born Jan. 5, 1794, Prince George county, Va., U.S.
died June 18, 1865, Amelia county, Va.
U.S. agriculturist and secessionist.
Educated largely at home, he managed his father's tobacco plantation from 1813. He found that overuse and poor farming methods produced an acid soil unable to retain fertilizers; in 1832 he published an influential book advocating the use of marl to reduce soil acidity, which helped restore Southern plantations to productivity. He also published the Farmer's Register (1833–42) and lectured widely on agriculture. In the 1850s he defended slavery and advocated secession. He fired one of the first shots at Fort Sumter (1861). Unable to accept the South's defeat, he killed himself.