Edward A. Perry
Encyclopedia
Edward Aylesworth Perry (March 15, 1831 October 15, 1889) was a general under Robert E. Lee
during the American Civil War
and the 14th Governor of Florida
.
Born in Richmond, Massachusetts
, Perry moved to Greenville, Alabama
in 1853, after briefly attending Yale University
. In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hillary Herbert (who was a hero at the Battle of Gettysburg
and Secretary of the Navy under President
Grover Cleveland
). He soon moved to Pensacola, Florida
and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge for Escambia County, Florida
, from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Virginia Taylor on February 1, 1859, a granddaughter of Hilary Herbert and a cousin of the Hilary A. Herbert
who was a Confederate Army
colonel
and served in the Cleveland administration as Secretary of the Navy.
, Perry fought with distinction for the Confederacy
, rising from the rank of private
to brigadier general
. In May 1861, he enlisted in Company A of the 2nd Florida Infantry and was elected as its captain. A year later, he was elected colonel
of the regiment
.
In June 1862, he was wounded during the fight at Glendale
during the Peninsula Campaign
and furloughed. On August 28, 1862, Perry was appointed as a brigadier general
in the Provisional Army of the Confederacy and returned to active duty the following year. He led an all-Florida brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia
at the Battle of Chancellorsville
, but was stricken with typhoid fever
and missed the Gettysburg Campaign
, where Col. David Lang
commanded Perry's Brigade.
Perry returned to the Army of Northern Virginia to command his brigade for the Bristoe Campaign
in the fall of 1863. However, he was severely wounded in the fighting at the Wilderness
on May 6, 1864. He briefly returned to the trenches during the Siege of Petersburg
, but had not recovered sufficiently for active duty. Hence, he was sent to Alabama for the duration of the war, serving on reserve duty in the Confederate Invalid Corps.
state politician. Elected governor in 1884, he assumed office on January 7, 1885. During his administration, Florida
adopted a new constitution
and established the state board of education
. He was an outspoken opponent of the carpetbagger
s.
His antebellum home became the Scottish Rite Temple in downtown Pensacola
The Confederate Monument on Palafox Street bears a plaque honoring his wife, Wathen Virginia Taylor, who raised the funds for its erection. After leaving office on January 8, 1889, he returned home to Pensacola
. The property was sold for $2.53 million to the adjacent First United Methodist Church
, and fund raising for renovations are in place. He died suddenly of a stroke
while visiting Kerrville, Texas
later that year, aged 58.
He and his wife are buried in St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida
where the grave marker and central monument in the Perry plot shows the name of his wife to be Wathen Virginia Perry as does the historic marker at the former Perry home at 1 E. Wright Street.
Perry, Florida
is named in his honor.
Perry Avenue, Florida State Road 296's final leg in East Pensacola Heights, Florida toward the terminus at Cervantes Street U.S. Route 90 is named for him.
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
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...
and the 14th Governor of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Early life
He was a descendant of Arthur Perry, one of the earliest settlers of New England. His parents were farmers, Asa and Philura Perry, and he was the fourth of five children.Born in Richmond, Massachusetts
Richmond, Massachusetts
Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,475 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Perry moved to Greenville, Alabama
Greenville, Alabama
Greenville is a city in Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 7,228. The city is the county seat of Butler County and is known as the Camellia City. The movement to change the Official Alabama State Flower from the goldenrod to the camellia originated in...
in 1853, after briefly attending Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hillary Herbert (who was a hero at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
and Secretary of the Navy under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
). He soon moved to Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge for Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
, from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Virginia Taylor on February 1, 1859, a granddaughter of Hilary Herbert and a cousin of the Hilary A. Herbert
Hilary A. Herbert
Hilary Abner Herbert was Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland. He also served as a member of the United States house of representatives from Alabama.-Biography:...
who was a Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
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...
and served in the Cleveland administration as Secretary of the Navy.
American Civil War
During the Civil WarAmerican 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...
, Perry fought with distinction for the Confederacy
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...
, rising from the rank of private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
to 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...
. In May 1861, he enlisted in Company A of the 2nd Florida Infantry and was elected as its captain. A year later, he was elected 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
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...
.
In June 1862, he was wounded during the fight at Glendale
Battle of Glendale
The Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War.The...
during the 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. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
and furloughed. On August 28, 1862, Perry was appointed as a 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...
in the Provisional Army of the Confederacy and returned to active duty the following year. He led an all-Florida brigade 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, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, but was stricken with typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
and missed the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, where Col. David Lang
David Lang (colonel)
David Lang was a land surveyor, Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War, civil engineer, and Florida politician.-Early life:...
commanded Perry's Brigade.
Perry returned to the Army of Northern Virginia to command his brigade for the Bristoe Campaign
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
in the fall of 1863. However, he was severely wounded in the fighting at the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
on May 6, 1864. He briefly returned to the trenches during the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, but had not recovered sufficiently for active duty. Hence, he was sent to Alabama for the duration of the war, serving on reserve duty in the Confederate Invalid Corps.
Aftermath; Governor
He returned to Florida and became a prominent lawyer and DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
state politician. Elected governor in 1884, he assumed office on January 7, 1885. During his administration, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
adopted a new constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
and established the state board of education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
. He was an outspoken opponent of the carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
s.
His antebellum home became the Scottish Rite Temple in downtown Pensacola
The Confederate Monument on Palafox Street bears a plaque honoring his wife, Wathen Virginia Taylor, who raised the funds for its erection. After leaving office on January 8, 1889, he returned home to Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. The property was sold for $2.53 million to the adjacent First United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, and fund raising for renovations are in place. He died suddenly of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
while visiting Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is a city in Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,425 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the population was 22,826...
later that year, aged 58.
He and his wife are buried in St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
where the grave marker and central monument in the Perry plot shows the name of his wife to be Wathen Virginia Perry as does the historic marker at the former Perry home at 1 E. Wright Street.
Perry, Florida
Perry, Florida
Perry is a city in Taylor County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,017 at the 2010 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,017....
is named in his honor.
Perry Avenue, Florida State Road 296's final leg in East Pensacola Heights, Florida toward the terminus at Cervantes Street U.S. Route 90 is named for him.
Further reading
- Allardice, Bruce S. Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register. Columbia: University of Missouri PressUniversity of Missouri PressThe University of Missouri Press is a university press founded in 1958 at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.-External links:*...
, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8262-1809-4 - Allardice, Bruce S. More Generals in Gray. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University PressLouisiana State University PressThe Louisiana State University Press is a nonprofit book publisher and an academic unit of Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, the press publishes scholarly, general interest, and regional books as part of the university’s mission to disseminate knowledge and culture...
, 1995. ISBN 0-8071-3148-2 (pbk.) - Eicher, John H., and David J. EicherDavid J. EicherDavid John Eicher is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of Astronomy magazine since 2002...
, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University PressStanford University PressThe Stanford University Press is the publishing house of Stanford University. In 1892, an independent publishing company was established at the university. The first use of the name "Stanford University Press" in a book's imprinting occurred in 1895...
, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3 - Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
External links
- Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
- Civil War Florida
- Edward Aylesworth Perry at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment
- Scottish Rite Masonic Center at Pensapedia.