William McComb

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William McComb
November 21, 1828 – July 12, 1918
Place of birth	Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Place of death	Louisa County, Virginia
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Years of service	1861–65
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Civil War - Battle of Gaines' Mill - Battle of Antietam - Battle of Chancellorsville - Overland Campaign - Siege of Petersburg

William McComb (November 21, 1828-July 12, 1918) was a Confederate Brigadier General born in Pennsylvania but is best associated with Tennessee.

McComb was born on November 21, 1828 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He took up residence in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1854. He erected a flour mill in Cumberland County and was involved in various manufacturing interests. When the Civil War broke out, McComb chose the Confederacy despite his northern birth and enlisted as a private in the 14th Tennessee Regiment.

Soon after his enlistment, McComb was elected 2nd Lieutenant, then major of his regiment. The 14th Tennessee was part of Brig. Gen. James Archer's brigade in A.P. Hill's "Light Division" of the Army of Northern Virginia.

McComb was wounded in several battles, including Gaines Mill, Sharpsburg and Chancellorsville. In August 1863, he took command of Cadmus Wilcox's old Alabama brigade. He commanded this unit through the Overland Campaign and on through the siege of Petersburg. He was finally promoted to general on January 20, 1865. He was paroled at Appomattox.

Post-war, McComb lived in Alabama and Mississippi, eventually settling in Gordonsville, Louisa County, Virginia where he was a farmer for nearly fifty years. McComb died on his plantation on July 12, 1918. He was buried in Mechanicsville Cemetery in Boswells, Virginia.

For more information, see Ezra Warner's Generals in Gray.