Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr.

Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr.
Born	(1824-02-08)February 8, 1824 Charleston, South Carolina
Died	Manassas, Virginia
Buried	Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Pendleton, South Carolina
Allegiance	United States of America Confederate States of America
Service/branch	United States Army Confederate States Army
Years of service	1845–1861 (USA) 1861 (CSA)
Rank	Captain (USA) Bvt. Lieutenant Colonel (USA) Brigadier General (CSA)
Unit	3rd U.S. Infantry 10th U.S. Infantry
Commands held	Utah Volunteer Battalion (USA) 3rd Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah (CSA)
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War Battle of Cerro Gordo Battle of Chapultepec Utah War American Civil War First Battle of Bull Run †

Barnard Bee, Jr., monument at Manassas National Battlefield Park

Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. (February 8, 1824 – July 22, 1861) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the first general officers to be killed in the war. During that battle, he was responsible for inspiring the famous nickname for Brig. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.

Early life

Bee was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr., and Ann Wragg Fayssoux, both of whom came from prominent Charleston families of English descent. His mother's paternal line also included French Huguenots. In 1833, the Bee family moved to Pendleton, South Carolina, where the junior Bee attended the Pendleton Academy.

In 1836, Bee's parents moved to Texas, which had achieved independence as the Republic of Texas. Bee remained in Pendleton living with his mother's three sisters to pursue his education. Bee graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1845, thirty-third in his class and assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry. He accumulated many demerits while at West Point, including several for chewing tobacco while on duty. Bee's first posting was to serve in the United States military occupation of Texas during the Mexican-American War. He was twice brevetted for gallantry in the War, first at Cerro Gordo, where he was wounded, and then at Chapultepec.

Bee was posted after the war to garrison duty at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he served as adjutant. From 1849 to 1855, he was on frontier duty in New Mexico. He was stationed primarily at Fort Fillmore near Las Cruces, New Mexico. In 1855, Bee was promoted to captain of Company D of the Tenth Infantry and posted to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. While at Fort Snelling, he met and married Sophia Elizabeth Hill, the sister of a fellow officer. In 1857 Bee's company took part in the Utah War, which involved confrontation with members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormons. He was placed in command of the Utah Volunteer Battalion and brevetted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1860, Bee was posted to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, where he briefly served as the fort's commanding officer.

Civil War

Upon the start of the Civil War, Bee, like many Army officers from the South, was torn between loyalty to his home state or to the federation of the United States. He struggled with the decision, but opted to stay with the South. On March 3, 1861, Bee resigned from the United States Army and returned to Charleston where he was elected lieutenant colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regulars.

On June 17, 1861, Bee was appointed brigadier general of a brigade mobilized at Manassas Junction. He was given command of the third brigade of the Army of the Shenandoah, under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. During the subsequent battle, later known as the First Battle of Bull Run, Bee is said to have used the term "stone wall" in reference to Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson and his men, giving rise to the name "Stonewall Jackson" and his Stonewall Brigade. (There has been debate over whether this was meant in admiration or as an insult over Jackson's men not advancing, 'stone wall' in this case, symbolises being immobile.) Bee was mortally wounded as the Confederates began to gain the upper hand in the battle. He died the following day and is buried in Pendleton, South Carolina. As a result, it could not be determined whether his naming of Stonewall Jackson was intended as praise, a condemnation, or whether it was simply a misattributed quote.

Bee was the younger brother of Hamilton P. Bee, who was also a Confederate Army general.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

References

• Agnew, James B., "General Barnard Bee", Civil War Times Illustrated, 14 (December 1975): pp. 4–8 & 44-46.
• Cullum, George W., Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., from its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890 with the Early History of the United States Military Academy. Third edition, revised and extended. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891.
• Davis, William C., Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War. New York, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977, ISBN 0-8071-0867-7.

External links

• Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Barnard Elliot Bee at Find a Grave
• Aztec Club Officer Biography, Barnard Elliott Bee webpage
• Barnard Elliott Bee Historical Marker