James B. Gordon

James Byron Gordon (November 2, 1822 – May 18, 1864) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action at the Battle of Meadow Bridge.

Early life Gordon was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina to Nathaniel and Sarah Gwyn Gordon. James B. Gordon was a distant cousin of Confederate General John Brown Gordon. After studying at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia, he returned to Wilkes County and became a successful mercantile businessman and a prominent member of the community. He served several terms as a Wilkes County commissioner and spent one term in the North Carolina state legislature.

Civil War With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Gordon enlisted as a lieutenant in the "Wilkes County Guards". This unit was merged into the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment. Gordon went to the cavalry and was promoted to captain, and then major, of the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment. He served under the command of famed Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart for most of the war. On November 26, 1861, Gordon led the first charge of his regiment and won praise for his bravery from General Stuart. In early 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and a year later was made a full colonel of cavalry.