Samuel J . Gholson Samuel Jameson Gholson ( May 19 , 1808 – October 16 , 1883 ) was a U . S . Representative from Mississippi , as well as a Confederate general during the American Civil War . He also served as a United States federal judge and a multiple - term member of the Mississippi House of Representatives . Early life and career . Born near Richmond , Kentucky , Gholson moved with his father to Franklin County , Alabama , in 1817 . He attended the common schools and later read law . He was admitted to the bar at Russellville , Alabama , in 1829 . He moved to Athens , Mississippi , and commenced the practice of law in 1830 . He served as member of the state House of Representatives in 1835 , 1836 , and 1839 . Gholson was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the Twenty - fourth U . S . Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David Dickson and served from December 1 , 1836 , to March 3 , 1837 . His often stormy tenure was marked by a severe dispute with Henry A . Wise of Virginia that nearly resulted in a duel . Gholson presented credentials as a Democratic member - elect to the Twenty - fifth Congress and served from July 18 , 1837 , until February 5 , 1838 , when the seat was declared vacant . He was later replaced by Thomas J . Word . On February 9 , 1839 , Gholson was nominated by President Martin Van Buren to a jointly - held seat on both the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi , both vacated by the resignation of George Adams . Gholson was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 13 , 1839 , and received his commission the same day . While on the bench , he was He was a Lieutenant in the Mississippi State Militia in 1846 . He served on the bench until his resignation on January 10 , 1861 , when Mississippi seceded from the Union . A fiery advocate of states ' rights , he served as member of the state secession convention in 1861 and voted for the ordinance of secession . Civil War service . With the subsequent outbreak of war , Gholson enlisted as a private in the Monroe Volunteers of Monroe County , Mississippi , ( which became Company I , 14th Mississippi Infantry ) . He served from 1861 until 1863 in the state troops , rising successively through the ranks to captain , colonel , and then to brigadier general . During the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee , he was badly wounded by a bullet that passed through his right lung . He was among the thousands of troops who were surrendered to the Union forces under Ulysses S . Grant . After his exchange , Gholson returned to active duty and fought at Iuka and then at Corinth , both in Mississippi . By mid - 1863 , Gholson held the rank of major general of Mississippi State Troops . He was awarded the grade of brigadier general in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States to rank from May 6 , 1864 . He was placed in command of a brigade of cavalry attached to the division of Brig . Gen . James Chalmers under Maj . Gen . Nathan B . Forrest . While serving in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana , Gholson was severely wounded in a fight with Union cavalry on December 27 , 1864 , at Egypt , Mississippi . His left arm had to be amputated , ending his combat duty for the duration of the war . Postbellum career . After the war , Gholson was again a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1865 , 1866 , and 1878 , serving as Speaker of the House from 1865 – 67 . He opposed the government ' s controversial Reconstruction policies , a political move that eventually cost him his position . After leaving the state legislature , he continued the practice of law in Aberdeen , Mississippi . Samuel J . Gholson died in Aberdeen on October 16 , 1883 , and was interred in the town ' s Odd Fellows Cemetery .