William W. Allen

William Wirt Allen
Brig. Gen. William W. Allen
Born	(1835-09-11)September 11, 1835 New York City, New York
Died	November 21, 1894(1894-11-21) (aged 59) Sheffield, Alabama
Place of burial	Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Alabama
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Service/branch	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	Army of Tennessee
Commands held	1st Franklin Alabama Volunteer Cavalry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Shiloh Battle of Perryville Battle of Stones River Atlanta Campaign Carolinas Campaign
Other work	Alabama state Adjutant General, farmer, U.S. marshal

American Civil War

William Wirt Allen (September 11, 1835 – November 21, 1894) was a Brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He rose through the ranks to command a division in the Cavalry Corps of the Army of Tennessee in the last days of the war.

William W. Allen was born in New York City, New York to Wade Hampton Allen, a successful businessman with agricultural interests in the South, and Eliza Sayre Allen on September 11, 1835. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he was educated before entering Princeton College in New Jersey. After graduation in 1854, he studied law, but chose instead to return to plantation life. On August 13, 1857, in Montgomery, he married Susan P. Ball (1840–1915), and they raised eleven children.

After Alabama passed its Ordinance of Secession and Fort Sumter was fired upon, Allen enlisted in the newly raised Confederate army and was elected as a lieutenant in Company A, Montgomery Mounted Rifles. The following year, when the state organized the 1st Alabama Cavalry, Allen became its first major on March 18, 1862, and saw action at the Battle of Shiloh in April along the Tennessee River. He was subsequently promoted to colonel of the regiment before the Kentucky Campaign, and led the 1st Alabama Cavalry at the Battle of Perryville, where he received a slight wound. Later that year, he was severely wounded in the Battle of Murfreesboro while in command of a brigade.