Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd
Born: June 1, 1806
Blacksburg, Virginia
Died: August 26, 1863
Abingdon, Virginia
(Military Career by Rank)
1847-1849 & 1853: Virginia House of Delegates
1849-1852: Governor of Virginia
March 1857 - December 1860 - Secretary of War
Late 1859: Ordered heavy ordnance to be shipped to Federal forts in the Southern States.
December 29, 1860: Resigned as Secretary of War when President Buchanan refused to order Major Anderson to leave Fort Sumter
May 23, 1861: Appointed Brigadier General in CSA
January 1862: Dispatched to Western Theater to report to General AS Johnston
February 13, 1862: Assumes Command of Fort Donelson
February 15, 1862: Battle of Fort Donelson
February 16, 1862: Flees Fort Donelson concerned he would be arrested for actions while Secretary of War
March 11, 1862: Relieved from command by President Jefferson Davis
Resumes his commission as Major General of Virginia Militia, but health soon fails and dies a year later.
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 286
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1992. p 89-90