TJ Goree
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jewett "TJ" Goree (November 14, 1835 – March 5, 1905) was a Confederate
Lieutenant in the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
during the American Civil War
. By the end of the War he was promoted to the rank of Captain. He was one of Lt. General James Longstreet's
most trusted aides.
, Alabama
. At age 15, he and family moved to Huntsville
, Texas
. At age 18, he attended Baylor College, from which he graduated with a Law degree. With other partners, he formed a law firm in Montgomery
, Texas
in 1858, later moving it to Houston. At the start of the American Civil War
in 1861 he left his law firm and headed for Virginia
to volunteer for the Confederacy
.
, who had resigned his commission in the United States Army
and was also traveling to Virginia
to offer his services to the Confederate states. Lt. Goree, who was eventually promoted to captain, served as Longstreet's aide throughout the war and was involved in almost every battle in which Longstreet's division took part, from Blackburn's Ford
to Appomattox
. He was never wounded, although he had several horses shot out from under him and his clothing was riddled with bullet holes.
, Goree accompanied Longstreet home to Alabama. Goree returned to Texas in 1865 and took over operations at the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville, which his mother had purchased in 1858. He ran the plantation and continued to practice law until 1869.
On June 25, 1868, Goree married Elizabeth Thomas Nolley
who was head of Andrew Female College at Huntsville. The couple spent a year at the Raven Hill Plantation and then moved to the Moffattville Plantation near Midway in Madison County. In Midway, Goree operated a general mercantile business, Goree and Wakefield, while his wife organized a school.
In 1873, the Goree family returned to Huntsville, where he formed a law partnership with Col. Leonard Anderson Abercrombie. That year, Goree was appointed a member of the board of directors, later board of commissioners, of the Texas State Prisons. In 1877, Governor Richard B. Hubbard
appointed Goree superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, a title that was later changed to superintendent of penitentiaries. He served in that position for the next fourteen years.
In 1891 he became the general agent for the Birmingham Iron Company, New Birmingham, Texas, and in 1893 he was named assistant general manager of the Texas Land and Loan Company at Galveston.
The Goree Unit
of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, was named in honor of TJ Goree in 1935. The unit houses the state's Sex Offender Treatment Program and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The unit is accredited by the American Correctional Association
.
in Galveston on March 5, 1905. He and Elizabeth had five children. One grandchild was the noted Texas artist and author John W. Thomason, Jr. Thomas J. Goree and Elizabeth Goree are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville
, Texas
.
's The Killer Angels
.
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...
Lieutenant in the First Corps, 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...
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...
. By the end of the War he was promoted to the rank of Captain. He was one of Lt. General James Longstreet's
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
most trusted aides.
Early life
Thomas J. Goree was born on November 14, 1835 in MarionMarion, Alabama
Marion is the county seat of Perry County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,511. First called Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed after a hero of the American Revolution, Francis Marion.-Geography:...
, 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...
. At age 15, he and family moved to Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. At age 18, he attended Baylor College, from which he graduated with a Law degree. With other partners, he formed a law firm in Montgomery
Montgomery, Texas
Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 489. It is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.-History:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1858, later moving it to Houston. At the start of 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...
in 1861 he left his law firm and headed for Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to volunteer 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...
.
Civil War Service
On the boat from Galveston, Texas to New Orleans, he met Maj. James LongstreetJames Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
, who had resigned his commission in the United States Army
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...
and was also traveling to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to offer his services to the Confederate states. Lt. Goree, who was eventually promoted to captain, served as Longstreet's aide throughout the war and was involved in almost every battle in which Longstreet's division took part, from Blackburn's Ford
Blackburn's Ford
Blackburn's Ford was the crossing of Bull Run by Centreville Road between Manassas and Centreville, Virginia, in the United States. It was named after the original owner of the Yorkshire Plantation , Col. Richard Blackburn, formerly of Yorkshire, England...
to Appomattox
Appomattox, Virginia
Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County.Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He was never wounded, although he had several horses shot out from under him and his clothing was riddled with bullet holes.
Postbellum
After AppomattoxAppomattox, Virginia
Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County.Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Goree accompanied Longstreet home to Alabama. Goree returned to Texas in 1865 and took over operations at the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville, which his mother had purchased in 1858. He ran the plantation and continued to practice law until 1869.
On June 25, 1868, Goree married Elizabeth Thomas Nolley
Elizabeth Goree
Elizabeth Thomas "Tommie" Nolley Goree was an early Texas teacher, school administrator, and education advocate. She was also the wife of Confederate States Army veteran Capt. TJ Goree.-Career:...
who was head of Andrew Female College at Huntsville. The couple spent a year at the Raven Hill Plantation and then moved to the Moffattville Plantation near Midway in Madison County. In Midway, Goree operated a general mercantile business, Goree and Wakefield, while his wife organized a school.
In 1873, the Goree family returned to Huntsville, where he formed a law partnership with Col. Leonard Anderson Abercrombie. That year, Goree was appointed a member of the board of directors, later board of commissioners, of the Texas State Prisons. In 1877, Governor Richard B. Hubbard
Richard B. Hubbard
Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. was the 16th Governor of Texas from 1876 to 1879 and United States Envoy to Japan from 1885 to 1889. He was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War and was a member of the Democratic Party.-Early years:Hubbard was the son of Richard Bennett and Serena Hubbard...
appointed Goree superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, a title that was later changed to superintendent of penitentiaries. He served in that position for the next fourteen years.
In 1891 he became the general agent for the Birmingham Iron Company, New Birmingham, Texas, and in 1893 he was named assistant general manager of the Texas Land and Loan Company at Galveston.
The Goree Unit
Goree Unit
The Thomas Goree Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison, located in Huntsville, Texas, miles south of downtown Huntsville on Texas State Highway 75 South. The Goree Unit is located within Region I.-History:...
of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, was named in honor of TJ Goree in 1935. The unit houses the state's Sex Offender Treatment Program and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The unit is accredited by the American Correctional Association
American Correctional Association
The American Correctional Association , formerly known as the American Prison Association, is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. Approximately 80 percent of all state departments of corrections and youth services are active participants...
.
Death
Thomas Jewett Goree died of pneumoniaPneumonia
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...
in Galveston on March 5, 1905. He and Elizabeth had five children. One grandchild was the noted Texas artist and author John W. Thomason, Jr. Thomas J. Goree and Elizabeth Goree are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
In popular media
Goree was portrayed by Ivan Kane in Gettysburg the 1993 film version of Michael ShaaraMichael Shaara
Michael Shaara was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division...
's The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the Union and the Confederacy move into battle around...
.
External links
Book Sources
- Michael, Shaara, The Killer Angels, The Random House Publishing Group, 1974, ISBN 1586635247.
- Goree, Thomas, Longstreet's Aide: The Civil War Letters of Major Thomas J. Goree, University Press of Virginia, June 1995, ISBN 0813915740.