- James H. Lane (general)
Infobox Military Person
name=James H. Lane
lived= birth date|1833|7|28 – death date and age|1907|9|21|1833|7|28
placeofbirth= Mathews Courthouse, Virginia
placeofdeath=Auburn, Alabama
placeofburial= Pine Hill Cemetery Auburn, Alabama
caption= James Henry Lane in Confederate general uniform;
photo taken in 1865
nickname= The Little General "Little Jim"
allegiance=Confederate States of America
branch=Infantry
serviceyears= 1861 – 1865
rank= Brigadier General
commands=
unit=
battles=American Civil War
*Seven Days Battles
*Battle of Second Bull Run
*Battle of Antietam
*Battle of Gettysburg
*Overland Campaign
*Battle of Cold Harbor
*Siege of Petersburg
*Appomattox Campaign
awards=
laterwork=Professor atVirginia Military Institute ; North Carolina Military Institute; Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College; Alabama Polytechnic InstituteJames Henry Lane (
July 28 ,1833 –September 21 ,1907 ) was a university professor and Confederategeneral in theAmerican Civil War .He is considered to be the father of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is the namestake of the University's oldest building,Lane Hall , andLane Stadium .Early life
Lane was born in Mathews Court House, Virginia. He graduated from
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1854 and theUniversity of Virginia in 1857. He was aprofessor ofmathematics at VMI and then ofnatural philosophy at theNorth Carolina Military Institute until the start of the Civil War.Eicher, p. 338.]Civil War
Lane was commissioned as a major in the Confederate Army and assigned to the 1st North Carolina Infantry
regiment onMay 11 ,1861 . Promotions came quickly and he was a colonel and commander of the 28th North Carolina bySeptember 15 . In theSeven Days Battles of 1862 he was twice wounded leading his regiment. He served in Maj. Gen.A.P. Hill 's division of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Second Corps for Second Bull Run and received his own brigade for theBattle of Antietam . He was promoted to brigadier general onNovember 1 ,1862 , and assumed command of the 2nd Brigade inWilliam Dorsey Pender 's Division of Hill's Third Corps of theArmy of Northern Virginia the following May, during the beginning of theGettysburg Campaign .At the
Battle of Gettysburg , Lane's brigade fought on the first day (July 1 ,1863 ) and Lane briefly assumed command of Pender's division following that officer's mortal wounding on the second day. He was replaced in division command by Maj. Gen.Isaac R. Trimble and returned to lead his brigade duringPickett's Charge , during which he was wounded when his horse was shot from under him. Over the three-day battle, his brigade suffered almost 50% casualties. [Warner, p. 173.]In 1864, Lane continued in brigade command, through the
Overland Campaign andSiege of Petersburg . OnApril 2 at theBattle of Cold Harbor , he was wounded in the groin. In February and March 1865, he commandedCadmus M. Wilcox 's division. He continued to serve during theAppomattox Campaign , where he was paroled fromAppomattox Court House afterRobert E. Lee 's surrender onApril 9 .Postbellum
Lane returned to academic life, as professor of
civil engineering and commerce at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC)—founded in 1872, name changed to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) in 1896—and from 1881 until his death, professor of civil engineering atAlabama Polytechnic Institute , now known asAuburn University .Lane served as the first Commandant of the
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets at VAMC. Before resigning, he had an argument with PresidentCharles Minor , who wanted the college to eliminate strict military restrictions.fact|date= July 2008Lane died in
Auburn, Alabama , and is interred there in Pine Hill Cemetery.References
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Warner, Ezra J., "Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders", Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.
* [http://www.geocities.com/branch_lane/lane-bio.html Web biography]Notes
External links
* [http://www.lib.auburn.edu/archive/find-aid/501.htm Auburn University Letter Collection]
*findagrave|8759 Retrieved2008-07-06
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