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Brigadier General James B. Gordon (1822-1864)
James B. Gordon
James Byron Gordon (November 2, 1822 – May 18, 1864) was a brigadier general in the
Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action at the Battle of
Meadow Bridge.
Gordon was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina to Nathaniel and Sarah Gwyn Gordon. James
B. Gordon was a distant cousin of Confederate General John Brown Gordon. His birthplace, known
as Oakland, stretched hundreds of yards south to the Yadkin, east to the Reddies River, and west
toward rising hills (the area now Wilkes Regional Medical Center).
After studying at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia, he returned to Wilkes County
and became a successful mercantile businessman and a prominent member of the community. He
served several terms as a Wilkes County commissioner and spent one term in the North Carolina
state legislature.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Gordon enlisted as a lieutenant in the Wilkes County
Guards. When his unit was merged with regular Confederate Army units, he was promoted to
captain, and then major, of the 1st North Carolina Cavalry regiment. He served under the command
of famed Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart for most of the war. On November 26, 1861,
Gordon led the first charge of his regiment and won praise for his bravery from General Stuart. In
early 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and a year later was made a full colonel of cavalry.
During the Army of Northern Virginia's retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, Colonel
Gordon defeated Union forces at Hagerstown, Maryland, thereby helping the Confederates escape
into Virginia. In September 1863, he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned command of
the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade. He defeated Union troops in a battle near Culpeper Court House
in October 1863, but was seriously wounded shortly afterwards. In May 1864, Gordon joined with
other Confederate cavalry units under J.E.B. Stuart to halt the advance of Union Maj. Gen. Philip
Sheridan towards Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital.
On May 11, Stuart was killed in the Battle of Yellow Tavern, and Gordon assumed the role of
defending Richmond. On May 12, 1864, Gordon's cavalry held Sheridan's troops at Meadow Bridge,
just north of Richmond, long enough for Confederate reinforcements to arrive and save the city.
However, Gordon was mortally wounded in this battle and died 6 days later. He was buried with
full military honors in the cemetery of St. Paul's Episcopalian church in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
His last resting place is marked by a beautiful monument, and the evergreens and flowers that grow
about his grave show the lasting admiration of his comrades, friends and relatives.
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