Who was Civil War officer Charles Clark?
Charles Clark was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army and governor of Mississippi during the Civil War.
When the Civil War began, Clark received commissions as a brigadier general and later as a major general of Mississippi state troops. When the Confederate Army absorbed the Mississippi militia, Clark became a brigadier general, effective May 22, 1861. Clark suffered a shoulder injury while commanding the 1st Division of the Army of Mississippi at the Battle of Shiloh (April 6–7, 1862). Upon returning to active duty, Federal troops wounded Clark and captured him while he commanded a division during the Battle of Baton Rouge (August 5, 1862). Union authorities imprisoned Clark in New Orleans until February 1863. Clark’s injuries cost him the use of his legs for the rest of his life and forced him to leave active service.
On October 5, 1863, voters elected Clark as Governor of Mississippi. He served in that capacity for the rest of the Civil War. As the Confederacy disintegrated, federal authorities arrested Clark in the spring of 1865 and imprisoned him at Fort Pulaski, Georgia. On September 2, 1865, Clark signed an oath of allegiance to the United States. Union officials paroled and released Clark from prison in late September or early October of that year.
After his release from prison, Clark returned to practicing law and managing his plantation. When Reconstruction ended, Clark received an appointment as the chancellor for the fourth judicial district in 1876. He served on the bench for the rest of his life. Clark died on December 18, 1877, in Bolivar County, Mississippi. He was buried on his plantation in Mississippi (now Clark Cemetery).
Charles Clark Facts for APUSH
Birth and Early Life
- Full Name: His full name was Charles Clark.
- Parents: His parents were James and Charlotte Clark.
- Date of Birth: He was born on May 24, 1811.
- Birthplace: He was born in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio.
Family Tree
- Spouse: He was married to Ann Eliza Darden in 1835.
Death
- Death: He died on December 18, 1877.
- Place of Death: He died in Bolivar County, Mississippi.
- Burial: He is buried at Clark Cemetery, Bolivar County, Mississippi.
Education
He attended Augusta College and graduated in 1831.
Career
He worked as a schoolteacher, lawyer, politician, and military officer.
Career Summary
He served as a Brigadier General (CSA) and was the Governor of Mississippi.
Charles Clark — Summary of His Life and Accomplishments for APUSH
- Charles Clark was educated in Kentucky.
- In 1831, Charles Clark graduated from Augusta College, located in Augusta, Kentucky, in Bracken County.
- Charles Clark moved to Mississippi in about 1831, where he taught school and studied law.
- Charles Clark was a staunch Whig supporter of Henry Clay.
- Charles Clark served in the Mississippi State Legislature from 1838 to 1844.
- Charles Clark organized the Thomas Hinds Guards, an infantry company that became a part of the Second Regiment of Mississippi Volunteers during the Mexican-American War.
- Charles Clark served as Colonel of the Second Mississippi Infantry during the Mexican-American War.
- Charles Clark was a delegate to the 1851 Mississippi Constitutional Convention.
- Charles Clark served in the Mississippi State Legislature from 1856 to 1861.
- Charles Clark became a member of the Democratic Party in 1860.
- Charles Clark served as a delegate to both the 1860 Democratic conventions in Charleston and Baltimore.
- Charles Clark supported John Cabell Breckinridge for the presidency in 1860.
- Charles Clark was appointed Brigadier General, and later Major General of Mississippi State Troops.
- After the acceptance of the Mississippi Regiments into Confederate Service, Charles Clark was appointed brigadier general in the Confederate Army effective May 22, 1861.
- Charles Clark served as a brigade commander under Brigade in General Albert Sidney in Kentucky
- Charles Clark was severely wounded in the shoulder at the Battle of Shiloh.
- Charles Clark served as a division commander at the Battle of Baton Rouge
- Charles Clark was severely wounded in the hip during the Battle of Baton Rouge, crippling him for the remainder of his life.
- Charles Clark was elected Governor of Mississippi on October 5, 1863.
- Charles Clark served as Governor of Mississippi until Federal authorities arrested him on May 22, 1865.
- Charles Clark was imprisoned in Fort Pulaski, Georgia, but returned to Mississippi upon his release.
- After his release from prison, Charles Clark returned to practicing law and managing his plantation “Doro” in Bolivar County, Mississippi.
- In 1876, Charles Clark was appointed chancellor for the fourth judicial district and served on the bench until his death