Alexander Swift “Sandie” Pendleton

Alexander Swift “Sandie” Pendleton

Courtesy of the Virginia Military Institute Archives

Quick Facts

Significance:

Confederate staff officer

Place of Birth:

Alexandria, Virginia

Date of Birth:

September 28, 1840

Place of Death:

Woodstock, Virginia

Date of Death:

September 23, 1864

Place of Burial:

Lexington, Virginia

Cemetery Name:

Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery

Alexander Swift Pendleton was a Confederate staff officer during the Civil War. He served under several Confederate generals, including Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Jubal Early. Pendleton's death during the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign hurt Confederate leadership.

Schooling Cut Short

The Pendletons moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 1853 when William, Alexander's father, was appointed as an Episcopal minister in Lexington. Alexander entered Washington College that fall and graduated in 1857. Two years later he entered the University of Virginia to pursue a master's degree. His graduate studies and plans to enter the ministry were cut short when Virginia seceded from the United States in April 1861. Alexander and his father both joined the Confederate army. William, a former student at West Point, became the Chief of Artillery for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Alexander's youth and family connections gained him a role as a staff officer. 

Earning Stonewall's Trust

In June 1861, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson asked him to join his staff as a Second Lieutenant and brigade ordnance officer. Appointed a First Lieutenant in November 1861, Pendleton became Jackson's de facto chief of staff during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. Jackson prized Pendleton's intelligence, attention to detail, and energy. When asked for frank assessments of several lower-ranking officers, Jackson replied, "Ask Sandie Pendleton. If he does not know, no one does." Jackson recommended him for promotion to Captain just after the end of the campaign.

More Promotions  

Pendleton was present with Jackson's command during the Seven Days' Battles outside of Richmond that summer. He participated in the Battle of Antietam and was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Afterwards, Pendleton was promoted to Major and served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Jackson's Second Corps. His reputation as a respected and dependable staff officer continued to grow. After Jackson's death following the Battle of Chancellorsville, Pendleton remained on the staff of the commander's successor, Richard S. Ewell. A promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and Chief of Staff came in August 1863. 

Return to the Valley 

Ewell was replaced as the Second Corps commander by Jubal Early in May 1864. Pendleton kept the same position. He accompanied Early during the July raid on Washington, DC and the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. On September 22, 1864, Early's Confederates were overwhelmed and defeated at Fisher's Hill. Trying to rally soldiers streaming to the rear, Pendleton was mortally wounded. He died the next day in the nearby town of Woodstock, less than a week before his 24th birthday. He is buried in Lexington, not far from the grave of Stonewall Jackson.