Cullen Andrews Battle | |
|---|---|
 Cullen A. Battle | |
| Born | (1829-06-01)June 1, 1829 |
| Died | April 8, 1905(1905-04-08) (aged 75) |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Branch | Confederate States Army |
| Service years | 1861–65 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | Army of Northern Virginia |
| Commands | Battle's Brigade |
| Conflicts | American Civil War |
| Other work | Lawyer, newspaper editor, politician |
Cullen Andrews Battle (June 1, 1829 – April 8, 1905) was an American attorney, farmer, and politician. He was ageneral in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War. He foughtCongressional Reconstruction after the war in Alabama then North Carolina[citation needed].
Cullen Battle was born to Dr Cullen Battle and his wife, the former Jane Andrews Lamon, inPowelton, Georgia. Both his parents had been born in central North Carolina, his mother inWake County and his father inEdgecombe County. Battle had at least 8 siblings. In 1835, after the expulsion ofCreek Indians from the area, his parents moved toIrwinton, Alabama (a now-vanished town along theChattahoochee River near modernEufaula) inBarbour County, Alabama.[1] Battle received a private education appropriate for his class, then studied at theUniversity of Alabama, and after graduation he read law with his brother-in-lawJohn Gill Shorter, who would become Governor of Alabama.
In 1851 Cullen Battle married Georgia Florida Williams ofLaGrange, Georgia.[2][3] They had several children, including Rev. Henry Wilson Battle (b. 1855), a Baptist minister who moved back to North Carolina and laterPetersburg, Virginia, and daughters Jenny (b. 1863) and Florence (b. 1867).
Admitted to the Alabama bar in 1852, Battle opened his private legal practice inTuskegee, Alabama. In 1850, his father owned 243 enslaved people in Barbour County.[4] In 1860, he or his father would own 66 slaves in Macon County,[5] and another 111 slaves inRussell County, Alabama (adjacent to Barbour County and named after an Indian fighter).[6] The younger Battle also became active in local politics. He became a presidential elector and also waslieutenant colonel of the localmilitia. WhenJohn Brown raided Harpers Ferry, Virginia, Battle raised a militia company and offered to assist the Virginia soldiers, but Virginia's GovernorWise declined his offer.[7]
When the Civil War began, Battle received a commission asmajor of the3rd Alabama Infantry on April 28, 1861, and was sent with theregiment toNorfolk, Virginia. On July 31, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment. He fought at theBattle of Seven Pines and was promoted tocolonel on May 31, 1862. He missed theSeven Days Battles, but returned to the army in time for theMaryland Campaign, in September 1862, fighting at the battles ofSouth Mountain andAntietam. He was injured after falling from his horse just before theChancellorsville Campaign and was forced to relinquish command. Although he re-assumed command just a day later, his injuries were aggravated when his horse jumped a ditch, forcing him to turn over command again.
Battle returned to the regiment for theGettysburg campaign. The 3rd Alabama was one of the regiments inEdward O'Neal's Brigade, fighting onOak Ridge on July 1. After O'Neal's Brigade had been terribly disorganized by thefirst day of battle, Colonel Battle attached his regiment to Brig. Gen.Stephen D. Ramseur's brigade for the remainder of the battle. GeneralRobert E. Lee became displeased with O'Neal's performance and relieved him of command, putting Battle in his place. Battle subsequently led the brigade in theBristoe Campaign and theMine Run Campaign in the autumn and early winter.
In 1864, Battle led his men in the battles ofthe Wilderness,Spotsylvania Court House,North Anna, andCold Harbor. Later that year, Battle's Brigade became part ofLt. Gen.Jubal A. Early'sArmy of the Valley and participated in theBattle of Monocacy inMaryland and theBattle of Fort Stevens in theDistrict of Columbia. Back in theShenandoah Valley, Battle fought at theThird Battle of Winchester, theBattle of Fisher's Hill, and was wounded at theBattle of Cedar Creek. His wound did not permit him to return to duty before the close of hostilities.
After the war, Battle returned to his legal practice in Tuskegee, Alabama. He received a pardon from PresidentAndrew Johnson during his controversial self-reconstruction policy for the former Confederate states. Despite Battle's election by voters (who in 3 other states also elected former Confederate Generals as their erstwhile representatives in Congress), the United States House of Representatives denied him a seat (likewise the other former high Confederate officeholders) and instead imposedCongressional Reconstruction on the former Confederate areas until they adopted state Constitutions. In the 1870 census, Battle listed his occupation as "farmer"[8] and in the 1880 federal census, he listed his occupation as "editor."[9] Battle also became active in Confederate veterans' organizations.[10]
In 1888, his son Rev. John W. Battle became pastor of a Baptist church inNew Bern,Craven County, North Carolina. In 1890, Battle moved to Craven County, and began editing theNew Bern Journal. He was soon elected to the New Bern council, then its mayor.[11] Meanwhile, Battle delivered speeches describing his experiences as a Confederate officer in many places and continued working on an autobiographical manuscript.[12]
Battle died inGreensboro, North Carolina on April 8, 1905. He had survived his wife, and lived with his son Rev. Battle, who had accepted a position with a Baptist church in Greensboro, and later accepted another inPetersburg, Virginia. Battle is now interred at historicBlandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia.[13] His manuscript on theThird Alabama Infantry was not published in his lifetime; the original is now in the collection of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.[14] His grandsonJohn S. Battle became a lawyer and politician, and Governor of Virginia during the start ofMassive Resistance. DuringWorld War II an army camp at Glenburnie Park, two miles up theNeuse River from New Bern, was named "Camp Battle" to honor the Confederate officer by Lieutenant Colonel Wilson H. Stephenson.[15]
Media related toCullen Andrews Battle at Wikimedia Commons
