Posted on 02/18/2005 7:39:01 AM PST by Valin
Lewis Addison Armistead was born on February 18, 1817 in New Bern, North Carolina to Walker Keith Armistead and Elizabeth Stanly.
Lewis grew up near the mountains of Virginia on the family farm, Ben Lomond, near the town of Upperville, Virginia. He was accepted to West Point on March 21, 1833 but tendered his resignation to the school (for the second time, the first time, because of an illness that left him behind in his studies his first year at West Point and he was certain to fail his annual exam) on January 29, 1836 for the incident of "cracking a mess hall plate over the head of fellow classmate, Jubal Early."
Lewis still was able to serve his country and was appointed to the 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment as a Second Lieutenant in 1839. This was due in part because of the Seminole Indian uprisings in Florida, and largely because of the influence of both his father, General Walker Keith Armistead and also that of Edward Stanly, his uncle who was a Congressman from North Carolina. He served three years in Florida and was transferred to Jefferson Barracks, just south of St. Louis, Missouri in 1842.
Lewis married for the first time in 1844 to Cecilia Lee Love. It was also in this year that Lewis met someone who would be a life-long friend, fellow Army officer Winfield Scott Hancock. To Lewis and Cecilia, a son was born, Walker Keith Armistead, on December 11, 1844 at Saint David's Parish, Alabama. Their second child, a daughter, Flora Lee, was born on June 26, 1846.
Lewis served in the Mexican War, and was brevetted to the honorary rank of Captain for his actions in battle. After the Mexican War in 1849, Armistead was assigned to recruiting duty in Kentucky, where he was diagnosed with a severe case of Erysipelas, a degenerative skin disease that destroys tissue. The diseased tissue was removed and he later recovered. This was the first of many misfortunes that would befall the Captain.
In April, 1850, Lewis and Cecilia, lost their little girl, Flora Lee. She is buried at Jefferson Barracks. Later that same year, Cecilia also passed away, on December 12, 1850 from an unknown cause. Also during this period of time, the Armistead family home in Virginia, Ben Lomond, burned, destroying practically everything. Armistead took leave in October of 1852 to go home and help his family.
While home on leave, he married for the second time. His bride was Cornelia L.T. Jamesson, the widow of a naval midshipman who had died in 1845. Lewis and Cornelia were married in Christ Church in Alexandria, Va., on March 17, 1853. They both went west when Armistead returned to duty shortly thereafter.
The newlyweds apparently had, and lost a child. Also buried at Jefferson Barracks is another grave, that of an infant, Lewis B. Armistead, who died on Dec 6, 1854. The infant is buried next to Flora Lee Armistead. Tragedy again struck Armistead, the next year, his second wife, Cornelia, passed away during a cholera epidemic, on August 2, 1855 at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Tragedy seems to have followed Lewis; he had lost two children, his two wives, his family's home, and suffered a severe illness, all in a period of about 6 years.
But more turmoil was not far away. There was soon the hint of secession by the Southern States, bringing with it the threat of War. With the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina in April of 1861, many Southern men were faced with the difficult decision of remaining with the Army they had served loyally for most of their lives, or leaving to fight for their home states. Most would resign their commissions, for to fight against their respective states would mean fighting their own families; this was something that many could and would not do. So, like many of his Southern comrades, Lewis A. Armistead resigned from the U.S. Army on May 26, 1861 to serve his beloved Virginia.
It was shortly after this, in an incident popularized in Michael Shaara's "Killer Angels," that Armistead attended a tearful farewell party. Held for the departing Southerners by their brother officers and wives at the home of Winfield and Almira Hancock in Los Angeles, California. Lewis gave to Hancock's wife, Almira, his prayer book, inscribed with "Trust in God and Fear Nothing." Other possessions he also gave the Hancock's, to be forwarded to his family in the event of his death. To his friend Winfield, he gave a new Major's uniform and goodbyes were said, in what was to be a final farewell between dear and trusted friends.
Traveling east, Lewis arrived in Richmond, Va., around mid September of 1861, and was appointed to the rank of Major in the Confederate Army on September 14, 1861. Within less than two weeks, he was appointed full Colonel and given command of the 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment which was in training just north of Richmond, VA.
On April 1, 1862 he was promoted to Brigadier General and was given the command of a brigade of Infantry. The brigade was made up of five Virginia regiments, the 9th, 14th, 38th, 53rd, and his old regiment, the 57th.
His service is document in accounts of the battles in which he fought. Armistead served in the battles of Seven Pines, the Seven Days (including a significant, but tragic, attack at Malvern Hill), Sharpsburg, and the Suffolk Campaign. But his most famous service came at his last fight, the Battle of Gettysburg, in July, 1863. In the lead when the remnants of Pickett's Division and other units pierced the Union Line on July 3, he crossed the wall at the Angle, his hat upon his sword, and he was then shot down. The badly wounded Armistead, by then captured by Federal soldiers, was immediately attended by Union Captain Henry H. Bingham, a Masonic Brother and member of Major General Winfield Hancock's staff. To Captain Bingham, Armistead pleaded "Tell General Hancock from me, that I have done him and you all a grave injustice." Later it was learned that General Hancock, his long time friend, was wounded almost at the same time as had Armistead.
Both General's Armistead and Hancock, as well as Captain Bingham were members of the Masonic Order. General Armistead was a member of the Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22 in Alexandria, Virginia. The "Friend to Friend" Masonic Statue by Artist Ron Tunison, located in Gettysburg, PA depicts the wounded General Armistead being attended by Captain Bingham. The Statue was commissioned by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
There is no evidence that the two saw each other in the two days of life left to Armistead. His wounds had not been considered life-threatening, (he was wounded in the upper right arm and above the left knee) but he was exhausted both mentally and physically, and died at the nearby Spangler farm, a temporary Union field hospital, about 9 a.m. July 5, 1863.
He was buried at the Spangler Farm and later re-buried alongside his uncle, George Armistead (the defender of the original "Star Spangled Banner" at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812), at St. Paul's Cemetery in Baltimore.
Such a sad story. And it exemplifies the sadness of the entire conflict. I hope that we are never in a situation where brother is fighting brother and friend is fighting friend again.
It's been years since I first read this story, and I still get a lump in my throat.
The potrayal of Armistead in Ted Turner's "Gettysburg" is very, very good.
The realization at the camp fire on the 2nd night of Gettysburg that Hancock is across the field and behind the stone wall is a great moment in the movie.
Whoever played him in the movie really captures the man IMHO.
There is an Armistead Ave. in Hampton, VA which is near where I live. Every time I'm in Hampton, I'm reminded of this story because of the street name.
Gettysburg (1993)
Directed by
Ronald F. Maxwell
Writing credits
Michael Shaara (novel)
Ronald F. Maxwell (screenplay)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107007/
Cast overview
Tom Berenger .... Lt. Gen. James Longstreet
Martin Sheen .... Gen. Robert E. Lee
Stephen Lang .... Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett
Jeff Daniels .... Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Richard Jordan .... Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead
Andrew Prine .... Brig. Gen. Richard B. Garnett
Cooper Huckabee .... Henry T. Harrison
Patrick Gorman .... Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood
Bo Brinkman .... Maj. Walter H. Taylor
James Lancaster .... Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle
William Morgan Sheppard .... Maj. Gen. Isaac R. Trimble/Narrator
Kieran Mulroney .... Maj. G. Moxley Sorrel
James Patrick Stuart .... Col. E. Porter Alexander
Tim Ruddy .... Maj. Charles Marshall
Royce D. Applegate .... Brig. Gen. James L. Kemper
Have you seen "The Civil War" by Ken Burns? I bought the DVD's for my husband for Christmas, but we haven't had a chance to watch it yet.
Didn't Jeff Daniels play Joshua Chamberlain in "Gods and Generals" as well?
Richard Jordan died shortly after making that movie. A fine actor. His speech to the British attachee while Pickett's division prepares to charge, about why the South is fighting, is very stirring. Although Chamberlain's speech (much earlier) as to why the North was fighting is still a mite better, IMO.
yes, he did.
It's an excellent series, it's the medium by which I was introduced to Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and his story before and after Gettysburg.
There are also many letters there by an Eliza Hunt Rhodes that are narrated very well.
The interviews are well-done and Shelby Foote is good person to represent the view of the South.
Wasn't he the guy with REALLY bad facial hair in the movie "Gettysburg"?
To tell you the truth, I don't remember.
The finest documentary PBS has ever shown.
Outstanding and addictive. It gets better with repeated viewings.
I didn't realize that, thank you for the information.
I have been hoping to see the final movie in the Civil War trilogy "Gods and Generals", "Gettysburg", "Last Full Measure" but I'm not sure it's ever going to be made, no updates for over a year from Ron Maxwell's website.
Newt's book where the South wins Gettysburg, is close to that, an interesting take if you get a chance to pick it up.
Thanks. I'll write that down. I'm currently reading "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" and it's going to take me awhile to finish it. So far, it's an excellent book.
Free Dixie Bump!
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