John Selden Roane - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the Arkansas governor. For the Virginia politician, see John Roane
John Roane
John Roane was an eighteenth and nineteenth century politician from Virginia. He was the father of congressman John J. Roane....

.

John Selden Roane (January 8, 1817 April 8, 1867) was a Confederate

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...

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...

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...

. He also served as the fourth Governor of the State of Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

Biography

John Selden Roane was born in Lebanon

Lebanon, Tennessee

Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...

in Wilson County, Tennessee, and was educated at Cumberland College

Cumberland University

Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...

which at the time was located in Princeton, Kentucky

Princeton, Kentucky

Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...

. Roane immigrated to Arkansas in 1837, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. From 1840 to 1842 he was Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District of Arkansas. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives

Arkansas House of Representatives

The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...

from 1842 to 1844.

At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Roane was made a lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

in Archibald Yell

Archibald Yell

Archibald Yell was a member of the United States House of Representatives, second Governor of the State of Arkansas, and a Brigadier General in the United States Army serving in the Mexican-American War.-Early life:...

's Arkansas 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...

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...

and succeeded to command of the regiment when Colonel Yell was mortally wounded repelling the charge of the Mexican lancers at the Battle of Buena Vista

Battle of Buena Vista

The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...

. Roane was officially appointed 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 regiment on February 28, 1847. Roane was known to be jealous of the honor of his state and once challenged Albert Pike

Albert Pike

Albert Pike was an attorney, Confederate officer, writer, and Freemason. Pike is the only Confederate military officer or figure to be honored with an outdoor statue in Washington, D.C...

to a duel over what he perceived as derogatory statements made about the Arkansas regiment in the Mexican-American War. The duel was fought, but neither combatant was injured.

Roane served as Governor of Arkansas from 1849 to 1852 and advocated internal improvements and increased funding for education.

On February 1, 1855, John Selden Roane married Mary Kimbrough Smith (July 27, 1833-September 13, 1907), daughter of Nathaniel G. Smith & Sarah Kimbrough Martin in Tulip, Dallas County, Arkansas. Judge Somerville presided.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Roane joined the Confederate Army and on March 20, 1862, and received an appointment as Brigadier General

Brigadier general (United States)

. After most troops were moved from Arkansas across the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Roane was placed in charge of the defense of Arkansas. At this time the state was nearly defenseless, and Roane, with the newly appointed commander of the Trans-Mississippi District General Thomas C. Hindman

Thomas C. Hindman

Thomas Carmichael Hindman, Jr. was a lawyer, United States Representative from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....

, cobbled together a reasonable defensive force. General Roane and his brigade took part in numerous battles in the Trans-Mississippi District, including the Battle of Prairie Grove

Battle of Prairie Grove

The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on 7 December 1862, that resulted in a tactical stalemate but essentially secured northwest Arkansas for the Union.-Strategic situation: Union:...

in northwest Arkansas.

He died in Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...

, and is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Little Rock

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...

Biography

See also