Francis S. Bartow | |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Francis Stebbins Bartow September 6, 1816 Chatham County, Georgia |
Died | July 21, 1861 Manassas, Virginia |
(aged 44)
Resting place |
Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia |
Nationality | American |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Confederate States |
Service/branch | Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1861 |
Rank | Colonel |
Battles/wars |
Ordinance of Secession | |
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Facsimile of the 1861 Ordinance of Secession signed by Bartow and 292 other delegates to the Georgia Secession Convention at the statehouse in Milledgeville, Georgia January 21, 1861.
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Francis S. Bartow (born Francis Stebbins Bartow; September 6, 1816 – July 21, 1861) was a licensed attorney turned politician, serving two terms in the United States House of Representatives and becoming a political leader of the Confederate States of America. Bartow was also a colonel in the Georgia Militia commanding the 21st Oglethorpe Light Infantry during the early months of the American Civil War. Bartow was a delegate from Georgia's 1st congressional district to the Southern Convention in Montgomery, Alabama becoming an inaugurating member of the Confederate Provisional Congress—leading efforts to prepare defensive forces for an impending federal invasion which did occur, protracting into The American Civil War of 1861–65.
Colonel Bartow was killed at the First Battle of Manassas, becoming the first brigade commander of the Confederate States Army to die in combat.
Francis Bartow was born September 6, 1816 in Chatham County, Georgia, near the county seat of Savannah (formerly Georgia's state capital), to Dr. Theodosius Bartow and Frances Lloyd (Stebbins) Bartow. He studied law at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in Athens (the founding college of the University of Georgia). While at Franklin, Bartow was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society and was mentored by John M. Berrien, a U.S. senator and former Attorney General in Andrew Jackson's administration. Bartow graduated cum laude in 1835 at age 19. Bartow was an intern under the tutelage of Messrs. Berrien & Law at their Savannah law office. Bartow obtained his postgraduate education at Yale Law School in Connecticut, returning to Savannah in 1837. Bartow was subsequently employed by the Bryan Superior Court and admitted to the State Bar of Georgia soon after his return to Savannah. He joined the locally known law firm of Law & Lovell, becoming a partner and forming Law, Bartow and Lovell, Bartow became regarded for his skills, handling difficult criminal cases.