Lewis Henry Little

Lewis Henry Little (March 19, 1817 – September 19, 1862) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War. He served mainly in the Western Theater and was killed in action during the Battle of Iuka.

Lewis Henry Little
Born	(1817-03-19)March 19, 1817 Baltimore, Maryland
Died	September 19, 1862(1862-09-19) (aged 45) Iuka, Mississippi
Place of burial	Green Mount Cemetery Baltimore, Maryland
Allegiance	United States of America  Confederate States of America
Service/branch	United States Army  Confederate States Army
Years of service	1839–61 (USA) 1861–62 (CSA)
Rank	Captain (USA) Brigadier General (CSA)
Commands held	1st Division, Army of the West
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War Battle of Monterrey American Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge Battle of Iuka †
Relations	brother-in-law of Alexander E. Steen

Early life and career

Little was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Peter Little and his wife Catherine on Mar. 19, 1817. He was a brother-in-law of Alexander E. Steen and son-in-law of Pitcairn Morrison. Little was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry in 1839 after graduating from West Point.[1] He served in the Mexican War and was awarded a brevet promotion to captain for his service at the Battle of Monterrey in 1846. He was promoted to captain in the regular army on August 20, 1847.[2]

American Civil War

Little resigned his commission as a U.S. Army officer on May 7, 1861. He helped Sterling Price train the Missouri volunteers that soon joined the Southern armies. He entered the Confederate service as an infantry captain on March 16, 1861, but soon was made an artillery major that same month. Little was promoted to colonel on May 18 and served Price as his Adjutant General in the Missouri State Guard.[2]

At the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, Little commanded the 1st Missouri Brigade in Price's division. In the thick of the first day's fighting near Elkhorn Tavern, he demonstrated competence and initiative. "During the course of the battle he gradually assumed more and more responsibility until he became the de facto commander of Price's division during the last hours that the Army of the West was on the field."[3] His appointment to brigadier general occurred on April 12.[4]

Little came east of the Mississippi River with Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn's army and served under Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard at Corinth. There, he caught malaria and was in poor health for the few remaining months of his life. Even so, he was regarded as "a thorough soldier and an excellent disciplinarian."[5] At Corinth he was given command of the 1st Division in Price's Army of the West. His peers praised his division as well drilled and disciplined.

He led his division at the Battle of Iuka on September 19. At about 5:45 p.m., while sitting on his horse behind the front line and next to Sterling Price,[6] he was struck in the head by a bullet and killed instantly.[7] He is buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.

The J.M. Coman House, located at Iuka, MS, served as Little's headquarters during the Battle of Iuka and his body was brought here after he was killed. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[8]

See also

• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

Notes

1. Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862. New York: D. Appleton & Company. 1863. p. 675.
2. Eicher, p. 350.
3. Shea & Hess, p. 313.
4. Boatner, p. 485.
5. Cozzens, p. 39.
6. Eicher, p.350. "hit in the head by a bullet that passed under the out-stretched arm of Sterling Price as they were conversing..."
7. Cozzens, p. 100.
8. Embree, p. 3.

References

• Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: McKay, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8129-1726-0. First published New York, McKay, 1959.
• Cozzens, Peter. The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN 978-0-8078-2320-0.
• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Shea, William L. and Earl J. Hess. Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992. ISBN 978-0-8078-4669-8.
• Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
• Embree, Joan. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: J.M. Coman House., National Park Service, 1990.