Roger Atkinson Pryor (July 19, 1828 – March 14, 1919) was both a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and a
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
politician serving as a congressman on both sides. He was also a
juristA jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, serving in the
New York Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of New York is New York State's trial court, and is of general jurisdiction. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
, a lawyer, and newspaper editor. Pryor is also known for being a
ConfederateThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865. It was established in two phases with provisional and permanent organizations, which existed concurrently....
Brigadier General during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
.
Pryor was born near
Petersburg, VirginiaPetersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of Richmond. The population was 33,740 as of the 2000 census. It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to Theodorick Pryor, a grandson of
Richard BlandRichard Bland was an American planter and statesman from Virginia. He served for many terms in the House of Burgesses, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775.-Family and early life:...
, and Lucy Atkinson. He graduated from
Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, Hampden-Sydney is the oldest private charter in the South, as well as the 17th oldest institution of higher education and one of only three four-year, all-men's liberal arts colleges in...
in 1845 and from the law school of the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1848.
Roger Atkinson Pryor (July 19, 1828 – March 14, 1919) was both a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and a
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
politician serving as a congressman on both sides. He was also a
juristA jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, serving in the
New York Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of New York is New York State's trial court, and is of general jurisdiction. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
, a lawyer, and newspaper editor. Pryor is also known for being a
ConfederateThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865. It was established in two phases with provisional and permanent organizations, which existed concurrently....
Brigadier General during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
.
Early life and career
Pryor was born near
Petersburg, VirginiaPetersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of Richmond. The population was 33,740 as of the 2000 census. It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to Theodorick Pryor, a grandson of
Richard BlandRichard Bland was an American planter and statesman from Virginia. He served for many terms in the House of Burgesses, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775.-Family and early life:...
, and Lucy Atkinson. He graduated from
Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, Hampden-Sydney is the oldest private charter in the South, as well as the 17th oldest institution of higher education and one of only three four-year, all-men's liberal arts colleges in...
in 1845 and from the law school of the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1848. The following year, he was admitted to the
barBar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:The bar is a dividing line in a courtroom...
, but abandoned law on account of ill health. Pryor was married on November 8, 1848 to Sara Agnes Rice with whom he would have seven children. He then devoted himself for a few years to
journalismJournalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and comment via a widening spectrum of media. These include newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the internet and even, more recently, the mobile phone...
. Pryor served on the editorial staff of the
Washington Union in 1852 and the
Richmond Enquirer in 1854. He got involved in politics and was appointed special by
Franklin PierceFranklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857, an American politician and lawyer. To date, he is the only President from New Hampshire....
as a diplomat to
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
in 1854. Upon his return to Virginia, he established
The South in 1857. He was a fiery and eloquent advocate of slavery, states' rights, and secession.
In 1859, he was elected as a
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
to the U.S. House of Representatives to fill the vacancy in Virginia's 4th District caused by the death of
William O. GoodeWilliam Osborne Goode was a nineteenth century American politician and lawyer from Virginia.-Personal life:...
. He served from December 7, 1859 to March 3, 1861. In the House, Pryor became a particular enemy of Representative
Thaddeus StevensThaddeus Stevens , of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful members of the United States House of Representatives...
, a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
abolitionist.
During his term, he got into a verbal altercation with
John F. PotterJohn Fox Potter nicknamed "Bowie Knife Potter" was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer and judge from Wisconsin.-Biography:...
, a representative from Wisconsin, and challenged Potter to a duel. Potter, having the choice of weapons, chose bowie knives. Pryor backed out saying that bowie knives were not a civilized weapon. The incident found widespread publication in the Northern press which saw the refusal as a coup for the North — the humiliation of a Southern “fire eater”.
Civil War service
In early 1861, Pryor agitated for immediate
secessionSecession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity.-Secession theory:...
in Virginia, but the state convention did not act. Frustrated,
PryorPryor is a surname, which can refer to:*Arthur Pryor, American trombonist and bandleader*Cactus Pryor, Texan humorist and broadcaster*David Pryor, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas, father of Mark Pryor*Francis Pryor, British archaeologist...
went to
CharlestonCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
in April, to urge immediate attack on
Fort SumterFort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. (Pryor asserted this would cause Virginia to secede.) On April 12, he accompanied the last Confederate party to the fort before the bombardment (but stayed in the boat). Afterward, while waiting at
Fort JohnsonThis article is about the War of 1812 fortification:*For the community in New York, see Fort Johnson, New York*For the Revolutionary War British garrison named Fort Johnson see Wilmington, North Carolina...
, he was offered the opportunity to fire the first shot. But despite his earlier rhetoric, he declined, saying "I could not fire the first gun of the war."
In 1861, Pryor was re-elected to his Congressional seat, but owing to the secession of Virginia, he of course did not sit in the U.S. Congress. (In this period, several states including Virginia elected U.S. Representatives in the early part of odd years. This was possible because Congress almost always met late in the year.) Instead he served in the provisional Confederate Congress in 1861, and also in the
first regular CongressThe First Confederate Congress was the first regular session of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held in November 1861.-Sessions:...
(1862) under the Confederate Constitution.
He entered the
Confederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865. It was established in two phases with provisional and permanent organizations, which existed concurrently....
as
ColonelIn 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. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Captain in the other uniformed services...
of the 3rd Virginia
InfantryInfantrymen 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 the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
. He was promoted to brigadier general on April 16, 1862. His brigade, consisting of
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
s from Virginia,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. 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...
, and
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
, fought in the
Peninsula CampaignThe 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. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, and at
Second ManassasThe Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederacy, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against...
, where it became detached in the swirling fighting and temporarily operated under
Stonewall JacksonThomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the most well-known Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. His military career includes the Valley Campaign of 1862 and his service as a corps commander in the Army of Northern...
. At
AntietamThe Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil...
on September 17, 1862, he assumed command of Anderson's Division in
LongstreetJames Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
's Corps when
Maj. Gen.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...
Richard H. AndersonRichard Heron Anderson was a career U.S. Army officer, fighting with distinction in the Mexican-American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War...
was wounded.
Due to a disagreement with Confederate President
Jefferson DavisJefferson Finis Davis was an American politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
over his desire for permanent higher field command, Pryor resigned his commission in 1863 and his brigade was dismantled. In August of that year, he enlisted as a private and scout in a Virginia
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment under General
Fitzhugh LeeFitzhugh Lee , nephew of Robert E. Lee, was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish-American War.-Early life:...
. Pryor was captured on November 28, 1864, and confined in
Fort LafayetteFort Lafayette was an island coastal fortification in New York Harbor, built next to Fort Hamilton at the southern tip of what is now Bay Ridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn...
as a suspected spy. He was released on parole by order of
PresidentThe 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...
LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
and returned to Virginia.
Postbellum activities
In 1865, an impoverished Pryor moved his family to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where he established a profitable law firm with a partner.. This is when his so called "conversion" began. The partner that Pryor had in the law firm was
Benjamin F. ButlerBenjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as governor of Massachusetts....
, one of the most hated Union generals in the South. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876. He served as judge of the
New York Court of Common PleasThe New York Court of Common Pleas was a state court in New York. Established in New Netherland in 1686, the Court remained in existence in the Province of New York and, after the American Revolution, in the U.S. state of New York until it was abolished in 1894...
from 1890 to 1894, and justice of the
New York Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of New York is New York State's trial court, and is of general jurisdiction. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
from 1894 to 1899. He was appointed official referee by the appellate division of the state Supreme Court on April 10, 1912, and served until his death in New York City. He was buried in
Princeton CemeteryPrinceton Cemetery is located in Borough of Princeton, New Jersey. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as: "The Westminster Abbey of the United States."...
, in
Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New Jersey is located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Princeton University has been sited in the town since 1756. Although Princeton is a "college town", there are other important institutions in the area, including the Institute for Advanced Study, Educational Testing...
.
His wife, Sara Agnes (Rice) Pryor (b. 1830), published
The Mother of Washington and her Times (1903),
Reminiscences of Peace and War (1904),
The Birth of the Nation: Jamestown, 1607 (1907), and
My Day: Reminiscences of a Long Life (1909).
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
External links