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Richard Taylor (general)
Encyclopedia
Richard Taylor was a Confederate
general in the American Civil War
. He was the son of United States President
Zachary Taylor
and First Lady
Margaret Taylor
.
" family estate near Louisville, Kentucky
. He was named after his grandfather, Richard Lee Taylor
, a Virginian who had served in the American Revolution
. He had five siblings, named Ann Mackall Taylor, Sarah Knox Taylor
, Octavia Pannill Taylor, Mary Smith Taylor and Mary Elizabeth (Taylor) Bliss
. Much of his early life was spent on the American frontier with his father Zachary, a United States Army
officer. As a young man, he attended private schools in Kentucky
and Massachusetts
. Although starting his college studies at Harvard University
, he graduated from Yale
in 1845, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. He received no scholastic honors, but spent the majority of his time reading books on classical and military history. During the Mexican-American War, Taylor served as the military secretary to his father.
His father sent Taylor away during the war because of his rheumatoid arthritis
. He agreed to manage the family cotton plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi
, and, in 1850, he persuaded his father (now President Taylor by virtue of his election in 1848) to purchase Fashion, a large sugar plantation in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
.
On February 10, 1851, Richard Taylor married Louise Marie Myrthe Bringier (d. 1875), a native of Louisiana
, daughter of a wealthy French creole matriarch Aglae Bringier, who would soon help them out financially after the freeze of 1856. Taylor and Marie Bringier would go on to have five children, two sons and three daughters; Richard, Zachary, Louise, Elizabeth, and Myrthe. His two sons, Richard and Zachary, both died during the war after contracting scarlet fever
, the loss of which hurt the elder Richard Taylor deeply.
After Zachary Taylor's untimely death in July 1850, Taylor inherited Fashion. Steadily he increased its area, improved its sugar works (at considerable expense), and expanded its labor force to nearly 200 slaves, making him one of the richest men in Louisiana. But the freeze of 1856 ruined his crop, forcing him into heavy debt with a large mortgage on the plantation.
, then the American (Know Nothing
) Party, and then finally the Democratic Party. He was sent to the Democratic Convention in Charleston, South Carolina
as a delegate from Louisiana and witnessed the splintering of the Democrats. While in Charleston, he tried to make a compromise between the two Democratic factions, but his attempts ultimately failed.
to assist him, as a civilian, at Pensacola, Florida
. Bragg had known Taylor from before the war, when the two had become friends. Bragg also was aware of Taylor's knowledge of military history and was eager to give him a job to help him organize and train the Confederate forces that were being sent there. Even though Taylor had been opposed to secession, he accepted. Confederate President Jefferson Davis
would later comment that the soldiers being sent from Pensacola were some of the best trained soldiers in the Confederacy. It was while he was serving there that Taylor was appointed colonel
of the 9th Louisiana Infantry, and served at the First Battle of Bull Run
. The members of the 9th Louisiana voted for Taylor because they thought that with his connections with his brother-in-law Jefferson Davis, that the unit would be sent out sooner and see battle more quickly.
On October 21, 1861, Taylor was promoted to brigadier general and commanded a Louisiana brigade under Richard S. Ewell
in the Shenandoah Valley campaign and during the Seven Days
. Taylor was promoted over three more senior regimental commanders, and those commanders immediately thought that favoritism was involved because of Taylor's relationship with Jefferson Davis. Instead, Davis cited Taylor's leadership capabilities and the promise he showed, and that he was recommended for the promotion by General Jackson
himself. During the Valley Campaign, Jackson used Taylor's brigade as an elite strike force that set a crippling marching pace and dealt swift flanking attacks. At the Battle of Front Royal
on May 23, again at the First Battle of Winchester
on May 25, and finally at the climactic Battle of Port Republic
on June 9, he led the Louisianans in timely assaults against strong enemy positions.
His brigade consisted of various Louisiana regiments as well as Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat
's "Louisiana Tiger" battalion
. The assortment was an undisciplined lot that was known for its hard-fighting on the battlefield, but also for its hard-living outside of the battlefield. Taylor instilled discipline into the Tigers and although Major Wheat did not agree with how he did so, he nonetheless respected Taylor.
Taylor was promoted to the rank of major general on July 28, 1862, the youngest major general in the Confederacy at the time. He was ordered to Opelousas, Louisiana
, to conscript and enroll troops in the District of Western Louisiana, part of the Trans-Mississippi Department. John D. Winters
wrote that Taylor was to "command all troops south of the Red River and was to prevent the enemy from using the rivers and bayous in the area. Troops were to be gathered and sent to fill up the ranks of Louisiana regiments serving in Virginia. After this, Taylor was to retain as many recruits as would be needed in the state. Light batteries of artillery were to be organized to harass passing enemy vessels on the streams. ... The enemy was to be confined to as narrow an area as possible, and communications and transportation across the Mississippi River were to be kept open."
After his service as a recruit officer in Louisiana, Taylor was given command of the tiny District of West Louisiana. He was sent to Louisiana after Governor Thomas Overton Moore
had insistently requested a capable and dedicated officer to assemble the state's defenses and to help counter Federal forays into the state. Another reason for sending Taylor to Louisiana was attacks of rheumatoid arthritis
which left him crippled for days at a time. During the Seven Days Battles, Taylor was so incapacitated that he was unable to leave his camp and command his brigade.
Before Taylor returned to Louisiana, Federal forces in the area had their way with much of southern Louisiana
. During the spring of 1862, Union forces came upon Taylor's plantation, called Fashion, and plundered it.
Taylor enjoyed the appointment, and the fact that he was to return to Louisiana, but found the district almost completely devoid of troops and supplies. However, he did the best with these limited resources by securing two capable subordinates, veteran infantry commander (Jean Jacques Alexandre) Alfred Mouton
, and veteran cavalry commander Thomas Green
. These two commanders would prove crucial to Taylor's upcoming campaigns in the state.
During 1863, Taylor directed an effective series of clashes with Union
forces over control of lower Louisiana, most notably at Battle of Fort Bisland
and the Battle of Irish Bend
. These clashes were fought against Union
Maj. Gen.
Nathaniel P. Banks for control of the Bayou Teche
region in southern Louisiana
and his ultimate objective of Siege of Port Hudson. After Banks had successfully pushed Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana
aside, he continued on his way to Port Hudson via Alexandria, Louisiana
. After these battles, Taylor formulated a plan to recapture Bayou Teche
, along with the city of New Orleans, Louisiana
, and to halt the Siege of Port Hudson
.
, capturing the lightly defended outposts and supply depots, and then capturing New Orleans, which would cut off Nathaniel P. Banks's army from their supplies. Although his plan met with approval from Secretary of War
James A. Seddon and President Jefferson Davis
, Taylor's immediate superior, Edmund Kirby Smith
, felt that operations on the Louisiana banks of the Mississippi across from Vicksburg would be the best strategy to halt the Siege of Vicksburg. From Alexandria, Louisiana
, Taylor marched his army up to Richmond, Louisiana. There he was joined with Confederate Maj. Gen. John G. Walker
's Texas Division, who called themselves "Walker's Greyhounds
". Taylor ordered Walker's division to attack Federal troops at two locations on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi. The ensuing Battle of Milliken's Bend
and Battle of Young's Point
failed to accomplish the Confederate objectives. After initial success at Milliken's Bend, that engagement ended in failure after Federal gunboats began shelling the Confederate positions. Young's Point ended prematurely as well.
After the battles, Taylor marched his army, minus Walker's division, down to the Bayou Teche region. From there Taylor captured Brashear City (Morgan City, Louisiana
), which yielded tremendous amounts of supplies, materiel, and new weapons for his army. He then moved within the outskirts of New Orleans, which was only being held by a few green recruits under Brig. Gen. William H. Emory
. While Taylor was encamped on the outskirts and preparing for his attack against the city it was then that he received word that Port Hudson had fallen. He then withdrew his forces all the way back up Bayou Teche to avoid the risk of being captured.
with a smaller force, commanding the Confederate forces in the Battle of Mansfield
and the Battle of Pleasant Hill
. He then pursued Banks back to the Mississippi River and for his efforts received the Thanks of the Confederate Congress. It was at these two battles that the two commanders Taylor had come to trust, respect, and rely on during his tenure in Louisiana, Brigadier General
s Alfred Mouton
and Thomas Green
, were killed while leading their men into combat. On April 8, 1864, Taylor was promoted to lieutenant general, despite having asked to be relieved because of his distrust of his superior in the campaign, General Edmund Kirby Smith
.
. After John Bell Hood
's disastrous campaign
into Tennessee
, Taylor was given command of the Army of Tennessee
. He surrendered his department at Citronelle, Alabama
, the last major Confederate force remaining east of the Mississippi
, to Union General Edward Canby
on May 8, 1865, and was paroled three days later.
, and was a leading political opponent of Northern Reconstruction policies. He died in New York City
and is buried in Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans.
Most of Taylor's contemporaries, subordinates, and fellow generals make mention many times of his military prowess. Nathan Bedford Forrest
commented that "He's the biggest man in the lot. If we'd had more like him, we would have licked the Yankees long ago." "Dick Taylor was a born soldier", asserted a close friend. "Probably no civilian of his time was more deeply versed in the annals of war." Stonewall Jackson
and Richard S. Ewell
frequently commented on their conversations with Taylor. Ewell stated that he came away from his conversations with Taylor more knowledgeable and impressed with the amount of information Taylor possessed.
. His sister Sarah Knox Taylor
was the first wife of Jefferson Davis
for three months in 1835. His other sister, Mary Elizabeth Bliss
, who had married William Wallace Smith Bliss in 1848, served as her father's White House hostess.
Although Richard chose to serve the Confederacy, his uncle, Joseph Pannell Taylor
, served on the opposite side as a Brigadier-General in the Union Army
.
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 in 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 the son of United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
and First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Margaret Taylor
Margaret Taylor
Margaret Mackall Smith "Peggy" Taylor , wife of Zachary Taylor, was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850.-Early Life and Marriage:...
.
Early life
Richard Taylor was born at the "SpringfieldZachary Taylor House
The Zachary Taylor House, also known as Springfield, was the boyhood home of the twelfth President of the United States, Zachary Taylor. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Taylor lived there from 1790 to 1808, held his marriage there in 1810, and returned there periodically the rest of his...
" family estate near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He was named after his grandfather, Richard Lee Taylor
Richard Taylor (colonel)
Richard Lee Taylor was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He was the father of the 12th President of the United States, Zachary Taylor....
, a Virginian who had served in the 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...
. He had five siblings, named Ann Mackall Taylor, Sarah Knox Taylor
Sarah Knox Taylor
Sarah Knox Taylor was the daughter of General Zachary Taylor, later President of the United States and Margaret Taylor, and was married to Jefferson Davis before he became President of the Confederate States of America.While living at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin where her father commanded Fort...
, Octavia Pannill Taylor, Mary Smith Taylor and Mary Elizabeth (Taylor) Bliss
Mary Elizabeth Bliss
Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss was the daughter of President Zachary Taylor and First Lady Margaret Taylor.She served as White House hostess due to her mother's ill health....
. Much of his early life was spent on the American frontier with his father Zachary, a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer. As a young man, he attended private schools in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Although starting his college studies at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, he graduated from Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1845, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He received no scholastic honors, but spent the majority of his time reading books on classical and military history. During the Mexican-American War, Taylor served as the military secretary to his father.
His father sent Taylor away during the war because of his rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
. He agreed to manage the family cotton plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi
Jefferson County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* Homochitto National Forest * Natchez Trace Parkway -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,740 people, 3,308 households, and 2,338 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 3,819 housing units at an...
, and, in 1850, he persuaded his father (now President Taylor by virtue of his election in 1848) to purchase Fashion, a large sugar plantation in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
.
On February 10, 1851, Richard Taylor married Louise Marie Myrthe Bringier (d. 1875), a native of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, daughter of a wealthy French creole matriarch Aglae Bringier, who would soon help them out financially after the freeze of 1856. Taylor and Marie Bringier would go on to have five children, two sons and three daughters; Richard, Zachary, Louise, Elizabeth, and Myrthe. His two sons, Richard and Zachary, both died during the war after contracting scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
, the loss of which hurt the elder Richard Taylor deeply.
After Zachary Taylor's untimely death in July 1850, Taylor inherited Fashion. Steadily he increased its area, improved its sugar works (at considerable expense), and expanded its labor force to nearly 200 slaves, making him one of the richest men in Louisiana. But the freeze of 1856 ruined his crop, forcing him into heavy debt with a large mortgage on the plantation.
Politics
In 1855, entered local politics when he was elected to the Louisiana Senate, in which he served until 1861. He was first affiliated with the Whig PartyWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, then the American (Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
) Party, and then finally the Democratic Party. He was sent to the Democratic Convention in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
as a delegate from Louisiana and witnessed the splintering of the Democrats. While in Charleston, he tried to make a compromise between the two Democratic factions, but his attempts ultimately failed.
Civil War
When the Civil War erupted, Taylor was asked by Confederate General Braxton BraggBraxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
to assist him, as a civilian, at Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. Bragg had known Taylor from before the war, when the two had become friends. Bragg also was aware of Taylor's knowledge of military history and was eager to give him a job to help him organize and train the Confederate forces that were being sent there. Even though Taylor had been opposed to secession, he accepted. Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
would later comment that the soldiers being sent from Pensacola were some of the best trained soldiers in the Confederacy. It was while he was serving there that Taylor was appointed colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 9th Louisiana Infantry, and served at the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
. The members of the 9th Louisiana voted for Taylor because they thought that with his connections with his brother-in-law Jefferson Davis, that the unit would be sent out sooner and see battle more quickly.
On October 21, 1861, Taylor was promoted to brigadier general and commanded a Louisiana brigade under Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
in the Shenandoah Valley campaign and during the Seven Days
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
. Taylor was promoted over three more senior regimental commanders, and those commanders immediately thought that favoritism was involved because of Taylor's relationship with Jefferson Davis. Instead, Davis cited Taylor's leadership capabilities and the promise he showed, and that he was recommended for the promotion by General Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
himself. During the Valley Campaign, Jackson used Taylor's brigade as an elite strike force that set a crippling marching pace and dealt swift flanking attacks. At the Battle of Front Royal
Battle of Front Royal
The Battle of Front Royal, also known as Guard Hill or Cedarville, was fought May 23, 1862, in Warren County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War...
on May 23, again at the First Battle of Winchester
First Battle of Winchester
The First Battle of Winchester, fought on May 25, 1862, in and around Frederick County, Virginia, and Winchester, Virginia, was a major victory in Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Jackson enveloped the...
on May 25, and finally at the climactic Battle of Port Republic
Battle of Port Republic
-References:* Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8078-3200-4....
on June 9, he led the Louisianans in timely assaults against strong enemy positions.
His brigade consisted of various Louisiana regiments as well as Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat
Chatham Roberdeau Wheat
Chatham Roberdeau Wheat was a Captain in the United States Army Volunteers during the Mexican War, Louisiana State Representative, lawyer, mercenary in Cuba, Mexico, and Italy, adventurer, and major in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Born in...
's "Louisiana Tiger" battalion
Louisiana Tigers
Louisiana Tigers was the common nickname for certain infantry troops from the state of Louisiana in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a brigade, and eventually to all Louisiana troops...
. The assortment was an undisciplined lot that was known for its hard-fighting on the battlefield, but also for its hard-living outside of the battlefield. Taylor instilled discipline into the Tigers and although Major Wheat did not agree with how he did so, he nonetheless respected Taylor.
Taylor was promoted to the rank of major general on July 28, 1862, the youngest major general in the Confederacy at the time. He was ordered to Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
, to conscript and enroll troops in the District of Western Louisiana, part of the Trans-Mississippi Department. John D. Winters
John D. Winters
John David Winters was a historian at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, best known for his definitive and award-winning study, The Civil War in Louisiana, still in print, published in 1963 and released in paperback in 1991.-Background:Winters was born to John David Winters, Sr...
wrote that Taylor was to "command all troops south of the Red River and was to prevent the enemy from using the rivers and bayous in the area. Troops were to be gathered and sent to fill up the ranks of Louisiana regiments serving in Virginia. After this, Taylor was to retain as many recruits as would be needed in the state. Light batteries of artillery were to be organized to harass passing enemy vessels on the streams. ... The enemy was to be confined to as narrow an area as possible, and communications and transportation across the Mississippi River were to be kept open."
After his service as a recruit officer in Louisiana, Taylor was given command of the tiny District of West Louisiana. He was sent to Louisiana after Governor Thomas Overton Moore
Thomas Overton Moore
Thomas Overton Moore was an attorney and politician who was the 16th Governor of Louisiana from 1860 until 1864 during the American Civil War.-Early years:...
had insistently requested a capable and dedicated officer to assemble the state's defenses and to help counter Federal forays into the state. Another reason for sending Taylor to Louisiana was attacks of rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
which left him crippled for days at a time. During the Seven Days Battles, Taylor was so incapacitated that he was unable to leave his camp and command his brigade.
Before Taylor returned to Louisiana, Federal forces in the area had their way with much of southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. During the spring of 1862, Union forces came upon Taylor's plantation, called Fashion, and plundered it.
Taylor enjoyed the appointment, and the fact that he was to return to Louisiana, but found the district almost completely devoid of troops and supplies. However, he did the best with these limited resources by securing two capable subordinates, veteran infantry commander (Jean Jacques Alexandre) Alfred Mouton
Alfred Mouton
Jean-Jacques-Alfred-Alexandre "Alfred" Mouton was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, and spent most of his life in Lafayette. Beloved by those under his command, Mouton was a strict drillmaster and disciplinarian who simultaneously freely...
, and veteran cavalry commander Thomas Green
Thomas Green (general)
Thomas Green was a lawyer, politician, soldier and officer of the Republic of Texas, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Tom Green County, Texas was named after him....
. These two commanders would prove crucial to Taylor's upcoming campaigns in the state.
During 1863, Taylor directed an effective series of clashes with 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 over control of lower Louisiana, most notably at Battle of Fort Bisland
Battle of Fort Bisland
-Sources:* Ayres, Thomas, Dark and Bloody Ground : The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana, Cooper Square Press, 2001.* Parrish, T. Michael, Richard Taylor, Soldier Prince of Dixie, University of North Carolina Press, 1992....
and the Battle of Irish Bend
Battle of Irish Bend
The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the Bayou Teche region near Franklin, the seat of St...
. These clashes were fought against 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...
Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Nathaniel P. Banks for control of the Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
region in southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and his ultimate objective of Siege of Port Hudson. After Banks had successfully pushed Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana
Army of Western Louisiana
The Army of Western Louisiana was a part of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought in all the major engagements during Union Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks' campaign to capture Port Hudson, Louisiana. For much of its existence, it served under Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor...
aside, he continued on his way to Port Hudson via Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. After these battles, Taylor formulated a plan to recapture Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
, along with the city of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, and to halt the Siege of Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
.
Operations to recapture New Orleans
Taylor's plan was to move down the Bayou TecheBayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
, capturing the lightly defended outposts and supply depots, and then capturing New Orleans, which would cut off Nathaniel P. Banks's army from their supplies. Although his plan met with approval from Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War
The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States President's Cabinet during the Civil War. The Secretary of War led the Confederate States Department of War. The position ended in May 1865 when the Confederacy crumbled during John C. Breckinridge's tenure of the...
James A. Seddon and President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, Taylor's immediate superior, Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
, felt that operations on the Louisiana banks of the Mississippi across from Vicksburg would be the best strategy to halt the Siege of Vicksburg. From Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, Taylor marched his army up to Richmond, Louisiana. There he was joined with Confederate Maj. Gen. John G. Walker
John George Walker
John George Walker was a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life and military career:Walker was born in Jefferson City, Missouri...
's Texas Division, who called themselves "Walker's Greyhounds
Walker's Greyhounds
Walker's Greyhounds was the name given to a division of the Confederate States Army composed exclusively of regiments from Texas. It fought exclusively in the Western Theater and gained a reputation as a solid fighting force.-Organization:...
". Taylor ordered Walker's division to attack Federal troops at two locations on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi. The ensuing Battle of Milliken's Bend
Battle of Milliken's Bend
The Battle of Milliken's Bend, fought June 7, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton and his army were besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
and Battle of Young's Point
Battle of Young's Point
The Battle of Young's Point was an engagement in the American Civil War that took place in Madison Parish, Louisiana, on June 7, 1863. It had an observable influence on the direction and conduct of the Vicksburg Campaign. The inability of the Confederates to destroy the vital Union supply depot at...
failed to accomplish the Confederate objectives. After initial success at Milliken's Bend, that engagement ended in failure after Federal gunboats began shelling the Confederate positions. Young's Point ended prematurely as well.
After the battles, Taylor marched his army, minus Walker's division, down to the Bayou Teche region. From there Taylor captured Brashear City (Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
), which yielded tremendous amounts of supplies, materiel, and new weapons for his army. He then moved within the outskirts of New Orleans, which was only being held by a few green recruits under Brig. Gen. William H. Emory
William H. Emory
William Hemsley Emory was an United States Army officer and surveyor of Texas.-Early life and career:...
. While Taylor was encamped on the outskirts and preparing for his attack against the city it was then that he received word that Port Hudson had fallen. He then withdrew his forces all the way back up Bayou Teche to avoid the risk of being captured.
Red River Campaign
In 1864, Taylor humiliated Union General Nathaniel P. Banks by defeating him in the Red River CampaignRed River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
with a smaller force, commanding the Confederate forces in the Battle of Mansfield
Battle of Mansfield
The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, occurred on April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces commanded by Richard Taylor attacked a Union army commanded by Nathaniel Banks a few miles outside the town of Mansfield, near Sabine Crossroads...
and the Battle of Pleasant Hill
Battle of Pleasant Hill
The Battle of Pleasant Hill was fought on April 9, 1864, during the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War, near Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, between Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks and Confederate forces, led by Maj. Gen...
. He then pursued Banks back to the Mississippi River and for his efforts received the Thanks of the Confederate Congress. It was at these two battles that the two commanders Taylor had come to trust, respect, and rely on during his tenure in Louisiana, Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
s Alfred Mouton
Alfred Mouton
Jean-Jacques-Alfred-Alexandre "Alfred" Mouton was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, and spent most of his life in Lafayette. Beloved by those under his command, Mouton was a strict drillmaster and disciplinarian who simultaneously freely...
and Thomas Green
Thomas Green (general)
Thomas Green was a lawyer, politician, soldier and officer of the Republic of Texas, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Tom Green County, Texas was named after him....
, were killed while leading their men into combat. On April 8, 1864, Taylor was promoted to lieutenant general, despite having asked to be relieved because of his distrust of his superior in the campaign, General Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
.
Last days of the war
Taylor was given command of the Department of Alabama and Mississippi and commanded the defenses around the city of Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. After John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
's disastrous campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign
The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater, conducted from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lt....
into Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Taylor was given command of 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...
. He surrendered his department at Citronelle, Alabama
Citronelle, Alabama
Citronelle is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,659. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area.-History:This was long part of the territory of thousands of years of indigenous peoples...
, the last major Confederate force remaining east of the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, to Union General Edward Canby
Edward Canby
Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War, Reconstruction era, and the Indian Wars...
on May 8, 1865, and was paroled three days later.
Postbellum life
After the war, Richard Taylor wrote his memoirs, Destruction and Reconstruction, which is one of the most credited reports of the Civil War. He was active in Democratic Party politics, interceded on behalf of Jefferson Davis with President Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, and was a leading political opponent of Northern Reconstruction policies. He died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and is buried in Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans.
Most of Taylor's contemporaries, subordinates, and fellow generals make mention many times of his military prowess. 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...
commented that "He's the biggest man in the lot. If we'd had more like him, we would have licked the Yankees long ago." "Dick Taylor was a born soldier", asserted a close friend. "Probably no civilian of his time was more deeply versed in the annals of war." Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
and Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
frequently commented on their conversations with Taylor. Ewell stated that he came away from his conversations with Taylor more knowledgeable and impressed with the amount of information Taylor possessed.
Family
Richard Taylor was the only son of Margaret Mackall Smith and President Zachary TaylorZachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. His sister Sarah Knox Taylor
Sarah Knox Taylor
Sarah Knox Taylor was the daughter of General Zachary Taylor, later President of the United States and Margaret Taylor, and was married to Jefferson Davis before he became President of the Confederate States of America.While living at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin where her father commanded Fort...
was the first wife of Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
for three months in 1835. His other sister, Mary Elizabeth Bliss
Mary Elizabeth Bliss
Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss was the daughter of President Zachary Taylor and First Lady Margaret Taylor.She served as White House hostess due to her mother's ill health....
, who had married William Wallace Smith Bliss in 1848, served as her father's White House hostess.
Although Richard chose to serve the Confederacy, his uncle, Joseph Pannell Taylor
Joseph Pannell Taylor
Joseph Pannell Taylor was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, served on the opposite side as a Brigadier-General in the Union Army
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...
.
Honors
The Lt. General Richard Taylor Camp #1308, Sons of Confederate Veterans in Shreveport, Louisiana, is named for General Taylor. The camp was chartered in 1971.See also
- List of American Civil War generals
External links
- Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1879.
- New Texas Handbook biography