James Patton Anderson

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James Patton Anderson (February 16, 1822 – September 20, 1872) was a 19th century American doctor and politician, most notably serving as a United States Congressman from the Washington Territory, a Mississippi state legislator, and a delegate at the Florida state secession convention to withdraw from the United States. He was subsequently a major general in the Confederate States Army, at one time commanding the Army of Tennessee.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Civil War 3 Postbellum 4 References 5 Further reading

[edit] Early life and career

"Patton" Anderson was born near Winchester in Franklin County, Tennessee. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Mississippi, where he lived for most of his childhood. He attended the medical school of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, before a family financial crisis forced him to withdraw a short time before graduation in 1842. Soon after his return home, Anderson began practicing medicine.

He studied law at Montrose Law School in Frankfort, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar in 1843, establishing a practice in Hernando in DeSoto County, Mississippi. In 1847, he served in the Mexican-American War, commanding the 2nd Battalion, Mississippi Rifles with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He later entered politics, serving in the Mississippi state legislature and befriending Jefferson Davis, a fellow former Mississippi volunteer officer in the U.S. Army. When Davis became Secretary of War under President Pierce, he appointed Anderson as U.S. Marshal for the Washington Territory. Anderson relocated to Olympia and served as marshal for several years before being selected to represent the territory in the 34th Congress as a Democrat.

After his two-year term, concerned that the Union was collapsing, he moved back to the South to Florida, living as a plantation owner near Monticello. He entitled his estate "Casablanca." He was an active participant in the Florida state secession convention.

[edit] Civil War

Soon after Florida's secession, Anderson was one of three deputies (delegates) from Florida to the Provisional Confederate Congress, but resigned in April 1861. He then accepted a commission as Colonel of the 1st Florida Infantry, and initially served under General Braxton Bragg in Pensacola.

He rose to brigadier general on February 10, 1862, and was assigned to the Western Theater, taking an active part in the Battle of Shiloh. He commanded the Army of Tennessee during the Kentucky Campaign and the Battle of Perryville. He reverted to division command for the fighting at Stone's River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, before being promoted to major general on February 17, 1864.

After briefly serving as commander of the Confederate District of Florida, Anderson returned to the field in July 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign. He led a division in Leonidas Polk's Corps in the Army of Tennessee at the battles of Ezra Church, Utoy Creek, and Jonesboro before suffering a serious chest wound on the evening of August 31. Temporarily unfit for duty, he was relieved of command and sent home to Monticello.

He later returned to duty during the Carolinas Campaign, against his physicians' orders, and served with his men for the remainder of the war until their surrender to Union forces at Greensboro, North Carolina, in the spring of 1865.

[edit] Postbellum

Following the war, Anderson resided in Memphis, Tennessee, although he faced difficulty working due to his injuries sustained during the war. He sold insurance for awhile and eventually became the editor of a small agricultural newspaper. He was collector of delinquent state taxes for Shelby County. Anderson eventually died in relative poverty at his home in Memphis at the age of 50, due primarily to lingering effects of his old war wound. He was buried in the city's Elmwood Cemetery.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography.

• Linedecker, Clifford L., ed. Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict. New York: Ballentine Books, 2002. ISBN 0-89141-878-4

[edit] Further reading

• Sketch of General Anderson's Life, Special Collections, Robert Manning Strozier Library, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.