John Buchanan Floyd (1806 - 1863)

Born 1 Jun 1806 in Blacksburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Buchanan (Preston) Floyd — married 1 Jun 1830 in Washington, Virginia, United States

Died 26 Aug 1863 at age 57 in Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, United States

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Preceded by 23rd Secretary Jefferson Davis Preceded by 30th Governor William Smith

John B. Floyd 24th United States Secretary of War 1853—1857 31st Governor of Virginia 1849—1852

Succeeded by 25th Secretary Joseph Holt Succeeded by 32nd Governor Joseph Johnson

Biography

John Floyd is Notable.

Parents: John Floyd 1783–1837 Letitia Preston Floyd 1779–1852

Siblings: Benjamin Rush Floyd 1812–1860 Letitia Preston Floyd Lewis 1814–1886 Eliza Lavalette Floyd Holmes 1816–1887 Nicketti Buchanan Floyd Johnston 1819–1908

Spouse: He married Sarah Buchanan Preston on 1 Jun 1830 in Washington Co., Virginia. Parents: Francis Smith Preston(1765–1835); Sarah Buchanan Campbell Preston (1778–1846) ^[1]

Lawyer; member of Virginia state house of delegates, 1847-48; Governor of Virginia, 1849-52; U.S. Secretary of War, 1857-60; general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Died near Abingdon, Washington County, Va., August 26, 1863. Interment at Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Va.

Floyd was born at Smithfield estate, Blacksburg, Virginia. He was the son of John Floyd (1783–1837), who served as a representative in Congress from 1817 to 1829 and Governor of Virginia from 1830 to 1834.

After graduating from South Carolina College in 1826 (by some accounts 1829), Floyd practiced law in his native state and at Helena, Arkansas, where he lost a large fortune and his health in a cotton-planting venture.

In 1839, he returned to Virginia and settled in Washington County, which he represented in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1847–49 and again in 1853. From 1849 to 1852, he was Governor of Virginia.

In the 1850 census John Floyd was the Governor of Virginia. He was living with his wife Sarah in Richmond, Richmond (Independent City), Virginia, United States.^[2]

As Governor, he recommended to the legislature the enactment of a law laying an import tax on the products of states that refused to surrender fugitive slaves owned by Virginia masters.^[3]

Military

Civil War Confederate Major General

Civil War Confederate Major General, Virginia Governor, US Cabinet Member. He was a State Legislature in 1848, when elected as the Democratic Governor of Virginia, serving until 1852. in 1853 he was again elected to the legislature and in 1857, President James Buchanan appointed him Secretary of War. After the secession of the South in 1861, he resigned his cabinet post, joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned Brigadier General. In command of a brigade he participated in the battle at Gauley Bridge and fought with General Lee's Army in the Virginia Campaign. In January 1862, he was dispatched with the Central Army of Kentucky, to command a division in the defense of Fort Donelson Tennessee, which was lost to Federal troops in February. After the surrender of Fort Donelson, President Jefferson Davis removed him from field command in March 1862. In August 1862, he was appointed Major General in command of the Provisional Army of Virginia, but his health soon failed and he died a year later.

Brigadier-General John B. Floyd^[4] Brigadier-General John B. Floyd, of Virginia, was born at Blacksburg, Pulaski county, June 1, 1801. He was the son of Hon. John Floyd, a Democratic statesman of the old school, who served in Congress for several terms, was governor of the State, and in 1852 was a candidate for the presidency of the United States. Young Floyd was educated at the college of South Carolina, with graduation in 1826, after which he studied law and was admitted to practice. Turning to the West for a field of effort, he removed to Arkansas, but three years later again made his home in Virginia. He resumed the practice of his profession in Washington county, and took an active and prominent part in the political affairs of the day. After serving three terms in the legislature he was elected governor of Virginia in 1850. In 1853 he was again elected to the legislature, and in 1856 he was a delegate to the national Democratic convention. In the ensuing campaign he supported Buchanan, and when that gentleman was inaugurated president he called Floyd to his cabinet as secretary of war, where he served until the latter part of December, 1860. After the secession movement had begun in the South it was charged by Floyd's political opponents in the North that he had been secretly aiding in advance the Confederate cause by dispersing the army to distant points on the frontier, by shipping an undue proportion of arms and munitions to Southern posts, and that he was privy to the abstraction of $870,000 in bonds from the department of the interior. He was indicted accordingly at Washington, but he promptly met the charges, appeared in court and gave bail, and demanded trial. In January, 1861, the charges were investigated by a committee of congress, and he was completely exonerated. After leaving Washington he returned home and remained there until the spring of 1861, when he was commissioned brigadier- general in the Confederate army, May 23rd. In command of his brigade he participated in the West Virginia campaign, joining General Wise in the Kanawha valley and taking command in that district August 12th. On the 26th he defeated Colonel Tyler, of Rosecrans' command, at Carnifax Ferry, but from lack of co-operation was unable to follow up his success. Here he fought a battle with Rosecrans in September, and at Gauley Bridge had another engagement in October. He was subsequently assigned to the army under Albert Sidney Johnston, in command of a brigade of Virginia troops, the Thirty-sixth, Fiftieth, Fifty-first and Fifty-sixth and Virginia artillery. In the organization of the Central army of Kentucky he commanded one of the three divisions. When Grant advanced from Cairo, Johnston intrusted the defense of Fort Donelson to Generals Floyd, Pillow and Buckner, Floyd taking general command by virtue of seniority. He withstood an assault by both the land and naval forces of the enemy on February 13th and 14th, and on the next day, believing his position untenable, ordered an attack in the hope of cutting a path of retreat through the investing lines. A fierce and stubborn battle followed, in which Pillow was successful in gaining possession of the Charlotte road and Buckner was equally successful on the Wynn's Ferry road. Floyd then started for the right of his command to see that all was secure there, "his intention being to hold the positions gained and immediately move out the entire army." During his absence a change was made in the disposition of the troops by General Pillow, and the enemy pressed forward, and with the help of reinforcements regained so much of their lost ground that it became necessary to withdraw to the original Confederate position. A council of war followed, in which the generals were united that resistance was useless against the great investing force, but both Pillow and Floyd declared that they would not surrender, and General Buckner assumed that responsibility. Forrest took out his cavalry through the submerged river road, and General Floyd, with a large part of his brigade, embarked on the river transportation and reached Nashville in safety. He subsequently had command of the "Virginia State Line," operating in southwestern Virginia, finally retiring to his home at Abingdon, Va., where he died August 26, 1863. Source: Confederate Military History, vol. IV, p. 593

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940"
   Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 34389
   Ancestry Record 60214 #1645806 (accessed 16 February 2023)
   John B Floyd marriage to Sarah B. Preston on 1 Jun 1830 in Washington Co., Virginia.
2. ↑ 1850 Census: "1850 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Richmond, Richmond (Independent City), Virginia; Roll: 951; Page: 381a; Line Number: 1
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #15142301 (accessed 16 February 2023)
   John B Floyd (43), Governor of Va, in Richmond, Richmond (Independent City), Virginia, USA. Born in Virginia.
3. ↑ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
4. ↑ "American Civil War General Officers"
   Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA from the following list of works
   Ancestry Record 3867 #942 (accessed 16 February 2023)

• 1860 Census: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7668 #90912758 (accessed 16 February 2023)
  John B Floyd in St Georges Parish, Accomack, Virginia, USA. (Held 5 enslaved persons)
• 1860 Census: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7668 #91324406 (accessed 16 February 2023)
  John B Floyd in Western District, Washington, Virginia, USA. (Held 2 enslaved children, ages 4 and 11)
• "U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930"
  Newspapers and Periodicals. American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 50015 #447374 (accessed 16 February 2023)
  Name: John Buchanan Floyd; Event: Death; Death Date: 27 Aug 1863; Death Place: Abington, Virginia; Newspaper: Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church; Publication Date: 3 Sep 1863; Publication Place: New York, USA; Call Number: 87722.
• The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: District 2, Rockbridge, Virginia; Roll: M653_1378; Page: 47; Family History Library Film: 805378
• The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: District 2, Rockbridge, Virginia; Roll: M653_1378; Page: 47; Family History Library Film: 805378
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10866/john-buchanan-floyd: accessed 01 January 2023), memorial page for John Buchanan Floyd (1 Jun 1806–26 Aug 1863), Find a Grave Memorial ID 10866, citing Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.