History of Culpeper County Virginia United States of America

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John Strode Barbour, senator, was born in Culpeper county, Va., Dec. 29, 1820; son of John Strode Barbour (1810-'55), representative in the 19th-22d congresses, 1825-'33. He was a student at the University of Virginia and was graduated from the law department in 1842, practising in his native county. He was prominent in the politics of Culpeper county and in 1847 was sent to the house of delegates of the Virginia legislature. He was re-elected to serve in three successive sessions of that body. Then for nearly thirty years he was engaged in large business enterprises. In 1852 he was elected president of the Orange and Alexandria railroad and served in that capacity until the road was merged in the Virginia Midland railroad, when he was made president of that road until 1883, when he resigned. In 1880 he was elected to represent his district in the 47th congress and was re-elected to the 48th and 49th congresses. The Virginia legislature in 1889 elected him as a Democrat to the United States senate to succeed Harrison Riddleberger, whose term expired March 3, 1889. Senator Barbour served as a member of the regular senate committees on pensions, interstate commerce, education and labor, District of Columbia, and organization, conduct and expenditures of the executive departments, as well as of the select committees to investigate the Potomac river in front of Washington and to establish a university. He died May 14, 1892.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Franklin Rixey, representative, was born in Culpeper county, Va., Aug. 1, 1854; son of Presley M. and Mary H. Rixey. He attended the public schools, Bethel academy, and the University of Virginia, where he also studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1875. He engaged in practice at Culpeper, and served as commonwealth's attorney for Culpeper county, 1879?91. He was married, Nov. 30, 1881, to Ellie, daughter of Juntos and Fanny Barbour of Culpeper. He was a Democratic representative from the eighth Virginia district in the 55th, 56th and 57th congresses, 1897?1903, and was reelected to the 58th congress in 1902 for the term expiring 1905. In the 57th congress he advocated the admission of Confederate as well as Union soldiers to all soldiers' homes and institutions maintained by the government, and government aid to state homes for Confederate as well as for Union soldiers.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Ambrose Powell Hill, soldier, was born in Culpeper county, Va., Nov. 9, 1825; son of Maj. Thomas Hill, a merchant and local politician. He was graduated at the U.S. Military academy in 1847 and was assigned to the artillery service. He was promoted 2d lieutenant in the 1st artillery, Aug. 22, 1847; served in Mexico, 1846-47, and in the Seminole war, 1849-50. He was promoted 1st lieutenant, Sept. 4, 1851, and captain in November, 1855, when he was made assistant on the coast survey and Was stationed at Washington, D.C., 1855-61. He resigned from the U.S. army, March 1, 1861, and when Virginia seceded he was appointed colonel of the 13th Virginia volunteers and stationed at Harper's Ferry. He reached the battlefield of Bull Run during the last hours of the fight, July 21, 1861, and was afterward promoted brigadier-general. His spirit and determination at the battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, where he commanded the first brigade in Longstreet's second division, made him a major-general. His light division, formed of Pender's, Field's, Archer's, Anderson's, Gregg's and Branch's brigades, took position on the extreme left of the confederate line on the Chickahominy, expecting to be reinforced by Jackson's three divisions marching from the valley to join in the attack on Porter's corps occupying the extreme right of the Federal army. The arrival of Jackson being delayed, Hill forced the battle of Beaver Dam Creek, June 26, driving the Federal outposts back upon Mechanicsville. After a sharp skirmish the Federals retreated to Beaver Dam Creek, which was fortified, and Ripley and Pender attacked the intrenched position about dark and were disastrously repulsed, nearly every field officer being killed or wounded. Porter, however, fell back to Gaines's Mill and New Cold Harbor, and Hill pursued, taking his position on the left of Longstreet. He made the first attack on the Federal centre and left, June 27, 1862, and after two hours' fighting was repulsed, and his disordered troops re-formed after Longstreet made an attack in force on the enemy's right. The issue of the battle was the breaking of Porter's line, the abandonment of the field by the Federal troops and McClellan's change of base from the Chickahominy to the James. At the battle of Frayser's Farm, or Glendale, June 30, 1862, Hill, in conjunction with Longstreet, made a desperate fight with Sumner's corps and the divisions of McCall, Kearny and Hooker, but receiving no support the object of the attack,?the possession of the Quaker road,?was not gained and McClellan continued his retreat to Malvern Hill, where he fought the battle of July 1, 1862, supported by the gunboats in the river. On July 27, 1862, General Hill's division was ordered to join Gen. T. J. Jackson at Gordonsville, and on Aug. 9, 1862, he took part in the battle of Slaughter Mountain, where he came to the relief of Jackson, whose left was beaten and broken. At Manassas and at Chantlily, Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, 1862, his command, known as Hill's light division, made up of the brigades of Branch, Ponder, Thomas, Gregg, Archer and Field, formed the second division, the left of Jackson's corps. He received the surrender of Gert. Julius White and the Federal forces at Harper's Ferry, Sept. 15, 1862, and reinforced Leo at Sharpsburg, Md., Sept. 17, where he checked the victorious Federal line of Burnside in time to make possible Lee's masterly retreat. His division, composed of the brigades of Brockenborough, Gregg, Thomas, Lane, Archer and Pender, formed the right of Jackson's corps at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862. He was given the reserve or third line of battle at Chancellorsville, May 5 and 6, 1863, and in the progress of the battle his division was ordered to the front by Jackson, and the execution of the movement caused the confusion incident to the death of Jackson. This flank movement, however, put to rout Hooker's right. He succeeded to the command of Jackson's corps on the death of its commander, and was subsequently severely wounded and was carried from the field during the continuance of the fight. His gallantry on this field gained his promotion to lieutenant-general, May 20, 1863, and He was placed in command of one of the three corps in which the Army of Northern Virginia was divided. He led the third army corps, made up of Anderson's, Heth's and Pender's divisions, at Gettysburg, and in all the battles in opposing Grant's Virginia campaign from the Wilderness to Petersburg, where he met his death while making a reconnaissance, April 2, 1865, during the struggle for the possession of the works before that city. He had undertaken to reach General Heth's division, and riding across in front of the lines he was shot from his horse by stragglers from the Federal army. On learning of his fate. General Lee ordered a charge and recovered his body and had it buried at Coalfield, the family burial-ground. The casket was subsequetly transferred to Holyrood cemetery, Richond, and in 1891 the A. P. Hill Monument association caused it to, rest at Westbrook, near Richmond, where they erected a handsome monument. He died on tbe battlefield near Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John McKinley, jurist, was born in Culpeper county, Va., May, 1780. He engaged in the practice of law in Louisville, Ky., until after 1819, when he removed to Alabama and established himself as a lawyer in Huntsville. He was a representative in the Alabama legislature, and was elected to the U.S. senate as a Jackson Democrat in place of Isaac Pickens, the latter appointed by Guv. John Murphy to succeed Henry Chambers, who was elected to the office but died Jan. 25, 1826, before taking his seat. Mr. McKinley assumed office, Dec. 21, 1826, and served till March 3, 1831. He removed to Florence, Ala., in the meantime, and served as a representative in the 23d congress, 1833-35. He was associate justice of the U.S. supreme court, 1837-52. He died in Louisville, Ky., July 19, 1852.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Culpeper County Virginia

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