Lewis Addison Armistead
Lewis Armistead began his Military career as a student at West Point Military Academy, but resigned due to a combination of academic issues, and an incident where he broke a plate over a fellow cadet's head. He joined the army and served in the Mexican-American War, as well as the Mohave War. At the outbreak of Civil War, he traveled east to join the Confederacy. Serving under Robert E. Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia, he became a brigadier general, and participated in many eastern battles. At Gettysburg, on July 3, 1863, as part of Pickett's Charge, Armistead led his men to the farthest point reached by Confederate forces during the charge, a point now referred to as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. However, he and his brigade were overwhelmed, and he was hit by three bullets and captured by Union troops. Even though his wounds were thought to be survivable, he died in a nearby field hospital two days later.
Born: February 18, 1817
Birthplace: New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina
Nickname: Lo (short for Lothario)
Father: Colonel Walker Keith Armistead
(Buried: Armistead Family Cemetery, Upperville, Virginia)
Mother: Elizabeth Stanly 1791 – 1861
(Buried: Armistead Family Cemetery, Upperville, Virginia)
1st Wife: Cecilia Lee Love 1823 – 1850
(Buried: Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama)
Married: February 13, 1844 in Lowndes County, Alabama
2nd Wife: Cornelia Lee Taliaferro 1828 – 1855
(Buried: Fort Riley Post Cemetery, Fort Riley, Kansas)
Married: March 17, 1853 at Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia
Children:
Lt. Walker Keith Armistead Sr. 1844 – 1896
(Buried: Berkeley Memorial Cemetery, Middletown, Rhode Island)
Flora Love Armistead 1846 – 1850
(Buried: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, LeMay, Missouri)
Lewis B. Armistead – 1854
Education:Attended West Point Military Academy, resigning in 1839
Occupation before War:
1839 – 1844: 2nd Lt. in United States Army Infantry
1844 – 1855: 1st Lt. in United States Army
1847: Wounded during Battle of Chapultepec, Mexico
1855 – 1861: Captain in United States Army
Civil War Career:
1861: Major in the Confederate Army
1861 – 1862: Colonel of 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment
1862: Brigade Commander during Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia
1862: Brigade Commander for Seven Days Campaign, Virginia
1862: Led the assault during Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia
1862: Brigade Commander Second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia
1862: Provost Marshal Army of Northern Virginia at Antietam
1862: Brigade Commander Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia
1863: Served in the fighting around Norfolk, Virginia
1863: Mortally Wounded, Brigade Commander, Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett’s Charge
Died: July 5, 1863
Place of Death: Field Hospital, George Spangler Farm, Gettysburg PA
Cause of Death: Bacterium, Fever and Prostration
Age at time of Death: 46 years old
Burial Place: Old Saint Paul’s Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
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