Theodore O'Hara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theodore O'Hara
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Theodore O'Hara's portrait in The Century magazine (1890)
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| Born | February 11, 1820 Danville, Kentucky |
| Died | June 6, 1867 (aged 47) Bullock County, Alabama |
| Buried |
Frankfort Cemetery
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| Allegiance | United States of America Lopez` Cuban Filibusters Confederate States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Army Filibusters  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1846–1848, 1855–1856 1849–1851 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Captain (US) Brevet MajorColonel (Filibusters)  Colonel (CSA) |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War Lopez' Cuba Expedition American Civil War |
Theodore O'Hara (born February 11, 1820 – died June 6, 1867) was a talented poet and a brave soldier. He served as an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War. Later, he became a colonel for the Confederate army in the American Civil War. O'Hara is most famous for his poem "Bivouac of the Dead." Parts of this poem are often seen in many cemeteries.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Theodore O'Hara was born in Danville, Kentucky, on February 11, 1820. His father, Kean O'Hara, was an educator. After Theodore was born, his family moved to Frankfort, Kentucky.
He later returned to Danville to attend Centre College. He continued his studies at St. Joseph Academy in Bardstown, Kentucky. While there, he even taught Greek during his last year.
After college, O'Hara studied law with John C. Breckinridge, who later became an important leader. Theodore became a lawyer in 1842. However, he decided to work in journalism in 1845. Soon after, he got a job with the U.S. Treasury Department.
Serving in the Mexican-American War
When the Mexican–American War began, O'Hara joined the U.S. Army on June 26, 1846. He served as a captain and a quartermaster (someone who manages supplies) for volunteers. They were under General Gideon J. Pillow.
O'Hara showed great courage in the Battle of Contreras and the Battle of Churubusco. Because of his excellent actions, he was given the special rank of brevet-major on August 20, 1847. He left the army honorably on October 15, 1848. After the war ended, O'Hara went back to Washington, D.C., and worked as a lawyer until 1851.
Adventures Between Wars
Theodore O'Hara strongly believed in American expansion. He joined groups called filibusters, who tried to take control of other lands. In 1850, he went on an expedition to Cuba with other Kentuckians. He had spent much of 1849 gathering people for this cause.
O'Hara commanded a group as a colonel under General Narciso López. They hoped to end Spanish rule in Cuba. During a battle in Cárdenas on May 18, 1850, he was badly hurt. After López's efforts failed, O'Hara returned to Kentucky in 1851. Other Kentuckians helped him escape back to the United States through Key West, Florida.
Journalism and Army Service
O'Hara returned to journalism. He worked for the Frankfort Yeoman newspaper in Frankfort, Kentucky. Then, in 1852, he helped start the Louisville Times in Louisville, Kentucky. This newspaper supported the Democratic Party.
In 1853, O'Hara left the Louisville Times to join another filibuster trip to Cuba with General John A. Quitman. When Quitman's plans didn't work out, O'Hara joined the United States Army again. He became a captain in the Second Cavalry on March 3, 1855. He returned to Louisville to help recruit new soldiers for the Army.
Later, he was sent to Texas to fight against Native American tribes on the prairies. On December 1, 1856, he left the army. He then took over as editor-in-chief of the Mobile Register newspaper in Mobile, Alabama. He also worked on government missions, like a diplomatic trip about the Tehuantepec land agreement.
Serving in the Civil War
When the American Civil War started in 1861, O'Hara joined the Confederate army. He became a lieutenant colonel in the Twelfth Alabama Regiment. He then worked for General Albert Sidney Johnston and General John C. Breckinridge, his old law student friend.
O'Hara showed great skill in the western part of the war. He fought bravely in Tennessee at the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Stone's River. However, disagreements with General Braxton Bragg and Confederate President Jefferson Davis made it hard for him to get a higher command.
Theodore O'Hara's Legacy
After the war, O'Hara moved to Columbus, Georgia. He started a business in the cotton industry, but it was destroyed by a fire. He later lived on a farm near Guerryton, in Bullock County, Alabama, where he passed away. He was buried in Columbus.
On September 15, 1874, O'Hara's remains were moved to the state cemetery at Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Other officers from the Mexican War were also buried there.
His friend, Sergeant Henry T. Stanton, read "Bivouac of the Dead" at the reburial. He said that O'Hara, by writing this poem, had created his own lasting memorial.
Lines from "Bivouac of the Dead" are now carved on the gates of many national cemeteries. They also appear on monuments honoring Confederate soldiers. The second part of the first verse is often quoted:
On Fame's eternal camping-ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And Glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead.
Because O'Hara served the Confederacy, he is sometimes not given credit when his poem is used in places not related to the Confederacy. There is also some debate about when O'Hara wrote "Bivouac of the Dead." Many believe he wrote it after the Battle of Buena Vista in 1847, where many Kentucky soldiers died. Others think it was written after the Battle of Cárdenas in 1851. The New York Times newspaper stated it was first published in the Frankfort Yeoman in 1850, which would be before his adventures in Cuba.
