Charles Miller Shelley (December 28, 1833 – January 20, 1907) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army

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...

 and a postbellum U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Early life

Shelley was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee. He moved with his father to Selma, Alabama

Selma, Alabama

Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....

, in 1836. He received limited schooling, but showed an aptitude for architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. He became an architect and builder in the 1850s.

In the 1860, 1880, and 1900 Federal Censuses, he was listed as having been born in Tennessee (as were his parents in the latter two censuses).

Civil War

With the outbreak of the 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...

, Shelley first entered the Confederate Army in February 1861 as a first lieutenant and was stationed first at Fort Morgan

Fort Morgan

Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States:*Fort Morgan , a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay*Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community...

. Afterward, he was attached to the 5th Alabama Infantry and rose through the ranks to be commissioned as a brigadier general.

Postbellum career

Shelley was first elected to Congress on November 7, 1876. He received only 37.77% of the vote, but since the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 vote had been split between their nominee James T. Rapier

James T. Rapier

James Thomas Rapier was a United States Representative from 1873 until 1875. He was one of Alabama's three black congressmen during Reconstruction....

 and the incumbent who was running as an independent, Jeremiah Haralson

Jeremiah Haralson

Jeremiah Haralson , was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama.-Early life and education:Born on a plantation near Columbus, Georgia, he was raised as a slave and was self-educated. He moved to Alabama and engaged in agricultural pursuits...

, Shelley won the election.

Shelly ran for reelection in 1878. With the end of Reconstruction and the rise of intimidation and violence against African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 voters, his reelection was much easier. He got 55.38% of the vote. This was 8,514 votes, less than the 9,655 he had gotten two years before, indicating a contraction of the size the electorate in the interim. Haralson made another run for office this year but only received 6,545 or 42.57% of the vote.

Shelley presented his credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-seventh Congress

47th United States Congress

The Forty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration...

, but the election was contested by James Q. Smith and the seat declared vacant July 20, 1882. Shelley was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy thus caused and served from November 7, 1882, to March 3, 1883. He presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-eighth Congress

48th United States Congress

The Forty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years...

 and served from March 4, 1883, to January 9, 1885, when he was succeeded by George H. Craig

George Henry Craig

George Henry Craig was a U.S. Representative from Alabama.Born in Cahaba, Alabama, Craig attended the Cahaba Academy....

, who contested the election.

He returned to Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, and engaged in promoting the industrial interests of that region until his death in that city. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, Talladega, Alabama

Talladega, Alabama

Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....

.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

External links