CSA Bio: Johnson Hagood

[Battleline]

The last of the "H" Generals for the CSA. It's always fun to be able to add in a sports reference!


Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood (b. 1829, d. 1898) From Fort Sumter to Durham Station, Johnson Hagood served South Carolina and the Confederacy as an officer. Born Feb. 21, 1829, in Barnwell, South Carolina, Hagood received education at South Carolina Military Academy (The Citadel). He was at the top of the Class of 1847, Hagood then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1850 (but never practiced, according to the South Carolina Information Highway, www.sciway.net). Remaining active in state militia, Hagood advanced to the rank of brigadier general of militia forces. When the First South Carolina Volunteers was formed, Hagood was elected that unit’s colonel and led this unit at the reduction of Fort Sumpter and in the Confederate victory at First Manassas (Bull Run). Soon after that, the regiment was returned to South Carolina. Hagood received a promotion to brigadier general to rank from July 21, 1861. Serving within South Carolina, Hagood commanded forces in the Confederate victory at Secessionville, South Carolina, June 16, 1862 and in defense of Charleston through 1863. Hagood returned to Virginia May 6, 1864, in charge of the First South Carolina Infantry under Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins. Listed as a colonel in the Order of Battle, Hagood’s men fought at the Wilderness (draw) and served around Petersburg. Elements fought at Port Walthall Junction (Hagood’s brigade fought against the Army of the James), Drewry’s Bluff and Cold Harbor, which sealed Gen. Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James in the Virginia Peninsula. In August of 1864, the brigade was ordered to charge Federal positions near the Weldon Raiload. Reaching the Federal positions, the 27th South Carolina was cut off. A Federal officer seized the regiment's colors and demanded a surrender. Hagood shot the officer (who survived) and took his horse. Another soldier recovered the colors. This inspired the Hagood’s unit to fight its way back to the Confederate lines. The brigade next left the Petersburg trenches in December, moving to help relieve Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Following the fort’s fall Jan. 15, 1865, Hagood’s men joined Gen. Joseph Johnston’s army in opposition to Federal forces of Gen. William T. Sherman. Hagood was at the surrender of Johnston’s forces April 26, 1865. After the war, Hagood returned to South Carolina. He was the first president of the South Carolina Agricultural Mechanical Society in 1869. He worked for educational reform within the state and served on a committee to study banking practices. He was elected comptroller general of the state in 1876 on the Wade Hampton (Democrat) ticket. He was returned to office in 1878. In 1880, Hagood was elected South Carolina’s 51st governor Nov. 2, 1880, receiving 96 percent of the vote. Before his death, Hagood wrote his autobiography, “Memoirs of the War of Secession,” which was published in 1910. Hagood died Jan. 4, 1898, in Barnwell, South Carolina. Hagood served as the chairman of The Citadel’s Board of Visitors from 1877 until his death. The school has continued to honor his memory. The Citadel’s football stadium, built in 1948, was named after Hagood. Major renovation work, which includes installing the largest scoreboard in the state of South Carolina, is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

Edited to remove correct the spelling of "Sumter."
Edited Again to add the new data from jkBluesman.

[Battleline]

Gil,
Is is possible to get an update of who is left, especially on the Confederate side? I'm starting to get into some interesting territory. I just about started John Gregg before I found he had been done. I do not see bios on Richard Griffith or Bryan Grimes, but neither appeared in the last update as needing to be done.
At some point, I wouldn't mind doing Basil Duke. It's recently been discovered he was a member of the Cyclone base ball club of St. Louis. Federal Brevet Gen. Joseph Fullerton also played for that club as did Frederick Benteen (was with Seventh Cavalry postwar, ended as a brevet brigadier) and Commodore Mathews.
I can hold for a little bit before continuing.
Thanks,
Battleline

[Gil R.]

Okay, Hagood is copied. As for those generals, I've put you down for Duke, Griffith and Grimes. My spreadsheet shows that these are the other Confederate 'G' generals still unassigned:

Gano,_R.M.
Gardner,_F.
Gardner,_W.M.
Garland,_S.J.
Garrott,_I.W.
Gartrell,_L.J.
Gary,_M.W.
Gatlin,_R.C.
Gholson,_S.J.
Gibson,_R.L.
Gilmer,_J.F.
Girardey,_V.J.
Gist,_S.R.
Gladden,_A.H.
Godwin,_A.C.
Goggin,_J.M.
Gordon,_G.W.
Gordon,_J.B.
Gordon,_J.B.
Gorgas,_J.
Govan,_D.C.
Granbury,_H.B.
Gray,_H.
Grayson,_J.B.
Green,_M.E.
Green,_T.
Greer,_E.B.

Unless jkBluesman, Shenandoah or a newcomer wants any of them, I'd say they're all yours.

[jkBluesman]

I think there is one Gordon too much. At least I know only about James B. Gordon and John. As I did John B. Gordon, who is the other J.B.?
I would like to do Franklin Gardner and J. Gorgas.

[jkBluesman]

ORIGINAL: Battleline

The last of the "H" Generals for the CSA. It's always fun to be able to add in a sports reference!


Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood (b. 1829, d. 1898) From Fort Sumpter to Durham Station, Johnson Hagood served South Carolina and the Confederacy as an officer. Born Feb. 21, 1829, in Barnwell, South Carolina, Hagood received education at South Carolina Military Academy (The Citadel). He was at the top of the Class of 1847, Hagood then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1850 (but never practiced, according to the South Carolina Information Highway, www.sciway.net). Remaining active in state militia, Hagood advanced to the rank of brigadier general of militia forces. When the First South Carolina Volunteers was formed, Hagood was elected that unit’s colonel and led this unit at the reduction of Fort Sumpter and in the Confederate victory at First Manassas (Bull Run). Soon after that, the regiment was returned to South Carolina. Hagood received a promotion to brigadier general to rank from July 21, 1861. Serving within South Carolina, Hagood commanded forces in the Confederate victory at Secessionville, South Carolina, June 16, 1862. Hagood returned to Virginia May 6, 1864, in charge of the First South Carolina Infantry under Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins. Listed as a colonel in the Order of Battle, Hagood’s men fought at the Wilderness (draw) and served around Petersburg. Elements fought at Port Walthall Junction (Hagood’s brigade fought against the Army of the James), Drewry’s Bluff and Cold Harbor, which sealed Gen. Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James in the Virginia Peninsula. Hagood’s unit left the Petersburg trenches in December, moving to help relieve Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Following the fort’s fall Jan. 15, 1865, Hagood’s men joined Gen. Joseph Johnston’s army in opposition to Federal forces of Gen. William T. Sherman. Hagood was at the surrender of Johnston’s forces April 26, 1865. After the war, Hagood returned to South Carolina. He was the first president of the South Carolina Agricultural Mechanical Society in 1869. He worked for educational reform within the state and served on a committee to study banking practices. He was elected comptroller general of the state in 1876 on the Wade Hampton (Democrat) ticket. He was returned to office in 1878. In 1880, Hagood was elected South Carolina’s 51st governor Nov. 2, 1880, receiving 96 percent of the vote. Before his death, Hagood wrote his autobiography, “Memoirs of the War of Secession,” which was published in 1910. Hagood died Jan. 4, 1898, in Barnwell, South Carolina. Hagood served as the chairman of The Citadel’s Board of Visitors from 1877 until his death. The school has continued to honor his memory. The Citadel’s football stadium, built in 1948, was named after Hagood. Major renovation work, which includes installing the largest scoreboard in the state of South Carolina, is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

In "A Diary of Battle" by Charles Wainwright I found an interesting story about Hagood, who was a fire-eater by the way. In the fighting around the Weldon Railroad, Hagood and his brigade were trapped on August 21, 1864. When Gen. Lysander Cutler sent his provost-marshal forward to receive Hagood's surrender, the South Carolinian shot the poor man which allowed most of his men to escape.

[Battleline]

jkBluesman,
Go ahead and take Gorgas and Franklin Gardner. There are still plenty left for both of us!
The other Gordons left should be George Washington Gordon of Tennessee and James Byron Gordon of North Carolina.
Interesting story about Hagood at Weldon Railroad. Where did you find that one? It's amazing that some important information is out there, but not put into the standard bios. I was just lucky I stumbled across the reference to Secessionville as it wasn't in Generals in Gray or any of the other standard sources.
Thanks,
Battleline

[Gil R.]

About J.B. Gordon's:
It turns out that I didn't note in my master file that jkBluesman was doing John Gordon. So, only one J.B. Gordon is available. Good catch!

About Gardner/Gorgas:
I've put jkBluesman down for them. Since neither name rings a bell, I'm looking forward to seeing why they appeal to you. (I'm too lazy to look them up.)

About Weldon Road:
Battleline, if you want to add that episode, there's room.

About interesting stories that are not in standard reference works:
That's why I usually check the (non-Wikipedia) web, when I have time. I'd say that at least half of the Civil War generals have some really interesting write-ups out there, often put together by people with family ties to them or men who served under them.

[jkBluesman]

Gorgas and Garnder are in Heidler. That is the main reason and I wanted to do some last Confederates.
The story about Hagood is from the edited version of Colonel Charles Wainwrtights diaries. The editor mentions in the footnote that Hagood gives a lame excuse for his action in his memoires on page 18, 294-295. As he does not even say which edition of the memoires, I do not know whether this bit helps.

[jkBluesman]

Battleline, I found an articel which mentions the story of Hagood shooting Captain Daly near Weldon Railroad.
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-fr ... ref=slogin
If the link does not work just google Daly and Hagood or search directly on the webpage of the NYT.
It seems the journalist sides with Hagood's view, probably taken from the general's memoires.
Other sources call the Union officer Colonel or Captain Dailey.
http://iagenweb.org/pottawattamie/Bios1891-D.htm
http://www.27thscvi.org/history.htm

[Gil R.]

Okay, I've recopied the bio, so please let me know if any further changes are made.