Major General George Pickett |
|
---|---|
General Pickett
|
|
Birth name | George Edward Pickett |
Born | January 16, 1825 Richmond, Virginia |
Died | July 30, 1875 Norfolk, Virginia |
(aged 50)
Place of burial | Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia |
Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1846–61 (USA) 1861–65 (CSA) |
Rank |
Captain (USA) Major General (CSA) |
Commands held | Pickett's Division, First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia |
Battles/wars | |
Relations | Henry Heth (cousin) |
George Edward Pickett (January 16, 1825 – July 30, 1875) was a career United States Army officer who became a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for his participation in the futile and bloody Confederate offensive on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg that bears his name, Pickett's Charge.
Pickett graduated last out of 59 cadets in the West Point Class of 1846. He served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War, and is noted for his service in the Battle of Chapultepec in September 1847. After this, he served in the Washington Territory, and eventually reached the rank of captain. Pickett participated in the Pig War of 1859. Near the beginning of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Confederate Army, and he attained the rank of brigadier general in January 1862. He commanded a brigade that saw heavy action during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Pickett was wounded at the Battle of Gaines's Mill on June 27.