Samuel Gibbs French (November 22, 1818 – April 20, 1910) was an American military officer from New Jersey. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1843, served as a captain in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in the

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 ...

, and was wounded at the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

. In 1856, he resigned his commission to manage a plantation in Mississippi he obtained through marriage. At the start of 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 ...

, he sided with the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, was commissioned lieutenant colonel, promoted to brigadier general and major general. He served in the Eastern Theater and commanded the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. He was transferred to the Western Theater and commanded a division in the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

during the attempt to relieve the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, the Atlanta campaign and the Franklin-Nashville campaign. Over the course of his military career, he served in thirty-five engagements. In 1901, he published his autobiography ''Two Wars: an Autobiography of Gen. Samuel G. French, An Officer in the Armies of the United States and the Confederate States, A Graduate from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point 1843.''

Early life and education

French was born on November 28, 1818 near

Mullica Hill, New Jersey Mullica Hill is a census-designated place, census-designated place (CDP) and Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community within Harrison Township, New Jersey, Harrison Township in Gloucester County, New J ...

, the second son of Samuel and Rebecca (Clark) French. He spent his childhood on the family farm and was educated at the Harmony School. He attended the Burlington Academy preparatory school in Burlington, New Jersey and was accepted to the United States Military Academy on March 22, 1839. In 1843, French graduated from the United States Military Academy along with several future Civil War generals including Christopher C. Augur,

William B. Franklin William Buel Franklin (February 27, 1823March 8, 1903) was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of a corps commander in the Army of the Potomac, fighting in several notable ba ...

Franklin Gardner Franklin Kitchell GardnerMiddle name Kitchell from his father, miswritten Franklin K. Gardner on his gravestone. (January 29, 1823 – April 29, 1873) was a Confederate major general in the American Civil War, noted for his service at the Siege o ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Charles Smith Hamilton Charles Smith Hamilton (November 16, 1822April 17, 1891) was a career United States Army officer who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Union Army general during the early part of the American Civil W ...

, Henry M. Judah, John J. Peck, Joseph J. Reynolds,

Roswell Ripley Roswell Sabine Ripley (March 14, 1823 – March 29, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. He was also an author and a prosperous ...

and

Frederick Steele Major General Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was an American military officer who served in the Army in the Mexican-American War, Yuma War, and American Civil War. He is most noted for capturing the Arkansas state capi ...

. He was given the brevet rank of second lieutenant and assigned to the 3rd U.S. Artillery. He was stationed in Fort Macon, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., West Point and Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

Mexican-American War

In August, 1845, he sailed from Baltimore with Major Samuel Ringgold's battery of horse artillery to join General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

and the Army of Occupation in

Aransas Pass, Texas Aransas Pass ( ) is a city in Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio counties in Texas, United States. The population was 8,011 at the 2021 Census. Geography Aransas Pass is located on the shore of Redfish Bay, a tidal water body between Co ...

. He fought at the

Battle of Palo Alto The Battle of Palo Alto () was the first major battle of the Mexican–American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas. A force of some 3,700 Mexico, Mexican t ...

and received praise for his actions at the

Battle of Resaca de la Palma The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the Nor ...

. On June 18, 1846, he was promoted to second lieutenant. During the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers, an ...

, he commanded an artillery battery and was brevetted first lieutenant on September 23, 1846. He was wounded in the thigh by a musket ball during the

but continued to lead his men in combat. He received a promotion to brevet captain and was sent home to recuperate. Updated Image of Two Swords Given to Samuel Gibbs French for service in the Mexican American War

Updated Image of Two Swords Given to Samuel Gibbs French for service in the Mexican American War

On July 4, 1847, he was presented a ceremonial sword from the citizens of New Jersey which contained the inscription "for distinguished service in the battles of Palo Alo, Resaca de la Palma and Buena Vista". On February 9, 1849, he was presented on resolution from the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

a second sword with the inscription "For brave and gallant conduct displayed in the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and Monterrey. Subsequently distinguished at Buena Vista, and promoted to the rank of Captain". He became an original member of the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It is a male-only hereditary organization with membership of those who can trace a direct ancestral connection "based on ma ...

. He was promoted to full captain on January 12, 1848 and commissioned as assistant quartermaster in the general staff of the army working under his former classmate,

Rufus Ingalls Rufus Ingalls (August 23, 1818 – January 15, 1893) was an American military general who served as the 16th Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Early life and career Ingalls was born in the village of Denmark in what is now Maine ( ...

. He led expeditions in 1849 and 1851 to the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

and was assigned to

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

at his request in 1854. He resigned his commission in May, 1856. He acquired a plantation through his marriage to Eliza Matilda Roberts along Deer Creek near

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, ninth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, and the largest city by population in the Mississippi Delta region. It is the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, Was ...

, and left the army to manage it.

American Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, French joined the Confederacy. Residents of his home state of New Jersey were so incensed by his decision that they protested in front of his summer home in Woodbury, New Jersey, hanged him in

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

, stormed the house and threw items from his house into the street. French was made a lieutenant colonel and chief of ordnance of the

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the Mississippi River, no ...

on February 12, 1861; and brigadier general in the provisional army of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

on October 23, 1861. He was assigned to the defense of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

near Evansport, Virginia. He built Camp French near Quantico, Virginia. From July 21, 1862 to June, 1863, he commanded the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. He oversaw improvements to

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Riv ...

and built Fort St. Philips (later renamed

Fort Anderson Fort Anderson can refer to: *Fort Anderson (Kentucky); A Union fort used in the American Civil War and site of the Battle of Paducah, Kentucky *Fort Anderson (North Carolina); A Confederate fort used in the American Civil War *Fort Anderson Located ...

) in

Brunswick Town, North Carolina Brunswick Town was a prominent town in Province of North Carolina, colonial North Carolina. It was the first successful European colonization of the Americas, European settlement in the Cape Fear (region), Cape Fear region, a major colonial por ...

to protect

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. On October 22, 1862, French was promoted major general with seniority backdated to August 31. He commanded a brigade and a division under Major General

Daniel Harvey Hill Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a Confederate general who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil War. Hill was known as an aggressive leader, b ...

at Petersburg, Virginia. He built the fortifications around Petersburg that were regarded as a model of defensive warfare and held off the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

for nine months. He led attacks against

Harrison's Landing Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...

on July 4, 1862 and

Suffolk, Virginia Suffolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of 2020, the population was 94,324. It is the List of cities in Virginia, 10th-most populous city in Virginia, the largest city in Virginia by bou ...

on September 22, 1862. In the first letter to French after the Civil War, former West Point classmate, Union General

wrote to French about the Harrison's Landing bombardment; "You don't know, dear Sam, how near you came to killing me that night, which, had it happened, would have been a great sorrow to you." In April 1863, French led a division under Lieutenant General

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Ho ...

in the

Siege of Suffolk The siege of Suffolk, also known as the Battle of Suffolk, took place from April 11 to May 4, 1863, near Suffolk, Virginia during the American Civil War. Background In 1863 Lieutenant General James Longstreet was placed in command of the Confe ...

. French's troops were at the

Battle of Suffolk (Hill's Point) The siege of Suffolk, also known as the Battle of Suffolk, took place from April 11 to May 4, 1863, near Suffolk, Virginia during the American Civil War. Background In 1863 Lieutenant General James Longstreet was placed in command of the Confe ...

, but he declined to attack

Fort Huger Fort Huger is a historic archaeological site located near Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The site is the location of an abandoned American Civil War fort on the south side of the James River across from Fort Eustis/Mulberry Point. It ...

since he believed the Union commander would quickly vacate the fort since he had no military support. Longstreet censured French's actions at Suffolk and tried to have him removed from command but

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 ...

vetoed the action. French was on medical leave in Columbus, Georgia, and Warm Springs, Arkansas, due to the lingering effects of dysentery from August 4 to October 1863. French moved to the Western Theater and commanded a division in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

during General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

's Jackson Expedition to relieve the

. Johnston initially expressed concern to Jefferson Davis that French's Northern heritage would make it difficult for the troops to accept him. Davis dismissed this concern and reminded Johnston that French was a wealthy plantation owner in Mississippi and served in the state militia after secession. French served under Lieutenant General

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a Confederate general, a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separat ...

in Mississippi during the retreat from Jackson from December 1863 to May 1864. He was officially attached to the Army of Tennessee on May 18, 1864. He fought in the Atlanta Campaign including the

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The most significant frontal assault launched by Union Army, Union Major general (United States), Major General William T. Sherman ...

from May to September 1864. French served in the Franklin–Nashville Campaign. After Atlanta capitulated on October 5, 1864, Hood ordered French and his division to capture Altoona Pass and break the line of communications for Sherman's army. At the

Battle of Allatoona The Battle of Allatoona, also known as the Battle of Allatoona Pass, was fought October 5, 1864, in Bartow County, Georgia, and was the first major engagement of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. A Confederate divisi ...

, French was unable to capture the pass, which was guarded by a federal garrison under Brigadier General

John M. Corse John Murray Corse (April 27, 1835 – April 27, 1893) was an American politician and soldier who served as a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He was a staff officer during the liberation of the Upper Mississippi, and then ser ...

. The fierce fighting concluded when federal reinforcements arrived, forcing French's troops to retreat to New Hope Church and rejoin the Army of Tennessee. Two of French's brigades suffered enormous losses in the

Battle of Franklin The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate L ...

with more than 1/3 of the troops being killed, wounded or missing. French suffered an eye infection that rendered him nearly blind and he relinquished command to Claudius W. Sears before the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

. He returned home to recuperate from December 16, 1864 to February 1865. He returned to active service and commanded forces in the defense of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

Postbellum life

He surrendered near Mobile, Alabama and in April, 1865, French was paroled at Columbus, Georgia. His service in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War resulted in his participation in thirty-five combat engagements. He returned to his plantation in Mississippi and worked for several years as Mississippi State levee commissioner. He lived for a year in Woodbury, New Jersey when he worked as president of a railroad company. He lived in Columbus, Georgia for several years and moved to Winter Park, Florida in 1881 after investing in orange groves. In 1895, he moved to Pensacola, Florida to live near his daughter. In 1898, at the age of 79, he volunteered to serve in the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

but his offer was refused by President William McKinley. In 1901, he published his memoirs, ''Two Wars''. In his book, he criticized Governor

John J. Pettus John Jones Pettus (October 9, 1813January 25, 1867) was an American politician, lawyer, and slave owner who served as the 23rd Governor of Mississippi, from 1859 to 1863. Before being elected in his own right to full gubernatorial terms in 1859 ...

and Confederate generals

William J. Hardee William Joseph Hardee (October 12, 1815November 6, 1873) was a career U.S. Army and Confederate States Army officer. For the U.S. Army, he served in the Second Seminole War and in the Mexican–American War, where he was captured and exchanged ...

, Hood and Leonidas Polk. French placed the blame for the Civil War on the greed of the North. He believed that the North should have compensated Southern states for their slaves when slavery was abolished. He believed that one day, impartial historians would vindicate the South. French was married to his first wife, Eliza Matilda Roberts of Mississippi, on April 26, 1853. Together they had a daughter and a son who died in childbirth along with Eliza on June 13, 1857. French was married again to Mary Fontaine Abercrombie of Alabama on 12 January 1865; she died on 16 May 1900 at Atlanta, Georgia. Together they had three children.

Death and legacy

Side view of Samuel Gibbs French Cenotaph

French died in

Florala, Alabama Florala is a town in Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,923. Geography Florala is located along the Alabama–Florida state line at (31.007712, -86.324957). It is bordered by the town of Lockha ...

on April 20, 1910 while visiting his son and was interred at St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola. For the burial, his body was wrapped in both the American and the Confederate flags. His family placed a

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

for him in the family plot in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. During the Civil War, Fort French near Wilmington, North Carolina, and Camp French near Quantico, Virginia, were named in his honor. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

was built in

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Route 98 in Florida, U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...

, and named in his honor. There is a bust and marker of French in the

National Military Park National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 25 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance. The designat ...

, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Bibliography

''Two Wars: An Autobiography of Gen. Samuel G. French, An Officer in the Armies of the United States and the Confederate States, A Graduate from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point 1843''
Nashville: Confederate Veteran, 1901.

References

Citations Sources * * *

External links

*
CivilWarTalk.com - Samuel Gibbs FrenchIronbrigadier.com - Samuel Gibbs French: a Northern-Born Confederate General

The Civil War & Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi - Samuel G. French correspondence
{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Samuel Gibbs 1818 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American planters 19th-century American railroad executives 20th-century American male writers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Confederate States Army brigadier generals Confederate States Army major generals Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 Neo-Confederates Northern-born Confederates Military personnel from Columbus, Georgia People from Greenville, Mississippi People from Harrison Township, New Jersey People from Pensacola, Florida People from Winter Park, Florida People from Woodbury, New Jersey People of Mississippi in the American Civil War People of New Jersey in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni Writers from Gloucester County, New Jersey