Dixie Betrayed
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William Porcher Miles enjoyed a life of relative luxury after marrying into plantation money in 1863. At war’s end he began life as a Virginia country gentleman in Nelson County. In 1880 Miles became president of the University of South Carolina. Two years later he took over his father-in-law’s Louisiana sugar plantation and grew even richer. His health failed by 1899, when he died at age seventy-six, at his Louisiana estate.
Lucius B. Northrop, stung by the constant criticism of his performance and finally pushed from office as commissary general, was captured by the Yankees in June 1865. A pseudogeneral whose commission had never been confirmed, Northrop’s career had crashed and burned. At age fifty-three he spent four months in prison several blocks from his old office, charged with deliberately starving Yankee prisoners. Released in October 1865 he took up farming near Charlottesville, Virginia. Bitter toward a cast of fellow officers, including Robert E. Lee, he stewed over the past and what might have been. In 1890 a stroke limited his physical movement; four years later he died in Maryland, his last home.
Robert Barnwell Rhett never lived down his reputation as the ultimate fire-eater, the self-proclaimed “father of secession.” Rhett’s angry wartime editorials in the Charleston Mercury had scorched the Confederate president. At war’s end, at age sixty-four, Rhett fumed over the outcome, writing an unpublished history of his actions against Davis that was finally put into print in 2000 as A Fire-Eater Remembers. He eventually moved to Louisiana, where he died in 1876.
Alexander H. Stephens, despite his chronic ill health, lived for nearly twenty years after the war. Disgusted by the mixed motives and complete lack of success of the Hampton Roads Conference, Stephens returned home to await his fate. On May 11, 1865, he was arrested. He spent five months in Fort Warren in Boston Harbor, where he kept a detailed diary before being released. Stephens attempted a return to the U.S. Senate, winning election but eventually barred from taking his seat. Over two years he wrote the ponderous and incredibly dull A Constitutional View of the War between the States, a two-volume legal harangue, and in 1873, he reentered politics. Elected from Georgia as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Stephens served in that capacity until 1882, when he was elected governor of Georgia. He died in 1883, at age seventy-one, after just three months in office.
Robert A. Toombs fled to Cuba and then Paris immediately after the Confederacy’s demise, staying in Europe and then in Canada until 1867. Ultimately returning to the town of Washington, Georgia, he reestablished his law practice at age fifty-seven and reentered Georgia politics. A completely unreconstructed Rebel, Toombs pulled everything he could to thwart Federal authority in the New South. His health deteriorated for a number of years, until he finally died, in 1885.
Louis T. Wigfall blamed Davis for the Confederacy’s defeat after the war even more than he had during the contest. After April 1865 he fled to England, where he attempted to incite Great Britain against United States policy. He returned to Maryland in 1872 and moved back to Texas two years later. That same year he died, at age fifty-seven, unheralded in his time but with few equals in his passion for the Southern Nation.
John H. Winder never made it past the war. When he died of a heart attack in Florence, South Carolina, on February 7, 1865, he was wanted by the Union for his authority over the horribly mismanaged Confederate prison camps. Southerners had never learned to like him, either, because of his limiting controls over the citizens of Richmond. It was said that it was “fortunate” for Winder that he died before the Union captured him, or else he might have suffered a fate even worse than death.
John H. Worsham outlived all the elder politicians who controlled his fate in the great war of 1861-65. The young man used his friendship with Richmond’s mayor, Joseph Mayo, to become toll keeper at Mayo’s Bridge in Richmond soon after he recovered from his wound. He later established a partnership in a tobacco firm, giving him the means to marry Mary Bell Pilcher, in 1871. He then entered the milling business, dabbled in the canal boat business, and subsequently became a bookkeeper, serving his son’s printing company for the remainder of his life. Worsham’s family included four children and six grandchildren. He remained active in Confederate historical activities, proud both of his part in the war and of what America had become in the Gilded Age. His deep blue eyes often displayed a “twinkle,” and he was known around Richmond as a soft-spoken old-timer, a veteran of the war who talked sparingly but was always listened to when he had something to say. In his old age Worsham suffered a fall and contracted pneumonia; he died at age eighty-one, on September 19, 1920, on the fifty-sixth anniversary of his wounding at the battle of Winchester. The South had lost a good man.
Appendix: Executive Officers of the Confederate States, 1861–1865
Presidents
Howell Cobb II, Feb. 4, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional Congress)
Jefferson Davis, Feb. 18, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
Jefferson Davis, Feb. 22, 1862-surrendered May 10, 1865
Vice Presidents
Alexander H. Stephens, Feb. 9, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
Alexander H. Stephens, Feb. 22, 1862-arrested May 11, 1865
Secretaries of State
Robert A. Toombs, Feb. 21, 1861-resigned Jul. 24, 1861 (Provisional)
Robert M. T. Hunter, July 25, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
William M. Browne, Mar. 7, 1862-Mar. 18, 1862 (ad interim)
Judah P. Benjamin, Mar. 18, 1862-May 10, 1865
Secretaries of the Treasury
Christopher G. Memminger, Feb. 21, 1861- Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
Christopher G. Memminger, Mar. 18, 1862- resigned Jul. 18, 1864
George A. Trenholm, Jul. 18, 1864-resigned Apr. 27, 1865
John H. Reagan, Apr. 27, 1865-May 10, 1865 (acting)
Secretaries of War
Leroy P. Walker, Feb. 21, 1861-resigned Sept. 16, 1861 (Provisional) Judah P. Benjamin, Sept. 17, 1861-Nov. 21, 1861 (Provisional, acting)
Judah P. Benjamin, Nov. 21, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
Judah P. Benjamin, Feb. 17, 1862-Mar. 23, 1862 (acting)
George W. Randolph, Mar. 18, 1862-resigned Nov. 17, 1862
Gustavus W. Smith, Nov. 17, 1862-Nov. 21, 1862 (acting)
James A. Seddon, Nov. 21, 1862-resigned Feb. 6, 1865
John C. Breckinridge, Feb. 6, 1865-fled May 10, 1865
Secretaries of the Navy
Stephen R. Mallory, Feb. 28, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
Stephen R. Mallory, Mar. 18, 1862-resigned May 2, 1865
John H. Reagan, May 2, 1865-May 10, 1865 (acting)
Postmasters-General
Henry T. Ellett, Feb. 25, 1861-declined Mar. 5, 1861 (Provisional)
John H. Reagan, Mar. 6, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional)
John H. Reagan, Mar. 18, 1862-surrendered May 10, 1865
Attorneys-General
Judah P. Benjamin, Feb. 25, 1861-resigned Nov. 21, 1861 (Provisional)
Thomas Bragg, Nov. 21, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862 (Provisional) Thomas H. Watts, Mar. 18, 1862-resigned Oct. 1, 1863
Wade Keyes, Oct. 1, 1863-Jan. 4, 1864 (acting)
George Davis, Jan. 4, 1864-resigned Apr. 26, 1865
John H. Reagan, Apr. 26, 1865-May 10, 1865 (acting)
Derived from John H. Eicher and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001).
Congresses of the Confederate States, 1861-1865
Provisional Congress
First session. Assembled at Montgomery, AL, Feb. 4, 1861. Adjourned Mar. 16, 1861, to meet second Monday in May.
Second session (called). Met at Montgomery, AL, Apr. 29, 1861. Adjourned May 21, 1861.
Third session. Met at Richmond, VA, Jul. 20, 1861. Adjourned Aug. 31, 1861.
Fourth session (called). Met at Richmond, VA, Sept. 3, 1861. Adjourned same day.
Fifth session. Met at Richmond, VA, Nov. 8, 1861. Adjourned Feb. 17, 1862.
First Congress
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sp; First session. Met at Richmond, VA, Feb. 18, 1862. Adjourned Apr. 21, 1862.
Second session. Met at Richmond, VA, Aug. 18, 1862. Adjourned Oct. 13, 1862.
Third session. Met at Richmond, VA, Jan. 12, 1863. Adjourned May 1, 1863.
Fourth session. Met at Richmond, VA, Dec. 7, 1863. Adjourned Feb. 17, 1864.
Second Congress
First session. Met at Richmond, VA, May 2, 1864. Adjourned Jun. 14, 1864.
Second session. Met at Richmond, VA, Nov. 7, 1864. Adjourned Mar. 18, 1865.
Members of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States (Feb. 4, 1861-Feb. 17, 1862)
Alabama
William P. Chilton
Jabez L. M. Curry
Nicholas Davis
Thomas Fearn
Stephen F. Hale
H. C. Jones
David P. Lewis
Colin J. McRae
Cornelius Robinson
John Gill Shorter
Robert H. Smith
Richard W. Walker
Arkansas
Augustus H. Garland
Robert W. Johnson
Albert Rust
Hugh F. Thomason
W. W. Watkins
Florida
J. Patton Anderson
Jackson Morton
James B. Owens
John P. Sanderson
George T. Ward
Georgia
Francis S. Bartow
Nathan Bass
Howell Cobb II
Thomas R. R. Cobb
Martin J. Crawford
Thomas M. Foreman
Benjamin H. Hill
Augustus H. Kenan
Eugenius A. Nisbet
Alexander H. Stephens
Robert A. Toombs
Augustus R. Wright
Kentucky
Henry C. Burnett
Theodore L. Burnett
John M. Elliott
George W. Ewing
L. H. Ford
George B. Hodge
Thomas Johnson
Thomas B. Monroe
John J. Thomas
Daniel P. White
Louisiana
Charles M. Conrad
Alexander De Clouet
Duncan F. Kenner
Henry Marshall
John Perkins Jr.
Edward Sparrow
Mississippi
William S. Barry
Alexander B. Bradford
Walker Brooke
J. A. P. Campbell
Alexander M. Clayton
Wiley P. Harris
James T. Harrison
John A. Orr
William S. Wilson
Missouri
Caspar W. Bell
John B. Clark
Aaron H. Conrow
Thomas A. Harris
Robert L. Y. Peyton
George G. Vest
North Carolina
W. W. Avery
Burton Craige
A. T. Davidson
George Davis
Thomas D. McDowell
John M. Morehead
R. C. Puryear
Thomas Ruffin
W. N. H. Smith
Abraham W. Venable
South Carolina
Robert W. Barnwell
William W. Boyce
James Chesnut Jr.
Lawrence M. Keitt
Christopher G. Memminger
William Porcher Miles
James L. Orr
Robert Barnwell Rhett
Thomas J. Withers
Tennessee
John D. C. Atkins
Robert L. Caruthers
David M. Currin
W. H. De Witt
John F. House
Thomas M. Jones
J. H. Thomas
Texas
John Gregg
John Hemphill
William B. Ochiltree
Williamson S. Oldham
John H. Reagan
Thomas N. Waul
Louis T. Wigfall
Virginia
Thomas S. Bocock
Alexander R. Boteler
John W. Brockenbrough
Robert M. T. Hunter
Robert Johnston
W. H. Macfarland
James E. Mason
Walter Preston
William B. Preston
Roger A. Pryor
William C. Rives
Charles W. Russell
Robert E. Scott
James A. Seddon
Waller R. Staples
John Tyler
Senators of the First Congress of the Confederate States (Feb. 18, 1862-Feb. 17, 1864)
Alabama
Clement C. Clay Jr.
Robert Jemison Jr.
William L. Yancey
Arkansas
Robert W. Johnson
Charles B. Mitchell
Florida
James M. Baker
Augustus E. Maxwell
Georgia
Benjamin H. Hill
Herschel V. Johnson
John W. Lewis
Kentucky
Henry C. Burnett
William E. Simms
Louisiana
Thomas J. Semmes
Edward Sparrow
Mississippi
Albert G. Brown
James Phelan
Missouri
John B. Clark
Waldo P. Johnson
Robert L. Y. Peyton
North Carolina
George Davis
William T. Dortch
Edwin G. Reade
South Carolina
Robert W. Barnwell
James L. Orr
Tennessee
Landon C. Haynes
Gustavus A. Henry
Texas
Williamson S. Oldham
Louis T. Wigfall
Virginia
Allen T. Caperton
Robert M. T. Hunter
William B. Preston
Members of the House of Representatives of the First Congress of the Confederate States (Feb. 18, 1862-Feb. 17, 1864)
Alabama
William P. Chilton
David Clopton
Jabez L. M. Curry
E. S. Dargan
Thomas J. Foster
Francis S. Lyon
James L. Pugh
John P. Ralls
William R. Smith
Arkansas
Felix I. Batson
Augustus H. Garland
Thomas B. Hanly
Grandison D. Royston
Florida
James B. Dawkins
Robert H. Hilton
John M. Martin
Georgia
William W. Clark
Lucius J. Gartrell
Julian Hartridge
Hines Holt
Porter Ingram
Augustus H. Kenan
David W. Lewis
Charles J. Munnerlyn
Hardy Strickland
Robert P. Trippe
Augustus R. Wright
Kentucky
Robert J. Breckinridge Jr.
Ely M. Bruce
Horatio W. Bruce
Theodore L. Burnett
James S. Chrisman
John W. Crockett
John M. Elliott
George W. Ewing
George B. Hodge
Willis B. Machem
James W. Moore
Henry E. Read
Louisiana
Charles M. Conrad
Lucius J. Dupré
Duncan F. Kenner
Henry Marshall
John Perkins Jr.
Charles J. Villeré
Mississippi
Ethelbert Barksdale
Henry C. Chambers
J. W. Clapp
Reuben Davis
William D. Holder
John J. McRae
Otho R. Singleton
Israel Welsh
Missou
ri
Caspar W. Bell
Aaron H. Conrow
William M. Cooke
Thomas W. Freeman
Thomas A. Harris
George G. Vest
North Carolina
Archibald H. Arrington
Thomas S. Ashe
Robert R. Bridgers
A. T. Davidson
Burgess S. Gaither
Owen R. Kenan
William Lander
Thomas D. McDowell
J. R. McLean
W. N. H. Smith
South Carolina
Lewis M. Ayer
Milledge L. Bonham
William W. Boyce
James Farrow
John McQueen
William Porcher Miles
William D. Simpson
Tennessee
John D. C. Atkins
David M. Currin
Henry S. Foote
E. L. Gardenhire
Meredith P. Gentry
Joseph B. Heiskell
George W. Jones
Thomas Menees
William G. Swan
William H. Tibbs
John V. Wright
Texas
M. D. Graham
Peter W. Gray
Caleb C. Herbert
Frank B. Sexton
John A. Wilcox
William B. Wright
Virginia
John B. Baldwin
Thomas S. Bocock
Alexander R. Boteler
John R. Chambliss
Charles F. Collier
Daniel C. De Jarnette
David Funsten
Muscoe R. H. Garnett
John Goode Jr.
James P. Holcombe
Albert G. Jenkins
Robert Johnston
James Lyons
Samuel A. Miller
Walter Preston
Roger A. Pryor
Charles W. Russell
William Smith
Waller R. Staples
Territories
Arizona
Marcus H. Macwillie
Cherokee Nation
Elias C. Boudinot
Choctaw Nation
Robert M. Jones
Senators of the Second Congress of the Confederate States (May 2, 1864-Mar. 18, 1865)
Alabama
Robert Jemison Jr.
Richard W. Walker
Arkansas
Augustus H. Garland
Robert W. Johnson
Charles B. Mitchell
Florida
James M. Baker
Augustus E. Maxwell
Georgia
Benjamin H. Hill
Herschel V. Johnson
Kentucky
Henry C. Burnett
William E. Simms
Louisiana
Thomas J. Semmes
Edward Sparrow
Mississippi