born March 22, 1817, Warrenton, N.C., U.S.
died Sept. 27, 1876, Galveston, Texas
U.S. and Confederate army officer.
He graduated from West Point and served in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican War . When North Carolina seceded, he joined the Confederate army and fought in the American Civil War . He was promoted to general in 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh . As commander of the Army of Tennessee, he led his troops to victory at the Battle of Chickamauga . His forces besieged the Union troops at Chattanooga but were eventually routed. He was relieved of his command but appointed military adviser to Confederate Pres. Jefferson Davis .
Braxton Bragg, engraving by George E. Perine
By courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.