William L . Brandon William Lindsay Brandon ( born 1800 or 1802 in Adams County , MS ; died October 8 , 1890 in Wilkinson County , MS ) was a physician , state legislator , planter and military officer best known for having served as a General in the Confederacy during the American Civil War . Antebellum life . Brandon was born in either 1800 or 1802 in Adams County , Mississippi . His exact birth date cannot be determined as his family records were destroyed in an 1836 fire . He settled in Wilkinson County , MS near Pinckneyville . Brandon was educated at Washington College and the then College of New Jersey ( now Princeton ) studying medicine . In his antebellum career , he became a planter very interested in horses and hunting . In 1826 , Brandon served in the Mississippi State Legislature . Military career . Despite his age , Brandon was allowed to serve with the Confederate army in 1861 as lieutenant colonel of the 21st Mississippi Infantry Regiment . Brandon went to Virginia but not in time for the Battle of First Manassas . About 10 days after the end of the battle in June 1861 , Brandon awoke with a chill . This illness prompted Brandon to take a leave from active service , which lasted until the end of August . Other men in his regiment did not think he would be fit for duty again and he did not receive the appointment to colonel . The regiment was therefore unable to fight in First Manassas which , at that time , was described as the greatest pitched battle ever to be fought on American soil . Brandon and his regiment were placed in the Potomac division of the Confederate army in Virginia . During the summer and fall of 1861 , Brandon ' s unit was on duty in the northeastern part of the state . During the Yorktown siege , Confederate forces , under the command of General Joseph E . Johnston , were spread out across eastern Virginia in Culpeper , Fredricksburg , and Norfolk , forming the Warwick Line . The Battle of Williamsburg followed the end of the siege . During the Battle of Seven Pines , Johnston suffered a severe wound when an artillery shell hit him in the right shoulder and chest . This incident led to command being turned over to Robert E . Lee , who soon led an aggressive campaign . Battle of Malvern Hill and injuries . During the Battle of Malvern Hill on 1 July 1862 , a ball passed through Brandon ' s ankle joint . As he fell , his hand hit a rolling shell which did not explode . Oblivious that he had been wounded , Brand sprang back up ; unable to stand on his feet , he fell once more and had to stay on the field until men were told to pick him up and carry him to the rear . Because there was no bleeding seen , Brandon thought that his injuries were not serious but was taken on horse - back to a hospital . Brandon refused to drink whiskey without water and sugar but after others convinced him that it was necessary , he finally drank it . A tourniquet was put in place and an amputation was performed rapidly . The procedure was very painful as there was not enough chloroform to provide full anesthesia when the arteries were sewn . Because of Brandon ' s age , the doctors thought his chances of survival were slight . After being transferred to Richmond , he was taken care of by friends and his servant . Confederate President Jefferson Davis even offered the hospitality of the William T . Sutherlin Mansion , Davis ' temporary residence . There were complications during this time including various treatments of the day . During Brandon ' s recovery , his regiment fought in the Battle of Seven Pines , during which his second in command , Lieutenant - Colonel Benjamin G . Humphreys , was also absent . The uncoordinated 21st Mississippi lost many officers and men during the engagement . Brandon later returned to active service , commanding his regiment until after the Battle of Gettysburg . General William Barksdale was killed in the battle ; Colonel Humphreys became brigadier general to replace him , and Brandon was in turn promoted to full colonel . Later years . Brandon led his regiment through the campaigns of Chattanooga and Knoxville , returning to Virginia with Lt . Gen . James Longstreet . In June 1864 , Brandon was promoted to brigadier general and sent to Mississippi where , on 23 July , he was placed in command of the Reserve Corps of Mississippi . He was later placed in charge of the Confederate Bureau of Conscription on 8 October 1864 . In his own state of Mississippi , he labored to bring out every man needed for the service of the Confederacy . Brandon returned to his plantation in Wilkinsons , after the war , where , despite his age and physical disability , he worked until his death .