{⋆★⋆} BG Wright, Marcus Joseph

Marcus Joseph Wright​

Born: June 5, 1831

Birth Place: Purdy, Tennessee

Father: Major Benjamin Wright 1784 – 1860

(Buried: Purdy Cemetery, Purdy, Tennessee)​

Mother: Martha Ann Hicks 1793 – 1859

(Buried: Purdy Cemetery, Purdy, Tennessee)​

1st​ Wife: Martha Spencer Elcan 1837 – 1875

(Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee)​

2nd​ Wife: Pauline Womack 1845 – 1934

(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​

Children:

Benjamin J. Wright 1865 – 1903​

(Buried: Hill Crest Cemetery, Holly Springs, Mississippi)​

​

Pauline Casey Young Wright Dinwiddie 1880 – 1961​

(Buried: Oakwood Cemetery, Charlottesville, Virginia)​

​

Howard Paul Wright 1881 – 1966​

(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida)​

Education:

Studied law​

Occupation before War:

Attorney in Memphis, Tennessee​

​

Clerk of Common law & Chancery Court​

​

Lt. Colonel in Tennessee State Militia​

​

Sheriff in Memphis, Tennessee​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Colonel of 154th​ Senior Tennessee Infantry Regiment​

​

1861: In charge of fortifications at Randolph, Tennessee​

​

1862: Confederate Military Governor of Columbus, Kentucky​

​

1862: Wounded during the Battle of Shiloh​

​

1862: Staff Officer to Major General Benjamin F. Cheatham​

​

1862 – 1865: Brigadier General of Confederate Army Infantry​

​

1863 – 1864: Confederate Commander for District of Atlanta, Georgia​

​

1864: Commander of District of Macon, Georgia​

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1865: Commander of District of North Mississippi & West Tennessee​

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1865: Paroled at Grenada, Mississippi​

Occupation after War:

Attorney in Memphis, Tennessee

​

Assistant Purser of United States Navy Yard​

​

Editor of Columbia Tennessee Journal Newspaper​

​

Attorney in Washington, D.C.​

​

1878 – 1917: Agent for U.S. War Dept. for Confederate Records​

Died: December 27, 1927

Place of Death: Washington, D.C.

Age at time of Death: 96 years old

Cause of Death: Senility

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

 

[Luke Freet]

Marcus Joseph Wright:​

Born: June 5, 1831
Birth Place: Purdy TennesseeView attachment 361266
Father: Major Benjamin Wright 1784 – 1860
(Buried: Purdy Cemetery Purdy Tennessee)
Mother: Martha Ann Hicks 1793 – 1859
(Buried: Purdy Cemetery Purdy Tennessee)
1st​ Wife: Martha Spencer Elcan 1837 – 1875
(Buried: Elmwood Cemetery Memphis Tennessee)
2nd​ Wife: Pauline Womack 1845 – 1934
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia)
Children:
Benjamin J. Wright 1865 – 1903
(Buried: Hill Crest Cemetery Holly Springs Mississippi)
Pauline Casey Young Wright Dinwiddie 1880 – 1961
(Buried: Oakwood Cemetery Charlottesville Virginia)
Howard Paul Wright 1881 – 1966
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery Jacksonville Florida)

Education:
Studied law

Occupation before War:
Attorney in Memphis Tennessee
Clerk of Common law & Chancery Court
Lt. Colonel in Tennessee State Militia
Sheriff in Memphis Tennessee

Civil War Career:
1861 – 1862: Colonel of 154th​ Senior Tennessee Infantry RegimentView attachment 361267
1861: In charge of fortifications at Randolph Tennessee
1862: Confederate Military Governor of Columbus Kentucky
1862: Wounded during the Battle of Shiloh
1862: Staff Officer to Major General Benjamin F. Cheatham
1862 – 1865: Brigadier General of Confederate Army Infantry
1863 – 1864: Confederate Commander for District of Atlanta Georgia
1864: Commander of District of Macon Georgia
1865: Commander of District of North Mississippi & West Tennessee
1865: Paroled at Grenada Mississippi

Occupation after War:
Attorney in Memphis Tennessee
Assistant Purser of United States Navy Yard
Editor of Columbia Tennessee Journal Newspaper
Attorney in Washington D.C.
1878 – 1917: Agent for U.S. War Dept. for Confederate Records


Died: December 27, 1927
Place of Death: Washington D.C.
Age at time of Death: 96 years old
Cause of Death: Senility
Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia



View attachment 361268

IIRC, Wright was wounded at either Chickamauga or around Chattanooga, and would never return to his brigade. His brigade would be led by John C. Carter throughout 1864.
After the war, he would serve prominently as a historiographer on the conflict.

 

[Pollaco]

According to Stewart Sifakis' book on Civil War personalities the only wound mentioned was the one Wright received at Shiloh, where it says he was severely wounded.

 

[Luke Freet]

According to Stewart Sifakis' book on Civil War personalities the only wound mentioned was the one Wright received at Shiloh, where it says he was severely wounded.

Huh.
Yeah, looking up his page on wikipedia, it doesn't say why he was moved from his combat post. I wonder why this is.

 

[John Wolf Smith]

Happy birthday.

 

[John Wolf Smith]

IIRC, Wright was wounded at either Chickamauga or around Chattanooga, and would never return to his brigade. His brigade would be led by John C. Carter throughout 1864.
After the war, he would serve prominently as a historiographer on the conflict.

This https://civilwartalk.com/threads/donelsons-brigade-the-only-true-tennessee-brigade.138026/ says he left the army because of ill health.

 

[Luke Freet]

This https://civilwartalk.com/threads/donelsons-brigade-the-only-true-tennessee-brigade.138026/ says he left the army because of ill health.

Certainly my earlier statement was outdated.
It seems he was an unpopular officer in the brigade, not doing too well in combat either, and so he was reassigned to post duty while Carter "temporarily" took command.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday Brig. General Marcus J. Wright! Salutes remembering General Wright on his birthday.

 

[Pollaco]

It is stated that he was chosen by the War Departmnent to supervise the collection of Confederate records in 1878. Makes one wonder how he was chosen. It is also stated that his post war work was far more important than his contributions as a brigadier genetal.

 

[Pollaco]

The 154th Senior Tennessee Infantry Regiment was made up of prewar Militia men and had the same number(154th) since 1842.

 

[Pollaco]

There are only 2 former Confederate generals buried at Arlington (Joseph Wheeler being the other) and Wright is one of them.

 

[Luke Freet]

Bump for Chickamauga.
Chickamauga was Brigadier Wright's first true test at brigade command, a test he failed miserably, being absent from his command during the Brotherton Road fight the 19th.

 

[ErnieMac]

One of only two Confederate generals buried at Arlington (Joseph Wheeler is the second).
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11115/marcus-joseph-wright

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy weekend Birthday Brig. General Marcus J. Wright! Salutes remembering General Wright on his birthday weekend.

 

[Luke Freet]

His postwar work helping to compile Confederate records into the ORs has provided historians with a solid base for future research and inspection, and is quite invaluable to our understanding of the conflict, more so than any memoir by the various generals ever will.
However, his record as a general was...well, abysmal. At Chickamauga, his brigade was poorly deployed against the enemy on Brotherton Road and chewed up, while officers reported not being able to find him, suggesting he was well in the rear or fled the field. He would not see combat for the rest of the war.

 

[ErnieMac]

Marcus Wright explained his role in the collecting of the papers of the Confederate government and the governments of the Confederate states in a news article printed by the Memphis Daily Appeal on 25 July 1878.

 

[Pollaco]

For about a year from 1863 to early 1864 Wright commanded a Tenneessee brigade but it was a differant brigade from his earlier 154th Senior Tennessee.This one was in General Cheatham's Division and is the same General whose staff he had just gotten off of.