John Bordenave Villepigue
Encyclopedia
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer who served on the Western Frontier and became a Confederate
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...
general in 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...
. One of his descendents would later be World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient John Canty Villepigue
John C. Villepigue
John Canty Villepigue was a S.C. National Guard 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, United States Army Corporal who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I.-Biography:...
.
Early career
Villepigue was born in CamdenCamden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
, Kershaw County, South Carolina, of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
descent; one of no less than six Confederate
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...
generals who came from Kershaw County. Admitted to The South Carolina Military Academy at the Arsenal 1 Jan 1846, transferred the Citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
on 1 Jan 1847, a pay cadet and not eligible for a Beneficiary Cadet scholarship, he left to enter 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...
. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, in 1854, as a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. His initial service was out on the frontiers of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and he was involved in the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
expedition of 1855, the march to Fort Lookout
Fort Kiowa
Fort Kiowa was an 19th century American Fur Company trading post on the Missouri River near Oacoma, South Dakota. Fort Kiowa was the destination of Hugh Glass' several hundred mile crawl. The site is now underwater....
, Dakota
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
in 1856, and the Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
campaign of 1857-58. By now a first lieutenant, Villepigue spent time at the Carlisle Cavalry School
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
and was on duty in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
at the time of the secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
, whereupon he resigned his commission on March 31, 1861, to enter the service of 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...
.
Defense of Fort McRee
Villepigue was initially commissioned as a captain of artillery but was quickly promoted to the rank of colonelColonel (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...
in the provisional army and assigned to the 36th Georgia Infantry 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...
. His first notable action was to command the defense
Battle of Fort McRee
The Battle of Fort McRee was an attack on Fort McRee in Pensacola Bay by Union ships led by Harvey Brown. The Confederate States of America tried to hold the fort, and managed to retain control of it.- Battle :...
of Fort McRee
Fort McRee
Fort McRee, was a historic military fort constructed by the United States, on the eastern tip of Perdido Key, to defend Pensacola and its important natural harbor...
, guarding 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...
harbor, during the bombardment of November 22, 1861
Battle of Pensacola (1861)
The Battle of Pensacola was a battle between the Confederate States of America troops occupying Pensacola Bay and the Union fleet under Harvey Brown. The Confederates retained control of the city and its forts after months of siege.- Siege of Pensacola :...
. At the time, his commanding officer, General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
, suggested that for the number and caliber of guns involved, this would surely rank as the heaviest bombardment in the world to date. Bragg praised Villepigue's coolness under fire, even while grievously wounded, and noted that his example caused the troops he was leading—for the most part raw volunteers from Georgia and Mississippi—to fight with the courage of veterans.
General Bragg wrote of Colonel Villepigue that he was, "an educated soldier, possessing in an eminent degree the love and confidence of his officers and men, he had been specially selected for this important and perilous post. The result fully vindicates the fortunate choice, and presents for our admiration, blended in perfect harmony, the modest but heroic soldier with the humble but confiding Christian."
Defense of Fort Pillow
Villepigue was promoted to the staff of General Bragg as chief of engineers and artillery. He moved to Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, and was appointed 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...
early in 1862. General P.G.T. Beauregard, who also held him in high esteem, then moved him to command Fort Pillow, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Villepigue conducted a stubborn and skillful defense against greatly superior Federal land and naval forces. Finally ordered to retire, he blew up his fortifications and led his men to safety.
Brigade commander
Villepigue commanded a brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
at the Second Battle of Corinth
Second Battle of Corinth
The Second Battle of Corinth was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. For the second time in the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S...
in October 1862, in the division of Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Mansfield Lovell
Mansfield Lovell
Mansfield Lovell was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was roundly criticized in Southern newspapers for allowing Union forces to capture the city of New Orleans....
, under the overall command of Maj. Gen. Earl van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn was a career United States Army officer, fighting with distinction during the Mexican-American War and against several tribes of Native Americans...
. He distinguished himself in both the successful opening attack and the covering of the eventual retreat. The arduous nature of the campaign laid him low with a fever however, and, with the promise of a major general's
Major General
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...
commission, he was sent to Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson is a small unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is most famous for an American Civil War battle known as the Siege of Port Hudson.-Geography:...
, to recuperate. Unfortunately, no sooner had he arrived there than his condition worsened and he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Brigadier General Villepigue is buried in the "Old Quaker Cemetery
Old Quaker Cemetery
Old Quaker Cemetery is a cemetery located in Camden, South Carolina, in Kershaw County. It dates back to the earliest days of Camden, which was first settled in 1730, and is the oldest inland city in South Carolina...
" in his home town of Camden, South Carolina. John Canty Villepigue was buried there also after his death in World War I. That cemetery also maintains the grave of World War I Medal of Honor recipient Richmond Hobson Hilton
Richmond H. Hilton
Richmond Hobson Hilton was a S.C. National Guard 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Sergeant during World War I, and a Medal of Honor recipient—the first of two from Kershaw County, South Carolina to be awarded the medal during that war...
, the graves of Civil War Confederate Generals Joseph B. Kershaw
Joseph B. Kershaw
Joseph Brevard Kershaw was a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
and John Doby Kennedy
John Doby Kennedy
John Doby Kennedy was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, as well as a post-war planter, attorney, politician, and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.-Early life and career:...
, and that of Confederate soldier and hero from the 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...
, Richard Rowland Kirkland
Richard Rowland Kirkland
Richard Rowland Kirkland, known as "The Angel of Marye's Heights", was a Confederate Army soldier during the American Civil War, noted for his bravery and humanitarian actions during the Battle of Fredericksburg....
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals