James Morrison Hawes
Encyclopedia
James Morrison Hawes was a brigadier general
in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
.
, the son of Richard
and Hettie Nicholas Hawes. The Hawes family was politically prominent. Hawes' father Richard Hawes, uncle Albert Gallatin Hawes
, great-uncle Aylett Hawes
, and cousin Aylett Hawes Buckner
all served in the United States House of Representatives
. James Hawes did not follow the family tradition, however, and enrolled at the United States Military Academy
on July 1, 1841. He graduated four years later with the rank of second lieutenant of dragoon
s.
. When war broke out with Mexico
, Hawes participated in the Siege of Veracruz
, and the battles of Contreras
, Churubusco
, and Molino del Rey
. His outstanding service earned him a brevet
to the rank of first lieutenant.
Following his service in the U.S.-Mexican War, Hawes became an assistant instructor at the U.S. Military Academy. Among the subjects he taught were infantry
tactics, cavalry
tactics, and mathematics
. In 1850, he studied advanced tactics at the Cavalry School of Saumur
, France
. On his return to the United States
in 1852, Hawes was stationed on the Texas frontier, served in the Utah expedition
in 1857 and 1858, and helped put down disturbances in "Bleeding Kansas
."
On February 3, 1857, Hawes married Maria Southgate at Christ Church in Cincinnati, Ohio
. The couple had 10 children.
, and ten days later was promoted to colonel
. He later resigned this position to be commissioned a major in the regular Confederate army
. On March 5, 1862, Hawes was promoted to brigadier general
at the request of Albert Sidney Johnston
. He became the cavalry commander of the Confederate Western Department.
Following the Battle of Shiloh
, Hawes asked to be relieved of command and was assigned to a brigade under John C. Breckinridge
. Kentucky's Confederate governor
George W. Johnson
was killed at the Battle of Shiloh, and the shadow government
's legislative council chose Hawes' father Richard to succeed Johnson.
Records show that Hawes participated in a charge on Charleston, West Virginia
, on July 4, 1861 and helped defend a bridge on the Green River
near Bowling Green
on September 18, 1861. He was dispatched to Little Rock, Arkansas
in October 1862 to serve as head of the cavalry brigade under Theophilus H. Holmes
. Later, he participated in the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads, served in engagement at Miliken's Bend, Louisiana
and Mobile, Alabama
, aided the defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi
, and finished his Confederate military service in Galveston, Texas
.
. They relocated to Covington, Kentucky
in 1866, where Hawes became a hardware
merchant. He still resisted the family tradition of a political career, possibly because of improprieties committed by his brother, Smith Hawes, while he was city treasurer.
Later in life, Hawes became known for decorating Confederate graves on Confederate Memorial Day
. Hawes died at his home on November 22, 1889. His cause of death was listed as age and cerebritis. In January 1925, the United Daughters of the Confederacy
honored Hawes with a service cross medal, which his grandson accepted on his behalf.
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...
in the Confederate States 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...
.
Early life
James M. Hawes was born in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, the son of Richard
Richard Hawes
Richard Hawes was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of an influential political family, with a brother, uncle, and cousin who also served as U.S. Representatives. He began his political career as an ardent Whig and was a close...
and Hettie Nicholas Hawes. The Hawes family was politically prominent. Hawes' father Richard Hawes, uncle Albert Gallatin Hawes
Albert Gallatin Hawes
Albert Gallatin Hawes was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, brother of Richard Hawes, nephew of Aylett Hawes, granduncle of Harry Bartow Hawes, and cousin of Aylett Hawes Buckner....
, great-uncle Aylett Hawes
Aylett Hawes
Aylett Hawes was a nineteenth century politician and planter from Virginia. He was the uncle of Richard Hawes, Albert Gallatin Hawes and Aylett Hawes Buckner....
, and cousin Aylett Hawes Buckner
Aylett Hawes Buckner
Aylett Hawes Buckner was a U.S. Representative from Missouri, nephew of Aylett Hawes and cousin of Richard Hawes and Albert Gallatin Hawes....
all served in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. James Hawes did not follow the family tradition, however, and enrolled at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
on July 1, 1841. He graduated four years later with the rank of second lieutenant of dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s.
U.S. military service
Upon graduation, Hawes was assigned to assist with the occupation of TexasRepublic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. When war broke out with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Hawes participated in the Siege of Veracruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
, and the battles of Contreras
Battle of Contreras
The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place during August 19–20, 1847, in the final encounters of the Mexican-American War. In the Battle of Churubusco, fighting continued the following day.-Background:...
, Churubusco
Battle of Churubusco
The Battle of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Contreras during the Mexican-American War. After defeating the Mexican army at Churubusco, the U.S. Army was only 5 miles away from Mexico City, the capital of the nation...
, and Molino del Rey
Battle of Molino del Rey
The Battle of Molino del Rey was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio Léon against an American force under General Winfield Scott at a hill called El Molino del Rey near Mexico City.-Background:On...
. His outstanding service earned him a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
to the rank of first lieutenant.
Following his service in the U.S.-Mexican War, Hawes became an assistant instructor at the U.S. Military Academy. Among the subjects he taught were infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
tactics, cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
tactics, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. In 1850, he studied advanced tactics at the Cavalry School of Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1852, Hawes was stationed on the Texas frontier, served in the Utah expedition
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
in 1857 and 1858, and helped put down disturbances in "Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
."
On February 3, 1857, Hawes married Maria Southgate at Christ Church in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. The couple had 10 children.
Confederate military service
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Hawes resigned his position in the U.S. army to accept a commission as a captain in the Second Kentucky Cavalry. On June 16, 1861, Hawes was promoted to the rank of majorMajor (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
, and ten days later was promoted to 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...
. He later resigned this position to be commissioned a major in the regular 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...
. On March 5, 1862, Hawes was promoted to brigadier general
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...
at the request of Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
. He became the cavalry commander of the Confederate Western Department.
Following the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, Hawes asked to be relieved of command and was assigned to a brigade under John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
. Kentucky's Confederate governor
Confederate government of Kentucky
The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in Frankfort, which had strong Union...
George W. Johnson
George W. Johnson (Civil War)
George Washington Johnson was the first Confederate governor of Kentucky. A lawyer-turned-farmer from Scott County, Kentucky, Johnson favored secession as a means of preventing the Civil War, believing the Union and Confederacy would be forces of equal strength, each too wary to attack the other...
was killed at the Battle of Shiloh, and the shadow government
Shadow government
Shadow government may refer to:*An opposition government in a parliamentary system, see Shadow Cabinet*A term for plans for an emergency government that takes over in the event of a disaster, see continuity of government...
's legislative council chose Hawes' father Richard to succeed Johnson.
Records show that Hawes participated in a charge on Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, on July 4, 1861 and helped defend a bridge on the Green River
Green River (Kentucky)
The Green River is a tributary of the Ohio River that rises in Lincoln County in south-central Kentucky. Tributaries of the Green River include the Barren River, the Nolin River, the Pond River and the Rough River...
near Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
on September 18, 1861. He was dispatched to Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in October 1862 to serve as head of the cavalry brigade under Theophilus H. Holmes
Theophilus H. Holmes
Theophilus Hunter Holmes was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate Lieutenant General in the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
. Later, he participated in the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads, served in engagement at Miliken's Bend, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, aided the defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, and finished his Confederate military service in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
.
Later life and death
Following the Civil War, Hawes and his wife returned to their destroyed home in Paris, KentuckyParis, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
. They relocated to Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
in 1866, where Hawes became a hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
merchant. He still resisted the family tradition of a political career, possibly because of improprieties committed by his brother, Smith Hawes, while he was city treasurer.
Later in life, Hawes became known for decorating Confederate graves on Confederate Memorial Day
Confederate Memorial Day
Confederate Memorial Day, also known as Confederate Decoration Day and Confederate Heroes Day , is an official holiday and/or observance day in parts of the U.S. South as a day to honor those who died fighting for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War...
. Hawes died at his home on November 22, 1889. His cause of death was listed as age and cerebritis. In January 1925, the United Daughters of the Confederacy
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a women's heritage association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served in the military and died in service to the Confederate States of America . UDC began as the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, organized in 1894 by...
honored Hawes with a service cross medal, which his grandson accepted on his behalf.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals