David Emanuel Twiggs

David Emanuel Twiggs (February 14, 1790 – July 15, 1862) was an American military officer who served during the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and Mexican–American War.

As commander of the U.S. Army's Department of Texas when the American Civil War broke out, he surrendered his entire command to the Confederates, with facilities, armaments, and other supplies valued at $1.3 million. Dismissed from the U.S. Army as a traitor, he was commissioned as a general of the Confederate States Army in 1861. But, recognizing he was in poor health, he quickly resigned from his commission later that year. He was the oldest Confederate general to serve in the Civil War.

Early life Twiggs was born in 1790 on the "Good Hope" plantation in Richmond County, Georgia, son of John Twiggs and his wife, Ruth Emanuel. A general in the Georgia militia during the American Revolutionary War, the senior Twiggs was the namesake for Twiggs County, Georgia. He was the nephew, through his mother, of David Emanuel, Governor of Georgia.

Early military career Twiggs volunteered for service as a captain during the War of 1812 and made a career in the military.

In 1816, Twiggs was ordered by Major General Edmund P. Gaines to set out from Fort Montgomery and establish a new fort on the border of the Alabama Territory and Spanish West Florida. This new fort was known as Fort Crawford. After serving at Fort Crawford, Twiggs became commandant of Fort Scott.

In 1828, he was sent to Wisconsin to establish a fort at the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. With three companies of the First Infantry, his forces built Fort Winnebago around what has come to be known as Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters at Portage, Wisconsin. This was a base of operation during the Black Hawk War.

Twiggs was commissioned as Colonel of the 2nd U.S. Dragoons in 1836 and served in the Seminole Wars in Florida, where he earned the nickname "Bengal Tiger" for his fierce temper. He also decided to act offensively against the Seminole rather than wait for them to strike first. Some of the Seminole moved deep into the Everglades, evading U.S. forces. They never surrendered, and the U.S. government finally gave up on hopes of removing them to Indian Territory.

Mexican–American War During the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), Twiggs led a brigade in the Army of Occupation at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1846 and commanded a division at the Battle of Monterrey.

Commander of the Department of Texas After the Mexican–American War, Twiggs was appointed brevet major general and commanded the U.S. Army's Department of Texas. He was in this command when the American Civil War broke out. He accepted a commission as a major general from the Confederate States Army on May 22, 1861. He was assigned to command the Confederate Department of Louisiana (comprising that state along with the southern half of Mississippi and Alabama), but he was past the age of 70 and in poor health. He resigned from his commission before he could assume any active duty. Mansfield Lovell succeeded him in the command of New Orleans. Twiggs retired on October 11, 1861.

Death and burial Twiggs died of pneumonia in Augusta, Georgia, on July 15, 1862. He is buried in Twiggs Cemetery, also known as the Family Burying Ground, on Good Hope Plantation in Richmond County, Georgia.