Albert Rust
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Albert Rust (1818–1870) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas and a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
[edit] Civil War service
Returning to Arkansas, Rust assisted Van H. Manning in the organization of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, and was appointed colonel of that unit. The 3rd Arkansas would become Arkansas's most famous Civil War regiment and the only Arkansas regiment to be permanently assigned to General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. In the fall of 1861, Rust and the 3rd Arkansas took part in the Battle of Cheat Mountain under Lee. During the winter of that year he and the regiment were under the command of General Stonewall Jackson. They would go on to serve in almost every major battle fought in the east, to include the Battle of Gettysburg, most occurring after Rust was transferred from the regiment. In addition to his military duties, Rust was a delegate to the Confederate Congress from Arkansas during 1861 and 1862.
Rust was raised to the rank of brigadier general on March 4, 1862, and was transferred back to Arkansas, where he was assigned to General Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West. Rust led Confederate troops at the Battle of Hill's Plantation in July 1862. After the Battle of Pea Ridge, most Confederate forces were removed from Arkansas and transferred east of the Mississippi River. Rust fought at the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Corinth. In April of 1863, Rust was once again transferred back to Arkansas and placed under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price. He later served under General Thomas C. Hindman in Arkansas and General John Pemberton and Richard Taylor in Louisiana.
[edit] After the war
After the war Rust moved from his home in El Dorado, Arkansas across the Arkansas River from Little Rock. Albert Rust died on April 4, 1870, near Little Rock. His burial place is the subject of some dispute. Contemporary accounts state that he was buried at the historic Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock,[citation needed] but other accounts indicate that he was buried in an unmarked grave next to the Confederate monument in Oakland Cemetery.[citation needed] A memorial marker to General Rust is located in the Confederate section of the Little Rock National Cemetery.[citation needed] His Congressional biography states that he is buried in "Old Methodist Cemetery."
[edit] References
- Albert Rust at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Arkansas Encyclopedia; article on Albert Rust
- 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment
- History of the 3rd Arkansas
| Preceded by none |
Representative to the Provisional Confederate Congress from Arkansas 1861 |
Succeeded by none |
