BEE, BARNARDELLIOTT
Bee, Barnard Elliott
(February 8, 1824–July 22, 1861)
Confederate General
A
distinguished vet-
eran of the Mexi-
can War, Barnard
Bee proved instrumental
in securing the Confeder-
ate victory of First Bull
Run, the Civil War’s initial
major engagement. He
paid for this triumph with
his life, but not before
originating one of the
most celebrated nick-
names in American mili-
tary history.
Barnard Elliott Bee
was born in Charleston,
South Carolina, on Febru-
ary 8, 1824. He subse-
quently accompanied his
family to the Republic of
Texas, where his father
held a prominent position
in government. At that
time Texas, although in-
dependent of Mexico, was not legally part of
the United States. Therefore, it took consider-
able political maneuvering before Bee could
attend the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point and overcome his status as a foreigner.
He graduated thirty-first in a class of 41 in
1845, was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the Third U.S. Infantry, and reported back
to Texas for garrison duty. In this capacity
Bee participated in the Mexican-American
War (1846–1848), initially accompanying the
army of Gen. Zachary Taylor. He fought well
at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma in May 1846, winning brevet promotion
to first lieutenant. The following year Bee
transferred to Gen. Winfield Scott’s army,
landed at Vera Cruz, and accompanied the ad-
vance upon Mexico City. He subsequently dis-
tinguished himself at Cerro Gordo (April
1847) and during the
storming of Chapultepec
(September 1847), win-
ning a second brevet pro-
motion to captain. After
the war, Bee returned to
Texas for additional gar-
rison duty, rising to full
captain of the newly cre-
ated 10th U.S. Infantry in- However, following
South Carolina’s seces-
sion from the United
States in December 1860,
Bee, like many profes-
sional officers of South-
ern birth, struggled over
what to do next. He re-
tired to his brother’s
ranch in Texas to con-
template events and fi-
nally resigned his com-
mission on March 3, 1861.
He then become a major
in the Confederate service.
The failure to reach political compromise
between North and South meant that issues
could be resolved only by force. Ironically, de-
spite much bellicose posturing beforehand,
both sides lacked the means for sustained
conflict. Therefore, throughout the spring and
early summer months of 1861, Northern and
Southern recruits arrived at army camps to be
trained and drilled in the business of soldier-
ing. Bee, who enjoyed an excellent reputa-
tion, was promoted to brigadier general on
June 17, 1861, as part of larger forces under
Gen. Joseph E. Johnstonin the Shenandoah
Valley. The following month, a Union force of
38,000 soldiers under Gen. Irvin McDowell
had gathered at Washington, D.C., for an ad-
vance upon the Confederate capital in Rich-
mond. That city was defended by 20,000 men
Barnard Elliott Bee
Library of Congress