Historical Rosters Database
Lawson Botts
Roster ID 31This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.
| First Name: | Lawson |
| Middle Name: | |
| Last Name: | Botts |
| Suffix: | |
| Affiliation: | Class of 1844 |
| Biography & Genealogy: | Birth date: 1825 in Fredericksburg, Virginia Death date: September 11, 1862 after being wounded at the Battle of Second Manassas, Virginia on August, 28 1862; buried at the Zion Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charles Town, West Virginia Father: Thomas Hutchinson Botts; served on the VMI Board of Visitors from 1839 to 1845 Mother: Anne Carter Willis Paternal grandparents: Benjamin Gaines Botts and Jane Tyler Marriage (January 1851): Elizabeth Bibb Ranson (1829-1909) Children: Thomas, James, Lawson, Robert, and one daughter who died in infancy Career: In 1859 he served as one of the lawyers assigned to defend the abolitionist John Brown. His half-brother, Walter Browne Botts, was a member of the VMI Class of 1854. VMI Record Entered VMI in 1841 and spent two years at the Institute, resigning before graduation because of his father's ill health. He subsequently studied law and established a practice in Charles Town, [West] Virginia prior to the Civil War. Military Record In 1859 he became Captain of a volunteer company known as the "Botts Grays." When the Civil War began, this unit became Company G, 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment, which was one of the units that comprised the famous Stonewall Brigade. Civil War: Confederate officer with the 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment; commissioned as a Major in June 1861 and became a Colonel in June 1862; praised for his conduct during several battles, including First Kernstown, First Winchester, Gaines's Mill, and Cedar Mountain |
| Additional Online Resources: | Civil War papers |
