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Pierre Gustave Toutant BeauregardMajor in the United States Army and a Confederate general during the Civil War. He is also known as a writer, politician, and inventor.
Date of Birth: 28.05.1818
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard
- Political and Military Ambitions
- Civil War
- Conflict with Davis and Later War Service
- Post-War Career
- Death and Legacy
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard
Early Life and Military CareerPierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was born into a white Creole family in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, on May 28, 1818. He received his early education in New Orleans and later attended a French school in New York City. In 1838, he graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point, distinguishing himself as an artilleryman and military engineer. Among his army comrades, he earned the nickname "Little Creole."
During the Mexican-American War, Beauregard served in the engineers under General Winfield Scott, participating in several battles and sustaining wounds to his shoulder and thigh. He ended the war with the rank of major.
Political and Military Ambitions
Beauregard was twice married, with his second wife being the niece of Louisiana Senator and later Confederate diplomat John Slidell. He briefly entered politics, unsuccessfully running for mayor of New Orleans in 1858. From 1858 to 1861, he served as chief engineer in charge of building New Orleans's sewage system. He also returned to West Point as superintendent of the Military Academy until January 1861.
Civil War
When Louisiana seceded from the Union, Beauregard dramatically resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the state militia as a private. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a brigadier general on March 1, 1861, and a full general on July 21, 1861. As the fifth-senior general in the Confederate Army, he recommended strong defenses for New Orleans, but his plan was rejected by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This marked the beginning of a growing rift between the two men.
Beauregard's first assignment was to command forces in Charleston, South Carolina. On April 12, 1861, he ordered the bombardment of Fort Sumter, occupied by Union troops, which began the Civil War. However, no one was killed in the capture of the fort. Later that year, he and General Joseph Johnston commanded Confederate forces in the First Battle of Bull Run, where they defeated the Union army under General Irvin McDowell (Beauregard's West Point classmate). After Bull Run, Beauregard proposed creating a battle flag because the official Confederate flag was often confused with the Union flag in the smoke of battle. Together with Johnston and William Miles, he designed the Confederate Battle Flag, which became an iconic symbol of the South.
Beauregard was transferred to Tennessee and took command of Confederate forces at the Battle of Shiloh after the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston. Despite success on the first day, he prematurely called off the attack, believing the Union forces were routed. On the second day, his opponent General Ulysses S. Grant received reinforcements and counterattacked, forcing Beauregard to retreat. After withdrawing to the major railroad junction of Corinth, Mississippi, the Confederates held it for over a month despite being outnumbered two to one, but were forced to abandon it on May 30, 1862.
Conflict with Davis and Later War Service
Declining health and escalating disagreements with Davis led to Beauregard's removal from command of the army. After a brief convalescence, he was assigned to defend the coast of South Carolina and Georgia from Union attacks. He was notably successful in defending Charleston, repelling numerous Union assaults from 1862 to 1864. In 1864, he joined Robert E. Lee in defending Richmond, Virginia. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Petersburg, where 2,200 of his soldiers held off a 10,000-strong Union corps until Lee's main force arrived.
Toward the end of the war, Beauregard appealed to Lee and Davis to authorize a major invasion of the North to defeat Grant's army and win the war. However, he was instead appointed to command the Confederate army in the West. There, with severely limited resources and manpower, he was unable to stop Sherman's advancing forces and surrendered along with Johnston in April 1865.
Post-War Career
After the war, Beauregard wrote several works on military history focusing on the Civil War. He and former Confederate President Jefferson Davis published a series of articles in the postwar years blaming each other for the South's defeat.
Beauregard was offered the command of the Romanian (1866) and Egyptian (1869) armies, but declined both proposals. Instead, he pursued a career in railroad development, both as a company director and a consulting engineer. He made several inventions while leading railroad companies from 1865 to 1876.
He also served in Louisiana state government, first as general of the state militia and later, with less success, as administrator of the state lottery.
Death and Legacy
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard died in New Orleans on February 20, 1893, and was buried at the historic cemetery in the tomb of the Army of Tennessee, which he had once commanded. He is remembered as a skilled general, a prolific writer, and a controversial figure in American history.
