BG Hugh Weedon Mercer

Hugh Weedon Mercer (November 27, 1808 – June 9, 1877) was an officer in the United States Army and then a Confederate general during the American Civil War.

Biography

Hugh W. Mercer was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to a wealthy and well-known family. His grandfather and namesake Hugh Mercer of Pennsylvania had been a general under George Washington during the American Revolution. Mercer graduated from West Point in 1828, and served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Artillery, spending much of his service time in Georgia. After an assignment as an aide to Bvt. Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, he left the army, married a woman from Savannah and settled in that city. Mercer worked as a bank cashier, and was an artillery officer in the local militia. He started building the Italianate-style Mercer House. However, construction was interrupted by the Civil War, and no Mercer ever lived there.

In 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate army, and was commissioned as the colonel of the 1st Georgia Infantry. He was promoted to brigadier general by the end of October. He served as commander of the District of Georgia. In August 1862, he played a major role in impressing the first group of slaves and free blacks into service for the Confederacy. By November, however, he lost his authority to impress workers, and depended on Gov. Joseph E. Brown and local sheriffs to provide slaves to join the Confederate effort. At the beginning of the Atlanta Campaign, he left Savannah and took command of a brigade in the Army of Tennessee. Fighting at Dalton, Marietta, Kennesaw Mountain (where his son was wounded), and the Battle of Atlanta, he became ill during the subsequent campaigning in Tennessee. Mercer was relieved of command and sent home to Savannah, serving under Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee. He commanded the 10th Battalion, Georgia Infantry, which was charged with the defense of the Savannah area. When Hardee retreated in December 1864, Mercer left the city, returning after the fighting ended. He was briefly imprisoned on at Fort Pulaski, which he had once commanded, on Cockspur Island after the end of the war, along with other prominent Confederate leaders.

After the war, he again returned to Savannah and resumed his work in banking, and moved to Baltimore in 1869, where he worked as a commission merchant. Mercer traveled to Baden-Baden, Germany, in order to find a cure for his illness. Instead, he died there. His body was returned to Savannah and buried in Bonaventure Cemetery.

One of his descendants, great-grandson Johnny Mercer, became an internationally known lyricist and composer.

Allegiance United States of America

Confederate States of America

Service/branch

United States Army Confederate States Army

Years of service 1861–65 (CSA)

Rank Brigadier General

Commands held 1st Georgia Infantry,10th Battalion

Battles/wars American Civil War

- Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

- Battle of Atlanta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Weedon_Mercer

composer.

http://archive.org/details/chroniclesofboit01boit. Pg. 133-171, 188

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Hugh Weedon Mercer Photo added by William Bjornstad

Hugh Weedon Mercer BIRTH 27 Nov 1808 Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg City, Virginia, USA DEATH 9 Jun 1877 (aged 68) Baden-Baden, Stadtkreis Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany BURIAL Bonaventure Cemetery Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA Show Map PLOT Section F, Lot 19, Grave #7 MEMORIAL ID 8726 · View Source

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Hugh Weedon Mercer Photo added by William Bjornstad

Hugh Weedon Mercer BIRTH 27 Nov 1808 Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg City, Virginia, USA DEATH 9 Jun 1877 (aged 68) Baden-Baden, Stadtkreis Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany BURIAL Bonaventure Cemetery Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA Show Map PLOT Section F, Lot 19, Grave #7 MEMORIAL ID 8726 · View Source

MEMORIAL PHOTOS 2 FLOWERS 74

Picture of Added by adair428 Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. There is some question on the exact location of his grave, with some feeling that he is buried in Baden-Baden, Germany, where he died, and was initially buried. However, records indicate that his body was brought home to Savannah, Georgia, in 1879, and his grave there is marked in Section F, Lot 19, grave #7, in Bonaventure Cemetery.

Family Members Parents Photo Hugh Tennant Weedon Mercer 1776–1853

Photo Louisa Griffin Mercer 1779–1859

Spouse Photo Mary Stiles Anderson Mercer 1812–1855

Siblings Photo Louisa Steuart Mercer Leyburn unknown–1891 (m. 1845)

Photo Julia Weedon Mercer Waller 1803–1883

Photo John Cyrus Mercer 1810–1884

Photo George Weeden Mercer 1816–1858

Children Photo George Anderson Mercer 1835–1907

Photo Mary Stuart Mercer Walker 1841–1925

Photo Robert Lee Mercer 1848–1909