General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, AKA PGT Beauregard, was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.
He was born in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, on May 28, 1818. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1838 and served with distinction in the Mexican-American War.
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After the war, Beauregard served as an engineer officer and was stationed at various posts in the South. He was appointed superintendent of the United States Military Academy in 1861 but resigned shortly after Louisiana seceded from the Union.
Beauregard was then commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army and given command of the defenses of Charleston, South Carolina.
On April 12, 1861, Beauregard ordered the bombardment of Fort Sumter, a Union fort in Charleston Harbor.
The bombardment lasted for 34 hours and resulted in the surrender of the fort. This event marked the start of the Civil War.
Beauregard was then given command of the Confederate forces in the Eastern Theater of the war. He led these forces to victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861.
This victory was a major boost for the Confederacy, but it was short-lived. In the following months, the Union forces won a series of victories, and Beauregard was forced to retreat.
In 1862, Beauregard was transferred to the Western Theater of the War. He commanded the Confederate forces at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. The battle was a bloody draw, but Beauregard was blamed for the Confederate defeat. He was relieved of command and sent to defend Charleston.
Beauregard remained in Charleston for the rest of the war. He successfully defended the city from repeated Union attacks.
In 1864, he was given command of the Confederate forces defending Petersburg, Virginia. He successfully defended the city until the end of the war in 1865.
After the war, Beauregard returned to Louisiana and became a successful businessman.
A story that shows the generous side of PGT Beauregard is when fellow Confederate General John Bell Hood and his wife died suddenly of Yellow Fever in New Orleans. Hood and his wife left 10 children behind, and they were destitute. Beauregard led an effort to provide homes and money for the children.
He died in New Orleans in 1893.
Read Article: Famous Civil War Generals
Family Overview
PGT Beauregard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a French family that had been residents of the area since the 17th century. His family had migrated over to Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase and had naturalized into Americans during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson.
His father was well-known due to his heritage, as was his mother. They would send him to New York, where he first learned English and would eventually go to West Point.
He married a beautiful young woman, and the couple had three children until her early death. He then remarried, and his second wife died while he was away at war.
His eldest son would go on to carry on the family name.
Family Tree Chart
Parents:
Jacques Elie Toutant Beauregard (1789 - 1853) - He was born in Louisiana and would die there. He and his wife had one child. His family had been in Louisiana for many generations prior to it becoming admitted to the United States.
Juditte Maria Elena Antonia de Reggio (1793 - unknown) - She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and married her husband in 1808. It is unknown when she died.
Spouses:
Marie Antoinette Laure Villere (1823 - 1850) - She met and married General PGT Beauregard in 1841. The two had three children together, but she died at the young age of 26, shortly after the birth of their third child.
Marguerite Caroline Deslonde (1831 - 1864) - She married the General after the death of his first wife and helped raise his three children. She died while Beauregard was in Florida during the Civil War. She had a funeral of over 6,000 people in Federally controlled New Orleans.
Children:
Rene Toutant Beauregard (1843 - 1910) - He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and, after the war was over, began to practice law. He would have a successful law career and become a judge. The Beauregard name would continue through him with his many children.
Henri Toutant Beauregard (1845 - 1915) - He served under his father during the Civil War and, after the war, traveled throughout the United States on business. He and his wife did not have any children, and when he died, he was buried near his mother.
Laure Villere Beauregard (1850 - 1884) - She was the youngest of her siblings. Her mother passed away while giving birth to her. She married and had two daughters.
Siblings:
Alfred Toutant Beauregard (1826? - 1853) - His birthdate is unknown, and there is little known of him.
Emilia Toutant Beauregard (1831 - 1858) - The older sister of the General. There is little known of her life except that she married and is buried in New Orleans.