Lloyd Tilghman was a man of distinguished family. His forefathers, men of rank during colonial times, included Matthew Tilghman, who helped frame Maryland’s constitution, Chief Justice William Tilghman of Pennsylvania and Lieutenant Colonel Tench C. Tilghman, George Washington’s military secretary. Trained at West Point, Lloyd Tilghman originally resigned his commission in 1836. However, with the onset of the Mexican conflict—a veritable training ground for the War Between the States—in 1846, Tilghman rejoined the army as an aide-de-camp to General David E. Twiggs. When the ultimate question was posed almost two decades later, Tilghman, a Southern sympathizer with decidedly Northern ties, followed his moral dictates and joined the Confederate cause.
Relying heavily on contemporary sources such as newspapers and periodicals, this biography chronicles the life of Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman, a gallant Confederate commander and staunch defender of states’ rights. While covering Tilghman’s entire career, including his service during the Mexican War and his contributions to the construction of the Panama railroad, the work concentrates primarily on his Civil War years and 1863 death. The book details the military movements in which he was involved with the stated goal of informing the reader about the battles that took place between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River and the extraordinary generals who fought them. Extensive maps, illustrations and contemporary photographs are included. The work is also indexed.

Writer and World War II veteran James W. Raab is also the author of Spain, Britain and the American Revolution in Florida, 1763–1783 (2007) and J. Patton Anderson, Confederate General (2004) and lives in St. Augustine, Florida.

James W. Raab
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 226
Bibliographic Info: 31 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2460-3
Imprint: McFarland

List of Maps      vii

Preface      1

Prologue      3

Profile: Tilghman’s Lineage      5

1. West Point and the Mexican War      7

2. Panama, Railroading, and the Compromise of 1850      19

3. A Godsend, and Kentucky Service      26

4. Confederate Western War Department      37

5. A Trinity of Forts      47

6. Eve of Disaster      63

7. The Surrender of Fort Henry      77

8. Armageddon on the Cumberland, and the Surrender of Fort Donelson      92

9. A Prisoner of War at Fort Warren, Massachusetts      109

10. The Exchange Cartel, and the Attacks on Iuka and Corinth      120

11. The Skirmish at Coffeeville, Mississippi      133

12. Grenada: Winter Quarters, 1863      144

13. The Yazoo Pass Expedition      151

14. The Siege of Fort Pemberton      159

15. Grierson’s Raid, Port Gibson, and the Grand Gulf Collapse      167

16. Champion Hill      178

17. In the Midst of Life There Is Death      194

Appendix: Staff of Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman      199

Notes      201

Bibliography      209

Index      213

“interesting and enjoyable read”—Civil War News.