Benjamin Huger ( general ) Benjamin Huger ( November 22 , 1805 – December 7 , 1877 ) was a career United States Army ordnance officer who fought with distinction during the Mexican – American War . He also served as a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War , noted for his controversial performances while in charge of Norfolk , Virginia , and during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign . Relieved of field duty , he would spend most of the remainder of the conflict in staff positions in the Trans - Mississippi Department , where he performed well . After the war Huger took up farming in North Carolina and later in Virginia . Early life and U . S . Army career . Huger was born in 1805 in Charleston , South Carolina . ( He pronounced his name , although today many Charlestonians say . ) He was a son of Francis Kinlock Huger and his wife Harriet Lucas Pinckney , making him a grandson of Maj . Gen . Thomas Pinckney . His paternal grandfather , also named Benjamin Huger , was a patriot in the American Revolution , killed at Charleston during the British occupation . In 1821 Huger entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated four years later , standing eighth out of 37 cadets . On July 1 , 1825 , he was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant , then promoted to second lieutenant in the 3rd U . S . Artillery on that same date . He served as a topographical engineer until 1828 , when he took a leave of absence from the Army to visit Europe from 1828 to 1830 . He then was on recruiting duty , after which he served as part of Fort Trumbull ' s garrison in New London , Connecticut . From 1832 to 1839 Huger commanded the Fortress Monroe arsenal located in Hampton , Virginia . On February 7 , 1831 , Huger married a cousin named Elizabeth Celestine Pinckney . They would have five children together ; Benjamin , Eustis , Francis , Thomas Pinckney and Celestine Pinckney . One of his sons , Francis ( Frank ) Kinloch Huger , also attended West Point and graduated in 1860 . Frank Huger would enter the Confederate forces during the American Civil War as well , rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and leading a battalion of field artillery by the end of the conflict . On May 30 , 1832 , Huger was transferred to the Army ' s ordnance department with the rank of captain ; he would spend the rest of his U . S . Army career with this branch . From 1839 to 1846 he served as a member of the U . S . Army Ordnance Board , and from 1840 into 1841 he was on official duty in Europe . Huger again commanded the Fort Monroe Arsenal from 1841 to 1846 , until hostilities began with Mexico . War with Mexico . Huger fought notably in 1846 – 48 during the Mexican – American War , serving as chief of ordnance on the staff of Maj . Gen . Winfield Scott throughout the conflict . Huger had command of the siege train during the Siege of Veracruz , March 9 – 29 , 1847 . He was appointed to the rank of brevet major for his performance at the Veracruz on March 29 , and to lieutenant colonel for the Battle of Molino del Rey on September 8 . Huger was brevetted a colonel five days later for " gallant and meritorious conduct " during the storming of Chapultepec . Returning from Mexico , Huger was appointed to a board which created an instructional system for teaching artillery principles in the U . S . Army . From 1848 to 1851 he once more commanded the arsenal at Fort Monroe , and then led the arsenal at Harpers Ferry until 1854 . During 1852 his home state presented him with a sword , commemorating Huger ' s long and distinguished service to South Carolina . From 1854 to 1860 he commanded the arsenal located at Pikesville in Baltimore County , Maryland , during which he was promoted to major as of February 15 , 1855 . Huger was then sent to observe the Crimean War in 1856 . Beginning in 1860 Huger commanded the Charleston Arsenal , holding the post until resigning in the spring of 1861 . American Civil War service . Despite the secession of his home state in December 1860 , Huger remained in the U . S . Army until after the Battle of Fort Sumter , resigning effective April 22 , 1861 . Just prior to the battle , Huger traveled to the fort and conferred with its commander , Maj . Robert Anderson , to determine where he stood . Although Anderson was also Southern - born , he had already chosen to follow the Union cause , and Huger left when " their discussions came to naught . " Huger was commissioned an infantry lieutenant colonel in the regular Confederate Army on March 16 , and then briefly commanded the forces in and around Norfolk , Virginia . On May 22 he was appointed a brigadier general in the state ' s militia , and the next day took command of the Department of Norfolk , with defensive responsibilities for North Carolina and southern Virginia , with his headquarters located at Norfolk . Sometime that June he was also commissioned a brigadier in the Virginia Provisional Army , however Huger entered the Confederate volunteer forces on June 17 as a brigadier general . Later on October 7 he was promoted the rank of major general . Roanoke Island and the loss of Norfolk . In early 1862 Union Army and Navy forces approached the North Carolina - Virginia coastline and Huger ' s area of responsibility . At Roanoke Island his subordinate , Brig . Gen . Henry A . Wise , asked Huger for a variety of supplies , ammunition , field artillery , and most importantly additional men , greatly fearing an attack on his quite unfinished defenses . Huger ' s response to Wise asked him to rely on " hard work and coolness among the troops you have , instead of more men . " Eventually Confederate President Jefferson Davis did order Huger to sent help to the Roanoke Island area , but it proved too late . On February 7 – 8 Flag Officer Louis M . Goldsborough and his gunboats landed Brig . Gen . Ambrose E . Burnside ' s infantry , initiating the Battle of Roanoke Island . Huger , having about 13 , 000 soldiers , failed to reinforce the immediate commanders there , an ailing Wise and Col . H . M . Shaw , and Burnside quickly eliminated the Confederate resistance and forced a surrender . When news of the fall of Roanoke Island reached the population of Norfolk they quickly panicked , spreading the alarm to Richmond . Military historian Shelby Foote believed this loss " . . . shook whatever confidence the citizens had managed to retain in Huger , who was charged with their defense . " On February 27 , President Davis declared martial law in Norfolk and suspended the right of habeas corpus , attempting to regain control , and two days later he did the same in Richmond . Due to the combination of the naval action at Elizabeth City on February 10 , the Battle of New Bern on March 14 , the Battle of South Mills on April 19 , and other Union landings during the Peninsula Campaign , Confederate authorities determined Huger could not hold Norfolk . On April 27 he was ordered by Gen . Joseph E . Johnston to abandon the area , salvaging from Gosport Navy Yard as much usable equipment as he could , and join the main army . On May 1 Huger began to evacuate his men and ordered the destruction by fire of the naval yards at both Norfolk as well as nearby Portsmouth . Ten days later Union forces occupied the Gosport Yards . Military historian Webb Garrison , Jr . believed Huger did not leave the area properly , stating : " . . . the evacuation of Norfolk was handled poorly by Confederate Gen . Benjamin Huger — too much property was left intact . " Also lost as a result was the famous Ironclad warship " CSS Virginia " , scuttled by her own crew when she could not stay in the James River , get past Union Naval forces at its mouth , nor survive at sea even if it did . The Union would control the facilities at Norfolk for the rest of the war , and the Confederate Congress soon began to investigate Huger ' s part in the defeat at Roanoke Island . He led his soldiers to Petersburg , where he remained until summoned by Johnston at the end of May . Peninsula Campaign . Confederate President Jefferson Davis assigned Huger to divisional command under Gen . Johnston within the Army of Northern Virginia . His command fell back with the main body as Johnston retired towards Richmond , and then participated in the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31 and June 1 , 1862 . According to Johnston ' s battle plan , Huger ' s three brigade s were placed under the command of Maj . Gen . James Longstreet as a support , but Huger was never notified of this . On June 1 as he moved his men toward the fight , their march was blocked by Longstreet ' s columns — who had taken an incorrect road — and halted . Huger found Longstreet , asked about the delay , and for the first time learned his role and the command relationship . Huger then asked whether he or Longstreet was the senior officer and was told that Longstreet was , which he accepted as true although it was not . This delay and Longstreet ' s instructions to stand by and wait for orders prevented Huger ' s division from supporting the advance on time and hampered the overall Confederate attack . In his official report of the Battle of Seven Pines , Longstreet unjustly blamed Huger for the less than completely successful action , complaining of his tardiness on May 31 but not relating the reason for the delay . In a private letter to an injured Johnston written on June 7 , Longstreet stated : Once he learned he had been criticized and blamed , Huger asked Johnston to investigate however this was refused . He then asked President Davis to order a court - martial , but although approved it never took place . Writing after the war , Edward Porter Alexander stated : " Indeed , it is almost tragic the way in which he became the scapegoat of this occasion . " referring to Huger . The Seven Days . Huger then participated in several of the Seven Days Battles with the Army of Northern Virginia , now under the command of Gen . Robert E . Lee , who replaced the wounded Johnston on June 1 . Lee planned an offensive in late June against an isolated Union Army corps with the bulk of his army , leaving less than 30 , 000 men in the Richmond trenches to defend the Confederate capital . This force consisted of the divisions of Maj . Gens . John B . Magruder , Theophilus H . Holmes , and Huger . During the Battle of Oak Grove on June 25 , his portion of the line was attacked by two divisions of the Union III Corps led by Brig . Gens . Joseph Hooker and Philip Kearny . When part of the assault faltered in rough terrain , Huger took advantage of the confused , uneven Union line and counterattacked with the brigade of Brig . Gen . Ambrose R . Wright . After repulsing the charge , another Union force attacked Huger but was also stopped short of the line . The Battle of Oak Grove cost Huger 541 men killed and wounded , while inflicting 626 total casualties on the Union Army . Lee continued to order his army to pursue and destroy the Union forces . Following the action at Oak Grove , he pulled much of the defense around Richmond and added them to the chase , Huger ' s division included . On June 29 , Magruder thought his position was to be attacked by overwhelming numbers and asked for reinforcements . Lee sent two brigades from Huger ' s division in response with instructions they were to be returned at 2 p . m . if Magruder was not hit by then . The appointed hour came and passed , Huger ' s men were sent back , and later that day Magruder " halfheartedly " fought the Battle of Savage ' s Station alone . Even without those two brigades , Huger was late in reaching his assigned position on June 29 , countermarching needlessly and encamping his command without engaging with the enemy . The next day Huger was ordered toward Glendale but was delayed by the retreating Union forces , who had cut trees to slow pursuit , and also by the terrain which easily allowed for ambush . Attempting to follow along the Charles City Road to his assignment , Huger had his men cut a new path through the woods with axes . This further slowed their advance , while the other Confederate commands waited for his guns to fire , which was their signal to attack . Huger informed Lee of the delay by simply stating his march was " obstructed " without further description . Around 2 p . m . Huger ' s lead brigade under Brig . Gen . William Mahone cut a mile - long path around the Union obstacles , winning the so - called " battle of the axes " and continued to approach Glendale . There he saw the 6 , 000 - man division of Brig . Gen . Henry W . Slocum arrayed to block his way . Huger ordered one of his artillery batteries to fire on this Union position at 2 : 30 p . m . but Slocum ' s guns answered quickly , and Huger led his 9 , 000 men off the road and into the woods after taking some casualties . Despite outnumbering the Union division Huger made no further attempts to reach Glendale . However his few artillery shots were interpreted by the other Confederates as the signal to attack , igniting the Battle of Glendale , although Huger and his command would not take part in the fight and camped . The following day , July 1 , turned out to be Huger ' s last fight with the Army of Northern Virginia as well as his final field command in the American Civil War . Huger ' s division was directed toward the Union forces on Malvern Hill without a definite target , as he was told that Lee would " place him where most needed " against the position . Because Magruder had mistakenly led his command away from the battle , Huger took up his place on the Confederate right , just north of the " Crew House " , with the division of Maj . Gen . D . H . Hill on his left . To give his infantry a chance to charge and break the Union line , Lee ordered a concentrated artillery barrage at Malvern Hill . One of Huger ' s brigades , led by Brig . Gen . Lewis Armistead , was to determine when this barrage had the desired effect and begin the assault . Before the cannonade could begin however , the Union artillery fired first and took out most of the Confederate guns . Shortly after 2 : 30 p . m . Armistead went in anyway , and though his men made some progress he failed to penetrate the strong defensive position . Other Confederate units made less progress and took heavy casualties , and around 4 p . m . Magruder arrived and put in two brigades — about a third of his command — behind Armistead , but he too retired with high loss . Two more of Huger ' s brigades — led by Brig . Gen . Ambrose R . Wright and Mahone , about 2 , 500 men — followed Armistead and toward Malvern Hill . Taking Union artillery and infantry fire as they advanced , Huger ' s men slowed and then stopped , finding a measure of protection in a nearby bluff . They had fought to about of the Union line but could go no further . Huger ' s last brigade under Brig . Gen . Robert Ransom managed to get within by 6 p . m . but also fell back after receiving heavy casualties in the Confederate defeat . Following the 1862 Peninsula Campaign , Gen . Lee began to reorganize his army and deal with ineffective division commanders , including Huger . His actions since joining the army " left much to be desired " according to military biographer Ezra J . Warner . Other historians have also criticized Huger throughout this time : Brendon A . Rehm summarized his battle performance as " not notably successful " and John C . Fredriksen stated Huger was " lethargic " during Seven Pines as well as moved " sluggishly " during the Seven Days fights . Furthermore , the Confederate Congress held Huger accountable for the defeat at Roanoke Island . As a result , Huger was relieved of command on July 12 , 1862 , and that fall was ordered to serve in the Trans - Mississippi Department . Trans - Mississippi service . Following combat service on the Virginia Peninsula in 1862 , Huger was assigned to be assistant Inspector General of artillery and ordnance for the Army of Northern Virginia . He held this post from his relief on June 12 until August , when he was sent to the Confederate Trans - Mississippi Department . Huger was made the department ' s inspector of artillery and ordnance on August 26 , and then was promoted to command of all ordnance within the department in July 1863 . This position Huger held until the end of the American Civil War in 1865 , when he surrendered along with Gen . Edmund Kirby Smith and the rest of the Confederate Trans - Mississippi forces . Huger was paroled from Shreveport , Louisiana , on June 12 of that same year and returned to civilian life . Huger ' s Trans - Mississippi service in staff positions has been rated positively by historians . Ezra J . Warner believed this area of military service was " his proper sphere " and summarized Huger ' s overall performance there as : " These duties he energetically and faithfully discharged until the close of the war , most of the time in the Trans - Mississippi service . " Likewise John C . Fredriksen states " He functioned capably in this office until 1863 , when he rose to chief of ordnance in the Trans - Mississippi Department until the end of the war . " Postbellum . After the war , Huger was a farmer in North Carolina and then in Fauquier County , Virginia , finally returning in poor health to his home in Charleston , South Carolina . He was also a member of Aztec Club of 1847 , a social club formed just after the Mexican - American War by army officers . Huger served as its vice president from 1852 to 1867 . He died in Charleston in late 1877 and was buried at Green Mount Cemetery located in Baltimore , Maryland .