Robert S. Garnett
| Robert Selden Garnett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 16, 1819 Essex County, Virginia |
| Died | July 13, 1861 (aged 41) Corrick's Ford, Tucker County, Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1841–61 (USA) 1861 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Major (USA) Brigadier general (CSA) |
| Battles/wars | |
Indian Wars
Seminole Wars
Yakima War
American Civil War
Robert Selden Garnett (December 16, 1819 – July 13, 1861) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army until the American Civil War, when he became a Confederate States Army brigadier general. He was the first general officer killed in the Civil War.
Garnett, the son of Robert Selden Garnet, Sr. and Charlotte Olympia De Gougea, was born at the family plantation in Essex County, Virginia. Along with his cousin, Richard B. Garnett, Robert attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, graduating 27th in a class of 52. Seven classmates, including his cousin, would die in combat in the Civil War. Another notable cousin of the Garnetts was United States Congressman Robert M. T. Hunter,who went on to become a Senator in the Confederate Congress and Secretary of State of the Confederacy.
Upon his graduation from West Point, Garnett was assigned as a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery in July 1841. He spent a year on the Northern Frontier during the Canada Border Disturbances, serving in Buffalo and Fort Ontario in New York before being assigned garrison duty at Fort Monroe in his native Virginia. In 1843 Garnett became an assistant tactics instructor at West Point before becoming an army recruiter and then an Aide-de-camp to General John E. Wool. Garnett served in the Mexican-American War under Zachary Taylor and received two brevets for distinguished service, one at the Battle of Monterrey and the other for "Gallant and Meritorious Conduct" in the Battle of Buena Vista.
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