Theophilus H. Holmes

Lieutenant-General Theophilus Hunter Holmes (November 13, 1804 – June 21, 1880) was an American soldier who served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army and commanded infantry in the Eastern and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. He had previously served with distinction as an officer of the United States Army in the Seminole and Mexican–American wars. A friend and protégé of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis, he was appointed commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department but failed in his key task, which was to defend the Confederacy's hold on the Mississippi.

Early life and education Holmes was born in Sampson County, North Carolina, in 1804. His father, Gabriel Holmes, was a former Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Congressman. After a failed attempt at plantation managing, Holmes asked his father for an appointment to the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1829. He was ranked 44 out of 46 in his class. Holmes was quite deaf and was rarely aware of loud gunfire. before being assigned to the Department of North Carolina. His division consisted of the brigades of Brigadier-Generals Junius Daniel, John G. Walker, Henry A. Wise, and the cavalry brigade of Brig. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart. On June 30, 1862, while the Battle of Glendale was fought to the north, Holmes was ordered to cannonade retreating U.S. soldiers near Malvern Hill. His force was repulsed at Turkey Bridge by artillery fire from Malvern Hill and by the U.S. gunboats Galena and Aroostook on the James. His force was in reserve during the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. After the Seven Days Battles, Robert E. Lee expressed displeasure at Holmes's mediocre performance. The two also had fundamental disagreements on strategy. Lee appears to have not been alone in his belief that the nearly 60-year-old Holmes was too old, sluggish, and passive (better as an administrator than a field commander) to wage the aggressive war of movement that Lee planned. In truth, the entire Confederate counterattack in the Seven Days Battles had been handled ineffectively, and many generals were to blame, including Lee himself. Jefferson Davis, in particular, did not think Holmes was any more at fault than the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia's command structure. Nonetheless, his age and unremarkable record in the war up to that point were factors against him, and Lee quickly made it clear that Holmes would not make the cut during the post-Seven Days restructuring of the army. General D. H. Hill, who was known for his sarcastic temperament, also widely spread the story of Holmes, saying, "I thought I heard firing" at Malvern Hill.

Trans-Mississippi Department Holmes was then reassigned to the command of the Trans-Mississippi Department. On October 10, 1862, Jefferson Davis promoted Holmes to lieutenant-general, but Holmes initially declined, feeling he had done nothing to deserve the promotion. However, Davis urged him, and eventually, Holmes accepted.

After numerous complaints were sent to Davis, who had little understanding of events in a region almost 900 miles from Richmond, Holmes was relieved as head of the Trans-Mississippi Department in March 1863. He returned to North Carolina, where he spent the rest of his life as a farmer. Holmes died on June 21, 1880, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is buried there in MacPherson Presbyterian Church Cemetery.