- John R. Chambliss
Infobox Military Person
name= John Randolph Chambliss, Jr.
lived=January 23 ,1833 –August 16 ,1864
caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth=Greensville County, Virginia
placeofdeath=
allegiance= United States of America,Confederate States of America
branch=
serviceyears= 1853–54 (USA), 1861–64 (CSA)
rank= Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles=American Civil War -Battle of Brandy Station -Battle of Aldie -Battle of Middleburg -Battle of Hanover -Battle of Gettysburg -Overland Campaign -Second Battle of Deep Bottom †
awards=
relations=
laterwork=John Randolph Chambliss, Jr. (
January 23 ,1833 –August 16 ,1864 ) was a career military officer, serving in theUnited States Army and then in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War . A notedbrigadier general ofcavalry , Chambliss was killed in action during theSecond Battle of Deep Bottom .Early life
Chambliss was born at Hicksford in
Greensville County, Virginia . His father,John R. Chambliss, Sr. , was a noted politician. The younger Chambliss was appointed to theUnited States Military Academy , graduating 31st of 52 in the Class of 1853, distinguished by having 15 future Civil War generals in it.Military career
He was commissioned as a brevet
second lieutenant in themounted infantry , and taught at the cavalry school atCarlisle, Pennsylvania , until the following spring, when he resigned. He then returned home to Hicksford, where his father was a wealthy planter, and was engaged in agriculture until the spring of 1861. Taking advantage of his military education, he served asaide-de-camp to GovernorHenry A. Wise , with the initial rank ofmajor , from 1856–61. Chambliss wascolonel of aregiment ofVirginia militia from 1858–61. He was the brigadeinspector general for the Commonwealth for two years. His father was a delegate to thesecession convention in 1861, and the younger Chambliss maintained a strong allegiance to Virginia.Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Chambliss was commissioned Colonel of the 13th Virginia cavalry regiment in July 1861, and until the fall of 1862 was under the orders of Maj. Gen.
D. H. Hill , in the department south of the James River. During theMaryland Campaign , he was put in command of the forces on theRappahannock River , between Warrenton and Fredericksburg, with the 13th Virginia, 2nd North Carolina cavalry, and 61st Virginia infantry. He performed his duties with such vigilance and activity as to receive the warm commendation of Gen.Robert E. Lee . In November he was assigned with his regiment to W. H. F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalrybrigade .In April 1863, when the cavalry corps of the Union
Army of the Potomac proposed to cross the Rappahannock and cut off Lee's communications with Richmond, Chambliss was particularly prominent in turning back this movement. At Beverly Ford with 50 men, he drove two Federal squadrons into the river, capturing a number of prisoners. He and his men were commended both by Generals Lee and Stuart as deserving the highest praise for distinguished bravery.Gettysburg Campaign
In the
Battle of Brandy Station , after W. H. F. Lee was wounded and Col. Solomon Williams killed, Chambliss took command of the brigade, and served in that capacity during the fighting about Aldie and Middleburg. Then riding with Stuart intoPennsylvania , he made a brilliant attack uponJudson Kilpatrick at Hanover, driving him through the town and capturing his ambulances and a number of prisoners. His brigade and Fitz Lee's reached Gettysburg late onJuly 2 . OnJuly 3 , he engaged in the fierce fighting atEast Cavalry Field . Upon the withdrawal of the army to safety in Virginia, he efficiently aided in the protection of the Confederate trains. During the subsequentBristoe Campaign , still in command of the brigade, he reinforcedLunsford L. Lomax at Morton's Ford and defeated the enemy. Engaged again near Brandy Station, the same two brigades fought with gallantry and Chambliss again received Stuart's written commendation.Death
Promoted to brigadier general, Chambliss continued in command of the brigade, through the cavalry fighting from the
Rapidan River to the James, gaining fresh laurels in the defeat of the Federals at Stony Creek. Finally, in a cavalry battle on the Charles City Road, on the north side of the James, he was killed while leading his men. His body was buried with honor by the Federals, and soon afterward exhumed and delivered to his friends. It was buried in the family graveyard inEmporia, Virginia .Robert E. Lee wrote that "the loss sustained by the cavalry in the fall of General Chambliss will be felt throughout the army, in which, by his courage, energy and skill, he had won for himself an honorable name."
References
*Evans, Clement A., "Confederate Military History", 1899
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