Archibald Gracie III (December 1, 1832 – December 2, 1864) was a career

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer, businessman, and a graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

. He is well known for being a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and for his death during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

Early life

Archibald Gracie III was born on December 1, 1832 to Archibald Gracie II (1795–1865), who married Elizabeth Davidson Bethune (d. 1864). He was born into a wealthy

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family with interests in exporting cotton from

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

.Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen, ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'', ''s.v.'' "Gracie, Archibald" reports that his mother was "a Miss Bethune, of Charleston, S.C."; "Bethune" was also a prominent family in New York. After his elementary education, Gracie traveled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for five years of further studying at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

.Gerard A. Patterson's ''Rebels from West Point: The 306 U.S. Military Academy Graduates Who Fought for the Confederacy'' (2002) pg. 126. After arriving back in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Archibald started his education at

, at the time of Robert E. Lee's superintendency. Gracie came to Lee's attention when, after intentionally stepping on fellow cadet Wharton J. Green's heels while marching, he was challenged to a fight on the parade grounds. When a teacher broke up the fight, which Gracie was losing badly, Green fled, and Gracie refused to tell who he'd been fighting. Days later, Green went into Lee's office to admit his role and demand an equal punishment. Lee decided to punish neither of them, and Gracie and Green became fast friends.

Career

After graduating in 1854, he was appointed a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and set off as an escort to Governor Isaac Stevens, who was on the way to the Walla Walla Council of 1855.Thomas McAdory Owen and Marie Bankhead Owens' ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'' (1921) pg. 686. In 1857, Gracie resigned his post to join his father's firm, established during the 1840s in

, as agents of the London banking firm of Baring brothers. Later Gracie became the President of the

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's List of oldest banks in continuous operation, oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 ...

of Mobile.Daly, Maria Lydig; Harold Earl Hammond, and Jean V. Berlin, Diary of a Union Lady, 1861-1865 (2000) pg. 33 It was here in Mobile that he joined the

Washington Light Infantry The Washington Light Infantry is a military and social organization located in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1807, it is one of the oldest of these militia groups still active in the United States. Following the American Revolutionary ...

and became its

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. By the orders of Governor Andrew B. Moore, Archibald and his men took the

Mount Vernon Arsenal The Mount Vernon Arsenal is a former United States Army munitions depot (arsenal), was used as a prison for captured Native Americans, and was served as a psychiatric hospital. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Mount Verno ...

Mount Vernon, Alabama Mount Vernon is a town in Mobile County, Alabama, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. It incorporated in 1959. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 1,354. Geography Mount V ...

Civil War service

When Alabama seceded in 1861, Gracie enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. In June 1861, he was created a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the 11th Alabama Regiment. From March to April 1862, he commanded a small company of sharpshooters, who were some of the first to reinforce General Magruder during the

Battle of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. In July of that year, Gracie was put in command of a brigade near

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, consisting of the 43rd Alabama Infantry, 55th Georgia Infantry, 12th Georgia Infantry, 1st Georgia Artillery, and 1st Florida Dismounted Regiment. Through his successes in

Huntsville, Tennessee Huntsville is a town in Scott County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2020 census and 1,248 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Scott County. History Huntsville was named after a long hunter known only by the ...

, he was promoted to

on November 4, 1862, at the age of 29. His company was the guard of the rear of General Bragg's army in

Harrodsburg Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbor ...

during his retreat from the

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the A ...

, and during his retreat after the Tullahoma Campaign. General Gracie's command took an active role during the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between United States, U.S. and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union Army, Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign ...

, where he lost over 700 men. Gracie and his unit then joined General

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) 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 ...

's army at the

Battle of Bean's Station The Battle of Bean's Station (December 14, 1863) was a battle fought in Grainger County, Tennessee, during the Knoxville campaign of the American Civil War. The action saw Confederate States Army, Confederate forces commanded by Lieutenant General ...

. During this battle, Gracie was shot in the arm, causing temporary paralysis of his little and ring fingers.Welsh, Jack D., Medical Histories of Confederate Generals (1999) pg. 85 After his recovery, he was sent to Richmond to join General Beauregard. While there, he had a horse shot out from under him, but came away relatively unscathed. During the

, General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

was at "Gracie's Mortar Hell" inspecting Gracie's defenses. When Lee raised his head over the wall to glance at the Union position, Gracie climbed the wall in front of him. Lee then stated, "Why, Gracie, you will certainly be killed." Gracie replied, "It is better, General, that I be killed than you. When you get down, I will."Smith, Derek, The Gallant Dead: Union and Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War (2005) pg. 303

Siege of Petersburg

Between July and December 1864, Gracie served in the trenches of

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, during the

. On December 1, Gracie's 32nd birthday, his second child, a girl, was born, and he was to take a leave to see the baby on December 3. On December 2, however, Archibald Gracie was looking out at the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

lines through his telescope when an artillery shell exploded in front of him, killing him instantly. Because of his actions at the

, Gracie's name was put into consideration for a promotion to a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, but his death caused the consideration to be suspended. Francis "Frank" Orray Ticknor eulogized Gracie's death in the poem "Gracie, of Alabama," which he sent to General

Robert H. Chilton Robert Hall Chilton (February 25, 1815 – February 18, 1879) was an officer in the United States Army, U.S. Army and then a Brigadier General (CSA), brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served as Chi ...

.Ticknor, Francis Orray and Kate Mason Rowlands, The Poems of Frank O. Ticknor, M.D. (1879) pp. 39-40

Personal life

On November 19, 1856, Gracie married Josephine Mayo (1836–1901), daughter of Edward Carrington Mayo (1791–1852) and Adeline Marx (1808–1879). Josephine was the niece of

General Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

Biddle, Ellen McGowan, "Recollections" (1920) pg. 20 through her father's sister, Maria D. Mayo (1789–1862). Together, the couple had a son and a daughter, who was born the day before Gracie's death. Their children included: *

Archibald Gracie IV Archibald Gracie IV (January 15, 1858 – December 4, 1912) was an American writer, soldier, amateur historian, real estate investor, and survivor of the sinking of RMS ''Titanic''. Gracie survived the sinking by climbing aboard an overturned ...

(1858–1912), the famous survivor of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

''. * Adeline Gracie (1864–1948) Gracie is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Commemorations

New York City's historic

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the militar ...

Camp, Archibald Gracie Camp #985, is named in his honor.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Biddle, Ellen McGowan, ''"Recollections"'' (1920) pg. 20 *Daly, Maria Lydig; Harold Earl Hammond, and Jean V. Berlin, ''Diary of a Union Lady, 1861-1865'' (2000) pg. 33 *Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . *Owen, Thomas McAdory and Marie Bankhead Owens, ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography'' (1921) pg. 686 *Patterson, Gerard A., ''Rebels from West Point: The 306 U.S. Military Academy Graduates Who Fought for the Confederacy'' (2002) pg. 126 *Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . *Smith, Derek, ''The Gallant Dead: Union and Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War'' (2005) pg. 303 *Ticknor, Francis Orray and Kate Mason Rowlands, ''The Poems of Frank O. Ticknor, M.D.'' (1879) pp. 39–40 * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . *Welsh, Jack D., ''Medical Histories of Confederate Generals'' (1999) pg. 85 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie Iii, Archibald 1832 births 1864 deaths Confederate States Army brigadier generals Northern-born Confederates United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers American expatriates in Germany People of Alabama in the American Civil War Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War Gracie-King family Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)