Samuel B. Maxey
United States Senator fromTexas
In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1887
Preceded by	James W. Flanagan
Succeeded by	John H. Reagan
Member of theTexas Senate from the9th district
In office 1861
Preceded by	Jesse H. Parsons
Succeeded by	Rice Maxey
Personal details
Born	(1825-03-30)March 30, 1825 Tompkinsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	August 16, 1895(1895-08-16) (aged 70) Eureka Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery Paris, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	United States Military Academy (BS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America  Confederate States of America
Branch/service	United States Army  Confederate States Army
Years of service	1846–1849 (USA) 1861–1865 (CSA)
Rank	BrevetFirst Lieutenant (USA) Major General (CSA)
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War

Samuel Bell Maxey (March 30, 1825 – August 16, 1895) was an American soldier, lawyer, and politician fromParis,Texas. He was abrigadier general in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War and later representedTexas in theU.S. Senate.

Maxey was born inTompkinsville, Kentucky, on March 30, 1825.^[1][2] His parents were Rice and Lucy (Bell) Maxey. His father was a lawyer, and in 1834 he moved the family toAlbany, Kentucky, to take a position as theCounty Clerk forClinton County, Kentucky. In 1842 young Maxey got an appointment to theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point, New York.

Although he consistently ranked near the bottom of his class, Maxey did graduate in 1846^[1] and was commissioned aBrevetsecond lieutenant.

Maxey was assigned to the7th Infantry Regiment, which was engaged in theMexican–American War. Maxey joined the regiment inMonterrey, Mexico. Maxey was cited for gallantry and brevettedfirst lieutenant for his actions in the battles ofCerro Gordo andContreras in the summer of 1847. He also participated in the battles ofChurubusco andMolino del Rey. He received a brevet promotion and was placed in command of a police company inMexico City.

In June 1848 Maxey was transferred toJefferson Barracks inMissouri, and the following year he resigned from the army.^[3] He returned to Albany,read law with his fatherRice Maxey and they began a joint practice when Maxey was admitted to theBar in 1851. He married Marilda Cass Denton on June 19, 1853. In October 1857, father and son moved their families to a small farm they purchased just south ofParis, Texas. They resumed a joint law practice here as well.^[1]

Maxey was elected the district attorney forLamar County, Texas, in 1858 and was a delegate to the state's Secession Convention in 1861. That same year he was elected to the state Senate, but never served, preferring military duty. His father, Rice Maxey, was elected to replace him. Maxey had been given authority by theConfederate government in September to raise a regiment as its colonel.

In December, Maxey led his 1,120-man Ninth Texas Regiment fromBonham, Texas, to joinGeneralJohnston atMemphis, Tennessee. However he was soon separated from his regiment and set to building bridges nearChattanooga, Tennessee. On March 7, 1862, Maxey was promoted to brigadier general to rank from May 4.^[1][3] The regiment was badly mauled at theBattle of Shiloh, but he was not present. In fact he saw very little action during this period. He did see action at theSiege of Port Hudson in 1863.^[1]

In December 1863, Maxey was assigned as commander of theIndian Territory.^[1][3] His early success in conducting raids and capturing supplies prevented aUnion Army invasion of Texas. He was assigned to duty as amajor general by GeneralEdmund Kirby Smith, but this appointment was never approved for this rank byConfederate PresidentJefferson Davis nor confirmed by theConfederate Senate.^[1] In 1865 he was ordered toHouston, Texas, to take command of a Division. He turned over command of the Indian Territory to Brigadier GeneralStand Watie, aCherokee, on February 21, 1865, and proceeded toHouston, Texas.

Maxey's new command was plagued by desertions and his inability to get supplies and equipment. Frustrated and discouraged, he was allowed to resign on May 22, 1865. He returned home to Paris, and formally surrendered in July to UnionMajor GeneralEdward Canby (E.R.S. Canby). Although nominally a prisoner of war, he remained at home on parole.

As a senior officer of the Confederacy, Maxey was not eligible to hold political office or even practice law. In October 1865 he began his appeal for a presidential pardon. He was finally successful whenPresidentAndrew Johnson pardoned him on July 20, 1867, after a personal appeal from Maxey's former West Point classmateUlysses S. Grant. He resumed the practice of law in Paris.

In 1872 he ran for theU.S. Congress, but lost in theDemocratic Party Primary toWilliam P. McLean. In 1873,GovernorEdmund J. Davis offered Maxey an appointment to the Texas District Court, but he declined due to prior involvement as a lawyer with cases before the court.^[1]

In January 1875, the Texas Legislature elected him to theUnited States Senate where he served two terms, from March 4, 1875, until March 3, 1887. He improved postal and rail service in Texas and argued against increased tariffs.^{[citation needed]} He took little interest in larger national or party affairs.^{[citation needed]} The legislature named the more dynamicJohn H. Reagan to replace him.^{[citation needed]}

Maxey returned to the practice of law in Paris, this time with his wife's nephewBenjamin Denton andHenry William Lightfoot. The latter of the two later married Maxey's adopted daughterDora Maxey. When his nephew,Sam Bell Maxey Long, joined the firm in 1892 he finally retired. He died on August 16, 1895, atEureka Springs, Arkansas,^[1] where he had gone for treatment of an intestinal problem. Maxey and Marilda are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Paris. The townhouse that he built there in 1867 is now a state historical site on South Church Street and is open to visitors.

Camp Maxey was a World War II infantry-training camp and associated facilities, named in honor of Maxey. It was occupied from July 1942 to early 1946 in Lamar County, Texas, near Paris, Texas. It now serves as a National Guard training center.

• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher,Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Sifakis, Stewart.Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988.ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959.ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.

• Louise Horton:Samuel Bell Maxey: A biography; 1974, University of Texas Press,ISBN 0-292-77509-1.
• John Waugh:Sam Bell Maxey and the Confederate Indians; 1995 paperback, McWhiney Press,ISBN 1-886661-03-0.

• United States Congress."Samuel B. Maxey (id: M000265)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-13
• Samuel Bell Maxey from theHandbook of Texas Online
• Entry for Samuel Bell Maxey from theBiographical Encyclopedia of Texas published 1880, hosted by thePortal to Texas History.
• Maxey House overview from theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department

• 1825 births
• 1895 deaths
• Confederate States Army generals
• United States Military Academy alumni
• Democratic Party Texas state senators
• People of Texas in the American Civil War
• People from Paris, Texas
• Democratic Party United States senators from Texas
• People from Tompkinsville, Kentucky
• American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
• County district attorneys in Texas
• People from Albany, Kentucky
• American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
• Military personnel from Texas
• 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature
• 19th-century United States senators

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