BRAGG, Braxton, Confederate general: b. Warren County, N. C., 22 March 1817; d. Gal veston, Tex., 27 Sept. 1876. After gradua tion at West Point in 1837, he was appointed second lieutenant in the 3d Artillery (I July 1837) ; served in the Seminole War in Florida in 1837-39 and 1841-42; took part in the mili tary occupation of Texas 1845-46; and distin guished himself during the Mexican War under General Taylor, being brevetted captain (9 May 1846), major (23 Sept. 1846) and lieutenant colonel (23 Feb. 1847), respectively, for bravery and gallantry at Fort Brown, Monterey and Buena Vista. After this war he was on garri son duty at various places, declining promotion to major of the 1st Cavalry 3 March 1855, and on 3 Jan. 1856 resigned his commission and became a sugar planter in Louisiana, from 1859-61 serving as commissioner of public works of Louisiana. At the beginning of the Civil War he joined the Confederate army and was rapidly promoted, becoming brigadier general 7 March 1861, major-general 12 Sept. 1861 and lieutenant-general 12 April 1862. At first he was placed in command of the troops stationed at Pensacola for the purpose of op erating against Fort Pickens and on 8 Oct. 1861 broke up the Federal camp on Santa Rosa Island, Fla.; but early in 1862 was sent west to act under Gen. A. S. Johnston (q.v.), commanding the Army of the Mississippi, and played an important part in the bloody battle of Shiloh (q.v.) 6-7 April. After Johnston's death Bragg was promoted general, placed in command of the Army of the Mississippi and shortly afterward superseded Beauregard (q.v.) in command of the Western department. In August 1862 he began his campaign to win the adherence of Kentucky to the Confederate cause, captured Munfordsville 17 September, moved on Bardstown and Frankfort but was beaten in the race for Louisville by the Federal general, D. C. Buell (q.v.). On 8 October
Bragg practically defeated Buell at Perryville (q.v.), but owing to the arrival of heavy Fed eral reinforcements was compelled to abandon his dead and wounded, a large part of his spoils and hastily to withdraw into Tennessee. This brought him into disfavor, but, though some urged his removal, President Davis always sus tained him and continued him in his command. At Stone River or Murfreesboro(q.v.), 31 Dec. 1862 to 2 Jan. 1863, he was defeated by the Federal forces, then under Gen. W. S. Rosecrans (q.v.) ; he fell hack upon Tulla homa, hut by the summer of 1863 had been outgeneraled by Rosecrans (see TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN) and once more retreated. On 19 20 September, however, he turned upon Rose crans at Chickamauga (q.v.) and inflicted a serious defeat upon the Federal army, only, in turn, to be disastrously defeated at Chatta nooga (q.v.) 23-25 November, by Grant, who compelled his withdrawal to Dalton. On 2 Dec. 1863 he was removed from command, but on 24 Feb. 1864 was appointed to the office of military adviser to President Davis. In the following November he assumed command of thertment of North Carolina, in De cember Department Fort Fisher against the Porter-Butler attack, later led an unsuccessful ex pedition into Georgia against Sherman and in February 1865 was placed in active service under Gen. J. E. Johnston (q.v.), with whom he remained until his surrender. In 1869 he was superintendent of the New Orleans water works, later was chief engineer of the State of Alabama (in which capacity he supervised the work of improving the river, harbor and bay of Mobile) and in 1874 was chief engineer of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad.