Lawrence O'Bryan Branch

Lawrence O'Bryan Branch

Infobox Military Person
name= Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
lived= November 28, 1820 – September 17, 1862


caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth= Enfield, North Carolina
placeofdeath= Sharpsburg, Maryland
allegiance= Confederate States of America
branch= Confederate States Army Infantry
serviceyears= 1861–62
rank= Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles= Seminole Wars American Civil War
*Battle of New Bern
*Peninsula Campaign
*Northern Virginia Campaign
*Maryland Campaign
**Battle of Antietam
awards=
relations=
laterwork= U.S. Congressman

Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (November 28, 1820 – September 17, 1862) was a North Carolina representative in the U.S. Congress and a Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Antietam.

Early life and career

Branch was born in Enfield, Halifax County, North Carolina to Major Joseph Branch and Susan Simpson O'Bryan Branch. His family moved to Williamson County, Tennessee but his mother died when he was five and his father died in 1827. His uncle, Secretary of the Navy John Branch (then serving as Governor of North Carolina) assumed his guardianship and took him back to North Carolina. Branch moved to Washington City with his uncle when the latter took the position as Secretary of the Navy and he was tutored by Salmon P. Chase. He pursued a preparatory course under a private teacher in Washington, D.C., before going on to train at North Carolina's Bingham Military Academy. He also attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a short time and, in 1838, graduated first in his class from Princeton College before going to study law in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also owned and edited a newspaper.

In 1840, Branch moved to Tallahassee, Florida and was admitted to the bar to practice law by a special act of the legislature. Just one year later, he went to fight in the Seminole Wars. In 1844, he married Nancy Haywood Blount and they had four children, William Augustus Blount Branch. In 1852, he moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he continued to practice law and became president of the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad Co. He also served as an elector on the Franklin Pierce ticket in 1852. Branch was elected as a Democrat to the 34th, 35th, and 36th Congresses (March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1861) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1860. On December 2, 1860, he was appointed, (but declined), the position of Secretary of the Treasury by President James Buchanan.

Civil War

Branch entered the Confederate Army, in May 1861 as a private in the Raleigh Rifles. Later that month he accepted the office of State quartermaster general, but resigned it for service in the field, and in September he was elected colonel (United States) of the 33rd North Carolina. He was appointed brigadier general in January 1862. After the Battle of New Bern his regiment was attached to A.P. Hill's Division, Stonewall Jackson's Corps. He was the senior brigadier general in Hill's division. The regiment fought at the Battle of Hanover Courthouse, the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, the Chantilly, and Harper's Ferry

Antietam

On September 17, 1862, he led his troops on a rapid march from Harpers Ferry to Sharpsburg, Maryland where the Battle of Antietam was raging. Branch arrived on the field around 2:30 PM, in time to help stop the Union advance, thus saving General Robert E. Lee's right flank from a crushing defeat. Soon after this victory, Branch stood talking with fellow brigadier generals Maxcy Gregg, Dorsey Pender, James J. Archer, along with Hill and General Lee when a Federal sharpshooter, seeing the group, fired a shot that hit him in the right cheek and exited behind his left ear, killing him instantly. He fell dead in the arms of a staff officer.

Dates of Rank

* Private, May 1, 1861
* Colonel, September 1, 1861
* Brigadier General, January 16, 1862

Memorials

Branch had won the respect of his fellow officers and after his death Hill said of him, "He was my senior brigadier and one to whom I could have entrusted the command of the division with all confidence. No country has a better son or nobler champion, no principle a bolder defender than the noble and gallant soldier, General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch."

A memorial cannon now stands at the location where Branch was killed. Five other memorial cannons are placed throughout the battlefied marking the locations other commanders lost their lives. Branch is buried at the Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina.

References

* Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* [http://www.geocities.com/branch_lane/branch-bio.html Web biography.]
* [http://www.aphillcsa.com/branch.html Web biography from And Then A.P. Hill Came Up]
*bioguide

External links

* Branch, Lawrence O'Bryan, [http://hdl.loc.gov/umich.dli.moa/ABJ4274 "Congressional Intervention in Regard to Slavery in the Territories. Letter of Lawrence O'B. Branch to His Constituents"] , 1860
*findagrave|9859 Retrieved on 2008-07-05
* [http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/BRANCH/1998-08/0902963095 Transcript of a letter from Branch's daughter reporting his death to his sister]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lawrence O'Bryan Branch — Lawrence O Bryan Branch, (* 28. November 1820 in Enfield, Halifax County, North Carolina, † 17. September 1862 in Raleigh, North Carolina) war ein Politiker, Mitglied im US Kongress und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lawrence O’Bryan Branch — Lawrence O’Bryan Branch, (* 28. November 1820 in Enfield, Halifax County, North Carolina; † 17. September 1862 in Raleigh, North Carolina) war ein Politiker, Mitglied im US Kongress und Brigadegeneral der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Branch — ist der Name folgender Personen: Ben Branch (1924–1987), US amerikanischer Unternehmer, Tenor Saxophonist und Bandleader Billy Branch (* 1951), US amerikanischer Mundharmonika Spieler Cliff Branch (* 1948), US amerikanischer Footballspieler Craig …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Branch (surname) — Branch is a surname.People named Branch: * Arthur Branch, a fictional character on the TV crime drama Law Order * Christopher Branch (circa 1600 1682), early American colonist * Cliff Branch (born 1948), retired American football player * David… …   Wikipedia

  • William A. B. Branch — William Augustus Blount Branch (* 26. Februar 1847 in Tallahassee, Florida; † 18. November 1910 in Washington, North Carolina) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1891 und 1895 vertrat er den Bundesstaat North Carolina im US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lawrence H. Fountain — (1964) Lawrence H. Fountain (* 23. April 1913 in Leggett, Edgecombe County, North Carolina; † 10. Oktober 2002 in Raleigh, North Carolina) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker, der den Bundesstaat North Carolina zwischen 1953 und 1983 im US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Branch Jr. — John Branch John Branch (* 4. November 1782 in Halifax, North Carolina; † 3. Januar 1863 in Enfield, North Carolina) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und Gouverneur von North Carolina und Florida. Außerdem war er Marine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Branch — Infobox Governor name =John Branch order =19th office =Governor of North Carolina term start =1817 term end =1820 lieutenant = predecessor =William Miller successor =Jesse Franklin order2 =United States Senator from North Carolina term start2… …   Wikipedia

  • John Branch — (* 4. November 1782 in Halifax, North Carolina; † 3. Januar 1863 in Enfield, North Carolina) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und Gouverneur des Bundesstaates North Carolina sowie des Florida Territoriums. Außerdem w …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William A. B. Branch — William Augustus Blount Branch, (son of Lawrence O’Bryan Branch and great nephew of John Branch), a Representative from North Carolina; born in Tallahassee, Fla., February 26, 1847; moved with his father to Raleigh, N.C., in 1852; attended… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”