Bragg, Braxton

Braxton Bragg was born in Warrenton, North Carolina . He was one of the six sons of Thomas and Margarita Crosland Bragg. One of his older brothers was the future Attorney General of the Confederation , Thomas Bragg . It was rumored that his mother was in prison for the murder of a free black man, and there were also rumors that Bragg himself was born in prison. However, biographers believe that the Bragg family was still quite law-abiding. The Bragg family was considered poor, but his father had enough money to send Braxton to the Warrenton Academy, one of the best in the state. In his numerous letters, Bragg subsequently warmly recalled his father, but never mentioned his mother.

When Braxton was 10 years old, his father decided to choose a military career for him and tried to get his son at the West Point Military Academy. He succeeded when Bragg's eldest son, John, was elected to the state legislature and sought the assistance of Senator William Magnum. Braxton entered the academy at the age of 16. He fell into the same class with future generals of the civil war: Joseph Hooker , John Pemberton , Jubal Earley , John Sedgwick and William Walker . With a good memory, Bragg studied well, in 1837 he graduated from West Point the fifth of 50 cadets, and was assigned to the 3rd artillery regiment with the rank of second lieutenant ^[4] .

At the end of the academy, Bragg was sent to serve at Fort Monroe, and then, in the same year, he was sent to Florida to participate in the second Seminole War (1837 - 1838). In 1838, he participated in the deportation of the Cherokee Indians. July 7, 1838 he received the rank of first lieutenant.

In 1838 - 1839 he again participated in the Seminole war. In 1840 he was in the recruiting service. In 1840 - 1842 he again fought in Florida, in 1842 - 1845 he served in the St. Augustine garrison in Florida. In 1845 he participated in the occupation of Texas ^[4] .

Mexican War

When the Texas-US Mexican War campaign began, Bragg participated (May 3–9) in the defense of Fort Brown, for which he received the temporary rank of captain dated May 9. On June 18, 1846, Bragg received the rank of captain of the regular army ^[4] .

During the North Mexican campaign, he participated in Taylor’s campaign in Monterrey and in the assault on Monterrey.

For bravery under Monterrey, he received the temporary rank of major, dated September 23rd.

In September 1847, the Mexican army attacked Taylor's army at the Buena Vista ranch. The entrance of the battle of Buena Vista, Bragg commanded an artillery battery.

For bravery under Buena Vista, he received the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, dated September 23, 1847 ^[4] .

On January 3, 1856, Bragg resigned and settled in the Louisiana district of Lafurs , where he managed a sugar plantation. In 1859-1861 he was also a member of the board of the Board of Public Works in Louisiana ^[4] .

Civil War

With the outbreak of the US Civil War, Braxton Bragg joined the Confederate Army with the rank of Major General. In 1861 he participated in the siege of Fort Pickens in Pensacola Bay.

At the beginning of 1862, Bragg was seconded to the Mississippi Army. After the battle of Shiloh , where Bragg commanded the corps, he was promoted and replaced Pierre Boregar as commander of the troops of the western district. On the last day of 1862, Bragg led a brilliant attack on the position of the northerners at Murfreesboro ( Kentucky ), but could not consolidate this success and left the state, retreating to Georgia .

Bragg was appointed commander of the Tennessee Army, which was to show courage at Chikamugi and Chattanooga . But instead of destroying the enemy army of William Rosecrans with a few strikes, Bragg drove it into Chattanooga and launched a months-long siege of the city, which in fact turned out to be "waiting for Grant ."

Bragg's series of conflicts with his subordinate generals, James Longstreet and Simon Bookner, who were forced to turn to President Davis with a request for the removal of the commander, dates from this period. The president, who had a friendly friendship with Bragg, left him at the head of the besieging army. Bragg imprudently sent formations of unreliable generals to East Tennessee. The army weakened by this step could not resist the blows of the northerners>.

Davis removed Bragg from the post of commander of the Tennessee Army and appointed him as his military adviser. When the hype surrounding the defeat at Chattanooga subsided, Bragg returned to the army and ended the war with the rank of army division commander Joseph Johnston , obeying his order of surrender at Darham Station on April 26, 1865.

After the war, Bragg served as Alabama's chief engineer.

• Braxton Bragg Biography.
• Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1837

• Bragg, Braxton // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Hallock, Judith Lee. Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat . Vol. 2. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1991. ISBN 0-8173-0543-2 .
• Hewitt, Lawrence L. "Braxton Bragg." In The Confederate General , vol. 1, edited by William C. Davis and Julie Hoffman. Harrisburg, PA: National Historical Society, 1991. ISBN 0-918678-63-3 .
• Martin, Samuel J. General Braxton Bragg, CSA . McFarland: First edition, 2011. ISBN 0786459344 . ISBN 978-0786459346 .
• Hess, Earl J. Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy . University of North Carolina Press, 2016. ISBN 1469628759
• Smith, Justin H. The War With Mexico Volume II. - BiblioLife, 2009 .-- 636 p. - ISBN 978-1117281698 .