John Horace Forney was a 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...

 in 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...

 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...

.

Early life

John Horace Forney was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina

Lincolnton, North Carolina

Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States, within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. Lincolnton is located northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River, and near the junction of State Highway 27 and U.S. Route...

 to Jacob and Sabina Swope Hoke Forney. He was the younger brother of Confederate Brigadier General William H. Forney

William H. Forney

William Henry Forney was a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He was the grandson of Peter Forney and nephew of Daniel Munroe Forney and the brother of John Horace Forney.-Biography:...

, first cousin of Confederate Brigadier General Robert Daniel Johnston

Robert Daniel Johnston

Robert Daniel Johnston was a brigadier beneral for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, and second cousin of Confederate Major Generals Robert F. Hoke and Stephen Dodson Ramseur

Stephen Dodson Ramseur

Stephen Dodson Ramseur was one of the youngest Confederate generals in the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded in battle at the Battle of Cedar Creek in the Shenandoah Valley.-Early life:...

. His parents moved to Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 in 1835. John Horace Forney was appointed to 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, NY and graduated in 1852, twenty-second in his class. Forney was commissioned 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 of the 7th U.S. Infantry. He was promoted to second lieutenant on October 24, 1853, and transferred to the 10th Infantry on March 3, 1855. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1855.

Civil War

Forney resigned his commission on January 23, 1861, and entered the Confederate Army as 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 10th Alabama Infantry and took part in the First Battle of Manassas. He was wounded at Dranesville, Virginia, in December 1861. Forney was promoted to brigadier general on March 10, 1862, and to major general on October 27—a rise in rank that probably outran his abilities. After brief service as commander of the Departments of Alabama and 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...

 he was given a division of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton

John C. Pemberton

John Clifford Pemberton , was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg in...

's army defending Vicksburg

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...

 and was captured there when the city fell in July 1863. After being exchanged, Forney was sent to the Department of the Trans-Mississippi, where he followed John George Walker

John George Walker

John George Walker was a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life and military career:Walker was born in Jefferson City, Missouri...

 as commander of the Texas Division.

Post-war and death

At the end of the war, he returned to Alabama, where he was a farmer and civil engineer until his death in Jacksonville on September 13, 1902. He was interred at City Cemetery.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

External links