Leroy Augustus Stafford
| Leroy Augustus Stafford, Sr. | |
|---|---|
Leroy Augustus Stafford
|
|
| Born |
April 13, 1822 Near Cheneyville Rapides Parish, Louisiana, U.S.A. |
| Died | May 8, 1864 (aged 42) Richmond, Virginia, C.S.A. |
| Place of burial | Greenwood Plantation in Rapides Parish |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Unit |
 9th Louisiana Infantry
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Wright Stafford (married 1843-1864, his death) |
Sarah Wright Stafford (married 1843-1864, his death)
Ten children, including:
David Theophilus Stafford
Leroy Augustus Stafford, Sr. (April 13, 1822 – May 8, 1864), was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
Leroy A. Stafford was born on Greenwood Plantation near Cheneyville, south of Alexandria in south Rapides Parish, Louisiana. He was the eldest son of wealthy land owner Leroy Stafford and his second wife, Elizabeth Calliham. His father died when he was thirteen years old. Stafford was educated at Bardstown, Kentucky, and attended college in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1843, at the age of twenty-one, he returned to Louisiana and married Sarah Catherine Wright, the daughter of Dr. Jesse D. Wright and the former Sarah R. Grimball.
The Staffords had ten children—George Waters, Sally, Elizabeth Eloise, David Theophilus, Cornelia Knox, Julia Laura, Jesse Wright, Rosalind, Leroy Augustus, Jr., and Kate Keary.
Stafford operated plantations in Rapides Parish for a couple of decades, and served as the sheriff of the parish in 1846–47 before leaving for the Mexican-American War. He enlisted in the "Rapides Volunteers" (Company E, 3d Louisiana Infantry Regiment) and later served in Captain Ben McCullough's Texas Rangers.
With Louisiana's secession in 1861, Stafford formed the "Stafford Guards", a militia unit that was soon mustered into Confederate service as Company B, 9th Louisiana Infantry with Stafford as its first captain. Stafford rose through the ranks and became the regiment's colonel in early 1862 when Richard Taylor was promoted. With the death of Brig. Gen. William E. Starke early in the Battle of Antietam, Stafford was elevated temporarily to command of the brigade. He suffered a minor wound in his foot during the battle, but soon recovered.
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Wikipedia