- William Andrew Quarles
Infobox Military Person
name= William Andrew Quarles
lived=July 4 ,1825 –December 28 ,1893
caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth=Louisa County, Virginia
placeofdeath=Todd County, Kentucky
allegiance=Confederate States of America
branch=
serviceyears= 1861–65
rank=Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles=American Civil War -Battle of Fort Donelson -Battle of Pickett's Mill -Battle of Franklin
awards=
relations=
laterwork=William Andrew Quarles (
July 4 ,1825 –December 28 ,1893 ) was aTennessee lawyer, politician, railroad executive, and a general in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War .Early life
William A. Quarles, the son of Garrett and Mary J. (Poindexter) Quarles, was born near Louisa Court House in
Louisa County, Virginia . When he was five years old, his family moved to ruralChristian County, Kentucky , and then later toClarksville, Tennessee . He was educated at home as a youth, and attended theUniversity of Virginia until his father's untimely death forced him to return home to manage the family estate. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848, and established a law practice in Clarksville. Interested in politics, he was a Democratic presidential elector in 1852, supportingFranklin Pierce 's candidacy.Quarles helped incorporate Stewart College in 1856. He was the state's bank inspector in 1858 and was judge of the circuit court for a year, filling in for an ill incumbent. Quarles was an unsuccessful candidate for the
United States Congress from Tennessee in 1858. He was a delegate to theDemocratic National Convention in both 1856 and 1860. Quarles joined theFreemasons and became a Master Mason in 1856. He was appointed President of the Memphis, Clarksville, and Louisville Railway Company, and helped oversee the construction of railroad lines in Tennessee and Kentucky.His brother,
James Minor Quarles , was aUnited States Congressman representing Tennessee from 1859 until 1861, when the state seceded from the Union.Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Quarles organized the 42nd Tennessee Infantry and was commissioned on
November 28 ,1861 , as its firstcolonel . His brother James would serve under Quarles for the rest of the war. In February 1862, Quarles and his men were present at theBattle of Fort Donelson , where they were among the thousands of men forced to surrender. He was sent north to theJohnson's Island prisoner-of-war camp inOhio . After being sent toVicksburg, Mississippi , in early August 1862 and formally exchanged, Quarles resumed command of his regiment.Quarles was promoted on
August 25 ,1863 , tobrigadier general and given command of abrigade initially consisting of the 42nd, 46th, 48th, and 53rd Tennessee infantry regiments, serving in the division ofEdward C. Walthall . Later augmented by two regiments fromLouisiana , another from Tennessee, and anartillery battery , Quarles' brigade missed the Chattanooga Campaign as his brigade did not arrive in time for the defense of Missionary Ridge. He was ordered back to Mississippi after it seemed certain thatBraxton Bragg 's army would not be attacked again after retreating toDalton, Georgia , but he and his men returned to Georgia after the start of theAtlanta Campaign . At Pickett's Mill, Quarles was severely wounded.After recovering, Quarles led his brigade into Tennessee when army commander
John Bell Hood moved northward from Atlanta. He was wounded and captured at theBattle of Franklin while leading his brigade against the Union works. Quarles spent the rest of the war as a Union prisoner. He was finally paroled and exchanged at Nashville in May 1865 following the cessation of hostilities.Postbellum
Following the war, Quarles resumed his law career in Clarksville and was a trustee of the Tennessee Orphans Society in 1867. He was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church , and continued his Masonic activities, becoming a Royal Arch Mason in 1865 and joining theKnights Templar in 1871. He was again a presidential elector in 1872, supportingHorace Greeley in his unsuccessful candidacy. Resuming his own political career, Quarles failed to garner enough support for theUnited States Senate in 1874, finishing well behind former PresidentAndrew Johnson in balloting in the Tennessee legislature. He was subsequently elected to the State Senate, serving in the 39th (1875-77) and 45th (1887-89) General Assemblies. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1880 and 1884, and served on Democratic State Executive Committee in 1882.Quarles was married three times—first to a cousin, Miss Poindexter, then to Alice Vivian, and the third marriage to yet another cousin, Mrs. Louisa (Meriwether) Barker, daughter of Dr. Charles Hunter Meriwether. Quarles had one son, William A.
Quarles died at his father-in-law's estate, "Meriville," in
Todd County, Kentucky , and was buried in Flat Lick Baptist graveyard,Christian County, Kentucky .References
*Evans, Clement A., "Confederate Military History", Vols. VI and VII, 1899.
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/montgomery/biodir/quarlesbio.html Quarles biography at TNGenWeb.org]
*findagrave|8933 Retrieved on2008-02-13 Notes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.