Brig. General Barnard Bee, Jr. (CSA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnard_Elliott_Bee,_Jr.

Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. (February 8, 1824 – July 22, 1861) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the first general officers to be killed in the war. During that battle, he was responsible for the inspiring the famous nickname for Brig. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.

Early life

Bee was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr., and Ann Wragg Fayssoux, both of whom came from prominent Charleston families of English descent. In 1833, the Bee family moved to Pendleton, South Carolina, where Bee attended the Pendleton Academy. In 1836, Bee's parents moved to Texas, but Bee remained in Pendleton living with his mother's three sisters to pursue his education. Bee graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845, thirty-third in his class and assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry. He accumulated many demerits while at West Point, including several for chewing tobacco while on duty. Bee's first posting was to serve in the military occupation of Texas. He was twice brevetted for gallantry in the Mexican-American War, first at Cerro Gordo, where he was wounded, and then at Chapultepec.

After the Mexican-American War, Bee was posted to garrison duty at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he served as adjutant. From 1849 to 1855, he was on frontier duty in New Mexico. Most of his time was spent at Fort Fillmore near Las Cruces, New Mexico. In 1855, Bee was promoted to captain of Company D of the Tenth Infantry and posted to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. While at Fort Snelling, he met and married Sophia Elizabeth Hill, the sister of a fellow officer. In 1857 Bee's company took part in the Utah War, where he was placed in command of the Utah Volunteer Battalion and brevetted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1860, Bee was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and briefly served as the fort's commanding officer.

Civil War

Upon the start of the Civil War, Bee, like many Army officers from the South, was torn between loyalty to his home state or to the federation of the United States. He struggled with the decision, but opted to stay with the South. On March 3, 1861, Bee resigned from the United States Army and returned to Charleston where he was elected lieutenant colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regulars.

On June 17, 1861, Bee was appointed brigadier general of a brigade mobilized at Manassas Junction. He was given command of the third brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah, under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. During the subsequent battle, later known as the First Battle of Bull Run, Bee is said to have used the term "stone wall" in reference to Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson and his men, giving rise to the name "Stonewall Jackson" and his Stonewall Brigade. (There has been debate over whether this was meant in admiration or as an insult over Jackson's men not advancing.) Bee was mortally wounded as the Confederates began to gain the upper hand in the battle. He died the following day and is buried in Pendleton, South Carolina. As a result, it could not be determined whether his naming of Stonewall Jackson was intended as praise, a condemnation, or whether it was simply a misattributed quote.

Bee was the younger brother of Hamilton P. Bee, who was also a Confederate Army general.

Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. One of the first general officers to be killed in the American Civil War, he is best remembered for inspiring the famous nickname "Stonewall" upon then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as First Manassas). Born in Charleston, South Carolina to a prominent family of English ancestry, he moved with his family to Pendleton, South Carolina in 1833, where he attended the Pendleton Academy. Three years later, his parents moved to Texas, but he stayed behind with his mother's sisters to pursue his education. He received an appointment to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in 1845 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to the 3rd US Infantry. His first assignment was serving in the military occupation of Texas. During the Mexican-American War, he was twice brevetted for gallantry, first at the Battle of Cerro Gordo near Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, where he was wounded, and then at the Battle of Chapultepec in Mexico City. After the Mexican-American War, he was assigned to garrison duty at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he served as adjutant, followed by frontier duty, mostly at Fort Fillmore in New Mexico Territory from 1849 to 1855. In 1855 he was promoted to the rank of captain of Company D of the Tenth Infantry and assigned to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. In 1857 his unit participated in the Utah War, where he was placed in command of the Utah Volunteer Battalion and brevetted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1860 he was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, briefly serving as the fort's commanding officer. When the Southern States seceded from the Union in 1861, he resigned from the US Army and returned to Charleston where he was elected lieutenant colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regulars. On June 17, 1861 he was appointed brigadier general and given command of the 3rd Brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah, under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, that was mobilized at Manassas Junction in Virginia. During the subsequent battle, later known as the First Battle of Bull Run, he is purported to have used the term "stone wall" in reference to then Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson and his men, giving rise to the name "Stonewall Jackson" and his Stonewall Brigade. He was mortally wounded as the Confederates began to gain the upper hand in the battle and he died the following day at Manassas, Virginia at the age of 37. Because he died shortly after the battle, it could not be fully determined whether his naming of "Stonewall" Jackson was intended as praise, a condemnation, or whether it was simply a misattributed quote. His older brother, Hamilton P. Bee, was also a Confederate Army brigadier general who served in the Texas campaign. (bio by: William Bjornstad)