Robert Vinkler Richardson (November 4, 1820 – January 6, 1870) was a brigadier general in 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 ...

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 ...

Early life

Richardson was born in

Granville County, North Carolina Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. The county has access to Kerr Lake and Falls Lake and is part of t ...

, on November 4, 1820. His family moved to

Hardeman County, Tennessee Hardeman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,462. Its county seat is Bolivar. History Hardeman County was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1823 from parts of Ha ...

, when Richardson was a child. Richardson was admitted to the bar and moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, in 1847 to practice there. He made business connections with

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

and Gideon J. Pillow. 22-26-140-richardson-cropped

Civil War

During the early part of the War, Richardson served under Pillow and recruited the 12th Tennessee Cavalry (also known as the 1st Tennessee Partisan Rangers) and was elected that unit's

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 ...

. Richardson engaged in the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

and the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

. He was attached to Forrest's command in the fall of 1863. On December 3, he was appointed brigadier general; however, after being confirmed his nomination was returned by the Confederate Senate at the request of President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

on February 9, 1864. From then to the remainder of the War, his regiment was attached to James R. Chalmers' command. A communication from Richardson dated October 28, 1863 at Water Valley, MS indicated the difficult living conditions experienced during the War: "For God and the country's sake, make your fair promising, but never complying Quartermaster send me skillets, ovens, pots, or anything else that will bake bread or fry meat. I want clothing, shoes and blankets for my naked and freezing men. . . . I cannot fight any more until I get something to cook in."

Post-War and murder

After the War, Richardson travelled abroad and lived overseas. He returned to Memphis and worked in

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

construction with Forrest. After stopping at a

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

in Clarkton, Missouri, on January 5, 1870, he was shot by an unknown assailant who fired a

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...

at him from behind a wagon in the tavern yard. He died the next day and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.Warner, p. 256-57.

Notes

References

* Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee. ''Tennesseans in the Civil War: A Military History of Confederate and Union Units with Available Rosters of Personnel''. In Two Parts. Part 1. Nashville: Civil War Centennial Commission, 1964, 1965. Reprinted Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1981, 1984. . * 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. .
Memphis Public Ledger January 11, 1870. p.3

Loving, Waldon. 2002. Coming Like Hell: The Story of the 12th Tennessee Cavalry, Richardson’s Brigade, Forrest’s Cavalry Corps, Confederate States of America, 1862-1865.
NY: Writer's Club Press. * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .

Tennessee Gen Web. * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Robert V. 1820 births 1870 deaths Confederate States Army generals Deaths by firearm in Missouri People murdered in Missouri People of North Carolina in the American Civil War People of Tennessee in the American Civil War People murdered in 1870

Early life

Civil War

Post-War and murder

See also

Notes

References