Brigadier-General George Earl Maney (August 24, 1826 – February 9, 1901) was an American soldier,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

executive and diplomat. He was a general 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 ...

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 ...

and a postbellum U.S. ambassador to Colombia, Bolivia,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Early life and education

George Earl Maney was born in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

, to Judge Thomas Maney and his wife. His father was a prominent newspaper editor and circuit judge. Young Maney attended the Nashville Seminary before graduating from the University of Nashville in 1845 at the age of 19.

Mexican-American War

Maney served as a second lieutenant in the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Regiment during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). When his three-months term of enlistment expired, he enrolled in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and served as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in the 3rd U.S. Dragoons, which participated in 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 ...

's march to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Antebellum career

When hostilities ceased, Maney returned home. He studied law, passed his bar exam in 1850, and established a law practice in Franklin. It became quite successful. Maney subsequently entered politics and was elected to the

Tennessee State Legislature The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

American Civil War

Following the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

of Tennessee and the beginning of the

, Maney joined the Rock City Guards, a Nashville militia. He subsequently enlisted in the

as a captain in the 11th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. On May 6, 1861, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the 1st Tennessee. He served in western Virginia, first under Robert E. Lee at the

Battle of Cheat Mountain The Battle of Cheat Mountain, also known as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, took place from September 12 to 15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign during the ...

and later under Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson at Bath and Romney. Maney asked for a reassignment to his native Tennessee, which was threatened by

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 ...

forces. As an officer in the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

, Maney participated in the Battle of Shiloh and was promoted on April 16, 1862, to

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 ...

. He led his

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

in the battles of Perryville,

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne'' * ''Chic ...

, and Murfreesboro. In November 1863, he was wounded severely in his arm during the Chattanooga Campaign. He was on medical leave for much of the rest of the year. In 1864, Maney commanded a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

in William J. Hardee's

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

during the Atlanta Campaign. He was captured in August and later released, but he did not return to active field duty because of problems with his wounded arm. Hardee recommended that Maney be promoted to

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 ...

, but the request was not fulfilled. Maney surrendered following the

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January ...

and was paroled on May 1, 1865, at

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

Postbellum career

After the war, Maney returned to his Tennessee home. He became president of the

Tennessee and Pacific Railroad The Tennessee and Pacific Railroad was a 19th-century American company that operated a rail line from Lebanon, Tennessee, to Nashville, Tennessee. The state of Tennessee chartered the railroad on May 24, 1866. The original plans were to build a l ...

in 1868, serving in that executive post for nine years. Unlike many of his former Confederate compatriots, he became an active

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was elected to the state senate. During the carpetbagger era, Maney held considerable influence over the Governor of Tennessee,

Dewitt Clinton Senter Dewitt Clinton Senter (March 26, 1830June 14, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Tennessee from 1869 to 1871. He had previously served in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1855–1861), where he oppose ...

. Maney helped restore the government to former Confederates once their

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

were restored. Maney became active in a number of reconciliation efforts during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

, working to improve relations between the former enemies. In early 1876, he was a candidate for governor, but withdrew his name from the ballot. In December of that year, his daughter Frances married a former Union officer in the 15th Massachusetts. During the presidential administrations of

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

Chester Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

, and

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

, Maney was appointed as ambassador to various countries in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. He was the U.S. minister to Colombia (1881–1882), and then was the Minister Resident/Consul General to Bolivia from November 4, 1882, until June 1, 1883. He returned home and was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1884 and 1888. He spent four years (1890–1894) as the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay. General George Maney died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from a cerebral hemorrhage.Welsh, p. 153. He is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

Personal life

Maney married Elizabeth T. "Betty" Crutcher of Nashville in 1853; they raised a family of five children.

Notes

References

* 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. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . * Warner, Seth, "George Earl Maney: Soldier, Railroader, and Diplomat," ''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'', Vol. LXV (2006), 130-147. * Welsh, Jack D., ''Medical Histories of Confederate Generals''. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University, 1995. . * Winborne, Benjamin Brodie, ''The Colonial and State Political History of Hereford County, N.C.'', Murfreesboro, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton, 1906.

External links

*
American National Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maney, George 1826 births 1901 deaths People from Franklin, Tennessee Confederate States Army generals People of Tennessee in the American Civil War American military personnel of the Mexican–American War 19th-century American railroad executives Ambassadors of the United States to Bolivia Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia Ambassadors of the United States to Paraguay Republican Party Tennessee state senators Ambassadors of the United States to Uruguay 19th-century American diplomats Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) 19th-century American politicians