Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge
Born: January 16, 1821
Lexington, Kentucky
Died: May 17, 1875
Lexington, Kentucky
November 2, 1861: Brigadier General
April 14, 1862: Major General
John C. Breckinridge
by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews
1849: Elected as a Democrat to Kentucky House of Representatives
1851: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives
1856: Vice President under President Buchanan
Joined Buchanan in supporting pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution for Kansas
1859: Elected to succeed Senator John Crittenden at the end of Crittenden term in 1861
1861: With the Southern States seceding, fled behind Confederate lines and war
November 2, 1861: Commissioned as a Brigadier General and expelled from the Senate
April 6-7, 1862: Battle of Shiloh
August 5, 1862: Battle of Baton Rouge
December 31-January 2, 1863: Battle of Stone's River
May 14, 1863: Battle of Jackson, Mississippi
September 19-20, 1863: Battle of Chickamauga
November 23-25, 1863: Battle of Chattanooga
May 15, 1864: Battle of New Market
May 31-June 12, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor
June 5, 1864: Battle of Piedmont
June 17-18, 1864: Battle of Lynchburg
July 9, 1864: Battle of Monocacy
July 17-18, 1864: Battle of Cool Spring
November 11-13, 1864: Battle of Bull's Gap
December 17-18, 1864: Battle of Marion
January 19, 1865: President Davis appointed Breckinridge as Secretary of War
First act was to promote Robert E. Lee to General-in-Chief of all Confederate forces
Late February, Breckinridge concluded the Confederate cause was hopeless and began laying the groundwork for surrender
Ordered his assistant, John Archibald Campbell, to organize the flight of the Confederate cabinet to Danville, Virginia
At Bennett Place, assisted Gen. Johnston in his surrender negotiations with Maj. Gen. Sherman
With the assassination of President Lincoln, Breckinridge stated: "Gentlemen, the South has lost its best friend."
May 4, 1865: Arrived in Washington, Georgia. After paying out several requisitions from the treasury, and deposited the rest, He also composed a letter disbanding the War Department
Escaped down the Florida coast to Cuba. He then booked passage to Great Britain. From there he booked passage to Canada to be with his family.
It was suggested that Mrs. Breckinridge should move to France for her health
They toured Europe and the Middle East
Pres. Johnson proclaimed amnesty for all former Confederates on December 25, 1868. Breckinridge stayed in Canada to receive assurance it applied to him
February 10, 1869: Left Canada and headed for Lexington
March 1870: Publicly denounced the actions of the Ku Klux Klan
1872: Supported passage of a state statute which successfully legalized Black testimony against whites in court
1873: Began to experience health problems which was referred to as "pleuro-pneumonia"
May 1875: Consulted with surgeons who concluded his ill health was caused by cirrhosis brought on by injuries to his liver suffered during the war
Immediate concern was one of his lungs was filled two-thirds with fluid
Boatner, Mark M., III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 82-83
John C. Breckinridge. 17 November 2020. web. 20 November 2020.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1992. p 34-35