Allen Sherrod Cutts (December 4, 1826 – March 17, 1896) was an American military leader, militia leader, farmer, and politician. He was a

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

veteran, who served as a colonel of artillery in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, fighting for the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

Early life and pre-war

Cutts was born on December 4, 1826, in

Pulaski County, Georgia Pulaski County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,855. The county seat is Hawkinsville. History Pulaski County was created by an act of the Georgia General A ...

. He was the twelfth and last child of Major Cutts, a farmer born in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and Elizabeth Linsey Cutts, born in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Raised on his father's farms, he received a basic education. He served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

as a sergeant in an artillery unit, from 1846 to 1848. Serving under

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

, he fought in both the Battle of Vera Cruz and the

Battle of Cerro Gordo The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, was an engagement in the Mexican–American War on April 18, 1847. The battle saw Winfield Scott's United States troops outflank Antonio López de Santa Anna's larger Mexican army, driving ...

. After returning from the war he became a merchant in

Oglethorpe, Georgia Oglethorpe is a city in Macon County, Georgia, Macon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 995 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 1,328 in 2010 United States census, 2010. The city is the county seat of Macon C ...

, moving to Americus in 1854. On December 17, 1854, Cutts married Fannie O. Brown of

Monroe County, Georgia Monroe County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is Forsyth. The county was created on May 15, 1821. The county was named for James Monro ...

. They had six children: Claude, Clarence, Earnest, Allen, Inez and Eldridge. Outside of his business as a merchant, Cutts was a member of both the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and the

Oddfellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in London. ...

. In 1861, he was a brigadier general for the

Georgia Militia The Georgia Militia existed from 1733 to 1879. It was originally planned by General James Oglethorpe before the founding of the Province of Georgia, the Crown colony that would become the U.S. state of Georgia. One reason for the founding of the c ...

2nd Brigade.

Civil war

At the outbreak of the Civil war, Cutts raised a battery of Artillery in Georgia, known as the Sumter Artillery. The battery arrived in Virginia after the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

, and saw action at the Battle of Dranesville. In 1862 Cutts expanded the battery to a battalion, the 11th Georgia Artillery Battalion, becoming its commander. This work was rewarded with promotions to the ranks of major (May 22, 1862), lieutenant colonel (May 26, 1862) and colonel (April 22, 1864). The Battalion served in the Artillery Reserve of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

under William N. Pendleton in the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army ...

. It remained near

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, for a time, missing the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

. Cutts' battalion fought in the battles of

Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgin ...

, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, again in the Artillery Reserve; They also fought at Gettysburg, without Cutts, commanded by John Lane. Cutts resumed command in time for the Bristoe Campaign, in which his battalion served in the Third Corps Artillery under R. Lindsay Walker. It also served in that formation in the

Battle of Mine Run The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

. During the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

of 1864, Cutts apparently assisted Walker in command of the guns of Hill's Corps during the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

. He retained battalion command during most of 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 c ...

. Early in the siege, Cutts was assigned command of a large concentration of guns north of the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

that harassed advancing federal forces trying to take the city. Despite intense counter battery fire from federal artillery, Cutts' gunners dug in and continued their fire. Cutts' battalion later served south of the

Appomattox River The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...

. Lane, later a lieutenant colonel, commanded whenever Cutts was on leave. It is likely that Cutts was absent due to illness at the conclusion of the war. Lane was in command just before the Appomattox Campaign, but there is no clear record of the surrender of the Sumter Artillery at the end of the war.

Post war

After the war, Cutts farmed and traded in cotton. He then entered politics as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, serving as mayor of Americus in 1874–1875, 1877–1878, and 1893–1896. As a member of the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

in 1890 and 1891, Cutts tried unsuccessfully to secure state funding for the

Confederate Soldiers' Home The first Atlanta Confederate Soldiers' Home (also called the Old Soldiers' Home) was built in 1890 with the support of Henry W. Grady at a cost of $45,000. Grady proposed the idea first in 1889, and began to raise funds through "subscriptions". ...

. He died in office in 1896, and was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Americus.''The Sumter Flying Artillery''
/ref>

References

Inline General * Jones, Charles E., ''Georgia in the War 1861-1865'', Augusta, Ga. : C.E. Jones, 1909. * Rosenburg, R. B., ''Living Monuments: Confederate Soldiers' Homes in the New South'', Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1995. * Sibley, F. Ray, Junior, ''The Confederate Order of Battle'', volume 1, The Army of Northern Virginia, Shippensburg, PA: White Mane, 1996. * Smith, Gordon Burns, ''History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861, Volume One, Campaigns and Generals'', Boyd Publishing, 2000. * Wise, Jennings C., ''The Long Arm of Lee: the History of the Artillery of the Army of Northern Virginia'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutts, Allen S. 1826 births 1896 deaths Confederate States Army officers People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War People from Oglethorpe, Georgia American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American militia generals