Brig. Gen. John Gregg

[jkBluesman]

Brig. Gen. John Gregg (b. 1828, d. 1864). Fighting in the Western and Eastern theatre Gregg experienced the whole hardship of soldiering in war: he was wounded, captured and finally killed. Born in Lawrence County, Alabama he studied mathematics in Georgia and jurisprudence in Alabama before moving to Texas in 1852, where he worked as an attorney. Three years later he was elected as district judge of Fairfield. In the secession crisis of 1860 he advocated secession if Abraham Lincoln were elected president. When Lincoln won the election that year Gregg became a delegate to the Texan Secession Convention meeting in Austin in January 1861. Texas seceded a month later and Gregg was elected as one of six members of the Provisional Confederate Congress. He stayed in Congress until after the Confederate victory at Manassas in July. Then he returned to Texas to raise the 7th Texas Infantry of which he became commander. The unit was sent to Fort Donelson where it was captured in February 1862 by the Union troops under Gen. U.S. Grant. Gregg was exchanged a few months later and afterwards promoted to brigadier general dating from August 29, 1862. Serving on the Mississippi his abilities were first tested in the Battle of Raymond on May 12, 1863. Faced with the task of defending the Southwest approach to Vicksburg against Grant’s advancing army, Gregg tried to surprise his enemy. At first he was successful but had to withdraw when the Federals were able to quickly reinforce their front troops. The victory enabled the Union to cut Vicksburg from its supply lines. And after retreating to Jackson, Gregg encountered the Federals again on May 14. Heavily outnumbered he was ordered by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston–who had only arrived the night before–to fight a delaying action until the town could be evacuated. Gregg fulfilled his task well. His brigade became part of the slowly assembling force under Johnston that was supposed to relief Vicksburg now under siege. When Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, the Federals once again pushed Johnston from Jackson. Gregg’s brigade was subsequently sent to the Army of Tennessee. At Chickamauga in September Gregg was severely wounded on the battle’s first day. Col. Cyrus A. Sugg replaced him for the rest of the battle and led the brigade during the Confederate victory. Upon returning to duty Gregg was given the famous Hood’s Texas Brigade in the I corps of Gen. James Longstreet that returned to the Army of Northern Virginia in spring of 1864. In the first battle of the Overland Campaign in the Wilderness, Gregg’s unit was the first of the I corps to arrive on May 6, the second day of the engagement. It rushed forward at the critical moment when the Confederate centre was breaking. Gen Robert E. Lee witnessing the charge declared: “Texans always move them!” But they did so at the cost of 550 men out of 800 in the whole brigade. Gregg led the remaining soldiers through the battles of Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, into the trenches at Petersburg. Serving north of the James River, Gregg and his Texans were part of the Southern attack force assigned to retake the lines at Johnson’s Farm on October 7, lost shortly before. The assault failed and Gregg was killed in action. His remains were brought to Mississippi by his widow and buried in Aberdeen’s Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Ldr: 5
Tact: 4
Init: 3
Cmd: 4
Cav: 0

Teaches: Brave, Fast

[Battleline]

jkBluesman,
Another nice bio, Huzzah!
I can add that when Gregg went down at Chickamauga, he was replaced by Col. Cyrus A. Sugg of the 50th Tennessee. Sugg was later killed during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. I found Sugg as a distant relative on a Battle family tree.
Thanks,
Battleline

[jkBluesman]

Thanks. I added Sugg and used it to label Chickamauga as Confederate victory.
If we continue to write bios that fast, the Southerners will soon be done and Gil will never get a chance to edit the bios.

[Gil R.]

Copied, thanks.