Gustavus Woodson Smith

From Dixiepedia: The PC-Free Encyclopedia

Gustavus Woodson Smith (30 November 1821 – 24 June 1896), more commonly known as G.W. Smith, was a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the Mexican War, a civil engineer, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the War Between the States. He served as interim Secretary of War for the Confederacy and he fought in the Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond, Virginia. He briefly took command of what would become The Army of Northern Virginia after Joseph E. Johnston was wounded. However, he suffered a nervous breakdown upon taking command and was quickly removed and was replaced by Robert Edward Lee.

Smith was born in Georgetown, Kentucky. He died in New York City and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London, Connecticut.