James B. Terrill
Encyclopedia
James B. Terrill, often identified as James Barbour Terrill, was born on February 20, 1838 in Bath County, Virginia
. He was practicing law in Warm Springs, Virginia
when the American Civil War
began. He joined the Confederate States Army
and was elected major of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment
in May 1861. He became colonel
of the regiment after the Battle of Chancellorsville
on May 15, 1863. On May 30, 1864, he was killed in action at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
or Battle of Bethesda Church, which immediately preceded the Battle of Cold Harbor
during the Overland Campaign
. Terrill had already been nominated to the grade of brigadier general
. The Confederate Senate posthumously confirmed the appointment on May 31, 1864, to rank from June 1, 1864.
.
James B. Terrill was a graduate of Virginia Military Institute
, class of 1858. He studied law in Lexington, Virginia
at the school of the Hon. John W. Brockenbrough. Starting in 1860 and when the Civil War began, he was practicing law in Warm Springs, Virginia
.
James Terrill was the brother of Confederate Private Phillip Terrill, who was killed in action at the Battle of Cedar Creek
, Union General William Rufus Terrill
, an 1853 graduate of the United States Military Academy
at West Point, New York
, who was mortally wounded on October 8, 1862 at the Battle of Perryville
, and died the next day, and Emily Terrill Porterfield, the wife of Confederate Colonel George A. Porterfield
.
Virginia Governor
Henry A. Wise
appointed Terrill a major of cavalry in the state militia in 1859. When the Virginia Secession Convention effectively took Virginia out of the Union, Terrill hurried to Harpers Ferry
to report for duty.
, later Lieutenant General, and the lieutenant colonel was James A. Walker
, later Brigadier General. Terrill served at the Battle of First Manassas, in Jackson's Valley Campaign, during the Seven Days battles
, at the Battle of Cedar Mountain
, Battle of Second Manassas, Battle of Antietam
, Battle of Fredericksburg
, Battle of Chancellorsville
, Gettysburg Campaign
, the Battle of the Wilderness
and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
. He was promoted first to lieutenant colonel and then after the Battle of Chancellorsville, on May 15, 1863, he was promoted to colonel of the regiment.
Terrill was killed in action at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek or Battle Bethesda Church in Hanover County, Virginia
on May 30, 1864, a few days before the Battle of Cold Harbor
, which took place about 3 or 4 miles to the south. Terrill was buried at Bethesda Church, near the battlefield, by Union troops.
when he was killed at the Battle of Bethesda Church. The Confederate Senate confirmed his appointment the next day, May 31, 1864, to rank from June 1, 1864.
Bath County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,048 people, 2,053 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 2,896 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
. He was practicing law in Warm Springs, Virginia
Warm Springs, Virginia
Warm Springs is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 123. It lies along U.S. Route 220 near the center of the county.-History and geography:...
when 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...
began. He joined the Confederate States 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...
and was elected major of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment
13th Virginia Infantry
The 13th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
in May 1861. He became colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the regiment after 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...
on May 15, 1863. On May 30, 1864, he was killed in action at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek , also called the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown, was a battle fought May 28–30, 1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E...
or Battle of Bethesda Church, which immediately preceded the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
during the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
. Terrill had already been nominated to the grade of brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. The Confederate Senate posthumously confirmed the appointment on May 31, 1864, to rank from June 1, 1864.
Early life
James Barbour Terrill was the son of Colonel William H. Terrill. For many years, William Terrill was the prosecuting attorney for Bath County, VirginiaBath County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,048 people, 2,053 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 2,896 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
.
James B. Terrill was a graduate of Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
, class of 1858. He studied law in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
at the school of the Hon. John W. Brockenbrough. Starting in 1860 and when the Civil War began, he was practicing law in Warm Springs, Virginia
Warm Springs, Virginia
Warm Springs is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 123. It lies along U.S. Route 220 near the center of the county.-History and geography:...
.
James Terrill was the brother of Confederate Private Phillip Terrill, who was killed in action at the Battle of Cedar Creek
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...
, Union General William Rufus Terrill
William R. Terrill
William Rufus Terrill was a United States Army soldier and general who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville during the American Civil War...
, an 1853 graduate of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, who was mortally wounded on October 8, 1862 at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
, and died the next day, and Emily Terrill Porterfield, the wife of Confederate Colonel George A. Porterfield
George A. Porterfield
George Alexander Porterfield was a junior officer of United States forces in the Mexican-American War, colonel in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War and longtime banker in Charles Town, West Virginia after the war...
.
Virginia Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Henry A. Wise
Henry A. Wise
Henry Alexander Wise was an American politician and governor of Virginia, as well as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
appointed Terrill a major of cavalry in the state militia in 1859. When the Virginia Secession Convention effectively took Virginia out of the Union, Terrill hurried to Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
to report for duty.
American civil war service
In May 1861, James B. Terrill was elected major of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment. The colonel of the regiment was A. P. HillA. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. , was a career U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
, later Lieutenant General, and the lieutenant colonel was James A. Walker
James A. Walker
James Alexander Walker was a Virginia lawyer, politician, and Confederate general during the American Civil War, later serving as a United States Congressman for two terms...
, later Brigadier General. Terrill served at the Battle of First Manassas, in Jackson's Valley Campaign, during the Seven Days battles
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, at the Battle of Cedar Mountain
Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
, Battle of Second Manassas, Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The 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. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, 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...
, 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...
, the Battle of 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...
and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. He was promoted first to lieutenant colonel and then after the Battle of Chancellorsville, on May 15, 1863, he was promoted to colonel of the regiment.
Terrill was killed in action at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek or Battle Bethesda Church in Hanover County, Virginia
Hanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
on May 30, 1864, a few days before the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, which took place about 3 or 4 miles to the south. Terrill was buried at Bethesda Church, near the battlefield, by Union troops.
Posthumous promotion
James Barbour Terrill had already been nominated to the grade of brigadier generalBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
when he was killed at the Battle of Bethesda Church. The Confederate Senate confirmed his appointment the next day, May 31, 1864, to rank from June 1, 1864.