John Stuart Williams
| John Stuart Williams | |
|---|---|
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United States Senator from Kentucky |
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In office March 4, 1879 – March 4, 1885 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas C. McCreery |
| Succeeded by | Joseph C.S. Blackburn |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
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In office 1851 1853 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 10, 1818 Mount Sterling, Kentucky |
| Died | July 17, 1898 (aged 80) Mount Sterling, Kentucky |
| Resting place | Winchester Cemetery, Winchester, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Miami University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "Cerro Gordo" Williams |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1846 – 1848 1861 – 1865 |
| Rank |
 Colonel Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Unit |
6th U.S. Infantry 4th Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers 5th Kentucky Infantry |
| Commands | Department of Southwestern Virginia |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican-American War American Civil War |
John Stuart Williams (July 10, 1818 – July 17, 1898) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum Democratic U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
Born near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Williams attended the common schools and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1839. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and commenced practice in Paris, Kentucky. He served in the Mexican-American War, first as a captain of an independent company attached to the 6th U.S. Infantry, and afterward as a colonel of the Fourth Regiment of the Kentucky Volunteers. He received the nickname "Cerro Gordo Williams" for his gallantry at that battle.
Williams was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1851 and 1853. He became known as a leading proponent of states rights. He was initially an anti-secessionist, but abhorred President Abraham Lincoln's policies and cast his lot with the Confederacy.
With the outbreak of hostilities, Williams travelled to Prestonburg in early 1861 and was commissioned colonel of the 5th Kentucky Infantry. He served initially in the Eastern Theater, initially under Humphrey Marshall in southwestern Virginia. He participated in Marshall's ill-fated invasion of eastern Kentucky in 1862. He was promoted to brigadier general in late 1862 and assigned command of the Department of Southwestern Virginia.
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