Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who were not duly appointment and confirmed or commissioned, and State militia generals who had field commands in certain actions in their home states but were never given appointments or commissions in the Confederate States Army are in this list. Not all colonels or lower-ranking officers who exercised brigade or division command at any time are in this list but those most often erroneously referred to as generals are in the list. A few acting or temporary Confederate generals were duly appointed and confirmed as such. The full entries for these officers are in the List of American Civil War generals (Confederate).
Abbreviations and notes: Rank column: conf. = date appointment confirmed by Confederate Senate; nom. = date nominated by Confederate President Jefferson Davis; rank = date of rank. USMA = United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; "VMI" refers to the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Virginia; and South Carolina Military Institute or South Carolina Military Academy refers to their predecessor The Citadel at Charleston, South Carolina. Additional notes: ranks: lt. = lieutenant.
Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith
After the fall of Vicksburg, communication between the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department and the Confederate government in Richmond was slow and difficult. The commander of the department, General E. Kirby Smith, appointed several officers to duty as brigadier generals and as major generals. He tried to get President Jefferson Davis to formally appoint these officers and nominate them to the Confederate Senate for approval. While Davis did appoint some of Smith's earlier nominees, at least nine officers who were appointed by Smith late in the war and may have served in the capacity of generals for a period of time were never appointed and confirmed by the civilian authorities. The ten acting generals assigned to duty by General Smith listed below are in this category. One of them, Horace Randal, was killed in action while commanding a brigade at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry under the overall command of General Smith.
NameRankNotesBagby, Arthur Pendleton Jr.Colonel Resigned as 2nd lieutenant, U.S. Army, September 30, 1853. 7th Texas Cavalry: Major, October 12, 1861, Lt. Colonel, April 4, 1862, Colonel, November 15, 1862. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, March 17, 1864, and major general, May 16, 1865 (to rank from May 10), by E. Kirby Smith. Wounded at Berwick Bay, April 13, 1863. Died February 21, 1921, Hallettsville, Texas, aged 87.DeBray, XavierColonel Born Epinee, France, January 25, 1818. St. Cyr graduate. 4th Texas Infantry: 1st Lieutenant, 1861, major, September 2, 1861. 7th Texas Cavalry: Lt. Colonel, December 7, 1861. 26th Texas Cavalry, Colonel, March 17, 1862. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, April 13, 1864, by E. Kirby Smith.Gordon, Benjamin FranklinColonel Mexican–American War. Missouri State Guard, Lieutenant, 1861. Wounded at Wilson's Creek. 5th Missouri Cavalry: Major, 1862, Lt. Colonel, September 9, 1862, Colonel, December 15, 1862. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, May 16, 1865, by E. Kirby Smith. Jackman, Sidney DrakeColonel Missouri militia, lieutenant, then captain. 7th Missouri Infantry, Colonel, 1862. 16th Missouri Infantry, Colonel, August 31, 1862. Jackman's Missouri Cavalry, Colonel, September 1864. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, May 16, 1865, by E. Kirby Smith.Jones, Alexander C.Colonel Born in 1830 in Marshall County, [West] Virginia Graduated from VMI in 1850 Commissioned Major of the 44th Virginia Commissioned Lt. Colonel in 1862 Wounded at the Battle of Gaines's Mill Resigned commission and requests transfer to Trans-Mississippi Dept. Requested by E. Kirby Smith that Jones be promoted to brigadier-general on March 16, 1865 Paroled at Brownsville, TX, July 24, 1865, as brigadier-general Moved to Mexico to join Emperor Maximilian's army.King, Wilburn HillColonel Missouri militia, Sergeant, 1861, Lieutenant, 1861. 3rd Missouri State Guard, Captain, CSA, 1861. Wounded at Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861. Resigned 1861 and returned to Texas. 18th Texas Infantry: Private, 1861, Major, May 13, 1862, Lt. Colonel, February 25, 1863, Colonel, August 10, 1863. Initial brigade command, 1863. Wounded at Mansfield, Louisiana, April 8, 1864. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, April 16, 1864, by E. Kirby Smith.Lewis, Levin MajorColonel Missouri militia, Captain, 1861. 3rd Missouri Militia Cavalry, Colonel, March 24, 1861. Mustered out, May 1862. Aide to Earl Van Dorn, March 1862. 7th Missouri Infantry: Captain, June 18, 1862. 16th Missouri Infantry: Major, 186. Wounded at Lone Jack, Missouri, August 16, 1862. 7th Missouri Infantry, Lt. Colonel, December 4, 1862, Colonel, March 4, 1863. Wounded and captured at Helena Arkansas, July 4, 1863. Exchanged September 1864. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, May 16, 1865, by E. Kirby Smith.Maclay, Robert PlunketMajor USMA, 1840. Wounded Resaca de la Palma, Texas, May 9, 1846 (start of Mexican–American War). Resigned as Captain, U.S. Army, December 31, 1860. Louisiana militia, Major, December 16, 1861. Major of artillery, October 31, 1862. Assistant Adjutant General and Commissary of Subsistence of Walker's Division, 1863. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, May 13, 1864, to date from April 30, 1864, by E. Kirby Smith. Not nominated.Randal, HoraceColonel USMA, 1854. Resigned as 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army, February 27, 1861. Private, Virginia Infantry, 1861. Captain CSA 1861, resigned June 1861. 1st Lieutenant and aide to brother-in-law, Gustavus W. Smith, November 16, 1861. Assistant inspector general, Smith's Corp, Army of Northern Virginia, 1861–1862. 28th Texas Cavalry (dismounted), Colonel, February 18, 1861. Initial brigade command, September 28, 1862, Trans–Mississippi Department. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, April 8, 1864, by E. Kirby Smith. Appointment revoked by Jefferson Davis. Mortally wounded at Jenkins' Ferry, April 30, 1864. Died of wounds, May 2, 1864, aged 31 or 33.Terrell, Alexander WatkinsColonel Captain, aide to Henry E. McCulloch. Resigned January 1862. 1st Texas Cavalry: Captain, 1862, Major, 1862, Lt. Colonel, March 31, 1862, Colonel, June 12, 1862. Arizona and New Mexico Cavalry Battalion, Lt. Colonel, June 8, 1863. 34th Texas Cavalry, Colonel, June 20, 1863. Assigned to duty as brigadier general, May 10, 1865, by E. Kirby Smith. Fled to Mexico. Colonel, Mexican Army, July 1865; resigned November 1865.
Incomplete appointments, unconfirmed appointments, refused appointments, posthumous appointments or undelivered commissions
The following Confederate officers are often referred to in historical writings as generals but their appointments were never completed or confirmed or their commissions were not properly delivered.Due to increasing communication difficulties and increasing officer casualties in the Confederate Army as the war progressed, historian Bruce Allardice identified an additional 137 officers as arguably worthy of consideration as Confederate generals because of appointment of some sort by President Davis or a general in command in the field and exercise of command by the officers for at least some period of time. The appointments of a few were withdrawn before they were voted upon by the Confederate Senate. Some of the officers' appointments were nominated to but not confirmed by the Confederate Senate. Some of the officers' commissions as generals were not delivered until after they had died. In a few cases, promotions of officers to general officer grades were posthumous even as early as the dates of appointment or nomination and clearly were meant only to be tokens of respect or honor. Other general officer commissions remained undelivered when the war ended. At least two general officer appointments that appear in the historical record were unauthorized battlefield appointments which were not approved and confirmed by the civil authorities as the war was coming to a close. Nonetheless, these officers are notable because of their assignments or actions in the capacity of a general, almost always a brigadier general. The Eichers call most or all such officers "might-have-beens." About 24 of the officers in the alphabetical tables above are shown by Warner and Wright as full grade general officers but in fact their appointments, confirmations or commissions were incomplete or they died or the war ended before they received their commissions. The entries for these officers will be moved to the section below as the article is completed.
NameRankNotesAshby, Henry MarshallColonel Captain, 4th Tennessee Battalion, July 4, 1861. 2nd Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel, May 24, 1862. Wounded 1862. First brigade command, June 1864. Commissioned a brigadier general in April 1865 while commanding a division in Joseph Wheeler's corps. Commission never delivered.Ashby, TurnerColonelBrigadier GeneralMay 23, 1862unconfirmed at death 7th Virginia Cavalry: Captain, April 18, 1861, Lt. Colonel, June 25, 1861, Colonel, March 12, 1862. Commanded cavalry in Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862. Killed fighting a rear guard action against Union Army pursuing Stonewall Jackson'sforces at Good's Farm, near Harrisonburg, Virginia, June 6, 1862, aged 33. Warner lists as a general; Eicher does not.Barry, John D.ColonelBrigadier Generalappointed August 2, 1864unconfirmedcanceled a few days later North Carolina militia, Private, June 15, 1861. 18th North Carolina Infantry: Private, November 14, 1861, Captain, April 1862, Major, November 11, 1862, Colonel, May 3, 1863. Wounded 4 times. Regiment in Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Appointed Brigadier General, August 2, 1864, when Brigadier General J. H. Lane wounded at Cold Harbor. Lane returned in a few days, Barry was wounded and disabled and his appointment canceled. Died March 24, 1867, Wilmington, North Carolina, aged 27. Warner lists as a general; Eicher does not.Bartow, Francis StebbinsColonelBrigadier Generalposthumous Georgia legislator. Georgia militia, Captain, 1856. CSA Provisional Congress from Georgia, February 7, 1861–July 21, 1861. 8th Georgia Infantry, Captain, May 21, 1861, Colonel, June 1, 1861. Brigade command in Army of the Shenandoah, June 1861–July 21, 1861. Killed at First Bull Run while commanding two of his brigade's regiments, July 21, 1861, aged 44. Confederate Congress awarded him the posthumous rank of acting brigadier general.Benton, SamuelColonelBrigadier Generalrank: July 26, 1864died before commissionreceived State legislator. Mississippi secession convention delegate. 9th Mississippi Infantry, 12-month regiment: Captain, April 1861. 37th (later 34th) Mississippi Infantry: Colonel, April 1862. Mortally wounded, Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. Died July 28, 1864, at Griffin, Georgia, before receiving commission as brigadier general to rank from July 26, 1864. Warner lists as a general; Eicher does not.Bowles, Pinckney DownieColonel South Carolina Military Institute (The Citadel predecessor). Colonel Alabama Militia, 1860. 4th Alabama Infantry: Captain, April 1, 1861, Major, August 22, 1862, Lt. Colonel, September 30, 1862, Colonel October 3, 1862. Temporary commands of brigade or brigade sized units starting January 7, 1865. No record ever promoted to or confirmed as brigadier general. Some sources claim commissioned brigadier general on April 2, 1865.