William Montague Browne (William Montague Browne)

William Montague Browne

Civil War, CSA Brigadier General. He was born in City Mayo, Ireland, and was the son of the Right Honorable D. Geoffrey Browne, Member of Parliament. He was educated at Rugby and at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He served in the Crimean War, then joined the British diplomatic service before moving to New York City in 1851 to become political editor of the Journal of Commerce. At the request of President James Buchanan, he moved to Washington D.C., in 1857 to become editor-in-chief of the Constitution, an administration organ. While in Washington he became sympathetic to the Southern way of life and friendly with Howell Cobb, Buchanan’s secretary of the treasury. Ultimately, he accompanied Cobb to Georgia and resided in Athens. In February 1861, as the Confederacy organized, he met Jefferson Davis, establishing a lifelong close friendship. At once he became the Confederate president’s aide-de-camp, with the rank of Colonel of cavalry. After serving in Davis’ Department of Organization, he was the Confederate secretary of state ad interim, from February 17th to March 18th, 1862. He held other political and military posts in Virginia until April 1864, when he became commandant of conscripts for Georgia. Thereafter he was appointed Brigadier General with temporary rank from November 11, 1864, though the Confederate Senate later rejected the nomination. Nonetheless, at the initiative of General Braxton Bragg, military advisor to the Confederate president, he was assigned an infantry brigade in Georgia and was sent to Savannah to serve under Brigadier General Hugh W. Mercer in opposing Sherman’s advance. After the war, he was paroled as a Brigadier General and returned to Athens. In 1866 he graduated from the University of Georgia with a law degree, practiced law briefly, then edited an agricultural journal and the Macon Star, meanwhile writing a biography of Confederate Vice-President Alexander H. Stephens. In 1874 he was named a professor of law, history, and political science at the University of Georgia, teaching there until his death. (bio by: Ugaalltheway)  Family links:  Spouse:  Eliza Jane Beket Browne (1830 – 1873)* *Calculated relationship

Born

  • July, 07, 1823
  • Ireland

Died

  • April, 04, 1883
  • USA

Cemetery

  • Oconee Hill Cemetery
  • Georgia
  • USA

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