William Smith
Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromFauquier County
In office 1876–1877 Alongside H. B. Kerrick
30th and 35thGovernor of Virginia
In office January 1, 1864 – May 9, 1865(Disputed)
Lieutenant	Samuel Price
Preceded by	John Letcher
Succeeded by	Francis Harrison Pierpont
In office January 1, 1846 – January 1, 1849
Preceded by	James McDowell
Succeeded by	John B. Floyd
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's7th district
In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	Thomas H. Bayly
Succeeded by	Charles H. Upton
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's13th district
In office December 6, 1841 – March 3, 1843
Preceded by	Linn Banks
Succeeded by	George W. Hopkins
Member of theVirginia Senate fromCulpeper,Madison,Orange,Rappahannock andGreene Counties*
In office 1836–1840
Preceded by	Daniel F. Slaughter
Succeeded by	John Woolfolk
Personal details
Born	(1797-09-06)September 6, 1797 Marengo,King George County, Virginia, US
Died	May 18, 1887(1887-05-18) (aged 89) Warrenton, Virginia, US
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Bell
Profession	Politician,Lawyer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1863
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861) First Battle of Bull Run Battle of Seven Pines Seven Days Battles Second Battle of Bull Run Battle of Sharpsburg Second Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Gettysburg
Until 1838, Greene County was part of Orange County.

William "Extra Billy"Smith (September 6, 1797 – May 18, 1887) was alawyer,congressman, the30th and 35th Governor of Virginia, and amajor general in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War. On his appointment in January 1863, at 65, Smith was the oldest Confederate general to hold field command in the war.

Smith was born in Marengo, thenRichmond County, Virginia, nowKing George County, Virginia, to Mary Waugh Smith (born at "Mt. Eccentric" inFauquier County) and her cousin and husband Caleb Smith. His maternal grandfather (also William Smith) served in the local militia and was wounded inLord Dunmore's War. His paternal grandfather Thomas Smith fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War (and overwintered atValley Forge, Pennsylvania). His uncle Col. Austin Smith served in theWar of 1812 and then represented King George County in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1814, 1821, and 1822.^[1] His mother's Doniphan ancestor had emigrated before 1663, and their joint ancestor, British naval officer Sir Sydney Smith emigrated circa 1720. The future governor had either six or seven siblings, including Rev. Thomas Smith (1799-1847), who was a minister atSmithfield, Virginia and laterParkersburg, West Virginia, and James Madison Smith (1808-1853).^[2] Billie Smith attended private school inFredericksburg, Virginia^[3] andPlainfield Academy inPlainfield, Connecticut, then returned to Virginia to read law.

In 1820, he married Elizabeth Hansbrough Bell, of a similar social class. They had eleven children, several of whom died in infancy or as young adults. Their son William Henry (1824-1850) was lost at sea, and James Caleb Smith (1822-1856) was admitted to the bar in California but died in Nicaragua.^[4] Their sons Austin Smith (1829-?),Thomas J. Smith (1836-1918) and Frederick Waugh Smith (1843-1928) enlisted in the Confederate States Army. Each, for a time, fought under their father. After the war, Col. Thomas Smith married a Virginia judge's daughter, became U.S. Attorney for the Territory of New Mexico, and Chief Justice of the territory's supreme court before returning to Virginia. His brother Capt. Frederick Smith would move to South Africa and also live to old age.^[5] His nephew Caleb Smith (1824-1874; Rev. Thomas Smith's son) would resign his U.S. Army commission to fight for the Confederacy and be wounded at Bull Run. His brother-in-lawPeter Hansbrough Bell was a Texas Revolutionary and Mexican War veteran who served as the third Governor of Texas from 1849 through 1853. His cousin William Waugh Smith (1845-1912) would fight for the Confederacy then become president ofRandolph Macon College and foundRandolph College, a women's college near Lynchburg.^[6]

Smith wasadmitted to the bar and commenced practice inCulpeper, Virginia,^[3] in 1818. About a decade later, in 1827, Smith established a line of United States mail and passenger post coaches through Virginia, then expanded the business into the Carolinas and Georgia in 1831. It was in this role that he received his nickname. Given a contract by the administration ofPresidentAndrew Jackson to deliver mail betweenWashington, D.C., andMilledgeville, Georgia (then the state capital),^[7] Smith extended it with numerous spur routes, generating extra fees. During an investigation of thePost Office Department, Smith's extra fees were publicized by U.S. SenatorBenjamin W. Leigh. Smith became known as "Extra Billy" in both theNorthern andSouthern United States.

Smith owned tenenslaved people in the 1840 census.^[8]Interested in politics and aDemocrat, Smith won election to theSenate of Virginia from thePiedmont district consisting ofCulpeper,Madison,Orange,Rappahannock andGreene counties, and served from 1836 to 1841. He resigned during his second term, having successfully contested the election ofLinn Banks to theTwenty-seventh Congress. Thus Smith served one term, from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843, but failed to win reelection in 1842 to theTwenty-eighth Congress. He then moved to Fauquier County.

Elected by legislators as Governor of Virginia in 1845, Smith served from 1846 to 1849, during theMexican–American War, but failed to earn legislative approval necessary for election to theUnited States Senate during that period. As his gubernatorial term ended and consecutive terms were forbidden, Smith moved toCalifornia in April 1849 after theCalifornia Gold Rush and was president of the first Democratic state convention in 1850.^[9] Smith soon returned to Virginia and in December 1852 was elected to theThirty-third Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1861). Although chosen for theConfederate States Congress, he resigned in 1862 in favor of military service. He was again elected governor in 1863 (this time by popular election in Confederate-held territory) and served until the end of the war.^[10]

• 1853; Smith was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 51.79% of the vote, defeating WhigEdgar Snowden.
• 1855; Smith was re-elected with 78.01% of the vote, defeating Independents P. Johnson Barbour and David Funsten.
• 1857; Smith was re-elected with 57.5% of the vote, defeating now-American Snowden.
• 1859; Smith was re-elected with 49.36% of the vote, defeating Independent DemocratsHenry Wirtz Thomas and Henry Shackleford.
• 1863; Smith was elected Governor of Virginia with 47.77% of the vote, defeating fellow Conservative Democrats Thomas Stanhope Flournoy and George W. Munford.

When Virginiaseceded from theUnited States, Smith declined to accept a commission as abrigadier general because he rightly admitted he was "wholly ignorant of drill and tactics". A few weeks after the war started, he was present during a U.S. Army cavalry charge at theBattle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861). He took command of theConfederate troops after the death of their commanderJohn Quincy Marr and found he enjoyed the experience. He requested a commission and was appointedcolonel of the49th Virginia Infantry regiment just three days before theFirst Battle of Bull Run, where the regiment and new commander performed well.

Smith served in theConfederate Congress in 1862 but returned to the 49th Virginia at the start of thePeninsula Campaign. He was wounded at theBattle of Seven Pines, and his regiment received favorable notice in his commander's report. During theSeven Days Battles, the regiment was lightly engaged, but he and his command again were described as having "characteristic coolness" and "fearlessness." He was known for expressing contempt forWest Point graduates ("West P'inters") and their formal tactics, recommending common sense to his men instead of military education. He distinguished himself with his unorthodox field uniform, including a tallbeaver hat and a blue cotton umbrella.

At theBattle of Antietam, Smith temporarily commanded a brigade inMaj. Gen.Jubal Early'sdivision. He was wounded three times but continued to command, and Maj. Gen.J. E. B. Stuart wrote that he was "conspicuously brave and self-possessed." By the end of the battle, he had to be carried from the field. In recognition of his performance, he was promoted to brigadier general on January 31, 1863. He commanded a brigade in theBattle of Chancellorsville but achieved no distinction.

By the time of theGettysburg campaign, Smith's superiors were leery of his performance. Still, they had to maintain some support since he was the former governor and, at the time, the governor-elect of Virginia. Early directed Brig. Gen.John B. Gordon to keep close contact with Smith and effectively exercise a joint command over their two brigades. During theBattle of Gettysburg, Smith refused to pursue retreating U.S.XI Corps troops, concerned that a U.S. Army force was approaching from his left, which was a significant reason that the Confederates failed to attack and takeCemetery Hill on July 1, 1863. Smith was the oldest general on the field and fought (unsuccessfully) the oldest U.S. general, Brig. Gen.George S. Greene, atCulp's Hill on July 3, 1863. He was the only general not commended in Early's official report and, as a result, decided to resign his commission on July 10. He nevertheless received an essentially honorary promotion to major general and AssistantInspector General on August 12 and performed recruiting duty in Virginia until beginning his second term asGovernor of Virginia in 1864.

Before the Gettysburg Campaign, Smith was elected again as Governor of Virginia and served from January 1, 1864, to the war's end. He was among the first Southern governors to advocate arming blacks to provide additional troops for the Confederacy. He occasionally returned to the field to command forces in defense of Richmond. He was removed from office and arrested on May 9, 1865, but was paroled on June 8.

He returned to his estate, "Monte Rosa" (later renamed "Neptune Lodge") nearWarrenton, Virginia, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the age of eighty, he became a member of theVirginia House of Delegates (1877–79). He died in Warrenton and was buried inHollywood Cemetery,Richmond, Virginia.

• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher.Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Mingus, Scott L., Sr.Confederate General William "Extra Billy" Smith: From Virginia's Statehouse to Gettysburg Scapegoat. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2013.ISBN 978-1-61121-129-0.
• Sifakis, Stewart.Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988.ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Tagg, Larry.The Generals of GettysburgArchived October 22, 2014, at theWayback Machine. Campbell, CA: Savas Publishing, 1998.ISBN 1-882810-30-9.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959.ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWilliam Smith (Virginia governor).

• A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor William Smith, 1846-1848 atThe Library of Virginia
• A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor William Smith, 1864-1865 atThe Library of Virginia

• 1797 births
• 1887 deaths
• Democratic Party governors of Virginia
• Confederate States Army major generals
• Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Virginia
• People from King George County, Virginia
• Virginia lawyers
• Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)
• Confederate States of America state governors
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
• People from Warrenton, Virginia
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 19th-century United States representatives
• 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly
• United States representatives who owned slaves
• State governors of the United States who owned slaves
• U.S. state legislators who owned slaves

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2021
• Use American English from June 2022
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Commons category link from Wikidata