Henry DeLamar Clayton (general)
Encyclopedia
Henry DeLamar Clayton, Sr. (March 7, 1827 – October 3, 1889) was a prominent Alabama
attorney, politician, Redeemer
judge, and college president. He also served as a major general
in the Confederate Army
during the American Civil War
, commanding a division
in the Army of Tennessee
in the Western Theater
.
. He graduated from Emory and Henry College
in Virginia
. He moved to Eufaula, Alabama
, after graduation and read law. He passed the bar exam in 1849 and opened an office in Clayton, Alabama
, where he married Victoria and raised a family. Two of his sons, Henry De Lamar Clayton, Jr. and Bertram Tracy Clayton
, later became United States Congressmen.
He was twice elected to the Alabama House of Representatives
, serving from 1857 until 1861. Clayton recruited and organized a local militia
organization and was elected as its captain. Among his subordinate officers was future fellow Civil War general William W. Adams. In August 1860, he was elected as colonel
of the 3rd Alabama Volunteers, a state-wide militia organization.
of Alabama from the Union
, Clayton led his men to Pensacola, Florida
, to enroll into the service of the new Confederate States of America
in January 1861. Their services were initially not needed, but Clayton was subsequently ordered to take command of all incoming Alabama volunteer troops as they assembled in Pensacola. The 1st Alabama Infantry was formally mustered into Confederate service in late March, with Clayton as its first colonel. The regiment
saw no combat action and stayed in Florida the balance of the year.
In January 1862, Clayton resigned his commission and returned to Alabama. There, the governor authorized him to raise a new regiment
for Confederate service, the 39th Alabama. Clayton was appointed as its first colonel, and the regiment joined the brigade
of Brig. Gen.
Franklin Gardner
. Clayton's first significant campaign was as a part of the army of Braxton Bragg
during his 1862 Kentucky Campaign.
Clayton's regiment fought at the Battle of Stones River
in the early winter as a part of the brigade of Brig. Gen. Zachariah Deas. Clayton suffered a severe wound, but recovered and was promoted to brigadier general in April 1863. He was assigned command of a brigade previously led by Alexander P. Stewart
consisting of the 18th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, and 58th Alabama regiments. Clayton was active in a number of subsequent campaigns and battles, including Chickamauga
and Chattanooga. His brigade played a prominent role in several fights during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign
. Following the Battle of New Hope Church
, Clayton was promoted to major general and assigned command of Stewart's Division in the Army of Tennessee, where it participated in the unsuccessful Franklin-Nashville Campaign
.
In April 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign
, Clayton resigned his commission and returned home, a victim of chronic stress
.
judge. Like so many other former Confederates, he was removed from his office by the Reconstruction government. However, he was twice reelected as judge in 1874 and 1880 after the carpetbagger
s had left power.
In 1886, Clayton accepted a position as the president of the University of Alabama
, a role he held until his death in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
, in the fall of 1889. He is buried in Eufala.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
attorney, politician, Redeemer
Redeemers
In United States history, "Redeemers" and "Redemption" were terms used by white Southerners to describe a political coalition in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction era which followed the American Civil War...
judge, and college president. He also served as a major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in the Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, commanding a division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
in the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
in the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
.
Early life and career
Henry D. Clayton was born in Pulaski County, GeorgiaPulaski County, Georgia
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 9,588. The 2010 U.S. Census reports the population at 12,010, with a growth rate of 25.3% from 2000 to 2010, while surpassing Georgia's change of 18.3%., making it one of Georgia's fastest growing...
. He graduated from Emory and Henry College
Emory and Henry College
Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He moved to Eufaula, Alabama
Eufaula, Alabama
Eufaula is a city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 13,908.-Geography:Eufaula is located at 31°53'21.732" North, 85°9'13.586" West ....
, after graduation and read law. He passed the bar exam in 1849 and opened an office in Clayton, Alabama
Clayton, Alabama
Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Barbour County, Alabama, United States. The population was 1,475 at the 2000 census.-History:County Seat of Barbour County...
, where he married Victoria and raised a family. Two of his sons, Henry De Lamar Clayton, Jr. and Bertram Tracy Clayton
Bertram Tracy Clayton
Bertram Tracy Clayton was an American soldier and politician.-Biography:Born in Clayton, Alabama, he went on to attend the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1886 with John J. Pershing...
, later became United States Congressmen.
He was twice elected to the Alabama House of Representatives
Alabama House of Representatives
The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term...
, serving from 1857 until 1861. Clayton recruited and organized a local militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
organization and was elected as its captain. Among his subordinate officers was future fellow Civil War general William W. Adams. In August 1860, he was elected as colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 3rd Alabama Volunteers, a state-wide militia organization.
Civil War
Following the secessionSecession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of Alabama from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
, Clayton led his men to Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, to enroll into the service of the new Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in January 1861. Their services were initially not needed, but Clayton was subsequently ordered to take command of all incoming Alabama volunteer troops as they assembled in Pensacola. The 1st Alabama Infantry was formally mustered into Confederate service in late March, with Clayton as its first colonel. The regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
saw no combat action and stayed in Florida the balance of the year.
In January 1862, Clayton resigned his commission and returned to Alabama. There, the governor authorized him to raise a new regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
for Confederate service, the 39th Alabama. Clayton was appointed as its first colonel, and the regiment joined the brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Franklin Gardner
Franklin Gardner
Franklin Gardner was a Confederate general in the American Civil War, best noted for his service at the Siege of Port Hudson.-Early life:...
. Clayton's first significant campaign was as a part of the army of Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
during his 1862 Kentucky Campaign.
Clayton's regiment fought at the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
in the early winter as a part of the brigade of Brig. Gen. Zachariah Deas. Clayton suffered a severe wound, but recovered and was promoted to brigadier general in April 1863. He was assigned command of a brigade previously led by Alexander P. Stewart
Alexander P. Stewart
Alexander Peter Stewart was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
consisting of the 18th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, and 58th Alabama regiments. Clayton was active in a number of subsequent campaigns and battles, including Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
and Chattanooga. His brigade played a prominent role in several fights during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
. Following the Battle of New Hope Church
Battle of New Hope Church
The Battle of New Hope Church was fought May 25–26, 1864, between the Union force of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War...
, Clayton was promoted to major general and assigned command of Stewart's Division in the Army of Tennessee, where it participated in the unsuccessful Franklin-Nashville Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign
The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater, conducted from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lt....
.
In April 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign
Carolinas Campaign
The Carolinas Campaign was the final campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In January 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced north from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas, with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The defeat of ...
, Clayton resigned his commission and returned home, a victim of chronic stress
Chronic stress
Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period over which an individual perceives he or she has no control. It involves an endocrine system response in which occurs a release of corticosteroids...
.
Postbellum career
With the fall of the Confederacy, Clayton resumed his law practice. In May 1866, he was elected as a circuit courtCircuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
judge. Like so many other former Confederates, he was removed from his office by the Reconstruction government. However, he was twice reelected as judge in 1874 and 1880 after the carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
s had left power.
In 1886, Clayton accepted a position as the president of the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, a role he held until his death in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, in the fall of 1889. He is buried in Eufala.