Gideon J. Pillow
| Gideon Johnson Pillow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 8, 1806 Williamson County, Tennessee |
| Died | October 8, 1878 (aged 72) Lee County, Arkansas, near Helena, Arkansas |
| Place of burial | Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America, Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1846–48 (USA), 1861–65 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Major General (USA), Brigadier General (CSA)
|
| Battles/wars | |
Gideon Johnson Pillow (June 8, 1806 – October 8, 1878) was an American lawyer, politician, speculator, slaveowner, United States Army major general of volunteers during the Mexican-American War and Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War. Pillow had several disputes and rivalries with fellow officers during both wars.
Pillow received the thanks of the Confederate Congress for driving off the Union force at the 1861 Battle of Belmont, Missouri. He controversially failed to exploit a temporary break through of Union lines by his troops which might have allowed the Confederate garrison of Fort Donelson to escape at the February 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson. The next night, before the surrender of the fort, he also passed command, to which he had just been restored, to Brigadier General Simon Buckner, in order to personally escape with a few aides before Buckner surrendered the remaining garrison to the Union Army of Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant. These actions sent his military career and reputation into eclipse.
Bankrupt after the war, Pillow resumed a successful legal career.
Pillow was born on June 8, 1806 in Williamson County, Tennessee, to Gideon Pillow and Ann Payne Pillow. He came from a well connected, property owning family with a reputation for Indian fighting and loyalty to Andrew Jackson. He graduated from the University of Nashville in 1827 and practiced law in Columbia, Tennessee, according to some sources as a partner of future President James K. Polk. Regardless whether Pillow and Polk were partners, they became friends. Pillow married Mary Elizabeth Martin, March 24, 1831.
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