Alexander T. Hawthorn

Alexander Travis Hawthorn (January 10, 1825 – May 31, 1899) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. After the war, in company with a party of friends, he traveled extensively in Brazil as the guest of the imperial government, the policy of the government being to encourage immigration from the Southern States. In 1880, he was ordained a minister of the Baptist Church.

Alexander T. Hawthorn
Hawthorn, before 1861
Birth name	Alexander Travis Hawthorn
Born	(1825-01-10)January 10, 1825 Conecuh County, Alabama, U.S.
Died	May 31, 1899(1899-05-31) (aged 74) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Buried	Greenwood Cemetery, Marshall, Texas, U.S. 32°33′14.5″N 94°22′34.7″W
Allegiance	United States Confederate States
Branch	United States Volunteers Confederate States Army
Years of service	1847–1848 (U.S.) 1861–1865 (C.S.)
Rank	First Lieutenant (U.S.) Brigadier General (C.S.)
Commands	6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (1861–62) 39th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (1862–64) 4th Arkansas Infantry Brigade (1864–65)
Battles	Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Shiloh (WIA) Battle of Perryville Battle of Prairie Grove Battle of Helena Little Rock Campaign Battle of Mansfield Battle of Pleasant Hill Battle of Jenkins' Ferry
Spouse(s)	Anna Medley ​ (m. 1850)​
Children	3

Early life and education

Alexander Travis Hawthorn was born in Conecuh County, Alabama, on January 10, 1825, and was educated at Evergreen Academy and Mercer University.^[1] He then studied law at Yale University, from 1846 to 1847,^[2] relocating to Camden, Arkansas, where he commenced the practice of law.^[3]

American Civil War

When the 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was organized in 1861, Hawthorn was elected lieutenant colonel and then, the following spring, was appointed its colonel. He was wounded at Shiloh and, in 1863, took a gallant part in the assault on Hindman Hill during the attack on Helena.^[4] During the Spring 1864 Red River Campaign and Battle of Jenkins' Ferry,^[5] he commanded the 4th Arkansas Infantry Brigade of the 1st Arkansas Infantry Division.^[6] Meanwhile, Hawthorn had been promoted brigadier general to date from February 18, 1863. He remained with the division until May 1865.^[3]

Later life

Hawthorn traveled to Brazil in 1867, but returned in 1874 and engaged in business in New Orleans. Six years later he entered the Baptist ministry and was ordained, after which he lived in Texas until his death on May 31, 1899, at Dallas.^[1] He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery at Marshall, Texas.^[3]

See also

• List of Confederate States Army generals
• List of Mercer University alumni
• List of people from Alabama
• List of Yale Law School alumni

References

1. Cunningham, S. A., ed. (September 1899). "Gen. A. T. Hawthorn". Confederate Veteran. Vol. VII, no. 9. Nashville, Tenn.: S. A. Cunningham. pp. 418–419. OCLC 1564663 – via Internet Archive.
2. Catalogue of the Officers and Students in Yale College, 1846–7. New Haven: Yale College. 1846. p. 10 – via Internet Archive.
3. Warner, Ezra J. (1997), Generals in Gray: Lives of Confederate Commanders, Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, pp. 129–130, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5
4. Thomas, David Y. (1926), Arkansas in War and Reconstruction, 1861-1874, Little Rock: Arkansas Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, p. 191, LCCN 27003960, OCLC 2306662 – via Central Printing Company
5. Evans, Clement A., ed. (1899). Confederate Military History. Vol. X. Atlanta, Ga.: Confederate Pub. Co. pp. 402–403. LCCN 02017198 – via Internet Archive.
6. "Louisiana and Arkansas—Banks and Steele". The Daily Conservative. Vol. 1, no. 31. Raleigh, N. C. May 28, 1864. p. 1.

Further reading

• Bearss, Edwin C. (1967). Steele's Retreat from Camden and the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. Little Rock, Ark.: Pioneer Press. ISBN 0960225-5-1-X. LCCN 67-18271.
• Castel, Albert (1993) [1st pub. 1968]. General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West (Louisiana pbk. ed.). Baton Rouge; London: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-1854-0. LCCN 68-21804.
• Eicher, John H.; Eicher, David J. (June 2002), Civil War High Commands, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press (published 2001), ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1

External links

• Alexander T. Hawthorn at Find a Grave
• Alexander T. Hawthorn at the Historical Marker Database

Military offices
Preceded by Colonel Richard Lyon	Commanding Officer of the 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 1861–1862	Succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon N. Peay Acting
Preceded by Colonel Albert W. Johnson	Commanding Officer of the 39th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 1862–1864	Succeeded by Colonel John B. Cocke
Preceded by James F. Fagan	Commanding Officer of the 4th Arkansas Infantry Brigade 1864–1865	Command disbanded