History of Cleveland, (Russell County) Virginia United States of America

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Dabney Herndon Maury, soldier, was born in Fredericksburg, Va., May 20, 1822; son of Capt. John Minor and Eliza (Maury) Maury. He was a student at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1839-41; studied law under Judge Taylor Lomax, 1841-42, and was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1846; and was promoted in the army brevet 2d lieutenant of mounted rifles, July 1, 1846. He served in the war with Mexico, 1846-49, participating in the siege of Vera Cruz, and was severely wounded. He was brevetted 1st lieutenant for Cerro Gordo, was promoted 2d lieutenant of 3d artillery, July 1, 1847, but was re-transferred to the Mounted Rifles, Feb. 19, 1848, as 2d lieutenant to rank from July 1, 1847. He was assistant professor of geography, history and ethics at the U.S. Military academy, 1847-50, and of infantry tactics, 1850-52. He served on frontier duty in Texas, 1852-53; was promoted 1st lieutenant of Mounted Rifles, Jan. 27, 1853; and was superintendent of the cavalry school for practice, Carlisle, Pa., 1858-59. He was brevetted captain of staff and assistant adjutant-general, April 17, 1860, and assistant adjutant-general of the department of New Mexico, 1860-61. He was dismissed from the U.S. army, June 25, 1861; joined the Confederate States army as brevet colonel and adjutant, and was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi department in February, 1862, as chief of staff to Gen. Earl Van Dorn. He was brevetted brigadier-general for gallantry at Pea Ridge, and during the evacuation of Corinth he commanded the rear guard of the Army of the West. He commanded the 2d division of Price's army in the Corinth and Iuka region, 1862; and with his division, made up of the brigades of Moore, Cabell and Rhifer, three regiments of cavalry and two batteries of artillery, took part in the battle of Corinth, Oct. 3-4, 1862, where he lost 2000 men during the two days' fight, and on Oct. 5, 1862, he checked Ord's corps at Hatchie Bridge. He succeed Gen. S. D. Lee to the command of the provisional division, Pemberton's army, in the defence of Vicksburg, and repulsed Sherman at Chickasaw Bluff, Dec. 27, 1862-Jan. 3, 1863. He was brevetted major-general for gallantry at Corinth and Hatchie Bridge and was placed in command of the Department of the Gulf with headquarters at Mobile. On April 9, 1864, General Canby captured Spanish Fort and the Confederate earthworks with 3423 prisoners and 40 guns. General Maury then ordered Forts Tracy and Huger to he blown up, which was done on the 11th, and on the same day he evacuated Mobile, taking with him 4500 infantry and artillery with 27 field-pieces, and he transported his army in safety to Meridian, where he operated with Beauregard in repairing the railroads preparatory to Hood's invasion of Tennessee. On May 12, 1865, he surrendered the Army of Mobile and was placed on parole. He organized the Southern Historical society in 1868 and was chief mover in the reorganization of the national militia in 1878 and a member of the executive committee of the association, 1878-90. He was U.S. minister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary to Colombia by appointment of President Cleveland, 1885-89. He was married at Cleveland, Va., to Miss Mason of King George county, Va. He is the author of System of Tactics in Single Rank (1856); Recollections of a Virginian; History of Virginia; and many articles for magazines and newspapers. He died in Peoria, Ill., Jan. 11, 1900.

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

History of Cleveland, (Russell County) Virginia

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