- Rufus Barringer
Infobox Military Person
name= Rufus Clay Barringer
born= birth date|1921|12|2
died= death date and age|1895|2|3|1821|12|2
caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth=Cabarrus County, North Carolina
placeofdeath=Charlotte, North Carolina
placeofburial= Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte
allegiance=Confederate States of America United States of America
branch=Confederate Army United States Army
serviceyears= 1861–65
rank= Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles=American Civil War *Peninsula Campaign **Seven Days Battles *Second Battle of Bull Run *Maryland Campaign *Gettysburg Campaign
**Battle of Brandy Station *Battle of Namozine Church
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Rufus Clay Barringer (
December 2 ,1821 –February 3 ,1895 ) was aNorth Carolina lawyer ,politician , andAmerican Civil War brigadier general.Early life
Barringer was born in
Cabarrus County, North Carolina , the ninth of ten children of Elizabeth Brandon and Paul Barringer. He attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , graduating in 1842. He studied law in Concord with his older brother,Daniel Moreau Barringer , who would enjoy a successful law practice and serve two terms in theU.S. House of Representatives . Entering politics as a Whig, Rufus Barringer represented Cabarrus County in the House of Commons in theNorth Carolina General Assembly from 1848 until 1850. A Unionist in his political views, he represented his district as an elector during the 1860 presidential election.Warner, p. 17.]First two marriages
Barringer's first wife, Eugenia Morrison Barringer, died of
typhoid fever in 1858, four years after their marriage. They had two children, Paul and Anna. Two of Eugenia's sisters also married future Civil War generals,Stonewall Jackson andD. H. Hill . In 1861, Barringer remarried, this time to Rosalie Chunn of Asheville, who bore him a son, Rufus Clay Barringer, Jr. Rosalie died in 1864.Civil War
When North Carolina seceded from the Union in May 1861, Barringers first loyalty was to his state, even though he'd been opposed to succession. He raised a company of 100 horsemen, the "Cabarrus Rangers," who were designated as Company F of the 1st North Carolina
Cavalry with Barringer as theircaptain . The regiment performed picket and scouting duty underJ.E.B. Stuart during the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas and the Maryland Campaign in 1862. Barringer led his company during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, where he was severely wounded in the face at the Battle of Brandy Station, an injury that took five months for his recovery. He was promoted to major for his gallantry and served in the Bristoe Campaign. During the winter, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned temporary command of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry.Barringer was promoted to brigadier general on
June 6 ,1864 , and assigned command of North Carolina's cavalry brigade until his capture at Namozine Church inVirginia onApril 3 ,1865 . After a brief interview with PresidentAbraham Lincoln behind Union lines atCity Point, Virginia , he was sent toFort Delaware as aprisoner of war . Lincoln, a personal friend and former Congressional colleague of Barringers brother, provided a note to Secretary of WarEdwin M. Stanton asking for special treatment for Barringer in captivity. Unfortunately, Lincoln's favor backfired. After hisassassination , Barringer fell under suspicion due to his brief meeting with Lincoln less than two weeks prior. He was repeatedly questioned regarding any role he may have played in the conspiracy. He wasn't released from custody until late July, months after most other Confederate prisoners had been freed. During the war, he had fought in seventy-six engagements and had suffered three separate wounds.Post-War
Barringer returned to North Carolina in August and established a law practice in Charlotte. He also owned a tenant farm and helped expand the state's railroad system. He again married in 1870, taking Miss Margaret Long of
Orange County, North Carolina , as his third wife. They had one son, Osmond L. (1878–1961). Barringer was a delegate to the 1875 North Carolina Constitutional Convention. He unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 1880 as a Republican, losing toJames L. Robinson . He retired from his law practice in 1884 and became a writer, authoring a history of the 9th North Carolina Cavalry.His grave site is in the Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte. [Owen and Owen, "Generals at Rest," p. 174]
ee also
*
List of American Civil War generals Notes
References
* [http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/b/Barringer,Rufus.html University of North Carolina library]
*cite book
author = Richard Owen
coauthors = James Owen
title = Generals at Rest: The Grave Sites of the 425 Official Confederate Generals
location = Shippensburg, PA
publisher = White Mane Publishing Co.
date = 1997
isbn = 1-57249-045-4
* Warner, Ezra J., "Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders", Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.
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