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Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1833, his parents moved to Jackson, Tennessee. In the winter of 1847 to 1848, he studied law under Judge A. W. Totten, and attended the law school at Lebanon, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1851. He opened a law office in Jackson, and practiced there until the Civil War broke out. In 1961, he was appointed by Tennessee Governor Isham Harris as Assistant Inspector General of the Provisional Army of Tennessee, and quickly accepted an appointment as Colonel and commander of the 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment. In 1865, he was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest's Brigade, until the surrender of Confederate Forces. After the Civil War, He resumed his practice of law in Jackson and remained active in the Democratic Party. ![]()
Alexander Campbell Headstone at Riverside Cemetery Madison County TN by Jason Presley ![]()
Gen. Alexander W. Campbell, attorney at law, is the son of John W. and Jane E. (Porter) Campbell, and was born in Nashville June 4, 1828. His father was a native of Kentucky, and his mother of Tennessee, and in 1833 came to Jackson, Tenn., where Alexander W. was reared and educated. In the winter of 1847-48 he began the study of law under Judge A. W. O. Totten, and later attended the law school at Lebanon, from which institution he graduated in 1851, and the following year opened a law office in Jackson, and continued the practice until the war, when he was appointed, by Gov. Harris, assistant inspector-general of the provisional army of Tennessee, and as such mustered into the service the greater portion of the West Tennessee troops. Upon the transfer of the provisional army to the service of the Confederate Government, Gen. Campbell became colonel of the Twenty-third Regiment, under Gen. B. F. Cheatham, and in 1865 was promoted to a brigadier-general and placed in the command of Gen. Forrest in charge of the brigade which bore his name, retaining said command until the surrender.
After the war Gen. Campbell resumed the practice of law in Jackson, and has thus been occupied until the present, having met with more than ordinary success. For the past quarter of a century he has been one of the foremost Democrats and leading practitioners of this portion of the State. January 12, 1852, his marriage with Miss Anne D., daughter of the distinguished lawyer, Dixon Allen, of Nashville, was solemnized, and to this union six children have been born, four of whom are now living: Mrs. Anne A. McIntosh, of Memphis; John W.; Katie F. and Alexander W.
Gen. Campbell is a Knight Templar in Masonry, a member of the K. of P. and A. O. U. W. fraternities, and himself and wife are Episcopalians in religious belief.
Source: Goodspeed History of Tennessee
![]() An attorney before the war, Alexander W. Campbell led the 33rd TN Infantry at Shiloh where he was severely
wounded. In 1864 he was captured at Lexington Tennessee and sent to a federal prison. Paroled in 1865, he was promoted to Brigadier General and served under Nathan Bedford Forrest until the end of the war. He resummed his law practice after the war and also served as president of the M. and O. Railroad.
Becoming interested in politics in 1880 he was unsuccessful in seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. He died in 1893.
He is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Jackson TN. Nearby is the grave of his daughter Kate Campbell Robertson. In her honor one of her sons donated land to the city, which was named Kate Campbell Robertson Park. When the last of the Robertson clan died several years ago, the family left more than four million dollars to Jackson charities !
Excerpt from "Tales of Madison County" by Harbert Alexander (Hillsboro Press 238 Seaboard Lane - Franklin TN 37067)
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