1. Alexander Robert Lawton was a Confederate lawyer, politician, diplomat, and brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
11 Facts About Alexander Lawton
1. 2.
Alexander Lawton was the son of Alexander James Lawton and Martha Mosse.
3.
Alexander Lawton graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1839, placing 13th out of 31 in his class.
4.
Alexander Lawton served as a second lieutenant in the 1st US Artillery until resigning his commission in 1840 to study law.
5.
Alexander Lawton attended the Harvard Law School, graduating in 1842.
6.
Alexander Lawton settled in Savannah, Georgia, and entered the fields of law, railroad administration, and state politics.
7.
Alexander Lawton favored Georgia's secession and became colonel of the 1st Georgia Volunteers.
8.
Alexander Lawton commanded the Savannah troops that seized Fort Pulaski, the first conflict of the war in Georgia.
9.
Alexander Lawton was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate Army on April 13,1861, and commanded the forces guarding Georgia's seacoast before being reassigned to Virginia.
10.
Alexander Lawton led his brigade effectively during Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, and the Second Battle of Bull Run.
11.
Alexander Lawton was seriously wounded early in the morning of September 17,1862, while defending his portion of the Army of Northern Virginia's line.