General P. G. T. Beauregard
![]()
Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard, born near New Orleans, Louisiana - May 28, 1818Shortened his name to G. T. Beauregard while a student at West Point.
Graduated 2nd in his class from West Point - 1838
Twice promoted (to Captain and Major) for gallantry in the Mexican War
Appointed Superintending Engineer of the New Orleans Customs House, a position he held for 10 years. At the time, this was the largest building ever constructed in North America.
Appointed Superintendent of West Point - 1861
Resigned from the Federal Army - February 20, 1861
Appointed first Brigadier General, Confederate States Army - March 1, 1861
Commanded the forces that fired on Fort Sumter - April 12, 1861
Commander at First Manassas - July 21, 1861
Appointed General, Confederate States Army - July 21, 1861
Commander at Shilo - April 1862
Commander of the Military District of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida - 1862 to 1864
Defended Charleston, South Carolina from attack - 1862 to 1864
Commanded the defenses at Petersburg, Virginia - 1864
Commander of the forces opposing Sherman in Georgia and South Carolina - 1864 to 1865
Co-commander of the forces opposing Sherman in North Carolina - 1865
Surrendered at Durham Station, North Carolina - April 26, 1865
President of New Orleans, Jackson and Mississippi Railway
Supervisor of Louisiana Lottery
Commissioner of Public Works - New Orleans
Louisiana Adjutant General
Died in New Orleans - February 20, 1893
For further reading about the life of General P. G. T. Beauregard, see:
T. Harry Williams. P. G. T. Beauregard, Napoleon in Gray. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1995.
Alfred Roman. The Military Operations of General Beauregard. De Capo Press, New York, 1994. This is a two volume set.
© 1998 Robert A. Belflower