William Stewart Simkins
| William Stewart Simkins | |
|---|---|
Photographed as a cadet
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| Born |
August 25, 1842 Edgefield, South Carolina |
| Died | February 27, 1929 (aged 86) Austin, Texas |
| Occupation | Professor of law |
| Spouse(s) | Lizzie Ware |
William Stewart Simkins (August 25, 1842 – February 27, 1929) was a Confederate soldier and professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin. While a Citadel cadet, he quite possibly fired the first shot of the American Civil War.
Simkins was born on August 25, 1842 in Edgefield, South Carolina. His parents were Eldred James and Pattie Simkins. He entered the Citadel, a South Carolina military academy, in 1856.
At daybreak on January 9, 1861, Simkins saw the signal from a guard boat, and sounded the alarm in the sand battery, alerting his fellow Citadel cadets to the arrival of the Union ship the Star of the West, which was attempting to ferry supplies to Fort Sumter. The cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War.The Daily Courier at first said he had fired the first shot, although the official account later blamed a local youth named G. E. Haynesworth. Simkins once said he only loaded the gun which fired the first shot.
The cadets were graduated early on April 9. On the morning of April 12, 1861, Simkins, on duty near Charleston Harbor, participated in the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the first battle of the war.
He was commissioned as a first lieutenant of artillery. He oversaw a battery during the First Battle of Charleston Harbor on April 7, 1863. He is mentioned on September 19, 1863 as the inspector general for General Hagood. Simkins surrendered as a colonel in the army of Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina in 1865.
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Wikipedia