By Dale Harter – He is a Civil War historian and the librarian at St. Margaret’s School in Tappahannock.
H
e wore his perfumed hair in long ringlets and his mustache
curled. He preferred ruffled shirts and was fond of strong drink. One historian said “very few Confederate generals sat for the camera more often.”
Although George Edward Pickett always will be linked to one of the most famous events in American military history—the charge of his Virginians at Gettysburg, Pa., on July 3, 1863—his controversial Civil War career began on the Middle Peninsula. Born Jan. 28, 1825, he was the son of Robert and Mary Pickett, owners of a Henrico County plantation called Turkey Island. His parents sent him to Illinois to live with an uncle, Andrew Johnston, apparently hoping he might tame their high-spirited and impetuous son. In 1841, Johnston helped him obtain an appointment to the United States Military Academy.
Neither studious nor disciplined, he accumulated an average of 165 demerits per year at the academy. At graduation in 1846, he ranked last in a class that included George Brinton McClellan and Thomas Jonathan Jackson. West Point provided Pickett with an avocation, and the U.S. Army awarded him an officer’s commission.
As one biographer noted, Pickett “found his life’s calling” during the Mexican War. He was promoted twice for bravery, the second for helping storm and conquer the Mexican fortress at Chapultepec. He served in the army until June 1861, when he resigned to cast his lot with the Confederacy.
If Pickett expected to immediately
relive the glory of his Mexican War days, he surely was disappointed. The first great battle already had been fought at Manassas by the time he arrived in Rich- mond in search of a Confederate officer’s commission. His West Point pedigree and his combat experience earned him an ap- pointment as a major on Sept. 14. Pickett was promoted to colonel and given command of the District of the
The House & Home Magazine 19
Although George Edward Pickett always will be linked to one of the most famous events in American military history—the charge of his Virginians at Gettysburg, Pa., on July 3, 1863...
Lower Rappahannock on Sept. 23. The district consisted of the Middle Peninsula, from Tappahannock south to Vaughan’s Landing in Middlesex County, as well as the entire Northern Neck. His command fell under the Department of Aquia and Maj. Gen. Theophilus Hunter Holmes, another Mexican War veteran. Pickett established his headquarters
in Tappahannock, where he found lo- cal military leaders already prepared to defend their homeland. After the fall of Fort Sumter, the local gentry had be- gun organizing companies with colorful names like the “Essex Sharpshooters,” the “Middlesex Southerners” and the “West- moreland Greys.” In September, most of these units were consolidated as the 55th Virginia Infantry Regiment.
Capt. Edward Baird, aide to Maj. Gen. George Pickett, and his wife Jennie on their wedding day. Courtesy of the Baird Family.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100