Roger W. Hanson
| Roger Weightman Hanson | |
|---|---|
Gen. Roger W. hanson
|
|
| Born | August 27, 1827 |
| Died | January 4, 1863 (aged 35) |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 1st Lieutenant (USV) Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Unit | 4th Kentucky Volunteers |
| Commands held |
2nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment Orphan Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
Roger Weightman Hanson (August 27, 1827 – January 4, 1863) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The commander of the famed "Orphan Brigade," he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Murfreesboro. He was nicknamed "Old Flintlock."
Hanson was born in Clark County, Kentucky. His father, Samuel Hanson, was a Swedish immigrant and well-known attorney and judge who had moved to Kentucky from Virginia. His mother, Matilda Calloway, was the daughter of a general. Hanson's brother, Charles S. Hanson, later fought for the Union Army; serving as Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry in the 22nd Brigade under the command of Major General Thomas L. Crittenden.
At age 18, Hanson was elected as lieutenant in a volunteer company of the 4th Kentucky Regiment during the Mexican-American War. He was cited for bravery at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. He returned home and studied law in Lexington, Kentucky, where he engaged in a duel with a classmate. He was shot in the leg just above the knee, making him lame for the rest of his life. When he recovered, Hanson traveled to California, losing his horse on the way and being forced to walk over 200 miles to San Francisco on his injured leg. He returned to Kentucky within a year. In 1853, he married Virginia Peters of Woodford County, Kentucky.
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