John B. Magruder

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John B. Magruder

John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807 – February 19, 1871) was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. 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....
officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate

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....
general during the American Civil War

American Civil War

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John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807 – February 19, 1871) was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. 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....
, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army. Known as "Prince John" to his army friends, Magruder was most noted for his actions in delaying Federal troops during the 1862 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....
through elaborate ruses that gave Maj. Gen.

Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
the impression that the Confederates had more forces than they actually had, and in successfully defending Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a city in and county seat of Galveston County, Texas located on Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast of the United States in the U.S....
, against the Union Army

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....
and Navy

Union Navy

File:USSMonitor1862.1.ws.jpgThe Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy ....
early in 1863.

Early years and career

Magruder was born in Port Royal, Virginia

Port Royal, Virginia

Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the United States Census 2000....
. He first attended the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public university research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson. Conceived by 1800 and established in 1819, it is the only university in the United States to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, an honor it shares with nearby Monticello....
, where, as a student, he had the opportunity to dine with former President

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
. He graduated from the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
in 1830 and was commissioned a second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is the lowest Officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /l?f't?n?nt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu't?n?nt/ ....
in the 7th U.S. Infantry

7th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottonbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the British attack....
regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
. He was later assigned to the 1st U.S. Artillery.

Magruder served in the Second Seminole War

Second Seminole War

The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans in the United Statess collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars....
in Florida

Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, and then under Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful List of United States Presidential candidates of the Whig Party in 1852. Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" and the "Grand Old Man of the Army", he served on active duty as a general longer than any other man in American history and many historians rate him the ablest America...
in the Army of Occupation

Army of Occupation

The Army of Occupation was the name of the United States Army commanded by Zachary Taylor during the Mexican-American War....
in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism 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 Mexico....
. He was 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 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 ....
for "gallant and meritorious conduct" at the Battle of Cerro Gordo

Battle of Cerro Gordo

The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's US troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position....
, and to lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, lieutenant colonel is a field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Major and just below the rank of Colonel ....
for his bravery in the storming of 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....
. He served on frontier

Frontier

A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a Border....
duty in California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and at Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active U.S....
in the Kansas Territory

Kansas Territory

The Territory of Kansas was an organized territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when Kansas became the 34th U.S....
.

"Prince John" was tall and flamboyantly handsome. He spoke with a lisp, except when singing tenor, which he did frequently. His avocation

Avocation

An avocation is an activity that a person does as a hobby outside their principal occupation. There are many examples of people whose profession was the way they made a living, but whose activities outside their workplace were their true passion in life....
was composing songs and staging concerts and amateur theater productions, something to relieve the tedium of peacetime garrison duty. This theatrical bent would come in handy in the Civil War.

Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, Magruder was assigned to the artillery in the garrison forces of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
. However, he resigned from the U.S. Army when his native 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....
seceded

Secession

Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. It is not to be confused with succession, the act of following in order or sequence....
, whereupon he was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

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....
, against Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

Virginia Peninsula

The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name....
in the early portion of the Union's

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....
Peninsula Campaign in 1862. This separate army was incorporated as a 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....
in the 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....
on April 12, 1862.

During the Battle of Yorktown

Battle of Yorktown (1862)

The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War....
, Magruder completely deceived McClellan as to his strength by ostentatiously marching small numbers of troops past the same position multiple times, appearing to be a larger force. He moved his artillery around frequently and liberally used ammunition when Union troops were sighted, giving the impression of a large, aggressive defending force. This subterfuge caused McClellan's Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
weeks of needless delay and brought Magruder praise from his superior, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career United States Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
. However, Magruder performed poorly and unaggressively in the subsequent 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....
. Some blame heavy drinking for his erratic performance, others point to the unrelenting stress of his fending off McClellan at Yorktown. At the Battle of Malvern Hill

Battle of Malvern Hill

The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, was the sixth and last of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
, the last of the Seven Days, local guides led him and his men astray, causing a considerable delay in his arrival in the line of battle. Orders from new commander 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....
to attack, dispatched earlier in the day but with no time marked on them, were received only after Magruder finally got into proper position some hours later. They were mistaken as currently issued; the error was compounded when fresh orders from Lee arrived which, based on faulty intelligence, reaffirmed the attack. Magruder's execution of those orders as if they were current and accurate resulted in an uncoordinated assault that suffered considerable losses and made no headway. Lee aftwards, when he personally surveyed the field, thought that no commander on the scene should have gone ahead with an attack. When he asked Magruder, "Why did you attack?" Magruder replied, "In obedience to your orders, twice repeated."

Lee reorganized his army after the Seven Days, replacing those he thought were ineffective commanders, and Magruder was soon reassigned to command the District of 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....
, New Mexico

New Mexico Territory

The Territory of New Mexico became an organized territory of the United States on September 9, 1850, and it existed until New Mexico became the 47th U.S....
, and Arizona

Arizona Territory (CSA)

The Arizona Territory of the Confederate States of America was an organized territory of the Confederate States of America that existed between 1861 and 1865....
.

On January 1, 1863, Magruder's forces won the Battle of Galveston

Battle of Galveston

File:CSBayouCity-capturesLane.jpgFile:Capture HarrietLane.jpgThe Second Battle of Galveston occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War when Confederate States Army forces under Major General John B....
, recapturing the city and port for the Confederacy. The First Confederate Congress

First Confederate Congress

The First Confederate Congress was the first regular session of the Congress of the Confederate States of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held in November 1861....
published its official thanks

Thanks of Congress

The Thanks of Congress are a series of formal resolutions passed by the United States Congress originally to extend the government's formal thanks for significant victories or impressive actions by United States military commanders and their troops....
:

From August 1864 to March 1865, Magruder commanded the Department of Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, but then returned to command the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona during the last months of the war until the entire Trans-Mississippi region was surrendered by General Edmund Kirby Smith

Edmund Kirby Smith

Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer, an educator, and a Full General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Battle of Vicksburg....
.

Postbellum

After the war, Magruder fled to Mexico and entered the service of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico

Maximilian I of Mexico

Maximilian I was a member of Austria's Imperial Habsburg-Lorraine family who was Emperor of Mexico. With the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on 10 April 1864....
as a major general in the Imperial Mexican Army. However, by May 1867, the emperor's forces had succumbed to a siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
and the emperor had been executed. Magruder returned to the United States and settled in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2007 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles ....
, where he died in 1871. He is buried in the Episcopal Cemetery at Galveston

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a city in and county seat of Galveston County, Texas located on Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast of the United States in the U.S....
, the scene of his greatest military success.

Honors

A number of geographic features have been named in honor of John Magruder:

Fort Magruder
Fort Magruder

Fort Magruder was an high earthen fortification straddling the road between Yorktown, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia, just outside the latter city during the American Civil War....
, a Confederate stronghold during the Battle of Williamsburg
Battle of Williamsburg

The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, Virginia, James City County, Virginia, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War....
.

Magruder
Magruder, Virginia

Magruder was a small unincorporated community in Virginia near Williamsburg, Virginia in York County, Virginia. Now extinct, it once had its own church, post office, cemetery, lodge, and homes....
in York County, Virginia
York County, Virginia

York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S....
, a small town near Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia. As of the United States Census 2000, the city had a total population of 11,998....
. During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, about 1943, the United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
relocated the residents and the entire former town of Magruder became part of a large military reservation known as Camp Peary
Camp Peary

Camp Peary is a military reservation in York County, Virginia near Williamsburg, Virginia. Officially it is referred to as the Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity under the auspices of the Department of Defense, but it is widely believed to be the location of a covert CIA training facility known as "The Farm"....
. Beginning in 1951, the facility has been designated for "Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity", and unofficially, is known as a Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the Federal government of the United States. It is the successor of the Office of Strategic Services formed during World War II to coordinate espionage activities between the branches of the US military services....
(CIA) facility nicknamed "The Farm". Access was still highly restricted as of 2005. See also Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia.

Magruder Boulevard (State Route 134), a major connector road that runs through the independent city
Independent city

An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity.Independent cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other nation-state....
of Hampton
Hampton, Virginia

Hampton is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay....
and into York County.

Thomas Magruder, a character in the Revisionist Western
Revisionist Western

The Revisionist Western, Modern Western or Anti Western traces to the late 1960s in film and early 1970s in film as a sub-genre of the Western movie....
-themed video game, GUN
GUN

Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
, is a former Civil War major with the same last name.

John B. Magruder

Early years and career

Civil War

Postbellum

Honors

See also

Further reading