Cadmus M. Wilcox

Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox (May 20, 1824 – December 2, 1890) was a United States Army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and was later a Confederate general during the American Civil War.

Early life and career Wilcox was born in Wayne County, North Carolina. One of his brothers, John A. Wilcox, would later serve in the First Confederate Congress as a representative from Texas. The family moved to Tipton County, Tennessee, when Cadmus was only two years old. He was raised and educated in Tennessee, studying at Cumberland University before being nominated to the United States Military Academy at West Point from the Memphis district. He graduated in 1846, standing 54th out of 59 cadets, and was brevetted a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry on July 1. Among his West Point classmates were future Civil War generals George B. McClellan and Thomas J. Jackson.

With the Mexican–American War already underway, Wilcox joined the 4th Infantry in the Mexican city of Monterrey in 1847. He was appointed as an aide to Maj. Gen. John A. Quitman, acting as his adjutant at the Battle of Veracruz and the Battle of Cerro Gordo. For gallant conduct at the Battle of Chapultepec, in action at the Belén Gate, and the Battle for Mexico City, Wilcox was appointed a brevet first lieutenant on September 13. His pallbearers included four former Confederate generals and four former Union generals, a token of his esteem.