Arthur Pendleton Mason

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Arthur Pendleton Mason
Nickname(s)"Pen"
Born(1835-12-11)December 11, 1835
Fairfax County, Virginia
DiedApril 22, 1893(1893-04-22) (aged 57)
Morris Park, The Bronx, New York
Place of burial
Allegiance Confederate States of America
Service/branch Confederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865 (Confederate States Army)
Rank Lieutenant colonel (CSA)
Commands heldMississippi 2nd Regiment Mississippi Cavalry
Arkansas 6th Regiment Arkansas Volunteers
Tennessee Army of Tennessee
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Other workmerchant, businessperson

Arthur "Pen" Pendleton Mason (11 December 1835–22 April 1893)[1][2][3] was an American military officer, merchant, planter and lawyer who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate States Army serving during the American Civil War.[4] Mason was a scion of the prominent Mason political family of Virginia.[3]

Early life and education[edit]

Mason was born on 11 December 1835 near Alexandria, Virginia in Fairfax County.[1][5] He was the ninth and youngest child of Thomson Francis Mason (1785–21 December 1838)[6][7] and his wife Elizabeth "Betsey" Clapham Price (1802–21 December 1873).

Mason earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.[5] Following law school, Mason was a planter and practiced law in Alexandria and Richmond.[5]

Mason's father died on 21 December 1838 in Alexandria at the age of 53.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Mason inherited his father's Colross estate in Alexandria.[12] His mother transferred ownership of Huntley on 7 November 1859 to Mason and his brother Dr. John "Frank" Francis Mason.[8][11]

American Civil War[edit]

During the American Civil War, Mason joined the 2nd Regiment Mississippi Cavalry in either late 1860 or early 1861.[13] On 5 June 1861, Mason transferred to the 6th Regiment of Brigadier General Thomas C. Hindman's brigade of Arkansas Volunteers.[5][13] On 11 December 1861, Mason was ordered to report to General Joseph E. Johnston at Manassas.[5][13] His brother-in-law, Thomas Grimke Rhett, was Johnston's chief of staff at the time.[13] Mason was Johnston's assistant adjutant general during most of the war.[13] Mason served as a member of Johnston's staff until Johnston was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines in 1862.[4] Mason then served under Robert E. Lee until 1863 when he rejoined Johnston's during the Vicksburg Campaign.[4][5][13] Following Johnston's removal from the command of the Army of Tennessee during the Atlanta Campaign, Mason joined the staff of John Bell Hood.[4] Mason was appointed colonel in the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry on 2 January 1864, but President Jefferson Davis declined to nominate him and his appointment was later voided.[5] Upon Hood's defeat at Nashville in December 1864, Mason joined Lieutenant General Richard Taylor's staff before rejoining Johnston in North Carolina at the end of the war.[4]

Marriage and children[edit]

Mason married Mary Ellen Campbell, daughter of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, John Archibald Campbell.[1][3][5][14] The couple had four children, with only one surviving to adulthood:[1][3]

  • John Archibald Campbell Mason (10 December 1870–18 April 1888)[1][2]

Later life[edit]

Following the war, Mason relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana where he became a merchant.[5]

Mason died on 22 April 1893 in Morris Park, The Bronx, New York at age 57.[1][5] Mason was interred in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Gunston Hall. "Arthur Pendleton Mason". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  2. ^ a b arlisherring.com (9 Feb 2008). "Arthur Pendleton Mason". arlisherring.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  3. ^ a b c d Duncan, Patricia B. (2008). Genealogical Abstracts from the Mirror, 1891-1899, Loudoun County, Virginia. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-7884-4585-9. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28.
  4. ^ a b c d e Brown, Campbell; Terry L. Jones (2004). Campbell Brown's Civil War: With Ewell and the Army of Northern Virginia. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-3019-2. Archived from the original on 2016-12-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Allardice, Bruce S. (2008). Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register. University of Missouri: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-1809-4.
  6. ^ a b Gunston Hall. "Thomson Francis Mason". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  7. ^ a b The Political Graveyard (June 16, 2008). "Mason family of Virginia". Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  8. ^ a b Shirley Scalley. "Thomson Francis Mason 1785-1838". Huntley Meadows Park. Archived from the original on 2009-06-07. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  9. ^ Fairfax County Park Authority. "Historic Huntley". Archived from the original on 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  10. ^ Alexandria Library (May 2005). "Thomson Mason Papers" (PDF). Alexandria Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  11. ^ a b Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (March 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Huntley" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  12. ^ Becky Bass Bonner and Josephine Lindsay Bass (2005-05-29). "Arthur Pendleton MASON". My Southern Family. Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Shirley Scalley. "The Civil War Years". Huntley Meadows Park: A Little History by Shirley Scalley. Archived from the original on 2009-06-07. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  14. ^ De Leon, Thomas Cooper (1909). Belles, beaux and brains of the 60's. G.W. Dillingham Company. ISBN 0-8071-3019-2.