James T. Holtzclaw
| James Thadeus Holtzclaw | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 17, 1833 McDonough, Georgia |
| Died | July 19, 1893 (aged 59) Montgomery, Alabama |
| Place of burial | Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1861–65 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Commands held |
18th Alabama Infantry Holtzclaw's Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | attorney, railroad commissioner |
James Thadeus Holtzclaw (December 17, 1833 – July 19, 1893) was an Alabama lawyer, railroad commissioner, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role of several major engagements of the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater.
James T. Holtzclaw was born in McDonough in rural Henry County, Georgia, in the winter of 1833. His parents, Elijah and Mary Holtzclaw, were from Chambers County, Alabama, where young Holtzclaw was raised and educated. He obtained his primary education at the local Presbyterian high school, East Alabama Institute, in Lafayette.
In 1853, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy, but declined and did not formally enter the school. In December, he began to study law in Montgomery, Alabama, under the famed pro-secession "Fire-Eater" William Lowndes Yancey. He passed his bar exam in 1855, and established a private practice in Montgomery, Alabama. A fellow lover of fine horses, he became a lifelong friend and supporter of Yancey. He married Mary A. "Molly" Cowles, a daughter of another prominent Montgomery resident.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in early 1861, Holtzclaw served as a lieutenant in a local militia company, the Montgomery True Blues. He participated in the capture of the U.S. Navy yard in Pensacola, Florida. In May, he enlisted in the Confederate army as a lieutenant in the 18th Alabama Infantry. In August of that same year, he was promoted to major and then in December to lieutenant colonel.
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