Charles D. Anderson
Encyclopedia
Charles David Anderson (May 22, 1827 – February 22, 1901) was an American
planter, businessman, legislator, and soldier. He served as a Confederate
general during the American Civil War
, in which he was wounded three times. After the war Anderson was a tax collector in Georgia
.
, located in DeKalb County, Georgia
. He was a son of William Robert Anderson, a farmer and son of an American Revolution
officer, and of Annie Coker. Charles Anderson made his home in Fort Valley
in Houston County
, where he engaged in planting, worked as a cotton merchant, and was a slaveholder. From 1857 to 1858 Anderson served as a justice of the court in Houston County, and prior to the American Civil War he served as mayor of Fort Valley, Georgia
.
on May 27, and assigned to command of the regiment
's Company C. That October he led the forces guarding Choctaw and Owen Bluffs in Alabama. Anderson participated in the Maryland Campaign
in the fall of 1862, fighting during the Battle of Antietam
on September 17. In the fight he was wounded and captured by Union
forces, and exchanged later that year. Upon release Anderson was promoted to major
, effective back to the date of the Battle of Antietam. That December he took part in the Fredericksburg Campaign
.
In 1863 Anderson participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign
and was seriously wounded on May 3. He was hit in his shoulder, his abdomen, as well as his left hand, losing a finger in the process. On May 15 Anderson was promoted to lieutenant colonel
, but due to his injuries he resigned his commission in the Confederate Army on January 20, 1864. Upon returning home to Georgia, Anderson was appointed aide-de-camp
to Gov. Joseph E. Brown
.
During the summer of 1864 Anderson was appointed colonel
of the 5th Georgia Militia
, and by May he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the 3rd Georgia Militia Brigade
. His force was sent to augment the Army of Tennessee
following the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
in late June, and served throughout the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign
. On July 22 in the Battle of Atlanta
Anderson's command was only lightly engaged. When Atlanta fell the militia forces were detached from the Army of Tennessee and served during Sherman's March to the Sea
that winter. He was part of the Confederate attack in the Battle of Griswoldville
on November 22, where "Leading his brigade, Anderson had his clothes riddled with bullets and his horse was shot out from under him; his coolness and precision in that unfortunate battle were marked." Anderson was indeed wounded in this fight.
Anderson and his force was part of the garrison defending Savannah, Georgia
, in December 1864. Following the surrender of Savannah his militia brigade was ordered to Augusta
, and his last assignment was to defend Macon
. Although he did not know nor did he serve, Anderson had been elected to Georgia's state senate near the end of 1863, a term that ended in 1865 as the war came to a close. He also had been mustered out of the volunteer Confederate forces in January.
. He died in Fort Valley in 1901, and was buried in the city's Oak Lawn Cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
planter, businessman, legislator, and soldier. He served as a Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
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...
, in which he was wounded three times. After the war Anderson was a tax collector in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Early life and career
Charles D. Anderson was born in 1827 near Stone MountainStone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
, located in DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
. He was a son of William Robert Anderson, a farmer and son of an American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
officer, and of Annie Coker. Charles Anderson made his home in Fort Valley
Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,815.Fort Valley is the corporate headquarters of the Blue Bird Corporation, a large manufacturer of buses...
in Houston County
Houston County, Georgia
Houston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on May 15, 1821, as one of five huge counties, later reduced in the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pike, Macon and Peach counties. As of the 2000 census, the population is 110,765...
, where he engaged in planting, worked as a cotton merchant, and was a slaveholder. From 1857 to 1858 Anderson served as a justice of the court in Houston County, and prior to the American Civil War he served as mayor of Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,815.Fort Valley is the corporate headquarters of the Blue Bird Corporation, a large manufacturer of buses...
.
Civil War service
When the American Civil War began in 1861, Anderson chose to follow his home state of Georgia and the Confederate cause. He was elected captain in the 6th Georgia Infantry6th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
The 6th Georgia Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was organized at Macon, Georgia, in April, 1861.Future governor of Georgia, Alfred H. Colquitt, was elected its first colonel...
on May 27, and assigned to command of the regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
's Company C. That October he led the forces guarding Choctaw and Owen Bluffs in Alabama. Anderson participated in the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
in the fall of 1862, fighting during the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
on September 17. In the fight he was wounded and captured by Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
forces, and exchanged later that year. Upon release Anderson was promoted to major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
, effective back to the date of the Battle of Antietam. That December he took part in the Fredericksburg Campaign
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
.
In 1863 Anderson participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
and was seriously wounded on May 3. He was hit in his shoulder, his abdomen, as well as his left hand, losing a finger in the process. On May 15 Anderson was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
, but due to his injuries he resigned his commission in the Confederate Army on January 20, 1864. Upon returning home to Georgia, Anderson was appointed aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Gov. Joseph E. Brown
Joseph E. Brown
Joseph Emerson Brown , often referred to as Joe Brown, was the 42nd Governor of Georgia from 1857 to 1865, and a U.S. Senator from 1880 to 1891...
.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the 5th Georgia Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, and by May he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the 3rd Georgia Militia Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
. His force was sent to augment the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
following the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
in late June, and served throughout the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
. On July 22 in the Battle of Atlanta
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed...
Anderson's command was only lightly engaged. When Atlanta fell the militia forces were detached from the Army of Tennessee and served during Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
that winter. He was part of the Confederate attack in the Battle of Griswoldville
Battle of Griswoldville
The Battle of Griswoldville was the first battle of Sherman's March to the Sea, fought November 22, 1864, during the American Civil War. A Union Army brigade under Brig. Gen. Charles C. Walcutt fought three brigades of Georgia militia under Brig. Gen. Pleasant J...
on November 22, where "Leading his brigade, Anderson had his clothes riddled with bullets and his horse was shot out from under him; his coolness and precision in that unfortunate battle were marked." Anderson was indeed wounded in this fight.
Anderson and his force was part of the garrison defending Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, in December 1864. Following the surrender of Savannah his militia brigade was ordered to Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, and his last assignment was to defend Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. Although he did not know nor did he serve, Anderson had been elected to Georgia's state senate near the end of 1863, a term that ended in 1865 as the war came to a close. He also had been mustered out of the volunteer Confederate forces in January.
Postbellum career
After the war ended, Anderson remained in Macon, where he operated a cotton warehouse as well as a running a farm supply business, and he was pardoned by the U.S. Government on September 25, 1865. When both adventures failed he returned to Fort Valley, Georgia, where he was the tax collector of Houston CountyHouston County, Georgia
Houston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on May 15, 1821, as one of five huge counties, later reduced in the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pike, Macon and Peach counties. As of the 2000 census, the population is 110,765...
. He died in Fort Valley in 1901, and was buried in the city's Oak Lawn Cemetery.