James T . Crossland James T . Crossland III was a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army of Tennessee , serving under the commands of Major General Lafayette McLaws and Major General Walthall . He was killed during Braxton Bragg ' s defense of Lookout Mountain during the Chattanooga Campaign . Crossland , who was Bragg ' s cousin , reportedly called the defense a " selfish and overconfident move by a General who cared little for the welfare of the men under his command . " Early life and education . Crossland was born in 1829 in Kentucky to James T . Crossland Jr . and Mary Davis Crossland . His father was a lawyer in Louisville and was the brother of Margaret Crossland Bragg , the mother of Major General Braxton Bragg . In 1835 , his family moved to Warrenton , North Carolina in order to be closer to their family . He attended Warrenton Male Academy where he excelled in English and was an excellent writer . He was later accepted to Yale University and began studying literature in 1847 . After two years at Yale , Crossland accepted an appointment to the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington , Virginia . He was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th U . S . Artillery in 1851 . Civil War . In 1860 , Crossland was serving as a first lieutenant in the Virginia militia . At the outbreak of the Civil War , Crossland resigned his commission and was promoted to the rank of captain in the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of Major General Lafayette McLaws . Captain Crossland served as a company commander in the 10th Georgia Infantry Regiment . At the Battle of Fredericksburg , he successfully led his company in the defense of Marye ’ s Heights . Due to his gallantry while defending Marye ’ s Heights , Crossland was promoted to major . Gettysburg . Major Crossland led his company at the Battles of Wheatfield and Peach Orchard during the Gettysburg Campaign . His company suffered tremendous losses during its failed attempt to dislodge the Union position at Cemetery Ridge . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was transferred to the 24th Mississippi . He served as the executive officer of the 24th Mississippi under the command of Colonel William F . Dowd , which was a part of Major General Walthall ’ s Brigade . This was the first time during the war that Crossland was placed under the command of his cousin , Braxton Bragg . Battle of Chattanooga and death . During the Battle of Chattanooga , General Bragg ordered Walthall ’ s Brigade , which included the 24th Mississippi to the Bench of Lookout Mountain . The 24th Mississippi was placed in the center with 27th and the 29th Mississippi to the left and right flank respectively . The generals under Bragg ' s command felt that the defensive position on the bench of Lookout Mountain was a poorly chosen area to mount an effective defense due to the multiple directions from which an enemy could attack . As the battle commenced , General Hooker ' s Union army outmaneuvered the Confederate lines . Crossland was shot and killed by a Union sharpshooter while attempting to rally his troops . Legacy . There are very few remaining memoirs or writings from Crossland . After his death , his writings were transferred to the Bragg estate where they were never seen again . The only history of Crossland ' s exploits are reports and memoirs from Confederate Generals on his performance and a letter from General Bragg that mentions his cousin . It is thought that Crossland was critical of his cousin , General Braxton Bragg , and wrote about his misgivings within his lost memoirs . Some historians believe that Bragg himself destroyed Crossland ' s memoir in order to protect the General ' s legacy .