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VITAL STATISTICS
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BORN: 1834 in Edgecomb City, NC
DIED: 1863 in Staunton,VA.
CAMPAIGNS: Peninsula, Seven Pines, Cedar Mountain, Harper's Ferry, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.
HIGHEST RANK ACHIEVED: Major General
(Resigned and later accepted appointment as colonel of artillery )
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BIOGRAPHY
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| William Dorsey Pender was born on February 6, 1834, in Edgecomb County, North Carolina. He entered West Point at the age of 16, graduated in 1854, then served with the 1st US Dragoons. He resigned his commission in March of 1861, before the fall of Fort Sumter, and joined the Confederate 3d North Carolina Infantry. His superior performance in the Peninsula Campaign, especially at the Battle of Seven Pines, led to his promotion to brigadier general as of June 3, 1862. He commanded a brigade at Cedar Mountain, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and was wounded three times in action. Promoted to major general on May 27, 1863, he was severely injured in the thigh at the Battle of Gettysburg. He did not seek medical help, not realizing that the wound was serious. By the time he obtained medical assistance, infection had spread through his leg, and the leg had to be amputated. Pender did not survive the surgery, dying in Staunton, Virginia, on July 8, 1863. His remains were buried at Tarborough, North Carolina. |
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