Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox ( 29 May 1824 - 2 December 1890)

  Cadmus Wilcox was born in Wayne County, NC, 29 May 1824. He graduated from West Point 54th in his class (1846) and was breveted 1st lieutant in Mexico for his service at Chapultepec and Mexico City. Following that, he served in frontier America posts and as an instructor back at West Point. While there, he wrote a book on rifile practice. Cadmus Wilcox joined the Confederate States Army as a colonel in July 1861, and became a brigadier on 21 October, assigned to Major Gen'l James Longstreet's Division. At Seven Pines, Wilcox proved to be an able leader despite the fact his Alabama troops suffered the highest casualties in the Confederate Army. Wilcox shone at 2nd Manassas and at Fredericksburg, but his greatest moment was at Chancellorsville. Wilcox' Brigade was assigned to guard Banks Ford along the Rappahannock River, away from the main battleground. Wilcox' maintained his vigilance and discovered a Union effort to strick Gen'l RRobert E. LLee's army from the rear. An enemy corps was moving toward Chancellorsville from the direction of Fredericksburg, and Wilcox employed a holding action at Salem Church; he stalled the Union advance long enough for Lee to assault the Federals, then commanded by Major Gen'l Joseph Hooker, and to turn and meet the new threat. Wilcox participated in the Gettysburg Campaign, but he sustained heavy losses in the 3rd day's fighting when attempting to support Pickett's charge. He was nevertheless promoted to Major Gen'l and sent to command a division in Lt. Gen'l Ambrose P. Hill's Third Corps. As a part of Hills command, Wilcox was usually in the heaviest fighting at The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. Wilcox held his men together even while the Petersburg seige weakened the Confederate forces. On 2 April 1865, his men held Fort Gregg and denied the Union Army acess to Petersburg itself. Then on 9 April 1865, Wilcox surrendered with the rest of The Army of Northern Virginia. Following the war, Wilcox resided in Washington, DC; and from 1886 untill his death, 2 December 1890, he held the post of cheif of the railroad division of the US Goverment Land Office.