Gen. James Dearing

Gen. James Dearing. Last General to Die in the War. This cemetery was the first burial place of Gen. James Dearing (1840-1865), the last Confederate general officer to die of battle wounds during the Civil War., Dearing hailed from nearby Otterbourne plantation, about one mile northeast. In 1858, he began his military training at West Point. He resigned in April 1861 to serve in the Confederate States Army. He began his career as an artillery officer and quickly rose through promotion thanks to his remarkable skill and conspicuous bravery in combat., Dearing served under Gen. Robert E. Lee with distinction in nearly all of the Army of Northern Virginia's major campaigns. He was promoted to brigadier general on April 29, 1864, because of his reputation as a fierce combatant, masterful tactician, and respected leader. Dearing's abilities, however, could not prevent the Confederate evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg on April 2-3, 1865. With the Union army in close pursuit, Lee's hopes of retreating to North Carolina were predicated on securing and crossing the strategically crucial High Bridge on the South Side Railroad four miles east of Farmville. Lee assigned the task to young Dearing, who captured a force of Union cavalry and infantry there on April 6. In the melee, a bullet that pierced both of his lungs mortally wounded him. Dearing was removed from the battlefield to Lynchburg for treatment, but he died on April 23. The High Bridge engagement was the last victory for the Army of Northern Virginia. Three days later, Lee surrendered the army to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, ending the war in Virginia., (Captions) , On his deathbed, Dearing was paroled by his old West Point classmate, Union Gen. Randald S. MacKenzie. Dearing's body was brought here to Avoca for burial on April 25, 1865, his 25th birthday., The Confederate Congress never formally ratified Dearing's promotion to brigadier general, although his superiors and subordinates referred to him as such., Dearing's body was removed from this cemetery and reinterred at Lynchburg's Spring Hill Cemetery in 1902. Courtesy Michael Hudson