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Gilbert Moxley Sorrel

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Gilbert Moxley Sorrel Famous memorial Veteran

Birth
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA
Death
10 Aug 1901 (aged 63)
Roanoke, Roanoke City, Virginia, USA
Burial
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA GPS-Latitude: 32.0653681, Longitude: -81.1092347
Plot
1168
Memorial ID
View Source
Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he was a clerk for a railroad at the outbreak of the Civil War. He also was a Private in the Georgia Hussars, a militia company. After witnessing the reduction of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, he participated in the capture of Fort Pulaski, Georgia, then went to Virginia, where, before First Bull Run, he secured a position on Lieutenant General James Longstreet's staff as Captain and volunteer aide-de-camp. From that battle until the Wilderness, his Civil War career was inextricably linked to that of Longstreet. As Longstreet rose in rank to command of the I Corps, his duties increased, and he eventually became the I Corps's chief of staff. Rising to the rank of Colonel, he participated with Longstreet in every major campaign in the East and went with his commander to the West during the Chickamauga and Knoxville campaigns. During the Battle of the Wilderness, where Longstreet was critically wounded, he personally led 4 brigades in a successful envelopment of the Union left. On October 27, 1864, he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to command of a brigade in Major General William Mahone's division. Later that autumn he sustained a leg wound in the battles around Petersburg, Virginia. On February 7, 1865, he fell with a severe chest wound in an engagement at Hatcher's Run. He was returning to his command when the Confederate army was surrendered at Appomattox. After the war he returned to Savannah. A merchant, he was also connected with a steamship company. In 1905 he published Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer, one of the most valuable and perceptive memoirs of an aide. He later would die near Roanoke, Virginia.
Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he was a clerk for a railroad at the outbreak of the Civil War. He also was a Private in the Georgia Hussars, a militia company. After witnessing the reduction of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, he participated in the capture of Fort Pulaski, Georgia, then went to Virginia, where, before First Bull Run, he secured a position on Lieutenant General James Longstreet's staff as Captain and volunteer aide-de-camp. From that battle until the Wilderness, his Civil War career was inextricably linked to that of Longstreet. As Longstreet rose in rank to command of the I Corps, his duties increased, and he eventually became the I Corps's chief of staff. Rising to the rank of Colonel, he participated with Longstreet in every major campaign in the East and went with his commander to the West during the Chickamauga and Knoxville campaigns. During the Battle of the Wilderness, where Longstreet was critically wounded, he personally led 4 brigades in a successful envelopment of the Union left. On October 27, 1864, he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to command of a brigade in Major General William Mahone's division. Later that autumn he sustained a leg wound in the battles around Petersburg, Virginia. On February 7, 1865, he fell with a severe chest wound in an engagement at Hatcher's Run. He was returning to his command when the Confederate army was surrendered at Appomattox. After the war he returned to Savannah. A merchant, he was also connected with a steamship company. In 1905 he published Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer, one of the most valuable and perceptive memoirs of an aide. He later would die near Roanoke, Virginia.

Bio by: Ugaalltheway



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Jul 15, 2000
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11079/gilbert_moxley-sorrel: accessed ), memorial page for Gilbert Moxley Sorrel (23 Feb 1838–10 Aug 1901), Find a Grave Memorial ID 11079, citing Laurel Grove Cemetery North, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.