Moses Wright Hannon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Moses Wright Hannon
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | December 14, 1827 Baldwin County, Georgia |
| Died | June 3, 1897 (aged 69) Leon County, Texas |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Service/ |
 Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Colonel, CSAAssigned to duty as: Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Moses Wright Hannon (December 14, 1827 – June 3, 1897) was a military officer. He served as a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. A colonel leads a large group of soldiers called a regiment. In August 1864, he was given the job of an acting brigadier general. A brigadier general is a higher-ranking officer, leading several regiments.
Even though Hannon commanded a large group of cavalry soldiers from June 1864 until the war ended, his promotion was never made official. The Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, and the Confederate Senate never officially confirmed him as a brigadier general.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Moses Wright Hannon was born in Baldwin County, Georgia, on December 14, 1827. His parents were John and Elizabeth Hannon.
After growing up in Georgia, Hannon moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1847. He joined his older brothers there and became a successful merchant. He married Caroline Mastin, who came from a well-known local family. Hannon and his family moved to California in 1850. They returned to Montgomery in 1858.
Service in the Civil War
When the Civil War began, Moses Wright Hannon was elected captain. He led a company of soldiers in the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment. On December 3, 1861, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He fought with his regiment at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.
On November 5, 1862, Hannon became a colonel. He led the 53rd Alabama Cavalry Regiment, which he had helped create. This regiment guarded the area around Tuscumbia, Alabama. In April 1863, they joined a cavalry group led by then-Colonel Philip Roddey. This group was part of Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest's forces in northern Alabama.
Hannon's regiment was moved to the Army of Tennessee on August 15, 1863. They fought in the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. Hannon briefly resigned as colonel in December 1863 but changed his mind the next month.
Leading Cavalry Units
During the Atlanta campaign, which started in April 1864, Hannon commanded a small group of cavalry. This group was part of Major General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry corps. He sometimes even commanded a larger division of soldiers.
In August 1864, Hannon's group raided Union Army supply lines near Atlanta, Georgia. With 300 men, Hannon attacked a Union Army wagon train. He managed to capture over 1,000 cattle. General John Bell Hood, who was defending Atlanta, was very happy about this. The extra meat helped feed his army. Because of this success, Hood promoted Hannon to acting brigadier general. However, this promotion still needed to be confirmed by President Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Senate.
Hannon's cavalry was part of General Wheeler's forces. They tried to stop Major General William T. Sherman's famous Sherman's March to the Sea. Hannon was wounded at the Battle of Monroe's Crossroads in North Carolina on March 10, 1865. This injury kept him from fighting for the rest of the war.
Unconfirmed Promotion
Even though General Hood assigned Hannon as an acting brigadier general, he never received an official commission. There is no record that President Jefferson Davis officially appointed him or that the Confederate Senate confirmed his promotion. Major General Wheeler later said that he heard unofficially that commissions for Hannon and others were issued near the war's end. However, these commissions were never delivered. Hannon himself stated he was a colonel in his pardon application after the war. But by 1876, he was signing letters as a former brigadier general, and the word "general" is on his tombstone.
Life After the War
After the war, Hannon returned to business as a merchant. He worked in Montgomery and later in New Orleans. In 1870, he moved to Freestone County, Texas. There, he worked as a planter, managing a farm, until at least 1883. Finally, he moved to Leon County, Texas.
Moses Wright Hannon passed away on June 3, 1897, in Oakwood, Leon County, Texas. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Leon County, Texas.
