William H. F. Payne | |
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| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates forLoudoun andFauquier | |
| In office December 3, 1879 – December 7, 1881 | |
| Succeeded by | R. Taylor Scott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1830-01-27)January 27, 1830 |
| Died | March 29, 1904(1904-03-29) (aged 74) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 10 |
| Education | |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Henry Fitzhugh Payne (January 27, 1830 – March 29, 1904) was aConfederatebrigadier general during theAmerican Civil War.
William Payne was born inFauquier County, Virginia to Arthur Alexander Morson Payne and Mary Conway Mason Fitzhugh. He attended theVirginia Military Institute in 1846-47, but left school after only one year. He was declared an honorary graduate by the Board of Visitors in 1873.
Payne studied law at theUniversity of Virginia and established a law practice inWarrenton, Virginia in 1851. The following year, he married his cousin, Mary Elizabeth Winston Payne, a daughter ofWilliam Winter Payne; the couple would have ten children. He served as the Commonwealth's Attorney for Fauquier County for several years.
Payne enrolled in early 1861 as a private and participated in the occupation ofHarpers Ferry in April. Later in the year, he became acaptain in the famed Black Horse Cavalry, serving as underJ.E.B. Stuart. He was promoted tomajor of the4th Virginia Cavalry and commanded theregiment at theBattle of Williamsburg during thePeninsula Campaign. He was severely wounded and captured byUnion forces.
After being exchanged, he returned to duty as thelieutenant colonel of the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry and fought in theChancellorsville Campaign. During the subsequentGettysburg campaign, he was captured at theBattle of Hanover in 1863 after being dehorsed and falling into an open vat of tanning liquid.
After being imprisoned atJohnson's Island,Ohio, he was promoted tobrigadier general in November 1864 and led abrigade inEarly'sValley Campaigns of 1864, where he fought in the battles ofOpequon,Fisher's Hill, andCedar Creek. He was badly wounded at theBattle of Five Forks. During the final operations in early 1865 aroundRichmond, he commanded a cavalry brigade underFitzhugh Lee.
After the war, Payne returned to his Virginia law practice. He was the general counsel for theSouthern Railway Company. Payne served in the legislature of Virginia in the session of 1879–80.
He died inWashington, D.C.
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