Vignette bust view of Gustavus Smith who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia for a short time between the commands of General Joseph Johnston and General Robert E. Lee.

Smith is shown in the double-breasted frock coat of a Confederate General. The image is very clear with good contrast and very clean. Lower mount has photographer imprint of GURNEY & SON…NEW YORK. Reverse has light period ink inscription that reads “GEN. GUS. A. SMITH” the middle initial is obviously wrong. Reverse also has another imprint for the same photographer.

Gustavus Woodson Smith was born in Georgetown, Kentucky in 1821 and graduated from West Point in 1842.  Being trained as an Engineer Smith served in various places. During the war with Mexico he was brevetted three times, he served as an instructor at West Point and worked on various fortifications. He resigned from the Army in 1854 to pursue a career as a civil engineer.

When the Civil War broke out Smith was living in New York City where he was a street commissioner. He joined the Confederacy as a Major General on September 19, 1861. He commanded a wing of the Army of Northern Virginia on the Peninsula and after General Johnston’s wounding he commanded the Army for a few hours till Robert E. Lee arrived. Smith also served as an interim Secretary of War in November of 1862. He resigned his commission in January of 1863 due to a promotion dispute. He then became a Major General in the service of the state of Georgia and organized their militia. He eventually surrendered at Macon, Georgia on April 20, 1865.

After the war he was superintendent of an iron works in Chattanooga and was an insurance commissioner in Kentucky from 1870-1876. He also published several works on the Mexican and Civil Wars. Smith eventually returned to New York City where he lived out his life. He died on June 24, 1896 and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London, Connecticut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

THEN ON ‘LAYAWAY POLICY’.

THANK YOU!