Daniel Chevilette Govan | |
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Daniel Chevilette Govan
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Born |
Northampton County, North Carolina |
July 4, 1829
Died | March 12, 1911 Memphis, Tennessee |
(aged 81)
Place of burial | Hillcrest Cemetery, Holly Springs, Mississippi |
Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
Service/branch | Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1861–65 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Daniel Chevilette Govan (July 4, 1829 – March 12, 1911) was an American miner, planter, and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, prominent in campaigns and battles in the Western Theater.
Daniel C. Govan was born in Northampton County, North Carolina. His father was U.S. Representative Andrew R. Govan from South Carolina, who in 1832 relocated the family to Marshall County, Mississippi, where he was raised. Govan received his primary education from private tutoring and then attended South Carolina College (modern day University of South Carolina) graduating in 1848.
Govan participated in the 1849 California Gold Rush along with his cousin Benjamin McCulloch, who would also become a Confederate general. In 1850 Govan was elected deputy sheriff of Sacramento, and two years later he returned to Mississippi and took up work as a planter. In December 1853 Govan married Mary Fogg Otey, the daughter of prominent theologian James Hervey Otey, with whom he would have 14 children. In 1860 he moved to Helena, Arkansas, and again became a planter.
At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, Govan chose to follow his home state and the Confederate cause. He raised a company of men and in May he was appointed a captain in the Arkansas State forces. On June 5 he was elected lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Arkansas Infantry, and on January 28, 1862, was promoted to colonel and given command of the regiment.