Theophilus H. Holmes

Theophilus Holmes

Theophilus Hunter Holmes (born November 13, 1804 in Clinton , North Carolina , † June 21, 1880 in Fayetteville , North Carolina) was an officer in the US Army until 1861 and later a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army .

Holmes was born the son of former North Carolina Governor Gabriel Holmes . He graduated from the US Military Academy in West Point , New York , in 1829 as the 44th of 46 in his class and was transferred to the 7th US Infantry Regiment as a brevet lieutenant.

He served on the Frontier in the 1830s and 40s and took part in the Second Seminole War. In 1841 he married Laura Wetmore, with whom he had six children.

During the Mexican-American War , he was made a brevet major for his conduct at the Battle of Monterrey . He was promoted to regular rank in 1855 in the 8th US Infantry Regiment.

When the Civil War broke out , Holmes was the commander of the recruiting station at Fort Columbus on Governors Island . He resigned his service in the US Army on April 22, 1861, as he had already joined the Confederate Army as a colonel in March. Besides Holmes, only 14 other staff officers did so . He commanded coastal defense in the North Carolina Defense Area and then served as a brigadier general in the North Carolina Militia. On June 5, 1861, he was promoted to Brigadier General in the Confederate Army and commanded the Fredericksburg Defense District. He supported the Confederate Potomac Army in the First Battle of Bull Run with his artillery. On October 7, 1861, he was promoted to major general. During the Seven Day Battle he fought under Robert E. Lee , although he was not a member of the Northern Virginia Army . His lack of initiative during the fighting was criticized. In July 1862 he was appointed in command of the Trans-Mississippi Theater and promoted to lieutenant general on October 10. His poor performance in the theater of war forced President Jefferson Davis to replace him with Edmund Kirby Smith , due to public pressure , and to appoint Holmes in command of the Arkansas Military Area - part of his former command. Here, too, Holmes was unsuccessful. So he failed in the battle for Helena. When General Smith and other prominent politicians requested his replacement, Holmes resigned from his post in the fall of 1864 and was appointed in command of the North Carolina Reserve by President Davis . Holmes surrendered on April 26, 1865, along with General Joseph E. Johnston , Union General William Tecumseh Sherman .

He returned to North Carolina and spent the rest of his life as a farmer near Fayetteville. Holmes died on June 21, 1880 in Fayetteville.

Web links

• Theophilus H. Holmes in the database of Find a Grave (English)