George Hugh Smith

George Hugh Smith
Born	February 3, 1834 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	February 6, 1915 Los Angeles, California
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Service/branch	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Colonel
Commands held	25th Virginia Infantry 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Relations	Cousin of fellow Colonels Waller T. Patton & George S. Patton, Sr.
Other work	Lawyer, Judge, Politician

George H. Smith (February 3, 1834 – February 6, 1915) was a Confederate Civil War veteran and prominent Los Angeles lawyer, judge and politician.

George Hugh Smith was born in Philadelphia, the son of George Archibald Smith and Ophelia Ann Williams. His family moved back to Virginia when he was a child. Smith attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia with his cousin George Smith Patton, and graduated in 1853, ranking 6th out of 26 cadets. At first Smith was an assistant instructor at the VMI, but he was admitted to the bar in 1855 and practiced law in Glenville, Virginia until he journeyed into the west and settled in the Washington Territory. In 1860 he returned to the east and practiced law in Baltimore.

In 1861 Smith entered the Confederate States Army on June 11 as a Private in the Pendleton Rifles, which became Company E of the 25th Virginia Infantry. Elected as Captain on July 1, he and his men were part of the surrender after the Battle of Rich Mountain. Being paroled 2 weeks later he was formally exchanged in March 1862, and was elected as Colonel of his regiment. He was wounded in the Battle of McDowell and received another wound at the Second Battle of Bull Run. After recovering in late 1862 Smith was ordered by the War Department to take several hundred newly exchanged soldiers to Colonel John D. Imboden for service in western Virginia, and was offered the command of them. In January 1863 he became Colonel of the new 1st Regiment Virginia Partisan Rangers, that became the 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry, as part of General Imboden's Cavalry Brigade and took it into the Jones-Imboden Raid.

In June 1863 the brigade went North, and took part in the Gettysburg Campaign as part of Imboden´s Command that covered the retreat into Virginia. Smith and his men spent the rest of 1863 and early 1864 scouting and skirmishing in northwestern Virginia. While Smith acted as brigade commander on behalf of General Imboden he was transferred with his (now dismounted) regiment to the forces of General John C. Breckinridge. He participated in the battles of New Market and Cold Harbor. Rushing to take part in the Lynchburg Campaign Colonel Smith and his regiment were reassigned to General Imboden and mounted again; and took part in the further Valley Campaigns of 1864. When General Imboden was struck with typhoid fever Smith took command of the brigade on July 5 and reassumed it several times till the end of the war. Being nominated for a promotion to Brigadier General by his division command General Lunsford L. Lomax the nomination was at first vetoed by General Lee. Later on in 1865 General Lee endorsed the promotion, but it was too late in the war to be realized.

...
Wikipedia