HARDEE, WILLIAM JOSEPH American soldier, was born in Savannah, Ga., on Nov. 1 o, 1815 and graduated from West Point in 1838. As a subaltern of cavalry he was employed in 1839 on a special mission to Europe to study the cavalry methods in vogue. He was promoted captain in and served with distinction under Generals Taylor and Scott in the Mexican War. After the war he served as a substantive major of cavalry under Col. Sidney Johnston and Lieut. Col. Robert E. Lee. For some time before 1856 he was engaged in compiling the official manual of infantry drill and tactics which, familiarly called "Hardee's Tactics," afterwards formed the text-book for the infantry arm in both the Federal and the Confederate armies. From 1856 to 186i he was commandant of West Point, resigning his commission on the secession of his State in the latter year. Entering the Confederate service as a colonel, he was shortly promoted brigadier-general. He distinguished himself greatly by his tactical leadership on the field of Shiloh, and was immediately promoted major-general. As a corps commander he fought under Gen. Bragg at Perryville and Stone river, and for his distinguished services in these battles was promoted lieutenant-general. He served in the latter part of the campaign of 1863 under Bragg and in that of 1864 under J. E. Johnston. When the Civil War came to an end in 1865 he retired to his plantation near Selma, Alabama. He died at Wytheville, Va., on Nov. 6, 1873.
See James Kendall Hosmer, Outcome of the Civil War, "American Nation" series, vol. xxi. (19o7) .