Confederate Generals. Most of them passed their closing years in poverty. [from the Richmond, Va., times, July 26, 1894.]
Twenty-five Unpensioned heroes who suffered the Stings and Arrows of Outrageous fortune.It is a melancholy fact that almost every Confederate General who did not succumb to disease or fall in battle, died in poverty he brought on by his devotion to the cause espoused, says the Brooklyn Eagle. Raphael and Paul Semmes both died poor themselves, but a daughter of the former married a prosperous lawyer, General Zollicoffer. She left nothing to a family of five daughters, four of whom, however, married well. The fifth may have done likewise, although accurate trace of her has been lost. General Pillow left his family so poorly provided for that they were compelled to sell his library and his house, also, although friends rebought it by subscription. General T. C. Hindman died penniless, so did General Dick Taylor, and his two daughters made their home with an aunt. He published a book, but it did not prove a monetary success, and left him in worse circumstances than before. Stonewall Jackson left his wife and daughter without means, but they were reasonably helped by legacies. General Polk left nothing to his family, but his son, Dr. Polk, located in New York, and built up a very large and profitable practice. General Forrest, who became a farmer, labored hard to succeed as a planter, but at his death left only a meagre inheritance to his family. Mrs. General Ewell, who died three days after her husband, owned a very considerable property in St. Louis, and maintained a very comfortable establishment. General Bragg left no property, and his widow went to live with her sister in New Orleans. General Hood was far from being wealthy, and General S. Cooper was absolutely poor. Major-General Whiting, of Fort Fisher fame, who died in prison in 1864, left nothing, and General L. M. Walker, killed by Marmaduke in a duel, left but little to his wife. [66] General Buckner had a varied experience. His wife owned large tracts of unimproved real estate in Chicago, which was confiscated, but afterward recovered. It was then mortgaged, built up, and, in a panic, sacrificed for the mortgaged money, leaving him poor. General Zack Deas, of Alabama, whose name may not have been equal to that of others, was a shrewd financier. He went into Wall street after the war and became rich. General P. D. Roddy, a dashing cavalryman, also made a plunge into Wall street, but his fate was different. He lost everything he had, and then went to London and earned a moderate income as financial agent of some banking-house. General W. J. Frazier, who surrendered Cumberland Gap, settled down in New York and prospered as a broker. General Thomas Jordan became editor of the Mining Record, and for years a familiar figure on Broadway. Major-General Loring served for four years in the Egyptian army, then returned to America and became connected with a mining company of New Mexico, where he made money fast and became wealthy. Another who went to Egypt was General A. W. Reynolds. He served awhile, dropped out of service, and then settled down in the country of his adoption. The careers of Early and Beauregard are well known. They lived and prospered in New Orleans, where they superintended the drawings of the Louisiana Lottery Company. General Early's death occurred in Virginia only a few months ago. He was one of the last of the great southern generals. The latter days of General R. E. Lee's life were passed in the quiet at Lexington, in his native State, where he became an instructor of young men. The duties of a college president were faithfully carried out by him, although it was probable that the last years of his life were filled with infinite sadness. Of the remaining brilliant leaders of the Lost Cause some dropped from sight and memory, others had a quiet and prosperous old age, but few fared worse than General Thomas Benton Smith. He passed his later years in an insane asylum in Tennessee.
