Richard
Brooke Garnett was born at Rose Hill the family’s estate in Essex County,
Virginia November 21st 1817, the son of William Henry and Anna Maria
(Brooke) Garnett. He attended the United
State Military Academy at West Point with his cousin Robert Selden
Garnett. They graduated in 1841 ranking
29th and 27th out of 52 in the class. Garnett received a commission to Second
Lieutenant and served with the 6th United State Infantry, seeing
action in Florida, Fort Laramie, and with the Utah Expedition. During the Mexican American war Garnett
served as a staff officer in New Orleans.
He was serving in California with the rank of Captain when the Civil War
began. He resigned his commission May 17th
1861.
Returning to
Virginia Garnett offered his service to the Confederacy, first as a Major in
the Artillery, and then as a Lieutenant Colonel in Cobb’s Legion. On November 14th 1861 he was
promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of the First Brigade of the
Army of the Valley District. It was in
this position that Garnett ran afoul of Confederate General Thomas J "Stonewall" Jackson. During the Battle of Kernstown finding his
men outnumbered and running low on ammunition Garnett ordered a retreat. Jackson accused him of disobeying orders and
had him arrested for “neglect of duty” and removed from command. Garnett’s court martial trail started in August
1862, but was suspended when the campaign including the Second Battle of
Manassas started. General Robert E Lee
ordered that Garnett be released from arrest and he assigned Garnett a command
in Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s Corps. He showed his abilities at the
Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg.
During the
Gettysburg Campaign Garnett’s brigade was assigned to Confederate General
George Pickett’s division and so did not get to the battlefield until late
afternoon on July 2nd 1863.
Garnett arrived on the battlefield with a fever and an injury from where
his horse had kicked him in the leg.
When the form of what we now know as Pickett’s charge began to take
place Garnett and his Brigade were to be in the front center, just to the left
of Brigadier General James L Kemper men.
As Garnett was unable to walk he led his men on horseback. He got to about 20 yard of the Union line on
Cemetery Ridge before he was killed on July 3rd 1863. Garnett’s courier Private Robert H Irvine of
the 19th Virginia saw him fall.
Garnett’s body was never found and was most likely buried with his men
in a mass grave in front of Cemetery Ridge.
His body is thought to have been removed to Hollywood Cemetery in
Richmond, Virginia after the war with the other Confederate dead.
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