John B. Magruder

John Magruder

Quick Facts

Significance:

Confederate general

Place Of Birth:

Port Royal, VA

Date Of Birth:

May 1, 1807

Place Of Death:

Houston, TX

Date Of Death:

February 19, 1871

Place Of Burial:

Galveston, TX

Cemetery Name:

Episcopal Cemetery

John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a post-bellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army of Emperor Maximilian I.

Known as "Prince John" to his army friends, Magruder is best remembered for delaying Federal troops during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign through elaborate ruses that convinced Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan that his opponent's army was much larger than it actually was. Still, he failed to gain the confidence of Robert E. Lee who, after the Peninsula Campaign ended, reassigned him to the District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In 1863, forces under his command successfully lifted the Union blockade of Galveston, Texas for a short time.