George Paul Harrison Sr. (October 19, 1813 – May 14, 1888) was a brigadier general in 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 ...

from 1856–1861,Smith, p. 303 commander of the 1st Brigade in the Georgia State Troops and a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

in Georgia's First Military District in 1864–1865 during 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 ...

(Civil War). He was a prisoner of war for several months near the end of the war. George P. Harrison Sr. was a rice planter, brigadier general in the Georgia militia and member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

before the Civil War. After the war, Harrison was a state representative in 1865–1866, a delegate to the state constitutional convention, a clerk of the city court of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

and clerk of the superior court of

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, a ...

. He was the father of George Paul Harrison Jr., a

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 ...

colonel, who commanded a brigade late in the war and was later an Alabama State Senator and a two-term member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Alabama.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. . p. 283.Allardice, Bruce S
''More Generals in Gray.''
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. (pbk.). Retrieved September 16, 2012. p. 125.Allardice, Bruce S. ''Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register.'' Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. . pp. 184–185.

Early life

George Paul Harrison Sr. was born in

Effingham County, Georgia Effingham County ( ) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,769. The seat is Springfield. Effingham County is included in the Savannah metropolitan area. I ...

on October 19, 1813.Allardice, 1995. p. 124. He was the son of Colonel William Harrison, a colonel of Georgia militia in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and Mary (Keller) Harrison. Harrison was the father of George Paul Harrison Jr., a Confederate States Army colonel who commanded a brigade near the end of the Civil War and later was an Alabama state senator and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Alabama. Harrison was a rice planter on his

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

plantation, Monteith, now a location within

Port Wentworth, Georgia Port Wentworth is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The 2020 population was 10,878, more than double the population of 5,359 at the 2010 census. Port Wentworth is part of the Savannah metropolitan area. History The Georgia Gener ...

, which is within the Savannah metropolitan area. Before the Civil War, Harrison was a representative for Chatham County in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1842, 1849–1850, 1853–1854; and 1857–1860. He also became a brigadier general in the Georgia militia. He was a delegate to Democrat state party conventions in 1858 and 1860.

American Civil War

After the outbreak of the Civil War,

Georgia Governor The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard, when not in federal service, and State Defense Force. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to eithe ...

Joseph E. Brown appointed Harrison a brigadier general of state troops to rank from September 14, 1861.Eicher, 2001, p. 283 shows Harrison as a major general of Georgia militia before his appointment as a Confederate brigadier general of state militia. Harrison was assigned to establish a training camp near Savannah and to organize the regiments for the new troops. Harrison did this, and led a force guarding the Georgia coast, during the winter of 1861–1862, after which his command was terminated. Under a new militia law in 1864, Harrison was appointed colonel in charge of Georgia's First Military District with the duties of destroying

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

s and tracking down

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

. Soon, Harrison's command was required to oppose Sherman's March to the Sea. When they reached the Savannah area, Sherman's men pillaged Harrison's home and property at Montieth. In December 1864, Harrison was taken prisoner while visiting his devastated property. Harrison was released from prison before the end of the war but refused to take the oath of allegiance to the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

Later life

After the Civil War, Harrison returned to the Savannah area. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for 1865–1866 and served as a delegate to the Georgia constitutional convention. He was elected court clerk of the City Court of Savannah, Georgia and clerk of the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia. George Paul Harrison Sr. died at his home on his farm in Chatham County, Georgia near Savannah, Georgia on May 14, 1888. He is buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia.

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce S. ''Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register''. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. . * Allardice, Bruce S.'' More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. (pbk.). * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
'Monteith map'
Retrieved October 8, 2012. * Smith, Gordon Burns, ''History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861, Volume One, Campaigns and Generals'', Boyd Publishing, 2000.

External links