- Archibald C. Godwin
Infobox Military Person
name= Archibald C. Godwin
born= 1831
died= September 19, death year and age|1864|1831
placeofburial=
caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth=Nansemond County, Virginia
placeofdeath=Winchester, Virginia
allegiance= United States of AmericaConfederate States of America
branch=Confederate Army Infantry
serviceyears= 1861-1864
rank= Brigadier General
unit=
commands=
battles=American Civil War
*Battle of Fredericksburg
*Battle of Chancellorsville
*Battle of Gettysburg
*Third Battle of Winchester †
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Archibald Campbell Godwin (1831-September 19, 1864) was an brigadier general in the
Confederate States Army who was killed at theThird Battle of Winchester during theAmerican Civil War .Early life
Archibald C. Godwin was born in
Nansemond County, Virginia in 1831, the son of Jonathan Lewis and Julia Campbell Godwin. Before his first birthday, he was moved toPortsmouth, Virginia to live with his grandmother. He was educated in Portsmouth. Around the age of nineteen he went toCalifornia hoping to strike it rich mining for gold. He was able to build a fortune on gold mining, cattle, timber and real estate. In 1860, the 6' 6" Godwin lost the Democratic nomination for governor by one vote.Civil War
Godwin returned to his native state when the
American Civil War broke out in 1861. He initially served as a captain and then major in the provost and acted as assistant provost marshal in charge ofLibby Prison .Jefferson Davis assigned Godwin the task of constructing the prison stockade inSalisbury, North Carolina . He was transferred to the front taking the colonelcy of the 57thNorth Carolina Infantry on July 17, 1862.Godwin's first action came at the
Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. He also served as a member ofRobert F. Hoke 's Brigade during the Fredericksburg phase of the Chancellorsville Campaign. Hoke had been wounded and was replaced by ColonelIsaac E. Avery . Godwin marched under the command of Avery toGettysburg, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 participating in the attack on Cemetery Hill on July 2 at theBattle of Gettysburg . With the mortal wounding of Colonel Avery, Godwin temporarily assumed command of the brigade and led it back into Virginia and until November 7, 1863 when he was captured at Rappahannock Bridge. He was exchanged in 1864, and promoted to brigadier general commanding what had formerly been Hoke's Brigade on August 5.Death
On September 19 he was killed at the
Third Battle of Winchester . He had acquired a reputation for being quite cruel to Union captives. There had been some discussion after the war of trying Godwin for war crimes until it was discovered that he was already dead. [Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Confederacy] Godwin is buried at Stonewall Cemetery in Winchester, VA. There is also a monument for him at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth, VA.References
* Sifakis, Stuart. "Who Was Who in the Confederacy," Facts on File, 1989, ISBN 978-0-8160-2204-5
Notes
Persondata
NAME= Godwin, Archibald C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Confederate Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
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DATE OF DEATH=
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