A Major General In The Gutter

[diane]

Seems we ought to have been able to come up with a likely character by now! I'm thinking it was a moral of the story type piece. Usually, when they're talking about a real person but can't name them, they leak out enough bits you can figure out who it is. This article doesn't do that - either that, or the reporter really liked the person he interviewed. Wonder why a Union cavalryman would go to South America? Bolivia, maybe? Interesting stuff going on at this time, some gold strikes and mining enterprises... hmm. We know about the Confederados in Brazil and the ones in Mexico - Carlota. That colony died out, though, rather soon. I think Maximillian got nervous about all these Confederates piling into his country. Every time too many people from north of the border came into Mexico, pieces started falling off!

 

[Joshua Horn]

The thing to do would be to go through the list of every Union Major General and see if any would fit. I don't have time to do it, but I don't think you'll find a story that fits all the details.

 

[AndyHall]

Seems we ought to have been able to come up with a likely character by now! I'm thinking it was a moral of the story type piece. Usually, when they're talking about a real person but can't name them, they leak out enough bits you can figure out who it is. This article doesn't do that - either that, or the reporter really liked the person he interviewed.

If you're going to write a fictional moralizing piece, this is a good way to do it. The unnamed protagonist has to be someone of prominence -- but not prominent enough to be immediately recognizable. He can't be a religious or political figure; you need someone who would have widespread, non-partisan appeal. A career, active-duty military officer won't do; he needs to be someone who would have dropped out of the newspapers after the war. A brevet major general does that -- there were lots of them, but most not household name a decade after the conflict. He has to be prominent for his role in what the reader would view as a great, positive good -- fighting to preserve the Union, check! While the protagonist is unidentified, his past needs endorsement by someone well known -- personal letters from Grant and Lincoln will do nicely. He needs to have been a family man -- and so, give him a photograph of a child and locket of hair. He needs an excuse for why he's not been missed; we'll say his friends all believe he died in South America. And of course, he cannot be an unapologetic drunk; he has to be tearful, remorseful, and deeply embarrassed by his present condition.

On, and on, and on. Writing this stuff is formulaic and easy, if you think about it -- easier, at least, than getting out of the office and finding a real story to report and write up. I'm with Joshua -- the longer this goes on, without this august group being able to find a strong candidate for the "major general in the gutter," the more I suspect this is a work of fiction.

 

[rbasin]

Heck, change the dates and names, and it Grant, for the most part before the war.

 

[M E Wolf]

Possible considerations?:

Name CLAYTON, Powell
Born August 7 1833, Delaware Cty PA
Died August 25 1914, Washington DC
Pre-War Profession Civil engineer.
War Service May 1861 Capt. in 1st Kansas, Wilson's Creek, served in Missouri and Arkansas, Lt. Col. of 5th Kansas Cavalry, March 1862 Col., Pine Bluff, August 1864 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers.
Post War Career Carpetbag governor of Arkansas, US senator, hotelier, US ambassador to Mexico.
Notes

Name CROXTON, John Thomas
Born November 20 1836, Bourbon Cty KY
Died April 16 1874, Bolivia
Pre-War Profession Lawyer.
War Service October 1861 Lt. Col. of 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Mill Springs, May 1862 Col., Perryville, Tullahoma, commanded 1st Bde/1st Divn/Cavalry Corps at Chickamauga (w), commanded a cavalry brigade in Atlanta campaign, July 1864 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, Nashville, commanded Dist. of Southwest Georgia.
Brevet Promotions Maj. Gen. U.S.V. April 27 1865.
Post War Career Lawyer, US minister to Bolivia.

Name DUFFIŠ, Alfred Napoleon Alexander "Nattie"
Born May 1 1835, Paris, France
Died November 8 1880, Cadiz, Spain
Pre-War Profession Officer in French army, Crimean war, traveled to US 1859, resigned French army commission 1861.
War Service August 1861 Capt. in 2nd New York Cavalry, Maj., July 1862 Col. of 1st Rhode Island Cavalry, Second Bull Run, Kelly's Ford, Chancellorsville campaign, June 1863 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, served in West Virginia, relieved October 1864, captured near Bunker Hill VA, paroled February 1865, served in the Division of the
Missouri.
Post War Career US consul in Cadiz.
Notes

Name KILPATRICK, Hugh Judson "Kill Cavalry"
Born January 14 1836, Deckertown NJ
Died December 4 1881, Santiago, Chile
Pre-War Profession Graduated West Point 1861.
War Service May 1861 Capt. in 5th New York, Big Bethel (w), Lt. Col. of 2nd New York Cavalry, various raids and skirmishes, December 1862 Col., Stoneman's raid, commanded 2nd Bde/2nd Divn/Cavalry Corps at Aldie Middleburg and Upperville, June 1863 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, commanded 3rd Divn/Cavalry Corps at Gettysburg, Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid on Richmond, commanded cavalry in Atlanta campaign, Dalton (w), March to the Sea, Carolinas campaign, June 1865 promoted Maj. Gen. of Volunteers.
Brevet Promotions Maj. Gen. U.S.V. January 12 1865, Brig. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865, Maj. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865.
Post War Career US minister to Chile.
Notes Goaded Elon Farnsworth to make his unnecessary charge at Gettysburg.

Name WARREN, Fitz-Henry
Born January 11 1816, Brimfield MA
Died June 21 1878, Brimfield MA
Pre-War Profession Newspaperman, assistant Iowa postmaster general.
War Service June 1861 Col. 1st Iowa Cavalry, duty in middle and western Missouri, July 1862 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, commanded of post at Houston MO, assigned to Department of the Gulf, commanded 1st Bde/1st Divn/XIII Corps in Red River campaign, commanded US forces on the Rio Grande River, general duties with Department of the East.
Brevet Promotions Maj. Gen. U.S.V. August 24 1865.
Post War Career Politician, US minister to Guatemala, newspaperman.
Notes


M. E. Wolf

 

[Nathanb1]

Clayton, Croxton, and Warren need to be checked out.

Not Duffis (he would have been in Europe, not SA), and not Killcavalry...he's already been ruled out. Unfortunately. Boy, would I love it to have been him.

 

[Nathanb1]

Clayton's out. Mexico anyway--hardly South America.

 

[Nathanb1]

Croxton's out...he died in South America after 1873....

 

[M E Wolf]

Lieutenant to General hops:

Name BRISBIN, James Sanks
Born May 23 1837, Boalsburg PA
Died January 14 1892, Philadelphia PA
Pre-War Profession Teacher.
War Service 1861 Pvt., 2nd Lt. in 1st US Cavalry, First Bull Run (w), Peninsula campaign, Blue Ridge expedition, Beverly Ford, Gettysburg campaign, Red River campaign, Sabine Cross Roads (w), staff duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, May 1865 Brig. Gen. of Volunteers.
Brevet Promotions Brig. Gen. U.S.V. December 12 1864, Maj. Gen. U.S.V. March 13 1865.
Post War Career Army service in the cavalry, commanded a battalion in Gibbon's column in the Little Big Horn campaign, author.
Notes

Name CUSTER, George Armstrong "Autie", "Fanny", "Curly"
Born December 5 1839, Harrison Cty OH
Died June 25 1876, Little Big Horn MT
Pre-War Profession Teacher, graduated West Point 1861
War Service 1861 Lt., carried dispatches at First Bull Run, served on staffs of McClellan and Pleasonton, distinguished himself at Aldie, June 1863 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers in command of 2nd Bde/3rd Divn/Cavalry Corps, Gettysburg, Yellow Tavern, commanded 3rd Cavalry Divn in the Shenandoah Valley campaign, Fisher's Hill, Five Forks, cut off the ANV's last escape route at Appomattox, April 1865 promoted Maj. Gen. of Volunteers.
Brevet Promotions Maj. Gen. U.S.V. October 19 1864, Brig. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865, Maj. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865.
Post War Career Army service as an Indian fighter, publicist.
Notes

Name MACKENZIE, Ranald Slidell
Born July 27 1840, Westchester Cty NY
Died January 19 1889, Staten Island NY
Pre-War Profession Graduated West Point 1862
War Service 1862 Lt of engineers, Second Bull Run, engineer duty in Maryland campaign, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Overland campaign, Col. of 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Petersburg (w), served in the defences of Washington during Early's raid, commanded 2nd Bde/1st Divn/VI Corps in Shenandoah Valley campaign, Cedar Creek (w), October 1864 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, commanded a division of cavalry at Petersburg, Five Forks, Appomattox.
Brevet Promotions Brig. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865, Maj. Gen. U.S.V. March 13 1865.
Post War Career Army service in infantry and cavalry, fought Indians and bandits, retired through disability 1885.
Notes
(I am keyed into the author's mention of 'engineering for a drink' as a clue)

Name WATKINS, Louis Douglass
Born November 29 1833, Tallahassee FL
Died March 29 1868, New Orleans LA
Pre-War Profession Militia officer.
War Service April 1861 enlisted in DC Infantry, 1st Lt. in 14th US Infantry, 2nd US Cavalry, 5th US Cavalry, Peninsula campaign, Gaines's Mill (w), July 1862 Capt. and aide-de-camp to A.J. Smith in Kentucky, October 1862 appointed chief of Cavalry Army of Kentucky, raids into East Tennessee, February 1863 Col. of 6th Kentucky (Union) Cavalry, commanded 3rd Bde/1st Cavalry Divn at Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta campaign, pursued Hood after Nashville, post commander at Louisville KY. September 1865 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers.
Brevet Promotions Brig. Gen. U.S.V. June 24 1864, Brig. Gen. U.S.A. March 13 1865.
Post War Career Army service in the infantry.
Notes

Who knows... might have been those who served in the Cavalry and been in the massive list of Brevet Generals made for those who commanded but never reached General rank during the Civil War...

Good mystery!

M. E. Wolf

 

[Nathanb1]

Warren's out....he has no luxuriant brown hair....pretty much no hair, actually....although he had some interesting missing years and just a hint of being impossible to deal with and a bit of scandal. But I'm pretty sure it's not him.

Nor Custer nor Mackenzie (I definitely know the whereabouts of those two!)

 

[diane]

You know, if he'd been a Confederate lush, we might be in business! None of the Union guys had good reason to visit South America...

 

[Nathanb1]

Not Brisbin (but he and I agree about Custer); he was busy chasing Indians at the time....or Watkins...he died in 1868.

Keep 'em coming! I love a good mystery. What....we only have a thousand to go, right?

 

[James N.]

Clayton, Croxton, and Warren need to be checked out.

Ranald S. Mackenzie is a pretty good argument for PTSD.

By the 1880's Powell Clayton was wealthy and a major investor in one of my favorite places to visit, the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Ark. so it's unlikely to have been him. As for MacKenzie, his fate is if anything even worse than in this story! It's true that in the 1870's he was commanding the Fourth Cavalry on the Texas frontier and led the 1874 expedition into the Panhandle that crushed the Comanches at Palo Duro Canyon. Unfortunately, afterwards he began to show the signs of ( the supposedly congenital ) syphillis that rendered him insane and confined to an asylum where he died within a couple of years of his postwar promotion back to brigadier general.

 

[civilwarincolor]

Has anybody reached out to Joel Craig (owner of the site that published this originally) or researched KC Times for more information? I did find that the paper existed in 1873, but went out of business in 1990. The only reference I can find for this story (other than this blog, is the link provided originally).

This could be a hoax, (either from today or from 1873). It could be an early case of identity theft (perhaps someone robbed a general and kept a few souvenirs) or this could be the sad and sobering story it appears to be. Right now, without more information (like a link to the original newspaper article) I doubt there is much to this.

 

[tmh10]

I wouldn't be suprised if it was a made up story by the newspaper. It is a trick so old that Ben Franklin used to write letters to his own paper and respond to build up circulation. On the other hand it could be a true encounter. I would love to find out for sure either way. M. E. Wolf has some tantalizing possibilities in his post.

 

[Nathanb1]

It's just so much fun. Good way to learn more about these guys individually and post-war, too. Honestly, I'd never thought of some of them out of their ACW roles.

 

[diane]

Most of these guys did all right after the war but some of them took a wide detour! Western history after the war shows that not everybody who ought to have went to South America and croaked!

You know, it's a good idea to contact the website's owner but I glanced over a couple pages there - looks like it's dedicated to items pulled out of various newspapers, as is, pays yer money and takes yer chances! (Or, believe it or not...) Don't suppose the good Mr Craig would be able to do much more than shrug his shoulders and say, well, this is where I got that!