Albert Rust | |
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| Delegate fromArkansas to theProvisional Congress of the Confederate States | |
| In office May 18, 1861 – February 17, 1862 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas's2nd District | |
| In office March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Edward A. Warren |
| Succeeded by | None (1861–1868) James M. Hinds (Jun.–Oct. 1868) |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Edward A. Warren |
| Succeeded by | Edward A. Warren |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives fromUnion County | |
| In office November 1, 1852 – November 6, 1854 Serving with
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| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by |
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| 7th Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives | |
| In office November 2, 1846 – November 4, 1848 | |
| Governor | Thomas S. Drew |
| Preceded by | John S. Roane |
| Succeeded by | Edward A. Warren |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives fromUnion County | |
| In office November 7, 1842 – November 4, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | Hiram Smith |
| Succeeded by |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1818 |
| Died | April 4, 1870(1870-04-04) (aged 51–52) Pulaski County, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Brain abscess |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Dr.George W. Rust (brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States |
| Branch | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
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| Battles | |
Albert Rust (c. 1818 – April 4, 1870) was an American politician and slaveholder,[1] who served as a delegate fromArkansas to theProvisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862. A member of theDemocratic Party, he was theU.S. representative fromArkansas's 2nd congressional district (1859–1861). He also served as a seniorofficer of theConfederate States Army who commandedinfantry in theEastern,Western, andTrans-Mississippitheaters of theAmerican Civil War.
Albert Rust was borncirca 1818 inFauquier County,Virginia, to William Rust and his wife Elizabeth; his exact birth date is not known. He was admitted to the bar in 1836 and the following year moved from Virginia to Arkansas, settling inUnion County, Arkansas.[2] He bought land and a store near the river in 1837. By 1838, he held the U.S. government contract to survey land in the new state.[3] In 1839, the county seat was moved present day Champagnolle. His storehouse there, the only suitable building, became the courthouse.[3]
Rust then read law and was admitted to the Arkansas bar. In 1842, he won a seat in theArkansas House of Representatives, where he was re-elected twice, and also elected 1852–1854. He ran in a special election for an open congressional seat in 1846. He won fourteen counties, yet got only third place. In 1852 he was elected Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Arkansas House of Representatives, a very powerful position. Two years later.Democrats nominated him forUnited States Congress.[3] He won the general election and went toWashington, D.C.
In 1856, Rust drew public attention for his efforts to opposeNathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts, who appeared likely to become Speaker of the House. Banks opposed further extension of slave territory, unlike Rust and his constituents. Rust introduced a resolution inviting all current candidates for the Speakership to withdraw from the contest, whichNew York Tribune editorHorace Greeley attacked as a deceptive effort to force Banks out of the race. After theTribune reached Washington, Rust accosted Greeley on the Capitol grounds, hitting him on the head, and later striking him with a heavy cane. According to longtime journalistBenjamin Perley Poore, Rust, at his arraignment in court, "appeared to glory in what he had done," after which Greeley's "more stalwart friends took care that he should not be unaccompanied by a defender when he appeared in public."[4][5]
Rust showed little interest other than in military matters. He was not renominated;Edward A. Warren succeeded him. After working to regain his political reputation, Rust once again won a seat in theHouse of Representatives in 1858. His interest in military affairs continued in his second term. A supporter ofStephen A. Douglas in the 1860 Presidential election and strong advocate for Union, Rust shifted his position after Lincoln's call for troops. In May 1861Arkansas seceded from the Union, and he was named a delegate to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States.[3]
Returning to Arkansas, Rust received a commission ascolonel on July 5, 1861, and assistedVan H. Manning in recruiting and organizing the3d Arkansas Infantry Regiment.[6] The Third Arkansas would become Arkansas's most celebrated Civil War regiment and the only Arkansas regiment to be permanently assigned to GeneralRobert E. Lee'sArmy of Northern Virginia.[6] In the fall of 1861, Rust and the Third Arkansas traveled to Western Virginia and took part in theBattle of Cheat Mountain under Lee. During that winter, he and the regiment were under the command of GeneralStonewall Jackson. They would go on to serve in almost every major battle fought in the east, including theBattle of Gettysburg, although mostly after Rust's promotion and transfer from the regiment.[7]
On March 4, 1862, Rust was promoted to brigadier-general and transferred back to Arkansas, where he was assigned to Lieutenant-GeneralEarl Van Dorn'sArmy of the West.[6] He led troops at theBattle of Hill's Plantation in July 1862. After theBattle of Pea Ridge, most Confederate States forces were removed from Arkansas and transferred east of theMississippi River.[6]
Rust fought at theBattle of Corinth, Mississippi in October. In April 1863, he was once again transferred back to Arkansas and placed under Major-GeneralSterling Price in the Trans-Mississippi Department.[6] He later served under Major-GeneralsThomas C. Hindman in Arkansas andJohn Pemberton andRichard Taylor inLouisiana.[7] After his active military service, he moved toAustin, Texas to reunite with his family, who had abandoned their home in Arkansas during the Federal occupation and spent considerable time with his brother Dr.George W. Rust in Virginia.
After the war Rust moved from his home inEl Dorado, Arkansas, across theArkansas River fromLittle Rock. He returned to Washington as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and was even a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1869 beforeCongressional Reconstruction began and former Confederates were forbidden to hold elective office and he withdrew himself from candidacy. On April 3, 1870, he died inPulaski County,Arkansas, from abrain abscess, while his wife and children were away visiting family in Virginia. His burial place is the subject of some dispute. Contemporary accounts state that he was buried at the historicMount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock; his old Congressional biography reports his "interment in the Old Methodist Cemetery."[8] A new Congressional Biography reports he is buried in the Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery[9] at Little Rock.
Rust married Jane Carrington (1824-1847) ofCharlotte County, Virginia, on April 17, 1844, but she soon died, and was buried in Hervey Cemetery in Hempstead County, Arkansas. He then married Anne Bouldin Cabell, and at least three of their children (raised in Virginia during the American Civil War) would survive to adulthood: Julia Rust Tutwiler (1854-1923), Breckenridge Cabell Rust (1855-1892) and author Pauline Carrington Rust Bouve (1860-1928).
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