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An Abbreviated Biography
by Robert S. Ross
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The Mexican War served as a training ground
for many of the officers and men who later served in the Confederate army.
There they were subjected to the rigors of combat, and learned tactics
and methodology they later used in the War between the States. Many well-known
generals served in Mexico, among them were Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet,
John Bell Hood, Joseph E. Johnston, J.E.B. Stuart, Richard S. Ewell and
many others. There were those who served at the brigade and regimental
level in the Confederate army, who also gained field experience in Mexico.
Some also served in the U.S. Army, both before and after Mexico, and put
that experience to good use.
Many of the experienced officers serving at brigade and regimental commands
gave good and faithful service, in some cases surviving the war despite
wounds, and living out their lives in normal civilian occupations. They
resumed their lives as civilians, for the most part as if the war had not
interrupted their lives. One of these experienced, reliable officers was
George Thomas Anderson, nicknamed "Tige," of the 11th Georgia and later
commander of Anderson’s Brigade, Hood’s Division under Longstreet.
Thomas was not what could be characterized as a military genius. He
was not charismatic, nor was he particularly fiery as a brigade commander.
He was a good soldier, and quite capable. It was said that he was "never
spectacular and not destined to advance beyond brigadier, the steady-eyed
Georgian maintained a level of dependable competence".
If he was not a charismatic leader, or a battlefield genius, nevertheless
Tige Anderson provided steady, capable leadership to his men. He was constant
in his leadership, and never asked his men to go where he would not go.
In providing steady and devoted leadership to his men, always looking after
their well being, and inspiring their loyalty. One of his men, part of
the First Georgia Regiment that served under Anderson from May to December,
1862 said the following: "Our brave and gallant commander, General George
T. Anderson, will ever hold the first place in our affections, not only
as a brave and fearless leader, but as a kind and humane man. He loves
his soldier boys and has ever been kind to them. He seems more like a father
than a commanding officer, and his memory will be ever cherished by the
boys who followed him in battle as long as memory lasts".
Charismatic or not, his leadership inspired this kind of devotion from
the men who served under him.
George Thomas Anderson was born March 3, 1824 (or February 3, 1824,
sources seem to differ), at Covington, Georgia to Joseph Stewart Anderson
and Lucy (Cunningham) Anderson.
Although little is known about his early life, he is said to have been
brought up on a farm, his family being in comfortable circumstances, yet
accustomed to hard work and familiar with the management of a plow and
team.
He attended Emory College near Covington, but left after the start of
the Mexican War in 1847 to join Captain Lyle’s company, the Georgia Mounted
Volunteers as a second lieutenant. Lieutenant Anderson served in the Mexican
War from 1847 to 1848, and participated in the fighting around Mexico City.
While in Mexico, he served under Major General Stephen W. Kearney in the
occupation of both Veracruz and Mexico City.
He mustered out in 1848 in Mobile, Alabama, settled in Walton County,
Georgia where he was a farmer and railroad agent and while there married
Elizabeth Ramey.
After several years, he accepted a captaincy in the First Cavalry Regiment
under Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Johnston. He served until 1858, then resigned
his commission and returned to Walton County to resume farming.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Anderson was elected captain of the
Walton Infantry, raised in the county of that name. When the Eleventh Georgia
of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry was organized, the Walton Infantry became
Company H. When the Eleventh Georgia was received into Confederate service
in Atlanta on July 2, 1861, Captain Anderson was elected colonel, due to
his previous military service.
George T. Anderson, as Colonel of the Eleventh Georgia, and later as
commander of Anderson’s Brigade was involved in most of the battles of
the Eastern theater until the surrender at Appomattox . The battles were
said to number at least 38, 14 from May to December, 1862 alone. Limitations
on the length of this paper preclude examining more than a few of them.
Second Manassas
Second Manassas came about as part of the campaign in Northern Virginia
against Union forces. Colonel George T. Anderson first became involved
as part of the brigades of Generals N.G. Evans and D.R. Jones, who were
brought up to occupy the position of Union forces that were driven back
across the Rappahannock River by Confederate batteries under Colonel J.B.
Walton. Due to cross-fire from Union batteries across the river, the position
was found untenable, and the troops were partially withdrawn.
By August 29th, D.R Jones Brigade under Anderson was bivouacked in the
vicinity of the Manassas battleground of the previous year. On the 30th,
the brigade advanced in line of battle and halted, then by order of General
Jones continued the advance. Anderson positioned his brigade to the right
of Toombs brigade. After engaging in fierce fighting, Anderson’s brigade
was partially flanked. He pulled back his men to the right to block the
attempt. Fresh troops then came up to join them and helped drive the Union
troops back from the field.
Malvern Hill
The battle that came to be known as the Seven Days began when, in the
course of working his way towards Richmond, General McClellan divided his
forces at the Chickahominy, isolating part of his army. General Lee seized
this opportunity to attack in detail, attempting to defeat the separated
parts of the Union army. The Confederate forces drove McClellan’s forces
back, and McClellan withdrew, intending to move back to the James, where
he would be under the cover of Union Naval guns. When the Union forces
reached a place called Malvern Hill, they emplaced their cannon on the
top, making a position that was well placed for defense. Despite this,
Confederate forces were ordered to attack.
During the Seven Days battle, the Eleventh was serving under General
D.R. Jones brigade. When Jones was named to command a division, Anderson
took over command of the brigade. Ordered to advance on Union batteries
by an aide of General Toombs, Anderson had the Eighth and Seventh Georgia
move forward, expecting support to follow on. The two small regiments took
heavy fire and suffered casualties, but took the enemy positions. Colonel
Anderson requested support from General Toombs two or three times, but
before support was sent, General Magruder ordered the attack to cease,
and recalled the regiments.
Antietam
The battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) commenced when General Robert E.
Lee’s forces invaded Maryland, and ran into the forces of General Hooker.
Anderson’s brigade was then part of General John Bell Hood’s division,
which went into action around the Dunker church. As the fighting against
Hooker grew more desperate, General Lawton called for Hood to support his
troops.
Hood’s forces attacked, and in the process suffered heavy casualties.
Hood appealed to General Jackson for support, who reacted by sending in
several regiments, including Anderson’s. Unable to persist in his attack,
Hood finally fell back but before he did, "Tige" Anderson’s brigade arrived.
During Hood’s withdrawal, Walker’s Division arrived and engaged the enemy.
While these troops were engaged, General McLaw’s also responded in support
of Anderson and sent his troops forward.
After having his men withdrawn from the field, Anderson’s brigade was
sent to the Confederate left, where Jackson’s line had been broken. The
brigade was used to reinforce the left, leaving the Confederates with little
troops to resist Union attacks, mostly what remained from D.R. Jones diminished
division.
Gettysburg
On July 2, 1863 General Robert E. Lee ordered General Longstreet to
attack the Union left flank. Based on information later found to be erroneous
that the two Round Tops were unoccupied, he told Longstreet to take both
hills and the Devil’s Den.
General Longstreet then ordered the attack by Hood’s Division. In the
ensuing fight for the Devil’s Den, Hood’s forces were decimated. It was
during this action that Hood was seriously wounded and left the field.
Generals Anderson and Bennings brigades were called up to support Hood’s
division while it retreated from the field. After the brigades had entered
the fight for the Round Tops and the Devil’s Den and during the ensuing
action, Anderson received a serious wound in the leg, and was replaced
by one of his officers, Colonel W.W. White of the Seventh Georgia Infantry.
The Battle of the Wilderness:
General Anderson rejoined his brigade in September, 1863 in time for
it to be separated from Longstreet’s Corps and sent to help in the defense
of Charleston. The brigade rejoined Longstreet in Tennessee, and returned
with him to Virginia. The Wilderness battle began when Lee decided to confront
Grant in the tangles of the previous year’s battle. When Longstreet’s divisions
went into the fight, it faced Hancock’s Second Corps near Brock Road. Scouts
had found that Hancock’s left flank was exposed to a turning maneuver,
and that an unfinished railroad cut would allow Longstreet’s forces to
proceed unseen to turn the flank. Longstreet delegated the brigades of
Generals Mahone, Wofford and Anderson to follow the cut until they were
past the end of Hancock’s line and could attack, with Mahone leading the
attack to the left of Wofford and Anderson.
The attack drove Hancock’s forces back beyond Brock Road, where they
rallied, and stopped the attack of Anderson and Wofford.
After the surrender at Appomattox, General Anderson received his parole
and returned to Georgia. He settled in Atlanta, and for a number of years
was a freight agent for the Georgia Railroad. In December of 1865, with
press criticism of the police department as being rife with corruption
and neglect of duty, and with much discontent among the citizenry, Anderson
organized a citizens’ regiment to "clean the city of the scoundrels".
It is also possible that the group was organized to patrol the suburbs
for black "scoundrels."
The city directory for 1867 shows him listed as "Anderson, Gen. G.T.,
Ft Agt, Ga R R Depot, res. nw cor Collins and Ga R. R."
In that year his first wife, Elizabeth Ramey, died. In the directory
of 1870 he was still being listed as a freight agent.
In 1872 General Anderson was appointed a marshal of the Atlanta Police
Department.
His title was chief of police, a title that has led to some confusion.
Prior to the formation of the Board of Police Commissioners, the marshal
would normally have several deputies, and sometimes one was referred to
as a "chief of police," yet Anderson in one listing is named under Marshals
and Deputies, 1844-1873, as a Marshal.
He is listed in the Atlanta City Directory as follows:
1872: Anderson, G.T., Chief of Police;
1874: not listed;
1876: Anderson, Geo T., 39 Whitehall;
1877: Anderson, George T., Captain Police, 1585 Broad;
1878: Anderson, George T. captain of police, 1 Air Line House;
1880: Anderson, George T., chief of police, bols Cannon House;
1881: Anderson, George T., chief of police, 47 S. Pryor.
It seems that General Anderson moved around a lot while he was the Chief
of Police in Atlanta.
Anderson left Atlanta in 1881 and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where
he was a merchant of general merchandise for eight years. It was at this
same time that he married a Linda Spiller of Tuscaloosa, and with her had
two children.
In 1889 he left Tuscaloosa, and move to Anniston. He served first as
city clerk, then as chief of police, and finally as tax collector of Calhoun
County.
He served at that post until 1901, when he fell ill. He was expected
to recover and seemed to rally, but finally weakened and died on April
2, 1901. He had requested that he be buried in the coat he was wearing
when he surrendered at Appomattox, and his wish was respected.
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