of all charges, he was later restored to duty
by summer.
In June 1863, Evans and his brigade were
assigned to Gen. William Wing Loring’s di-
vision in Mississippi. The following month
he fought in the unsuccessful defense of
Jackson by Gen. Joseph E. Johnstonbe-
fore reporting back to the East Coast for
garrison duty at Savannah, Georgia. Beaure-
gard, still in nominal command, distrusted
Evans and refused to grant him serious re-
sponsibilities. However, when that officer
transferred north to Virginia, Evans became
commander of the First Military District of
South Carolina. He had barely assumed con-
trol of his troops before falling off his horse,
suffering injuries that incapacitated him for
the rest of the war. In 1865, following the
capture of Richmond by Union forces,
Evans accompanied President Jefferson
Davison his flight through South Carolina.
This last act concluded an otherwise dismal
military career.
After the war, Evans relocated to Midway,
Alabama, where he became a school princi-
pal. He served in that capacity until his death
there on November 30, 1868, a potentially use-
ful officer rendered dissolute by alcohol.See also
Davis, Jefferson; Johnston, Joseph E.; Lee, Robert E.;
Longstreet, JamesBibliography
Conrad, James L. “From Glory to Contention: The Sad
History of ‘Shanks’ Evans.” Civil War Times Illus-
trated22, no. 9 (1983): 32–38; Davis, William C., ed.
The Confederate General.2 vols. Harrisburg, PA: Na-
tional Historical Society, 1991; Evans, Beverly D.
“Nathan George Evans, Brigadier General, C.S.A.”
Unpublished master’s thesis, Duke University, 1941;
Farnwell, Byron.Balls Bluff: A Small Battle and Its
Long Shadow.McLean, VA: EPM Publications, 1990;
Holien, Kim B. Battle of Ball’s Bluff.Orange, VA:
Moss Publications, 1985; Howard, William F. The Bat-
tle of Ball’s Bluff: The Leesburg Affair, October 21,
1861.Lynchburg, VA: A. E. Howard, 1994; Priest,
John M.Before Antietam: The Battle of South Moun-
tain.Shippensburg, PA: White Mane, 1992; Sears,
Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of
Antietam.New Haven: Ticknor and Fields, 1983.FERGUSON, PATRICK
Ferguson, Patrick
(ca. 1744–October 7, 1780)
English Army Officer
F
erguson was a talented, innovative
leader, among the best marksmen in
the British army. He invented an im-
pressive new weapon and performed useful
service as a light infantry officer before com-
ing to grief at King’s Mountain. For all his fine
military qualities, Ferguson could not sur-
mount his condescension toward American
fighting abilities—and thereby lost his life.
Patrick Ferguson was born in Scotland in
1744, the son of a leading Scottish jurist. He
received his military education at an academy
in London and, in 1759, became a coronet in
the Royal North British Dragoons, the famous
Scots Greys. Ferguson subsequently shipped
to Germany and participated in major cam-
paigning before illness forced his retirement
in 1761. He convalesced for nearly seven
years before his physical constitution was re-
stored, but by 1768 Ferguson felt fit enough to
purchase a captain’s commission in the 70th
Regiment of Foot. He subsequently saw active
duty in the West Indies before sickness again
forced him from the active list in 1770. While
recuperating back in Scotland, he became in-
trigued with the idea of a viable breech-load-
ing rifle for light infantry use. Such a weapon
enjoyed obvious advantages over conven-