DEATH OF GEN. BRAXTON BRAGG

Wilmington journal. (Wilmington, N.C.), 06 Oct. 1876
Contact: Myrtle Bridges   April 11, 2018

Fort Bragg is the home of the Airborne. For more than half a century, Fort Bragg has had a proud heritage 
as the Home of the Nation's finest fighting forces. Fort Bragg is located just west of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The fort is named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

Gen. Braxton Bragg dropped dead in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday of last week while crossing Twentieth street in front 
of the post office. He was sixty-one years old. His body lay in state at Artillery Hall, and will be taken to Mobile if arrangements 
can be made with the New Orleans steamer for its conveyance.
	Gen. Bragg was in his usual health up to the moment of the attack. The cause of his death was syncope, induced by organic disease 
of the heart.
	Gen. Bragg was born in Warren county, N.C., in 1815. He graduated at West Point in 1837, was appointed lieutenant of artillery, and 
served mainly in Florida till 1843, during the war with the Seminoles. From 1843 to 1845 he was stationed at Fort Moultrie, in Charleston 
harbor, and just before the breaking out of the war with Mexico was ordered to Texas. In may, 1846, he was made captain by brevet for gallant 
conduct in the defense of Fort Brown, and in June was made captain of artillery. He was present at the battle of Monterey, September 21-23, 
and was brevetted as major for gallant conduct there, and in 1847 was brevetted as lieutenant colonel for gallant conduct in the battle of 
Beuna Vista. From 1848 to 1855 he was engaged at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, Fort Gibson and Washita. In March 1855, he was appointed major 
of cavalry, but declined, and received leave of absence. In January, 1856, he resigned his commission in the army and retired to his plantation, 
at Thibodeaux, La. In 1859-'61 he was commissioner of the Board of Public Works of the State of Louisiana. When the late war broke out he 
joined the Confederated, was appointed brigaier-general and placed in command at Pensacola. In February, 1862, He was made major general and 
ordered to join the Army of the Mississippi. He took part in the battle of Shiloh, April 6th and 7th; was raised to the full rank of General 
in place of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, killed at Shiloh, and after the evacuation of Corinth succeeded Gen. Beauregard in command of the 
department. In ausust he left Tennessee at the head of a strong force, and entered Kentucky, but after the battle of Perryville, october 8th 
was forced to retreat, carrying with him a vast amount of supplied and many recruits. He was removed from his command, but was soon restored, 
and resumed command of the force opposed to the Federal army under Rosecrans. He was checked by Rosecrans in the protracted contast of Stone 
river, or Murfreesboro', Decemter 26, 1862, to January 2, 1863, again encounted and defeated him at Chickamauga September 19 and 20, 1863, but met with a reverse from Gen. Grant at Chattanooga November 23-25. Shortly afterward he 
was relieved from command and called to Richmond, wher for a time he acted as military adviser to President Davis, with whom he was a favorite. In the autumn of 1864 he led a small force from North Carolina to Georgia to operated against Sherman, but without success.
	Since the war Gen Bragg took no prominent parts in public affairs.

©Copyright April 11, 2018
Last up-dated August 31, 2022