John Buchanan Floyd
24th United States Secretary of War
In office March 6, 1857 – December 29, 1860
President	James Buchanan
Preceded by	Jefferson Davis
Succeeded by	Joseph Holt
Born	June 1, 1806 (1806-06-01) Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Died	August 26, 1863 (aged 57) Abingdon, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Lawyer, Politician

John Buchanan Floyd (June 1, 1806 – August 26, 1863), was a Virginia politician (legislator and governor), U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson. The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting James Buchanan Jr (April 23 1791 – June 1 1868 was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861 Jefferson Finis Davis ( June 3, 1808 &ndash December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as President of the General Joseph Holt ( January 6, 1807 &ndash August 1, 1894) was a leading member of the Buchanan administration and was Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Abingdon is a Town in Washington County, Virginia, 189 miles (304 km southwest of Lynchburg. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 12 to February 16 1862 in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.

Early life

Floyd was born at "Smithfield" estate, Blacksburg, Virginia. WELCOME TO WIKIPEDIA **** Please read before you edit or add info about the shootings The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state 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. John Floyd (April 24 1783–August 17 1837 was a Virginia politician and soldier The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The Governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term

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. This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena Arkansas, a city in Phillips County Arkansas. In 1839, he returned to Virginia and settled in Washington County, which he represented in the state legislature in 1847–49 and again in 1853. Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia. From 1849 to 1852, he was Governor of Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state 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.

Secretary of War

In March 1857, Floyd became Secretary of War in the cabinet of President James Buchanan, where his lack of administrative ability was soon apparent. The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by James Buchanan Jr (April 23 1791 – June 1 1868 was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861 In December 1860, on ascertaining that Floyd had honored heavy drafts made by government contractors in anticipation of their earnings, the president requested his resignation. Several days later Floyd was indicted for malversation in office, although the indictment was overruled in 1861 on technical grounds. There is no proof that he profited by these irregular transactions; in fact, he went out of the office financially embarrassed.

President Buchanan and his Cabinet
From left to right: Jacob Thompson, Lewis Cass, John B. Jacob Thompson ( May 15, 1810 &ndash March 24, 1885) was a Lawyer and Politician who served as United States Lewis Cass ( October 9, 1782 – June 17, 1866) was an American military officer and Politician. Floyd, James Buchanan, Howell Cobb, Isaac Toucey, Joseph Holt and Jeremiah S. Black, (c. James Buchanan Jr (April 23 1791 – June 1 1868 was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861 (Thomas Howell Cobb ( September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American political figure Isaac Toucey ( November 15, 1792 July 30, 1869) was an American statesman who served as a U General Joseph Holt ( January 6, 1807 &ndash August 1, 1894) was a leading member of the Buchanan administration and was Jeremiah Sullivan Black ( January 10, 1810 &ndash August 19, 1883) was an American statesman and lawyer 1859)

Although he had openly opposed secession before the election of Abraham Lincoln, his conduct after the election, especially after his breach with Buchanan, fell under suspicion, and he was accused in the press of having sent large stores of government arms to Federal arsenals in the South in the anticipation of the Civil War. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal

After his resignation, a congressional commission in the summer and fall of 1861 investigated Floyd's actions as Secretary of War. All of his records of orders and shipments of arms from 1859 to 1860 were examined. It is recorded that in response to John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry he bolstered the Federal arsenals in some Southern states by over 115,000 muskets and rifles in late 1859. He also ordered heavy ordnance to be shipped to the Federal forts in Galveston Harbor, Texas, and the new fort on Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi. ^[1]

In the last days of his term, he apparently had an intention to send these heavy guns, but his orders were revoked by the president. During the year 1860, the Southern states actually received less than their full quota of arms and the heavy guns were a normal shipment required to complete the construction of Federal forts.

His resignation as Secretary of War, on December 29, 1860, was precipitated by the refusal of Buchanan to order Major Robert Anderson to abandon Fort Sumter, which eventually led to the start of the war. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Fort Sumter, a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor South Carolina, was named after General Thomas Sumter On January 27, 1861, he was indicted by the District of Columbia grand jury for conspiracy and fraud. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D In the Common law, a grand jury is a type of Jury which determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial. Floyd appeared in criminal court in Washington, D. C. , on March 7, 1861, to answer the charges against him. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common According to Harper's Weekly, the indictments were thrown out. Harper's Weekly ( A Journal of Civilization) was an American political Magazine based in New York City.

THE INDICTMENTS AGAINST FLOYD QUASHED. The indictments against Ex-Secretary Floyd have been quashed in the Court at Washington, on the ground—first, that there was no evidence of fraud on his part; and second, that the charge of malfeasance in the matter of the Indian bonds was precluded from trial by the act of 1857, which forbids a prosecution when the party implicated has testified before a Committee of Congress touching the matter.

– Harper's Weekly, March 30, 1861

Civil War

General John B. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Floyd

After the secession of Virginia, Floyd was commissioned a major general in the Provisional Army of Virginia, but on May 23, 1861, he was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. He was first employed in some unsuccessful operations in the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia under Robert E. Lee, where he was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10. Kanawha County (pronounced ka-NAW-ah' is a County located in the U Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated The Battle of Carnifex Ferry took place on September 10, 1861, in Nicholas County Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. In January 1862, he was dispatched to the Western Theater to report to General Albert Sidney Johnston and was given command of Fort Donelson. This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Fort Donelson National Battlefield preserves Fort Donelson and Fort Heiman, two sites of the American Civil War Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign in which

Fort Donelson protected the crucial Cumberland River and, indirectly, the manufacturing city of Nashville and Confederate control of Middle Tennessee. The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the Southern United States. Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties It was the companion to Fort Henry on the nearby Tennessee River, which, on February 6, 1862, was captured by Union Army Brig. Background In early 1861 the critical border state of Kentucky had declared neutrality in the fight to maintain the Union The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and river gunboats. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States Floyd was not an appropriate choice to defend such a vital point, having political influence, but virtually no military experience. General Johnston had other experienced, more senior, generals (P.G.T. Beauregard and William J. Hardee) available and made a serious error in selecting Floyd. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (ˈboʊrɪgɑrd ( May 28, 1818 &ndash February 20, 1893) was a Louisiana -born author civil servant William Joseph Hardee ( October 12 1815 &ndash November 6 1873) was a career U Floyd had little military influence on the Battle of Fort Donelson itself, deferring to his more experienced subordinates, Brig. The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 12 to February 16 1862 in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Gens. Gideon J. Pillow and Simon Bolivar Buckner. Gideon Johnson Pillow ( June 8, 1806 &ndash October 8, 1878) was an American lawyer politician and Confederate general Simon Bolivar Buckner ( April 1, 1823 January 8, 1914) was a career U As the Union forces surrounded the fort and the town of Dover, the Confederates launched an assault on February 15 in an attempt to open an escape route. Dover is a city in Stewart County, Tennessee, United States, 67 miles (108 km westnorthwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Although successful at first, indecision on General Pillow's part left the Confederates in their trenches, facing growing reinforcements for Grant.

Early in the morning of February 16, at a council of war, the generals decided to surrender their army. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols A council of war is a term in Military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action usually in the midst of a battle Floyd, concerned that he would be arrested for treason if captured by the North, turned his command over to Gideon Pillow, who immediately turned it over to Buckner. The Northern United States is a large geographic region of the United States of America. Pillow escaped on a small boat across the Cumberland and the next morning Floyd escaped by steamboat with two regiments from his old Virginia command, just before Buckner surrendered to Grant, one of the great strategic defeats of the Civil War. Floyd was relieved of his command by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, without a court of inquiry, on March 11, 1862. The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from Jefferson Finis Davis ( June 3, 1808 &ndash December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as President of the Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday He resumed his commission as a major general of Virginia Militia, but his health soon failed and he died a year later at Abingdon, Virginia, where he is buried in Sinking Spring Cemetery. Abingdon is a Town in Washington County, Virginia, 189 miles (304 km southwest of Lynchburg.

In memoriam

Floyd County in northwest Georgia, home to the cities of Rome and Cave Spring, is named for his ancestor, United States Congressman John Floyd. Floyd County is a County located in the US state of Georgia. As of 2000 the population was 90565 The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. John Floyd ( October 3, 1769 &ndash June 24, 1839) was a United States Representative from Georgia.

Camp Floyd, a U. Camp Floyd was a short-lived US Army post near Fairfield Utah, United States. S. Army post near Fairfield, Utah from July 1858 to July 1861, was originally named after Floyd. Fairfield is a city located in Utah County, Utah, United States.

References

• Eicher, John H. , and Eicher, David J. , Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Gott, Kendall D. , Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry—Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862, Stackpole books, 2003, ISBN 0-8117-0049-6.
• U. S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, U. The Official Records of the American Civil War or often more simply the Official Records or ORs, constitute the most extensive collection of Primary sources S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
• Warner, Ezra J. , Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Notes