James J. Archer

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James J. Archer

James Jay Archer (December 19, 1817 – October 24, 1864) was a lawyer and an officer in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
during the Mexican-American War, and he later served as a general in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

Taken as a prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict....
at the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
, Archer was the first general officer captured from Gen. Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
.

er was born in Bel Air, Maryland, to John and Ann Stump Archer, a wealthy military family.

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James Jay Archer (December 19, 1817 – October 24, 1864) was a lawyer and an officer in the United States Army

United States Army

Confederate States Army

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

Taken as a prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict....
at the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
.

Early life and career

Archer was born in Bel Air, Maryland, to John and Ann Stump Archer, a wealthy military family. He graduated from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private university university located in Princeton, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League and has the largest per-student Financial endowment in the world....
in 1835 before attending Bacon College in Georgetown, Kentucky

Georgetown, Kentucky

Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States. The population was 18,080 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Scott County, Kentucky....
. Nicknamed "Sally" at Princeton for his frail and slight physique, he studied law at the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland outside Washington, D.C....
and passed the bar exam. He subsequently established a successful law practice. When the Mexican-American War erupted, he volunteered as a captain and served in the U.S. Army in numerous battles, being cited for bravery at Chapultepec

Battle of Chapultepec

The Battle of Chapultepec was a U.S. victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War....
and brevetted

Brevet (military)

In the U.K. and U.S. military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher Military rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank....
to the rank of major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, major is a field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Captain and just below the rank of Lieutenant colonel ....
.

After Mexico, Archer moved to Texas

Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
in 1848, and was wounded there in a duel with Andrew Porter, where his "second" in the duel was Thomas J. Jackson

Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and probably the most well-known Confederate commander after General Robert E....
. Returning to Maryland, Archer resumed his law practice, but decided in 1855 to join the regular army as a captain in the 9th U.S. Infantry, with whom he served primarily in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America . There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the Northwest Territory or the Northwest Territories of Canada....
. Archer never married.

Civil War service

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Archer was stationed in Fort Walla Walla

Fort Walla Walla

Fort Walla Walla is a fort located in Walla Walla, Washington. It was established in 1858. Today, the complex contains a park, a museum, and a hospital....
in the Washington Territory

Washington Territory

The Washington Territory was a historic organized territory of the United States that was formed in February 8, 1853 from the portion of the Oregon Territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel north east of the Columbia; which had been ceded by Britain in the 1846 Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundar...
. He resigned his commission on May 14, traveled to the South

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
, and joined the Confederate Army as a captain in the Provisional Army. He soon was named colonel

Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
of the 5th Texas Infantry, serving in the brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
organized by former Texas Senator Louis T. Wigfall. After Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood

John Bell Hood

John Bell Hood was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness....
assumed command, the Texas Brigade

Texas Brigade

The Texas Brigade, also often referred to as Hood's Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Confederate States Army that distinguished itself for its fierce tenacity and fighting capability during the American Civil War....
fought in the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
. Archer served with distinction at the Battle of Eltham's Landing

Battle of Eltham's Landing

}|-||}The Battle of Eltham's Landing, also known as the Battle of Barhamsville, or West Point, took place on May 7, 1862, in New Kent County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War....
and Seven Pines

Battle of Seven Pines

The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War....
, but never found favor in the eyes of his Texans, who thought him a "tyrant."

He was promoted to brigadier general on June 3, 1862, and initially given command of three regiments from Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, after the brigade commander, Robert H. Hatton

Robert H. Hatton

Robert Hopkins Hatton was a lawyer, politician, United States Congressman, and Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War....
, had been killed at Seven Pines. Later in June, Archer's brigade joined five others to form the "Light Division" under Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill. Soon, two more regiments were added to Archer's brigade, which fought well in the Seven Days Battles

Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
, at Cedar Mountain

Battle of Cedar Mountain

}|-||}The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War....
, and at Second Bull Run

Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
, where his horse was killed under him. His men dubbed him "The Little Gamecock" for his slight build and fierce attitude in combat.

During the Maryland Campaign

Maryland Campaign

The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, of September 1862 is widely considered one of the major Turning Point of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
of September 1862, Archer was suffering from an illness that forced him to direct his brigade from an ambulance, being too sick to ride his horse. His men made a forced march from Harpers Ferry and arrived in Sharpsburg

Sharpsburg, Maryland

Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, Maryland, United States, approximately 13 miles south of Hagerstown, Maryland. The population was 691 at the 2000 census....
on the left flank of the Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
IX Corps

IX Corps (ACW)

IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi....
. In a fierce assault, Archer drove back the enemy and recaptured a Confederate artillery

Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
battery. Three days later at the Battle of Shepherdstown

Battle of Shepherdstown

The Battle of Shepherdstown, also known as the Battle of Boteler's Ford, took place from September 19–20, 1862, in Jefferson County, West Virginia , as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War....
, Archer and Brig. Gen. William Dorsey Pender

William Dorsey Pender

William Dorsey Pender was one of the youngest, and most promising, General officers fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War....
led an attack that drove a Union pursuit force back across the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a Drainage basin of about 14,700 square miles ....
, enabling Lee's army to slip away into Virginia. Despite his continued ill health, Archer's leadership contributed to victories at the battles of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
and Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
.

During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign

Gettysburg Campaign

File:Meade and Lee.jpgThe Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate States Army Full General Robert E....
, Archer's health continued to deteriorate as a result of long marches in the summer heat and humidity. His brigade was now part of the division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth

Henry Heth

Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer in the American Civil War. He is best-remembered for precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, accomplished inadvertently while sending some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village, according to his...
. Arriving at Gettysburg on July 1, Archer's troops were engaged with Federal cavalry under John Buford

John Buford

John Buford, Jr. was a Union Army cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg....
for over two hours, before being counterattack

Counterattack

A counterattack is a military military tactics used by some or all of a defense against their attackers. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units....
ed by rapidly arriving Union infantry, including the famed Iron Brigade

Iron Brigade

The Iron Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade of the West or the Black Hat Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Union Army Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War....
. Archer's men were likely those who killed Union commander Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds

John F. Reynolds

John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a General officer in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, despite having a relatively limited amount of combat experience in the war, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was kill...
(the exact cause of Reynolds' death is controversial), but were quickly pushed back across Willoughby Run, where the exhausted Archer took cover in a thicket. A Union soldier, Private Patrick Maloney of the 2nd Wisconsin, seized Archer and escorted him behind enemy lines, where he briefly met an old colleague, Union Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday

Abner Doubleday

Abner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Battle of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg....
. Archer became the first general officer to be taken captive from the Army of Northern Virginia since General Lee assumed command. Birkett D. Fry

Birkett D. Fry

Birkett Davenport Fry was an adventurer, soldier, lawyer, cotton manufacturer, and a Confederate States Army general in the American Civil War....
assumed command of Archer's Brigade and led it during Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee against Major general George G. Meade's Union Army positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War....
, while Archer and his younger brother and aide-de-camp

Aide-de-camp

An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state....
Robert Harris Archer (1820–1878) were sent to Fort Delaware

Fort Delaware

Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility built in 1859 on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the United States used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate States of America Prisoner of war....
for prisoner processing.

Archer, along with many other officers captured at Gettysburg, was eventually sent to the Johnson's Island

Johnson's Island

Johnson's Island is a 300-acre island in Sandusky Bay, located on the coast of Lake Erie, 3 miles from the city of Sandusky, Ohio. It was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate States Army commissioned officers captured during the American Civil War....
prisoner of war camp on the coast of Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time....
, where his health rapidly declined due to exposure to the inclement Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
weather. He wrote a letter to the Confederate War Department in which he advocated a plot to overthrow the guards, but the conspirators would require assistance from the government to get the men back home.

After a stay of nearly a year, he was sent, along with 600 officers from various prisons, to Fort Delaware, in accordance with a scheme to reship them to Morris Island

Morris Island

Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor, and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War....
in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
, a place under constant fire from Confederate cannon. Archer and the others would be hostages to prevent further shelling. This plan never materialized.

Archer was finally exchanged late in the summer of 1864, and rejoined the army. On August 9, he was ordered to report to the Army of Tennessee

Army of Tennessee

The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate States Army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War....
under Hood in Atlanta, but this order was revoked ten days later, possibly due to his bad health. He traveled to Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and 23 miles south of Richmond, Virginia. The population was 33,740 as of the United States Census 2000....
to the command of his old brigade, and briefly serving in the Siege of Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War....
before his health finally collapsed after the Battle of Peebles' Farm

Battle of Peebles' Farm

The Battle of Peebles' Farm was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate States of America works guarding Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia, during the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War....
. He died in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery

Hollywood Cemetery

Hollywood Cemetery is a large, sprawling cemetery located at 412 South Cherry Street in Richmond, Virginia. Characterized by rolling hills and winding paths overlooking the James River , it is the resting place of two President of the United States, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only President of the Confederate States of Ameri...
.

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-13