James Henry Lane (July 28, 1833 – September 21, 1907) was a university professor and Confederate general in the American Civil War.

As its first Commandant, he is considered to be the father of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and is the namesake of the University's oldest building, Lane Hall.

Early life

Lane was born in Mathews Court House, Virginia. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1854 and received a master's degree from the University of Virginia in 1857. He was a professor of mathematics at VMI and then of natural philosophy at the North Carolina Military Institute until the start of the Civil War.

Civil War

Lane joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned as a major in the 1st North Carolina Volunteers on May 11, 1861. He participated in the Battle of Big Bethel and was made lieutenant colonel. Further promotion came quickly and he was a colonel and commander of the 28th North Carolina Infantry Regiment by September 15. In the Seven Days Battles of 1862 he was twice wounded leading his regiment. He served in Major General A.P. Hill's division of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Second Corps for Second Bull Run and took over brigade command following the death of Brigadier General Lawrence O. Branch at the Battle of Antietam. He was promoted to brigadier general on November 1, 1862. When Trimble was wounded in the attack, Lane resumed temporary command of the division.

In 1864, Lane continued in brigade command, through the Overland Campaign and Siege of Petersburg. In June, at the Battle of Cold Harbor, he was wounded in the groin. In February and March 1865, he commanded Cadmus M. Wilcox's division. He continued to serve during the Appomattox Campaign, where he was paroled from Appomattox Court House after Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9.

Lane died in Auburn, Alabama, and is interred there in Pine Hill Cemetery.

A klavern based in Auburn, Alabama, that was in existence by 1923 was named after General Lane.

See also

Notes

References

  • Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
  • Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
  • Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

Further reading

  • Martin, David G. Gettysburg July 1. rev. ed. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing, 1996. .
  • Pfanz, Harry W. Gettysburg – The First Day. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. .
  • Auburn University Letter Collection