William Joseph Hardee General of the Confederate Army Country: USA

Biography of William Joseph Hardee

William Joseph Hardee was born in Georgia in 1815. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and went on to serve in the war against the Seminole tribe and the Mexican campaign. After the Mexican campaign, Hardee taught at his alma mater.

Hardee gained recognition as the author of the textbook "Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics," which was well-known both in the North and the South. In March 1861, he joined the Confederate Army and commanded a corps in the Battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded. He also participated in the defense of Corinth and the Tullahoma campaign.

Due to complicated personal relations with General Braxton Bragg, Hardee transferred his command to Joseph Johnston. However, he was soon forced to serve again in Bragg's Tennessee Army. Leading a corps in this army, Hardee took part in the Chattanooga campaign and the Battle of Atlanta. He also directed the defense and evacuation of Savannah.

At the end of the war, Hardee served as the commander of the Atlantic coast defenses in Joseph Johnston's army. In his final battle at Bentonville in early April 1865, Hardee lost his only son, who served in his corps and was killed in the fight. After the war, he retired to his estate in Alabama, where he passed away in 1873.