CS Exe {⋆★⋆} MG Breckinridge, John C. - C.S. Secretary of War

John Cabell Breckinridge
Confederate States Secretary of War

:CSA1stNat:
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Born: January 16, 1821

Birthplace: Cabell's Dale Plantation near Lexington Kentucky

Father: Joseph Cabell Breckinridge 1788 – 1823
(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​

Mother: Mary Clay Smith 1787 – 1864
(Buried: Not Known)​

Wife: Mary Cyrene Burch 1826 – 1907
(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​

Children:

John Cabell Breckinridge​
(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​
Clifton Rodes Breckinridge 1846 – 1932
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(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​
Frances Viley Breckinridge Steele 1848 – 1924​
(Buried: Triangle Public Cemetery, Triangle, Virginia)​
John Witherspoon Breckinridge 1850 – 1892​
(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​
Mary Breckinridge Maltby 1854 – 1928​
(Buried: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky)​

Signature:
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Education:

1839: Graduated from Centre College​
Studied law at Transylvania University​

Occupation:
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Attorney in Lexington, Kentucky​
1847 – 1848: Major of 3rd Kentucky Infantry in Mexican War​
1849 – 1851: Kentucky State Representative​
1851 – 1855: United States Representative from Kentucky​
1857 – 1861: Vice President of the United States​
1860: Unsuccessful Democratic Presidential Candidate​
1861: United States Senator from Kentucky​
1861: Expelled from the United States Senate by resolution​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Confederate Army Infantry
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1862: Wounded during the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee​
1862 – 1865: Major General of Confederate Army Infantry​
1862: Independent Commander in in the lower Mississippi Valley​
1862: Participated in the Battle of Baton Rogue, Louisiana​
1862 – 1863: Participated in the Battle of Stones River​
1863: Participated in the Battle of Chickamuga​
1863: Served in the defense of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga​
1864: Participated in the Battle of New Market, Virginia​
1864: Participated in the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia​
1864: Participated in the Raid of Washington, D.C.
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1864: Participated in the Battle of Monocacy, Virginia​
1864 – 1865: Commander of Forces in Southwestern Virginia​
1864: Led a raid into northeastern Tennessee​
1865: Confederate States Secretary of War​

Occupation after War:

1865: Lived in Cuba, England and Canada​
1865 – 1869: Lived in the United Kingdom​
1869: Granted Amnesty by the United States Government​
1869: Attorney in Lexington, Kentucky​
1869 – 1875: Vice President of Elizabethtown, Lexington Railroad
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Died: May 17, 1875

Place of Death: Lexington, Kentucky

Cause of Death: Pulmonary and Coma

Age at time of Death: 54 years old

Burial Place: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky
 
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His statue near the family plot at the Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Being a Kentuckian myself, I've always had a special interest in Breckinridge. Like many others, he and Bragg did not get along. He never forgave Bragg for ordering the Orphan Brigade into a bloody assault at Murfreesboro that had little to no hope of success. After the failed attack, as Breckinridge was riding along his lines to see what damage had been done he was heard to exclaim "My poor Orphans! My poor Orphan Brigade! They have cut it to pieces!"
 
One thing historians can be glad for related to Breckinridge was his ordering the departments of the War Department to make an assessment of their condition in February, 1865. These reports (in the OR) record the feelings of the War Department senior staff just before the final campaign and recorded statistics we would never have been able to put together at this date (ie results of the blockade runners and capabilities of the various branches).
 
Now reading William C. Davis' "The Orphan Brigade". Regarding he Breckinridge, he writes "The Kentuckian was widely attacked as a secessionist and a friend of slavery. Both charges were false, yet he was strict in his construction of the Constitution".

He goes on to state that Breckinridge espoused Kentucky's neutrality wholeheartedy, and organized "peace picnics" to gain support for neutrality and moderation. Breckinridge's son joined the rebel 2nd Ky Inf- against his father's wishes.

But due to his vocal criticism of the Lincoln administration, he was a marked man. And when neutrality ended on Sept. 18, 1861, orders for his arrest were issued.

Sounds like he was unduly persecuted- and I admit to not having all the angles. But based on the little I've read; I can't blame him for joining the Confederacy.
 
Breckinridge's military career is...something. Almost every battle before 1864 that he fights, his command is usually bloodied. Baton Rouge, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga are all sad episodes for the men under his command.
His fortunes would improve in the Shenandoah, where he was responsible for the bizarre victory at New Market. He also played a role at Cold Harbor, though his command suffered heavier casualties due to poor positioning. His further command in the Valley was awkward and confusing, as Jubal Early put him in command of a "corps" but it seemed Breckinridge had little influence in regard to the various battles fought in that phase (maybe you can count the Monocacy).
He would have done the Confederacy more favors if Davis appointed him Secretary of War instead of Seddon. It better fit his MO as a young politician with recent military experience. Of course, that's the fault of Davis for poor personnel management than anything.
 
This was quite an interesting quote from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Breckinridge

".....Influenced by Bullock and the citizens of Iowa, he (John C. Breckinridge) identified with the Democratic Party, and by February 1843, he had been named to the Democratic committee of Des Moines County.[21] Most of the Kentucky Breckinridges were Whigs, and when he learned of his nephew's party affiliation, William Breckinridge declared, "I felt as I would have done if I had heard that my daughter had been dishonored."[22]" ​

 
The biography of Breckinridge by William C. Davis is nearly fifty years old, but it doesn't matter. I don't think the book can be improved upon. Truly one of the great works of Civil War history.
 
Proud Kentuckian: John C. Breckinridge, 1821–1875 by Frank Hopkins Heck

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Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
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