Francis Bartow

[jkBluesman]

Col. Francis Stebbins Bartow (b. 1816, d. 1861). Although partly responsible for Georgia’s secession Bartow was too early killed to render much service for the Confederacy. Born in Savannah, Georgia he attended Yale Law School before being admitted to the bar in his hometown in 1837. Four years later he started his political career and served as member of the Georgia House of Representatives and senate. An attempt to become a player in national politics failed in 1856 when he ran for Congress but was defeated. Associated with states’ rights factions since the 1850s, Bartow advocated secession when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 and voted for it as delegate at the Georgian secession convention. He represented his state in the provisional Confederate congress and worked on several committees, including the Flag Committee, which choose the stars and bars and the Military Affair Committee, in which Bartow urged for the raising of a Confederate Army and supported the choice of gray uniforms for the troops. After Fort Sumter and thus the begin of hostilities, the Georgian brought his old militia unit, the 21st Oglethorpe Light Infantry, to Virginia against the will of. Gov. Joseph Brown, who wanted to keep the troops in their native state. Pres. Jefferson Davis solved the conflict by making Bartow's Oglethorpe Light Infantry the first company to officially contribute its services to the Confederacy's national war effort. Bartow soon got more Georgian troops that formed a brigade and were assigned to Gen Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah in June, Bartow being its colonel. At First Bull Run, the brigade was deployed on the Confederate left and was soon in the middle of the heaviest fighting around Henry House Hill. While leading a charge against a Union battery at the Stone Bridge, Bartow was killed. According to some of his soldiers his last words were: "Boys, they have killed me, but never give up the field." Even without him his men were able to silence the battery. Bartow’s body was brought to Savannah and buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery. The Confederate Congress confirmed posthumous his promotion to brigadier general (dating from July 21, 1861) in honour of his service for his country. Several Georgian companies memorized him by carrying his name.

Ldr: 4
Tact: 2
Init: 3
Cmd: 3
Cav: 0

Teaches: Blasted

[Gil R.]

Copied, thanks. That was fast!

[Gil R.]

And here's Bartow. I actually edited this bio almost as quickly as you wrote it, but, ironically, the forum has been down for hours and I haven't been able to post it.


Col. Francis Stebbins Bartow (b. 1816, d. 1861). Although partly responsible for Georgia’s secession, Bartow was killed too early to render much service for the Confederacy. Born in Savannah, Georgia on September 6, 1816, Bartow attended Yale Law School before being admitted to the bar in his hometown in 1837. Four years later he started his political career and served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate. An attempt to become a player in national politics failed in 1856 when he ran for Congress but was defeated. Associated with states’ rights factions since the 1850’s, Bartow advocated secession when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, and voted for this course as delegate to the Georgia secession convention in January 1861. Bartow next attended the Provisional Congressional Congress that began meeting on February 4, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama, serving on several committees (including the Flag Committee, which choose the stars and bars, and the Military Affairs Committee, in which Bartow called for the raising of a Confederate Army and supported the choice of gray uniforms for the troops). After the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12 and the beginning of hostilities it entailed, the Georgian brought his old militia unit, the 21st Oglethorpe Light Infantry, to Virginia against the will of Gov. Joseph Brown, who wanted to keep the troops in their native state. Pres. Jefferson Davis solved the conflict by making Bartow’s Oglethorpe Light Infantry the first company to officially contribute its services to the Confederacy’s national war effort. Bartow soon got more Georgian troops, forming and becoming colonel of the 8th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Soon after participating in the seizure of Fort McAllister, part of the defenses of Savannah located south of the city, the regiment was assigned to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah in June. Though still a colonel, Bartow commanded the 2nd Brigade, which included his regiment, at the First Battle of Bull Run, arriving with the rest of Johnston’s army to reinforce Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac. The brigade was deployed on the Confederate left and was soon in the middle of the heaviest fighting around Henry House Hill, having been pushed back from Matthews House along with Gen. Bernard Bee’s brigade. After the arrival of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson’s Virginia brigade turned the tide of battle, Bartow and Bee were able to reform what was left of their brigades and get them back into the fight. While leading a charge against a Union battery at the Stone Bridge, Bartow was killed. According to some of his soldiers his last words were: “Boys, they have killed me, but never give up the field.” Even without him his men were able to silence the battery. Bartow’s body was brought to Savannah and buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery. The Confederate Congress confirmed his posthumous promotion to brigadier general (dating from July 21, 1861) in honor of his service for his country. The second senior officer to fall in the Confederate cause (Gen. Robert S. Garnett had been the first, at Carrick’s Ford eight days earlier), Bartow was commemorated by his fellow Georgians, who named several infantry companies after him, as well as a county and town. (Bio by Joern Kaesebier)

[jkBluesman]

So you cannot prove it (just kidding).