Braxton Bragg (1817-1876)
Bragg, a West Point graduate, was an army full general during the American Civil War. Image courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC.
Serving the Confederate States of America, Braxton Bragg was an army full general of the American Civil War who fought primarily in the western theatre. Born in Warren County, North Carolina, Bragg later attended West Point. He fought in Florida during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and under Zachary Taylor's command in the Mexican American War (1846-848). For gallant service in both wars, he earned promotions.
During the Civil War, the North Carolina West Pointer served as head of the Army of Tennessee and was involved in action along the western border of the Confederate States. He commanded men at the Battle of Shiloh, Fort Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. He was later transferred to the eastern theatre of war, where he defended Fort Fisher from invasion.
Bragg is a controversial figure. Military historians have criticized him as an unimaginative, inept, and incompetent general. To them, he was one of the primary reasons the Union captured the western theater with relative ease. Some scholars, however, have been working to rehabilitate Bragg's military reputation. They argue that the North Carolina native has been given an unfair amount of blame for the Confederate losses.
Braxton Bragg died on September 27, 1876. He is buried in Galveston Texas. Fort Bragg,
North Carolina near Fayetteville is named in his memory.
Sources:
John G. Barrett, The Civil War in North Carolina (Chapel Hill, 1963) and Ronnie W. Faulker, "Battle of Fort Fisher," in William S. Powell, ed., Encyclopedia of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, 2006);
See Also:
Related Categories: Civil WarRelated Encyclopedia Entries: The Spanish - American War, Edward Vail (1717-1777), Braxton Bragg (Mexican War) (1817-1876), James K. Polk (1795-1849), James Iredell Waddell (1824-1886), CSS Neuse, USS Underwriter, Hillsborough Confrontation (1768), William Hawkins (1777-1819), Otway Burns (1775-1850), Johnston Blakely (1781-1814), Henry Toole Clark, George E. Preddy (1919-1944), Prelude to the Battle of Averasboro, The Battle of Averasboro-Day One, The Battle of Averasboro- Day Two, Fort Clark, Civil War, Robert Fredrick Hoke (1837-1912), Lance Incorporated, Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) , Archibald Maclaine (1728-1790), House in the Horseshoe, Philip Alston, Battle of Alamance, David Fanning (1755-1825), Battle of Guilford Court House, The Walton War, James Reilly ( ? - 1894), Howell Gilliam Trogdon (1840 - 1894), Battle at the Mouth of Sandy Creek, Parker David Robbins (1834-1917), Henry Eppes (1831-1917), Battle of Plymouth (1864), Washington County (1799), Salisbury Prison (Civil War), Gatling Gun, Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, Rutherford's Campaign, John W. Ellis (1820-1862), Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, Secession, Salem Brass Band, Confederate States Navy (in North Carolina), United States Navy (Civil War activity), Warren Winslow (1810-1862), Louis Froelich and Company, Louis Froelich (1817-1873), North Carolina Button Factory, CSA Arms Factory, Ratification Debates, Peace Party (American Civil War), Daniel Harvey Hill (1821-1889), Battle of Bentonville, Bryan Grimes (1828-1880), Fort Hatteras, Fort Fisher, Fort Macon, Daniel Russell (1845-1908), The Impending Crisis of the South: How to Meet It, Union League, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Levi Coffin (1798 – 1877), Raleigh E. Colston (1825 - 1896) , Thomas Fentriss Toon (1840-1902), Battle of Forks Road, Aaron McDuffie Moore (1863-1923), Fort Anderson (Confederate), Battle of Deep Gully and Fort Anderson (Federal), James T. Leach (1805-1883), Sarah Malinda Pritchard Blalock (1839-1903), Thomas Bragg (1810-1872), Curtis Hooks Brogden (1816-1901), John Motley Morehead (1796-1866), David Lowry Swain (1801-1868), Zebulon Baird Vance (1830-1894), Alamance County (1849), Gates County (1779), Clay County (1861), Lenoir County (1791), Union County (1842), Teague Band (Civil War), Fort Hamby Gang (Civil War), Shelton Laurel Massacre , Hertford County (1759), Rutherford County (1770), Granville County (1746), Stoneman's Raid, James City
Related Commentary: Toward an Inclusive History of the Civil War: Society and the Home Front, Edward Bonekemper on the Cowardice of General McClellan
Related Lesson Plans: Civil War in North Carolina, Discussion of the Lunsford Lane Narrative
Timeline: 1836-1865 , 1866-1915
Region: Statewide