US soldier, born in Williamson Co, Tennessee, USA. A criminal lawyer, he was the law partner of James K Polk who, when president, appointed him to commands in the Mexican War, much to the annoyance of General Winfield Scott and other American military men. A Democrat, he hoped to avoid secession by compromise, but once the war began he went with the Confederacy. He fought at Belmont and in February 1862 he escaped from Fort Donelson, TN with the garrison commander, leaving the third in command to surrender to Ulysses S Grant. Vain and fractious, he was never given an important command thereafter. After the war he returned to practising law.
Gideon Johnson Pillow (June 8, 1806 – October 8, 1878) was an American lawyer, politician, and Confederate general in the American Civil War.
Early life
Pillow was born in Williamson County, Tennessee.
In the Mexican-American War, Pillow joined the U.S. Army as a brigadier general in July 1846 and President Polk promoted him to major general on April 13, 1847. An anonymous letter—actually written by Pillow—published in the New Orleans Delta on September 10, 1847, and signed "Leonidas", wrongfully credited Pillow for recent American victories at Contreras and Churubusco. When Pillow's intrigue was exposed, he was arrested by Scott and held for court-martial. Polk, defensive of Pillow, recalled Scott to Washington. Burns, a paymaster, claimed authorship of the "Leonidas" letter at Pillow's behest. Pillow escaped punishment, but was discharged from the Army in July 1848.
Pillow's antagonism for Scott was reflected in the 1852 election for president, when he opposed Scott's candidacy, supporting instead a former subordinate of his in the Mexican-American War, Franklin Pierce. Pillow attempted to win the vice-presidential nomination, but was rejected.
Civil War
Although he opposed secession, Pillow joined the Confederacy just after the start of the Civil War, beginning as the senior major general in the Tennessee Militia as of May 9, 1861. In July he was appointed brigadier general in the Confederate States Army and was given command of the unit that was briefly called the "Army of Liberation". Nevertheless, Pillow and his command were voted the Thanks of Congress on December 6, 1861:
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Pillow resigned from the Army on December 28 in a dispute with Maj. When he returned he was given command of Fort Donelson, a crucial installation protecting the Cumberland River. Floyd, former governor of Virginia and Secretary of War under James Buchanan, outranked Pillow, who found himself in the unofficial position of second-in-command.
During the Battle of Fort Donelson, Pillow essentially overshadowed the general who was in formal command of the left wing of the army, Brig. Grant was initially successful, Pillow inexplicably decided to pull his men from their advance positions and back into the trenches so that they could be resupplied before their escape, squandering the advances they had fought for so hard that morning. Floyd and the other generals were furious with Pillow, but it was too late to correct his error. At a council of war early on the morning of February 16, the generals agreed to surrender their army. Floyd, who feared prosecution for treason if he were captured, turned command of the army over to Pillow, who had similar concerns and immediately passed command to Simon Bolivar Buckner. Pillow escaped in the night in a small boat across the Cumberland River; Floyd likewise escaped, taking two regiments of his Virginia command with him before Buckner could surrender to Grant. However, his acquaintance with Gideon Pillow played a key factor in his confidence. As he wrote in his memoirs,
I had known General Pillow in Mexico, and judged that with any force, no matter how small, I could march up to within gunshot of any intrenchments he was given to hold.
Pillow assumed command of the 3rd Division of the Army of Central Kentucky, but was suspended from command by order of Jefferson Davis on April 16 for "grave errors in judgement in the military operations which resulted in the surrender of the army" (at Donelson). Breckinridge was furious to find Pillow cowering behind a tree and ordered him forward. After the battle, Pillow spoke in support of Gen. Pillow had no more combat assignments. He commanded the Volunteer and Conscription Bureau of the Army of Tennessee and was the Commissary General of Prisoners in 1865.
Postbellum
After the war, Pillow was forced into bankruptcy, but embarked on a successful law practice in Memphis, Tennessee, as partner with former Governor Isham G.
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