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John Clifford PembertonGeneral of the Confederate Army
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- Biography of John Clifford Pemberton
- Commander of Southern Military District
- The Fall of Vicksburg
- Post-War Life
Biography of John Clifford Pemberton
John Clifford Pemberton was born in Philadelphia in 1814. He graduated from West Point Academy in 1837 and embarked on a successful career in the United States Army before the Civil War. He served on the frontier and participated in the Seminole War and the Mexican-American War, where he was promoted twice for his bravery and exemplary service. Despite being born in the North, Pemberton always supported the concept of states' rights, and in April 1861, he resigned from the U.S. Army to offer his services to the Confederate government. His two brothers continued to serve in the Union Army.
Commander of Southern Military District
In February 1862, Pemberton, already a Confederate general, replaced General Lee as the commander of the military district of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. While Pemberton was a passionate Confederate, many Southerners distrusted him due to his Northern origins. President Jefferson Davis relied on Pemberton's loyalty and abilities, and in October 1862, appointed him to defend Vicksburg and Port Hudson on the Mississippi River, two Confederate strongholds preventing the Federals from controlling the river.
The Fall of Vicksburg
Despite heroic and determined defense, Vicksburg eventually surrendered to the Union army under the command of General Grant on July 4, 1863. Due to his Northern origins, Pemberton was accused of treason and blamed for the fall of Vicksburg and the capture of 29,000 Confederate soldiers. When Pemberton was finally exchanged as a prisoner of war in May 1864, the soldiers and people of the South no longer trusted him, making it impossible to find a post that matched his high rank. Therefore, Pemberton was forced to resign as a lieutenant general and subsequently enlisted as a private. Davis bestowed upon him the rank of colonel and sent him to defend Richmond, where he served the last nine months of the war.
Post-War Life
After the war, Pemberton lived on a farm in Virginia until 1876 when he returned to Pennsylvania, where he passed away in 1881.
