Colonel Edward Crossland (CSA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Crossland

Edward Crossland (June 30, 1827 – September 11, 1881) was a Confederate army officer in the American Civil War and later a United States Representative from Kentucky. He commanded a brigade of cavalry in the Western Theater and served in several battles.

Crossland was born in Hickman County, Kentucky, to Samuel Crossland and his wife Elizabeth Harry. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He began his practice at Clinton, Kentucky, and also served as sheriff of Hickman County in 1851 and 1852. Crossland was member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1857 and 1858.

In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, he became a captain in the Confederate Army's 1st Kentucky Infantry Regiment. He went to Northern Virginia with his regiment, and in December 1861 they took fought in the Battle of Dranesville under J. E. B. Stuart. The regiment was then assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia, where it served until its one-year enlistment expired. Crossland had by then become its lieutenant colonel.

Following his discharge, Crossland was elected colonel of the 7th Kentucky Infantry and served with them in Mississippi. In 1864, the 7th Kentucky Infantry was mounted and assigned to Maj. Gen. Hylan B. Lyon's Brigade of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry Corps. Crossland served under Forrest until the war's end in May 1865. His last battle was at Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865.

In August 1867, Crossland was elected judge of the court of common pleas of the first judicial district of Kentucky for the term of six years. However, he resigned his office on November 1, 1870.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871-March 3, 1875). He then left Congress and practiced law in Mayfield, Kentucky. In August 1880, he was again elected judge of the circuit court for the first judicial district of Kentucky, and served until his death the following year at the age of 54. He was survived by his wife and two sons.

Edward Crossland was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield, Kentucky.

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Colonel Edward Crossland, of the 7th Kentucky Infantry, was born in Hickman County, Kentucky on June 30, 1827. He was educated in the common schools, and in early manhood was occupied in farming. Taking a leading place in the community, he was chosen as the first Sheriff of Hickman county under the Constitution of 1850. Subsequently he took up the study of law, and being admitted to the bar, engaged with success in the practice of that profession. From 1857 to 1859 he represented Hickman and Fulton Counties in the Kentucky Legislature.

In April, 1861, he was among the first to organize companies for service in the Confederate States Army, and took his command to Nashville and then to Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where a force was organized under General J.E. Johnston. He was sworn into the service as a Captain in Virginia, and was on duty in that capacity under Colonel Blanton Duncan and Colonel Thomas H. Taylor, in the 1st Kentucky Infantry, until promoted to the rank of Major in that command and later to Lieutenant Colonel. After the regiment was disbanded at the end of it's year enlistment in late April, 1862, he became Colonel of the 7th Kentucky Infantry on May 25, 1862, after the death of Colonel Charles Wickliffe.

He commanded the 7th Kentucky at the battle's of Baton Rouge, Corinth, Champion Hill, and Jackson. Early in 1864, the 7th, 3rd and 8th Kentucky were mounted and placed under General Nathan Bedford Forrest's command. He served under Forrest until the end of the war, participating in the battle of Brice's Crossroads and other famous combats in Mississippi, the operation on the Tennessee River, the cavalry fighting of Hood's campaign in Tennessee, including the defense of the rear guard on the retreat, and the engagement with Wilson's Federal cavalry in the spring of 1865, when he was in command of the Kentucky Brigade. He received a serious wound at the battle of Paducah, Kentucky, and escaped murder by local guerillas the following night while recovering at a nearby farm. He also received a serious wound at the battle of Harrisburg, Mississippi.

After Colonel Crossland returned to his home he resumed the practice of law in the First Judicial District. He was elected Judge of the Common Pleas Court in 1866, but resigned from the bench in 1871 and took a seat in Congress as a representative of the First Kentucky District. After a service of two years in Washington, he returned to the practice of law, with his residence at Mayfield, Kentucky. In 1880 he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court, and office which he filled with great ability until his death on September 11, 1881. Edward Crossland is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Confederate officer from 1861-1865. Member of US Congress from Kentucky's First District 1875-1879. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=815" target="_blank Tim Crutchfield)] Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Jan 06, 2001

Find A Grave Memorial# 19431

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 6 2017, 18:58:21 UTC