Julius A . De Lagnel Julius Adolph De Lagnel ( July 24 , 1827 – June 3 , 1912 ) , was a Confederate States Army officer , who was appointed and confirmed as a brigadier general , during the American Civil War , but who declined the appointment . He was second in command to Brigadier General Josiah Gorgas in the Confederate Ordnance Bureau and at times was an inspector of arsenals . Before the war , he served in the United States Army from March 8 , 1847 until May 17 , 1861 . After the war , he was engaged in Pacific steamship service . Early life . Julius Adolph De Lagnel was born on July 24 , 1827 in Newark , New Jersey . De Lagnel was commissioned directly into the U . S . Army in 1847 as a second lieutenant of artillery without attending the United States Military Academy or a military college . He was promoted to first lieutenant on January 26 , 1849 . He resigned on May 17 , 1861 and moved to his " adopted " state of Virginia to join the Confederate States Army . American Civil War . After his resignation from the U . S . Army , Julius A . De Lagnel was appointed a captain of artillery in the regular army of the Confederate States . In June 1861 , he was assigned as chief of artillery to Brigadier General Robert S . Garnett , commander of the Army of the Northwest , who was sent to reorganize the Confederate force in the western counties of Virginia after their rout at the Battle of Philippi and to hold the area for the Confederacy . De Lagnel defended the crest of Rich Mountain with a force of four companies and one gun during the Battle of Rich Mountain , July 11 , 1861 . The main Confederate force did not immediately know that De Lagnel was under attack by a superior force commanded by Brigadier General William S . Rosecrans . De Lagnel ' s force eventually was overwhelmed . After fighting with the sole artillery piece by himself for a period of time , De Lagnel was wounded and hid in a thicket in an effort to escape . He initially did escape from the battlefield to a mountaineer ' s cabin and after two days of recuperation , he tried to return to Confederate lines disguised as a herder . He was detected and captured near Laurel Hill , Virginia on July 13 , 1861 . On December 18 , 1861 , De Lagnel was exchanged for Union Brigadier General James B . Ricketts . De Lagnel was appointed and confirmed as a brigadier general to rank from April 12 , 1862 , but on July 31 , 1862 , he declined the commission . Historian Stewart Sifakis says the reason for this is unknown . De Lagnel then briefly served as major of artillery in the 20th Battalion of Virginia Artillery in the Army of Northern Virginia , in June and July 1862 . In July 1862 , De Lagnel was appointed lieutenant colonel of ordnance and served as second in command of the Confederate Ordnance Bureau under Brigadier General Josiah Gorgas . He also commanded the Fayetteville , North Carolina arsenal , July 1862 – 1863 . In addition to his ordnance duties , De Lagnel also acted as inspector of arsenals . He was paroled at Greensboro , North Carolina , May 1 , 1865 . Aftermath . After the Civil War , De Lagnel was engaged in the Pacific steamship service for many years . He died on June 3 , 1912 at Washington , D . C . . Julius Adolph De Lagnel was buried in St . Paul ' s Churchyard , Alexandria , Virginia . See also . List of American Civil War generals ( Confederate )