plantations and estates, he resumed his legal
career at Memphis until wartime debts bank-
rupted him in 1876. He then relocated to Lee
County, Arkansas, to eke out an existence as
a farmer. Pillow died there in poverty on Oc-
tober 8, 1870, one of the most inept, disliked
military leaders of the Civil War.
See also
Bragg, Braxton; Davis, Jefferson; Forrest, Nathan Bed-
ford
Bibliography
Bell, Patricia. “Gideon Pillow.” Civil War Times Illus-
trated6, no. 6 (1967): 13–19; Cooling, B. Franklin.
“Lew Wallace and Gideon Pillow: Enigmas and Vari-
ations on an American Theme.” Lincoln Herald 84
(1981): 651–658; Hughes, Nathaniel C. The Battle of
Belmont: Grant Strikes South.Chapel Hill: Univer-
sity of North Carolina Press, 1991; Hughes,
Nathaniel C., and Roy P. Stonesifer. The Life and
Wars of Gideon J. Pillow.Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press, 1993; Purcell, Douglas C. “Mil-
itary Conscription in Alabama During the Civil War.”
Alabama Review34, no. 2 (1981): 94–106; Tucker,
Spencer C. Andrew Foote: Civil War Admiral on
Western Waters.Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute
Press, 2000; Tucker, Spencer C. “Unconditional
Surrender”: The Capture of Forts Henry and
Donelson. Abilene, TX: McWhiney Foundation
Press, 2001.PITCAIRN, JOHN
Pitcairn, John
(December 28, 1722–June 18, 1775)
Royal Marine Officer
T
he gallant Pitcairn was a fearless ma-
rine who evinced great interest in the
care and training of his men. Alter-
nately profane and pious, he is best remem-
bered for his role on that fateful morning at
Lexington Green, when the first shots of the
American Revolution were fired.
John Pitcairn was born in the port of
Dysart, Scotland, on December 28, 1722, the
son of a parson. Having matured next to the
sea, he joined Cornwall’s Seventh Marines in
1746 as a lieutenant. In 1756, one year after
the Royal Marines had been established as a
standing force, Pitcairn became a captain. He
handled himself capably and five years later
advanced to major. By 1774, the political situ-
ation in Boston had deteriorated to the point
where the English government resolved to re-
inforce Governor Thomas Gagewith several
thousand soldiers. Among them was a battal-
ion of marines under Pitcairn, which was
drawn from companies among the Chatham,
Portsmouth, and Plymouth Divisions. These
were then organized into a composite infantry
battalion and deployed as such. At Boston,
Pitcairn stuck many observers as coarse and
profane in the line of duty. However, he took
exceptionally keen interest in the well-being
of his men. On one occasion, when several
marines died from overindulgence in strong
Boston rum, Pitcairn lived in the barracks
with them continuously for several months to
wean them of this destructive habit. He also
drilled his marines vigorously, accompanied
them on long, forced marches into the coun-
tryside, and kept all ranks in a high state of
readiness. Consequently, when hostilities did
erupt, the Royal Marines were one of the best
battalions in the Boston garrison.
For all his brusqueness, Pitcairn was a
pious Anglican and attended church regularly.
Moreover, he also possessed a demonstrated
flair for public relations. Pitcairn was a strong
Scot Tory with little sympathy for the colo-