Maj. Gen. Samuel G. French, CSA
Born: November 22, 1818
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
Died: April 29, 1910
Florala, Alabama
1843: West Point Graduate
1853: Brevet 2nd Lieutenant
June 18, 1846: 2nd Lieutenant
September 23, 1846: 1st Lieutenant
January 12, 1848: Captain
May 1856: Resigned Commission
February 12, 1861: Lieut. Colonel, CSA
October 23, 1861: Brigadier General
October 22, 1862: Major General
Maj. Gen. Samuel G. French
1843: West Point Graduate - 14th out of 39 Cadets
1843: Brevet 2nd Lieutenant assigned to 3rd U.S. Artillery. Stationed in Fort Macon, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., West Point and Fort McHenry in Baltimore
August 1845: Sailed from Baltimore with Major Ringgold's Battery of horse artillery to join Gen. Zachary Taylor and the Arm of Occupation in Arkansas Pass, Texas
Mexican-American War
May 8, 1846: Battle of Palo Alto
May 9, 1846: Battle of Resaca de la Palma
June 18, 1846: Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant
July 7, 1846: Battle of Monterrey - Commanded an artillery battery
September 23, 1846: Brevet 1st Lieutenant
February 22-23, 1846: Battle of Buena Vista - wounded with a musket ball through the thigh
January 12, 1848: Promoted to Captain and commissioned as assistant quartermaster in the general staff
1849 and 1851: Led expedition to the Republic of Texas and was assigned to Fort Smith
May 1856: Resigned his commission
Acquired a plantation through marriage along Deer Creek near Greenville, Mississippi
With the start of the war, French joined the Confederacy. Residents of New Jersey were so upset they hung him in effigy, stormed his house throwing all the items out into the street.
February 12, 1861: Lieutenant Colonel and Chief of Ordinance in the Army of Mississippi
October 23, 1861: Brigadier General in the provisional army of the Confederate States of America
Assigned to the defense of the Potomac River near Evansport, Virginia
July 21, 1862 - June 1863: Commanded the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia
Oversaw improvements to Fort Fisher and Ft. St. Philips, later called Fort Anderson to protect Wilmington, North Carolina
October 22, 1862: Promoted to Major General, backdated to August 31, 1862
Commanded a brigade and division at Petersburg under Maj. Gen. Daniel H. Hill. The fortifications were regarded as a model for defensive warfare which held off the Army of the Potomac for nine months
July 4, 1862: Led attacks against Harrison's landing
September 22, 1862: Attacks against Suffolk, VA
April 1863: Under Gen. Longstreet, participated in the Siege of Suffolk
August 4 - October 1863: Medical leave - dysentery
Gen. Johnston expressed concerns about French's northern heritage, but President Davis dismissed them stating French was a wealthy plantation owner in Mississippi
December 1863 - May 1864: Served under Lieut. Gen. Leonidas Polk in Mississippi
May 16 - September 8, 1864: Atlanta Campaign
June 27, 1864: Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
September 18 - December 27, 1864: Franklin-Nashville Campaign
October 5, 1864: Battle of Allatoona - Lieut. Gen. Hood ordered French to capture the Allatoona Pass and break Sherman's lines of communication, but was unable. Fighting was discontinued when Union reinforcements arrived
November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin - Suffered an eye infection that nearly blinded him. He relinquished command to Brig. Gen. Sears
December 16. 1864 - February 1865: Returned home to recuperate
March 17 - April 12, 1865: Mobile Campaign
April 1865: Surrendered near Mobile and paroled near Columbus, Georgia
Worked for several years as Mississippi State levee commissioner
Worked as railroad president in New Jersey for a year
1881: Moved to Winter Park, Florida where he invested in oranges
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 315-316
Samuel Gibbs French. 2 November 2023. web. 15 November 2023.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1992. p 93-94