CS Exe {⋆★⋆} BG Randolph, George Wythe - C.S. Secretary of War

George Wythe Randolph

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Randolph.jpg


Born: March 10, 1818

Birthplace: Monticello Plantation, Charlottesville, Virginia

Father: Governor Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. 1768 – 1828
(Buried: Monticello Graveyard, Albemarle County, Virginia)​

Mother: Martha “Patsy” Jefferson 1772 – 1836
(Buried: Monticello Graveyard, Albemarle County, Virginia)​

Maternal Grandfather: President Thomas Jefferson 1743 – 1826
(Buried: Monticello Graveyard, Albemarle County, Virginia)​

Wife: Mary Elizabeth Adams 1830 – 1871
(Buried: Monticello Graveyard, Albemarle County, Virginia)​

Married: April 10, 1852

Children: None

Education:


Attended University of Virginia​

Occupation before War:

1831 – 1839: Midshipman in United States Navy​
Sailed on USS John Adams and USS Constitution on Mediterranean Sea​
Suffered from the effects of Tuberculosis.​
Did Naval Training at Naval School in Norfolk, Virginia​
Studied law under George Tucker.​
1840 – 1849: Attorney in Charlottesville, Virginia​
1840 – 1849: Lived at Edgehill Plantation​
1849 – 1861: Attorney in Richmond, Virginia​
Founder of Richmond Mechanics Institute​
Officer in Virginia State Historical Society​
Organizer of Richmond Howitzers and Served at Harper’s Ferry​
1860: His Howitzers became Company H 1st​ Virginia Militia.​

Civil War Career:

Continued to Suffer from the effects of Tuberculosis​
1861: Met with United States President Abraham Lincoln.​
1861: Richmond Delegate to Virginia State Secession Convention​
1861: Major of Richmond Howitzers​
1861: Artillery Commander for John Magruder​
1861: Served in the Battle of Big Bethel, Virginia​
1861 – 1862: Colonel of 2nd​ Virginia Artillery Regiment​
1862 – 1864: Brigadier General in Confederate Army, saw no action​
1862: Confederate States Secretary of War Department​
1862: Helped reform the Confederate War Department.​
1862: Author of Conscription Law for Confederate States Government​
1862: Made the Western and Southern Army Defenses Stronger​
1862: Came into controversary with President Davis and hidden shells
Death.jpg
1862: Argued explosive devices contravened laws of Civilized Warfare​
1862: Resigned as Confederate Secretary of War due to health on November 17th​
1862 – 1864: Virginia State Senator​
1864: Ran the U.S. Navy Blockade and went to Europe to live​
1864: Mustered out of the Confederate Army on December 18th​
1864 – 1866: Received Medical Treatment for Tuberculosis in England, and Southern France​

Occupation after War:

1866: Took Oath of Allegiance to United States in Pau, France​
1866 – 1867: Lived at Edgehill Plantation suffering from Tuberculosis.​

Died: April 3, 1867

Place of Death: Edgehill Plantation, Charlottesville, Virginia

Cause of Death: Tuberculosis

Age at time of Death: 49 years old

Burial Place: Monticello Graveyard, Albemarle County, Virginia
 
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Randolph's image (along with Lucy Pickens)was used on the C.S. $100.00 bill. He was no longer a cabinet member by the time these bills appeared.His portrait is said to one of the ways of detecting counterfeit bills. The little spear or point under his tie is not on fake bills.
 
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One of the main reason he organized the Richmond Howitzers was due to his responding to rumors about abolitionist raiders trying to free John Brown from the jail at Chatles Town. Governor Henry Wise sent the "Howitzers" to secure the town until Brown's execution. They did not receive the naval howitzers that gave the unit its name until after they returned from Harpers Ferry.
 
Brief bits of correspondence during Randolph's transition from military to Sec of War:


10/3/61 Orders from Hqs Army of the Peninsula, Yorktown-
IX… Positions for the Arty assigned to the stations of Harrod's & Young's Mills will, after consultation with Gen McLaws & Gen Rains, be designated by the chief of Arty, Col Randolph, & the officers & men made familiar with these positions, after which the pieces will be withdrawn & the Arty Co's will be encamped-those designated for Harrod's Mill at a convenient place in rear of that station, & those intended for Young's Mill in a similar position.

At each of these stations a school of practice will be established by Col Randolph-that on the right to be immediately commanded by Lt-Col Cabell, & that on the left by Major Brown, both of the 2nd Regt Va Arty, the whole under command of Col Randolph, of the same Regt.

1/23/62 Yorktown, Headquarters Army of the Peninsula, Magruder to AG Cooper… The unsafe condition of the defenses on James River had been represented to the Department, in a report of the Chief of Artillery, Col. G. W. Randolph, and the engineer here in charge, Mr. St. John, which report was strongly indorsed by myself…

2/10/62 AG Cooper to Gen Randolph-proceed to Suffolk & report for duty to Gen Huger

2/16/62 Gen Cooper to Gen Randolph-The Sec of War directs that you proceed forthwith to Suffolk, & report for duty to Gen Huger, under whom you will immediately proceed to fortify & defend the approaches to Norfolk & provide for the protection of the Portsmouth & Weldon RR between Suffolk & Weldon. To affect these objects, you are authorized to call out a sufficient negro force & adopt such measures as may be necessary.
Capt I. M. St. John, Engineers, will be directed to report to you for duty.

2/20 Cooper to Gen Randolph-You will have to assign the 11th Co of Hamilton's Regt to duty as Lt Arty as we have no Co here to send [implies 1st​ SC is in Randolph's new command of 2 Bgdes]

2/24 Portsmouth, Hqs 3rd​ Bgde, Gen Blanchard to Huger's AG-I have the honor to report that I returned to Suffolk & continued the works on Nansemond River & held correspondence with the different commands…
On the 21st Gen Huger & Gen Randolph came to Suffolk & relieved me from duty. At the request of Gen Randolph, I remained with him…
… I must therefore respectfully ask that G O #14, of 2/20, reducing my command to a small Bgde, while the youngest Brig Gen in the Army [Randolph] has charge of two Bgdes, be so modified as to express the opinion of the Gen that the service required such action & was not done from any disapproval of my conduct.

March 62--enemy threatening Suffolk & 2 of Magruder's Bgdes were sent there. [Randolph's & Cobb's 2nd Bgde] -Weep not for me Dear Mother

3/5 Sec of War Benjamin to Huger…I trust that, with the aid of Gen'ls Loring & Randolph, recently sent to you, & of Gen Ransom, who will be at once ordered to join you, you will be enabled to infuse such vigor & activity in your command as to inspire them with confidence in a successful defense

3/7 Randolph cdg at Suffolk notified that troops at Washington, NC to abandon that point & go to Suffolk

3/14/62 Headquarters Army of the Peninsula, Magruder to Gen R E Lee…I sent a list of artillery officers, according to merit, at the request of the Secretary of War, for the information of the President. Since then, some exchanges have occurred. Colonel Randolph has been made a general, and I would like to place the name of [J.J Thompson Brown as colonel instead of Lewis Brown.

3/20/62 Suffolk, Randolph to Davis-I have had the honor to receive from Col Davis a letter informing me of my nomination & confirmation as Sec of War. Allow me to make my profound acknowledgement…made of your confidence …

4/2/62 Sec of War Randolph to Lee-thinks it inexpedient to move Arty from Norfolk to the peninsula

He served for eight months in 1862 as the Confederate States Secretary of War during the American Civil War. Randolph was appointed by Jefferson Davis as Secretary of War on March 18, 1862, and he took office on March 24, 1862.
 
He was President Thomas Jefferson's youngest grandson by his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph. Their youngest son, he was named in honor of George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and law professor of his grandfather Thomas Jefferson. Randolph was born in 1818 at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia, to Martha Jefferson Randolph, the daughter of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, and her husband Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., a descendant of Pocahontas through his father.

He served as a midshipman in the US Navy from 1831 to 1839 and became a lawyer in 1840, moving to Richmond in 1849.

At the start of the American Civil War, he joined a delegation which failed to convince President Abraham Lincoln to evacuate the federal forts in the American South.

Stuart, William B. Preston and George W. Randolph as a special Virginia delegation traveled to Washington, D.C. and met President Lincoln on April 12 after the surrender of Fort Sumter.

He became a colonel in the Confederate States Army and fought at the Battle of Big Bethel, and he went on to serve as Secretary of War from March to November 1862, overseeing the strengthening of the Confederacy's southern and western defenses. He resigned after falling ill with tuberculosis, and he went into exile in England and France
with his family before returning to Virginia in 1866. He died in 1867 and was buried in the Jefferson family's graveyard at Monticello.
 
From what I've read he was competent in his job as Secretary of War but had a micromanager for a boss.
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Gen G.W.Smith was named Secretary of War ad interim on Nov. 17, 1862 for several days until the the 19th when James Seddon was appointed. Randolph had been at odds with Jefferson Davis before his resignation. He felt he was "merely a clerk" and Davis was running the War Department.His letter to Gen. Holmes authorizing him to go to the assistance of (or cooperate with) Gen. Pemberton is probably one of the final reasons that brought about his resignation ( that and bad health). Jefferson Davis felt that his office should have been notified first and that Randolph didn't have that authority.He stated all letters to all generals should go to the adjutant generals office first.
 
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