him Swampwise.

Brig. Gen. Louis Trezevant Wigfall (b. 1816, d. 1874). An advocate of secession for most of his life, Wigfall was born near Edgefield, South Carolina on April 21, 1816. His major contributions to the Confederate cause came not on the battlefield, but in the U.S. and Confederate Senates. Educated at the University of Virginia and South Carolina College, Wigfall graduated from the latter with the Class of 1837. After moving to Marshall, Texas, in 1848, he was elected to both houses of the state legislature, and in 1859 waged a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. Serving in that body, Wigfall was a thorn in the side of northern senators, and in early 1861 was a key player in the defeat of the Crittenden Compromise, which was an attempt to keep southern states from seceding by offering certain concessions. From his Senate seat he advocated withdrawal of the southern states from the Union, until his own withdrawal from the Senate on March 23, soon after Texas had seceded. Wigfall, who while still in office had written to South Carolina officials urging them to seize Fort Sumter, was present at its bombardment as an aide to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, and in that capacity had gained fame throughout the South by rowing out to the fort during the standoff to demand its surrender. While serving as a member of the Provisional Confederate Congress, Wigfall also served in the army, first as a lieutenant colonel of the Texas Battalion before being commissioned as Colonel of the 1st Texas Infantry on August 28, 1861. Pres. Jefferson Davis appointed him a brigadier general two months later, on October 21, 1861, and he gained command of the Texas Brigade. After briefly leading the Texas Brigade, Wigfall resigned his commission on February 20, 1862, to take a seat in the Confederate Senate, ending his military service. A supporter of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and a violent opponent of Pres. Jefferson Davis’ conduct of the war, Wigfall worked to pass legislation intended to reduce presidential powers. He also pushed for passage of the bill to make Robert E. Lee general-in-chief of all Confederate armies in the closing weeks of the war. Wigfall escaped to England via Galveston, Texas after the war and returned to the United States in 1872, and to Galveston, Texas, in 1874, dying there on February 18 of that year. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 3
Tactics: 1
Initiative: 1
Command: 1
Cavalry:

Teaches: Swampwise (12)

Start date: 19
“Death” date: 27

[Battleline]

Maj. Gen. William H.C. Whiting (b. 1824 d. 1865) William Henry Chase Whiting, born in Biloxi, Mississippi, March 22, 1824, was one of the stars of the U.S. Military Academy class of 1845, graduating at the top. He posted the academy’s highest grades ever posted up to that point. His first military assignment was supervision of river and harbor improvements. Eventually, he made his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, after marrying a local girl. Next was construction of fortifications in California and the south. He went with Mississippi after secession and joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah as chief engineer. He arranged the army’s rail movement in time to arrive for First Manassas. Promoted to brigadier general on the field by President Jefferson Davis, his grade ranked as of July 21, 1861. He commanded a division at the Battle of Seven Pines, was in the Valley Campaign under Gen. T.J. Jackson, and returned to the Seven Days Campaign around Richmond. After the Battle of Malvern Hill, Whiting was ordered to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he engineered Fort Fisher, then the Confederacy’s strongest fortress. Thanks to his fortifications, Wilmington was the last port to be closed during the war. He was appointed major general April 22, 1863, and had a brief command at Petersburg in 1864. His command performed poorly during movement to Port Walthall Junction against Union Gen. Butler, earning accusations of being under the influence at the time. He was moved back to North Carolina, leading the Fort Fisher defenses. When Gen. Braxton Bragg failed to lead the Wilmington defenses to assist during the naval landing and subsequent assault, Whiting was severely wounded and captured by the Union Army. He was sent to Fort Columbus, New York, and died of his wounds in captivity there, March 10, 1865.

This concludes the review of previous bios. I still need to cut down Richard Taylor's bio and write something up on Jeff Thompson and the Swamp Rats before resuming new bios.

[Gil R.]

Got it, thanks.

[Gil R.]

This concludes the review of previous bios. I still need to cut down Richard Taylor's bio and write something up on Jeff Thompson and the Swamp Rats before resuming new bios.

So this means that any other bios I have by you from before don't need any changes? Excellent news -- I'll start with them soon.

By the way, the dozen or so responses by me to threads with your bios below this one are meaningless posts of the "got it" variety, so you can skip those. There are no meaningful comments from me anywhere below.