- Louis Wigfall
Louis Trezevant Wigfall (
April 21 ,1816 –February 18 ,1874 ) was an American politician fromTexas and a Confederate general during theAmerican Civil War .Wigfall was a graduate of South Carolina College (now the
University of South Carolina ) and served as a member of theTexas Legislature ,United States Senate , andConfederate Senate . Wigfall was among a group of leadingsecessionist s that became known as theFire-Eaters , advocating the preservation and expansion of an aristocratic agricultural society based on slave labor. A South Carolina native, Wigfall took a bullet in the thigh while duelling with future CongressmanPreston Brooks of that state. Brooks too was shot in the hip during the duel and had to use a walking cane for the rest of his life. Brooks would famously cane Massachusetts SenatorCharles Sumner with it in 1856.At the beginning of the
American Civil War Wigfall was a close friend of future Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis . He split with Davis politically as the war progressed and Davis supported an increasingly strong national government. Wigfall advocated a states rights position and moved to block the creation of the Confederate Supreme Court, fearing Davis' appointments would rule against the states. Wigfall was a close friend of Confederate GeneralJoseph E. Johnston and frequently proposed legislation on the general's behalf. He was also an early proponent of makingRobert E. Lee commander of all Confederate armies.Wigfall was a staunch political opponent of fellow Texan
Sam Houston . When Houston ran for governor in 1857, Wigfall followed him on the campaign trail, attacking his congressional record at each of Houston's stops. He accused Houston of being a traitor to the South, and claimed that he was trying to gain the presidential nomination by courting the support of Northernabolitionist s.Wigfall was a member of the Texas delegation to the Montgomery Conference, which formed the provisional government of the Confederacy. He was the original commander of the "
Texas Brigade " in theConfederate Army before he resigned his post and was replaced byJohn Bell Hood .External links
*CongBio|W000447 Retrieved on
2008-02-13
*Handbook of Texas|id=WW/fwi4|name=Louis Trezevant Wigfall###@@@KEY@@@###TXSenateSuccession box
district = 8
hometown = Marshall
before=William Thomas Scott
after=E. A. Blanch
years=1857–1859U.S. Senator box
state=Texas
class=1
before=Matthias Ward
after=vacant(1)
alongside=John Hemphill
years=1859–1861succession box
before=none
title=Representative to the Provisional Confederate Congress from Texas
years=1861
after=nones-ttl | title = Confederate States Senator from Texas
years = 1862–1865
alongside =William Simpson Oldham, Sr. s-ref|Note: Texas seceded from the Union in 1861. Seat declared vacant untilJames W. Flanagan was elected after Texas' readmission into the Union in 1870.
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