Historical Rosters Database
Henry King Burgwyn Jr.
Roster ID 1002This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.
| First Name: | Henry |
| Middle Name: | King |
| Last Name: | Burgwyn |
| Suffix: | Jr. |
| Affiliation: | Class of 1861 |
| Biography & Genealogy: | Henry King Burgwyn, Jr., Class of 1861. " Boy Colonel of the Confederacy ". Born- 3 October 1841. Matriculated from Garysburg, NC. At VMI 2 years. (Entered as a junior/VMI Second Classman). Military Record: Failed to get an appointment to the US Military Academy and entered UNC, where he received his B.S. in 1859. He then entered VMI. He was a Drillmaster in Richmond during the spring of 1861 and later at Camp Ellis and Camp Crabtree, both near Raleigh, NC. He entered NC service and was elected Lt Col, 26th NC on 27 August 1861. Promoted to Col (Date on Record 19 August 1862) in manner that reveals much about Confederate States Army politics (see biography by A. Davis). He was killed in action at Gettysburg on 1 July 1863. Unpopular because he was a strict disciplinarian; highly praised after his death. "I never saw a braver man than he," wrote a veteran of the regiment. "He was the youngest colonel I ever saw." Brother of Burgwyn, GP, Class of 1868. Died- 1 July 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. He was buried on the field at Gettysburg, but the body was moved to Oakwood Cemetery , Raleigh, NC in 1867. |
