Milledge L. Bonham

Milledge L. Bonham was a prominent South Carolina politician, military officer, and the 70th Governor of South Carolina during the American Civil War. A staunch states' rights advocate and secessionist, he served as a Congressman in the United States House of Representatives before resigning to join the Confederate States Army, where he attained the rank of brigadier general. His tenure as governor was marked by the challenges of administering a state deeply embroiled in the Confederate war effort.

Early life and education

Milledge Luke Bonham was born on December 25, 1813, at Saluda Old Town in the Edgefield District of South Carolina. He was the son of Captain James Bonham, a native of Virginia, and Sophie Smith Bonham. He attended the local Moses Waddel's academy in Willington before graduating from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) in 1834. After studying law, he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and commenced practice in Edgefield.

Political career

Bonham's political career began with his election as a Democrat to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1840. His service in the Mexican–American War as a major in the Palmetto Regiment enhanced his public stature. In 1856, he was elected as a States Rights Democrat to the 35th United States Congress, representing South Carolina's 4th congressional district. He was re-elected to the 36th and 37th Congresses, where he was a vocal proponent of Southern interests. He resigned his seat in December 1860 following South Carolina's secession from the Union.

American Civil War service

With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Bonham was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army in April 1861. He initially commanded troops at the siege of Fort Sumter and later took command of the Hampton's Legion. He led a brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run and during the Peninsula Campaign, seeing action at the Battle of Williamsburg and the Seven Days Battles. In 1862, he briefly commanded the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia following the wounding of General James Longstreet. He resigned his military commission in January 1863 after being elected Governor of South Carolina.

Postwar life and death

After the war's conclusion and the end of his gubernatorial term, Bonham returned to his law practice. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1868 and served as a state attorney general from 1868 to 1870. He later chaired the South Carolina Railroad Commission. Bonham died on August 27, 1890, while visiting White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. He was interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.

Legacy

Bonham is remembered as a dedicated public servant to South Carolina whose career spanned law, military service, and high political office during a tumultuous period. Fort Bonham, a Texas Confederate installation, was named in his honor. His papers are held by the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina, contributing to the historical record of the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods in the South.

Category:1813 births Category:1890 deaths Category:Governors of South Carolina Category:South Carolina Democrats Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Category:Confederate States Army brigadier generals Category:People of South Carolina in the American Civil War