General Pierre Beauregard
First Hero of Confederacy During Civil War
General Pierre Beauregard, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, saw action at Fort Sumter, First Bull Run, First Manassa, Shiloh, Corinth, and Petersburg.
Mexican War and Corps of Engineers
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, who became a Confederate general during the American Civil War, was born in 1818 near New Orleans, Louisiana. After graduating from West Point he performed distinguished service as an engineer officer during the Mexican War from 1846 through 1848, and for many years he was with the Corps of Engineers.
Short Stay at West Point
Beauregard, in January of 1861, was appointed Superintendent of West Point. Five days after his appointment he was removed from this position. This removal was due to his resolve that should the South secede from the Union he would serve the South.
First Brigadier General of Confederate Army Attacks Fort Sumter
At the outbreak of the American Civil War Beauregard was appointed the first brigadier general in the Confederate army. He also designed its battle flag. He commanded the southern troops that took over Fort Sumter that was located in Charleston harbor in South Carolina. This bombardment, in April of 1861, was the first action of the Civil War. Because of this action, Beauregard is considered the first hero of the Confederacy.
First Bull Run/First Manassa
At the First Bull Run battle, as the Northern Army called it in opposition to the Southern title of First Manassa, in Virginia on July 21, 1861, Beauregard served as second in command. During this battle, as a commander of the line, he helped the Confederacy gain its first victory over the Union Army.
Battle of Shiloh
In April of 1862, at the Battle of Shiloh, in Tennessee, Beauregard took over command when his superior, General Albert S. Johnston, was killed. Now in command, Beauregard chose to call off the offensive in the evening. The day ended without a clear victory for either side.
Defeat at Corinth
However, at the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, in October of 1862, he lost the fight with 473 killed, 1997 wounded, and 1763 missing. He was accused of imposing an overly elaborate strategy. Beauregard was then relieved of his command by Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
General Butler Defeated
After this loss, Beauregard was reassigned to Charleston, South Carolina where he performed bravely in holding it against the constant attacks by Union troops. He defended Charleston, in 1863, from attack by the Union navy. This victory was followed by a second win, in May of 1864, when he defeated an attack by a Union army led by General Benjamin F. Butler at Drury's Bluff, Virginia.
Battle at Petersburg
Victory in the field came again for Beauregard in April of 1864 when he assisted in defeating the Northern troops at Petersburg in Virginia. However, after this battle he was assigned to an administrative post as commander of the Confederate's army of the West.
Beauregard was well noted for his outspoken words that opposed Jefferson Davis' method of running the war. It was a trait that is believed to have caused him to be denied more authority.
War Over, Home to Louisiana
After the close of the Civil War, he received offers from both Romania and Egypt to command their armies but turned down these offers.
Beauregard returned, instead, to Louisiana. There, he became active in railroads, becoming president of the New Orleans, Jackson, and Mississippi Railroad, and in public works. He showed considerable talent as a writer by his works on military theory and his personal history of the various battles of the Civil War.
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard died in 1893.
Sources:
Bowman, John S., Executive Editor. The Civil War Almanac. Bison Books, 1983.
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, Vol. 3. Funk & Wagnalls, Inc.
