Lafayette McLaws - Early life, Civil War, Postbellum

US soldier, born in Augusta, Georgia, USA. A West Point graduate (1842), he served in the Mexican War and in the West. He went over to the Confederate army (1861), and as a regimental, brigade, and finally division commander, he fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He was relieved of command and court-martialled for his failure to relieve Knoxville, TN (Nov 1863) but was exonerated. After the war he served as postmaster of Savannah, GA.

Lafayette McLaws (January 15, 1821 – July 24, 1897) was a U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.

Early life

McLaws, who pronounced his first name IPA: [lɑ'fe(ɪ).ɛt], was born in Augusta, Georgia.

Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, resigning as a U.S. Army captain, McLaws was commissioned a major in the Confederate States Army. He joined James Longstreet's corps in the Army of Northern Virginia as 1st Division commander and stayed with Longstreet for most of the war. Lee's invasion of Maryland in 1862, McLaws's division was split from the rest of the corps, operated in conjunction with Maj. Lee was disappointed in McLaws's slow arrival on the battlefield. At the Battle of Fredericksburg, McLaws was one of the divisions defending Marye's Heights and he satisfied Lee with his ferocious defensive performance.

At Chancellorsville, while the rest of Longstreet's corps was detached for duty near Suffolk, Virginia, McLaws fought directly under Lee's command. On May 3, 1863, Lee sent McLaws's division to stop the Union VI Corps under Maj. He did accomplish this, but Lee was disappointed that McLaws had not attacked more aggressively and caused more harm to Sedgwick's corps, instead of letting him escape across the Rappahannock River. When Lee reorganized his army to compensate for Jackson's mortal wounding at Chancellorsville, Longstreet recommended his subordinate for one of the two new corps commands, but both men were disappointed when Lee chose Richard S.

During the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, McLaws commanded the second division to step off in Longstreet's massive assault on the Union left flank.

McLaws accompanied Longstreet's corps to Tennessee to come to the aid of Gen. In the Knoxville Campaign, Longstreet relieved McLaws for the failure of the attack on Fort Sanders, citing inadequate preparations. A court of inquiry cleared McLaws of most charges, but it took the intercession of Jefferson Davis to restore his command. He left the corps and, since Lee would not accept him for command in Virginia, he was sent to Georgia to defend (unsuccessfully) Savannah against Maj. McLaws surrendered with Gen.

Postbellum

After the war, McLaws worked in the insurance business, served as Savannah's postmaster, and was active in Confederate veterans' organizations. Despite his wartime differences with Longstreet, McLaws initially defended Longstreet in the post-war attempts by Jubal Early and others to smear his reputation.

Lafayette McLaws died in Savannah and is buried there in Laurel Grove Cemetery.