Beverly Robertson
Beverly Holcombe Robertson | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Robertson ca. 1863 | |
| Born | June 5, 1827 Amelia County, Virginia |
| Died | December 12, 1910 (aged 83) Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Service |  United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1849-1861 (USA) 1861-1865 (CSA) |
| Rank |  Captain (USA) Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Commands | Robertson's Brigade |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Insurance Businessman |
Beverly Holcombe Robertson (June 5, 1827 – December 12, 1910) was a cavalry officer in the United States Army on the Western frontier and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War.
Early life
Robertson was born on a plantation in Amelia County, Virginia. He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1849. Assigned to the 2nd U.S. Dragoons as a second lieutenant, he attended the cavalry school at Carlisle Barracks. He then served on the frontier at various outposts in New Mexico Territory, Kansas Territory, and Nebraska Territory, fighting at various times with the Apache and Sioux. Reassigned to the 5th U.S. Cavalry, Robertson was promoted to first lieutenant. He became adjutant of the regiment while serving in Utah Territory and soon was elevated to acting assistant adjutant general for the Department of Utah. He was promoted to captain in March 1861, but a few months later accepted a captaincy in the Confederate Adjutant General's Department. Robertson was at one point engaged to the woman who became his future superior JEB Stuart's wife.
Civil War
He was elected colonel of the 4th Virginia Cavalry in August 1861 and served in the Valley Campaign. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 9, 1862.[1] He fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, and the early part of the Maryland Campaign in September 1862. Prior to the Battle of Antietam, he was ordered to North Carolina to recruit and train new cavalry regiments. He participated in the Battle of New Bern in March 1862.
During the Gettysburg Campaign, he commanded a brigade of two North Carolina cavalry regiments primarily assigned to scout for Robert E. Lee. At the Battle of Brandy Station, his men failed to significantly delay a Union column approaching Brandy Station from the southeast. He fought in J.E.B. Stuart's delaying actions in the Loudoun Valley at Middleburg and Upperville. His men helped cover Lee's retreat following the Battle of Gettysburg, but suffered severe losses during the campaign.
He was assigned in October 1863 to command the Second Military District of South Carolina. He helped defend Charleston from enemy attack. Robertson served in the Carolinas Campaign and surrendered with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.
Postbellum career
After the war, Robertson moved to Washington, D.C., and worked in the insurance business for several decades. He is buried in Robertson Cemetery near Scott's Fork, Amelia County, Virginia.[1]
See also
Notes
References
- Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
- Text from Clement Evans' biography of Robertson
- Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
- Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
Further reading
- Bowmaster, Patrick A., “’Bev’ Robertson Gets a C[arte] D[e] V[isite],” Military Images, May/June 2001, 29.
- Bowmaster, Patrick A., ed. “Confederate Brig. Gen. B.H. ‘Bev’ Robertson Interviewed on the Gettysburg Campaign,” Gettysburg, January 1999, 19-26.
- Bowmaster, Patrick A., ed. “A Letter to Mrs. Stuart,” Civil War, April 1997, 22-27.
- Bowmaster, Patrick A., “Beverly H. Robertson and the Battle of Brandy Station,” Blue and Gray, fall 1996, 20-22, 24-33.
- Bowmaster, Patrick A., “Confederate Brig. Gen. B. H. Robertson and the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign," M.A. thesis. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1995.
External links
- "Beverly Robertson". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-13.