Alexander William Campbell (general)
Encyclopedia
Alexander William Campbell (June 28, 1828 – June 13, 1893), was a Confederate States Army
brigadier general during the American Civil War
. He was a lawyer in Tennessee before and after the war, mayor of Jackson, Tennessee
, 1856, and an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of Tennessee in 1880.
. After graduating from West Tennessee College, he studied law at Lebanon Law School. He was admitted to the bar of Tennessee and became a partner of future United States Senator and United States Supreme Court justice, Howell E. Jackson. He was elected mayor of Jackson, Tennessee in 1856.
on October 18, 1861. Campbell's regiment was in reserve at the Battle of Belmont
. Campbell led his regiment at the Battle of Shiloh
. He was severely wounded during the battle. After several months convalescence, he returned to find that he had not been re-elected colonel of the regiment on its reorganization on May 8, 1862.
Upon his return to active duty, just before the Battle of Stones River
, Campbell was appointed assistant adjutant and inspector general for Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk
. After this assignment, he served with the Tennessee volunteer and conscription bureau under Brigadier General Gideon Pillow.
Sent on a mission for Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris
to supervise elections and to recruit new soldiers in the western part of Tennessee, Campbell was taken prisoner by Union forces at Lexington, Tennessee
in July 1863. He was not exchanged until February 1865. On February 18, 1865, Campbell was appointed acting inspector general for Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest
. Later in the month, according to Sifakis, or on March 1, 1865, according to Eicher, Campbell was given command of a brigade in Brigadier General William H. Jackson's
division of Lieutenant General Forrest's cavalry corps, with which he served until the end of the war. On March 1, 1865, Campbell was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. He was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama on May 11, 1865.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
brigadier general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was a lawyer in Tennessee before and after the war, mayor of Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, 1856, and an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of Tennessee in 1880.
Early life
Alexander William Campbell was born on June 4, 1828 in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. After graduating from West Tennessee College, he studied law at Lebanon Law School. He was admitted to the bar of Tennessee and became a partner of future United States Senator and United States Supreme Court justice, Howell E. Jackson. He was elected mayor of Jackson, Tennessee in 1856.
American Civil War
Alexander William Campbell enlisted in the Confederate States Army as a private. On or about May 9, 1861, he was appointed major and assigned to duty as assistant inspector general of the Provisional Army of Tennessee. He was promoted to colonel of the 33rd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment33rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment
The 33rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry was an infantry regiment from Tennessee that served in the Confederate States Army. Notable battles that they took part in include the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Chickamauga....
on October 18, 1861. Campbell's regiment was in reserve at the Battle of Belmont
Battle of Belmont
The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861, in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S...
. Campbell led his regiment at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. He was severely wounded during the battle. After several months convalescence, he returned to find that he had not been re-elected colonel of the regiment on its reorganization on May 8, 1862.
Upon his return to active duty, just before the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
, Campbell was appointed assistant adjutant and inspector general for Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk was a Confederate general in the American Civil War who was once a planter in Maury County, Tennessee, and a second cousin of President James K. Polk...
. After this assignment, he served with the Tennessee volunteer and conscription bureau under Brigadier General Gideon Pillow.
Sent on a mission for Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris
Isham G. Harris
Isham Green Harris was an American politician. He served as Governor of Tennessee from 1857 to 1862 and as a U.S. Senator from 1877 until his death....
to supervise elections and to recruit new soldiers in the western part of Tennessee, Campbell was taken prisoner by Union forces at Lexington, Tennessee
Lexington, Tennessee
Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying ten miles south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. The population was 7,393 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County...
in July 1863. He was not exchanged until February 1865. On February 18, 1865, Campbell was appointed acting inspector general for Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
. Later in the month, according to Sifakis, or on March 1, 1865, according to Eicher, Campbell was given command of a brigade in Brigadier General William H. Jackson's
William H. Jackson
William H. Jackson may refer to:* William Harding Jackson , U.S. National Security Advisor, 1956* William Henry Jackson , early photographer of the American West* William Hicks Jackson , Confederate general from Tennessee...
division of Lieutenant General Forrest's cavalry corps, with which he served until the end of the war. On March 1, 1865, Campbell was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. He was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama on May 11, 1865.