Shrouded Veterans: Tennessee General Snubbed by Jefferson Davis

Returning to the Monterrey battlefield three months after the 1st Tennessee Volunteers earned the moniker the “Bloody First,” Capt. Robert C. Foster III, remembered events as clearly as they occurred that bloody and terrible day in September 1846. He recalled to his father, Ephraim, in vivid detail “the appalling sight of mangled bodies weltering in their blood, the constant deafening roar of the well-aimed cannon, the bursting of bombs, and the whizzing of bullets” that cut down 105 of his fellow Tennesseans. The Nashville lawyer-turned-company commander wondered how “any of that chivalrous and Spartan band were left, to tell the tale of their fallen brothers, or the dangers through which they themselves have passed.” Foster survived the war, returned to his law practice, and was elected the attorney general of the 6th Judicial District.

In 1861, Foster volunteered to serve another cause, this time against the very country so many of his comrades had spilled their blood fighting for over a decade before. His experience leading a company in Mexico, involvement in organizing a volunteer militia company in his hometown, and influence as a Whig politician, led Gov. Isham G. Harris of Tennessee to appoint him a brigadier general of state troops on May 9, 1861. Harris placed Foster in command of the troops in the middle division of the Provisional Army of Tennessee. At Camp Cheatham, named after a fellow company commander in the 1st Tennessee during the Mexican War, Benjamin F. Cheatham, Foster drilled and disciplined the Tennessee volunteers.

When troops of the Provisional Army of Tennessee were transferred to the Confederate States Army, President Jefferson Davis responded by commissioning three of the eight recommended by Harris to the rank of general: Daniel S. Donelson, Gideon J. Pillow, and Samuel R. Anderson. On July 13, Harris wrote to Davis urging him to commission Felix K. Zollicoffer, Benjamin F. Cheatham, John L.T. Sneed, William R. Caswell, and Robert C. Foster III. Harris described them as “all good and competent men.” All were Whigs except Cheatham. “It is a political necessity, as well as strict justice, that the Whig element be fully recognized,” he stressed to Davis.

Four days later, Davis replied to Harris’ letter. “Some of these gentlemen are known to me personally,” he wrote, “and I know them to be worthy of high praise which you bestow.” Davis specifically mentioned by name Zollicoffer and Cheatham. He had served in Mexico with Cheatham and said, “I entertain the highest appreciation both of his personal worth, and of his military ability.” As for the “other gentlemen,” whom Davis failed to name, he said they “are all more or less well known to me by reputation, and their merits are in the highest degree recognized by the Government.” Both Zollicoffer and Cheatham eventually received appointments, but it was apparent from Davis’ tone that he didn’t hold Sneed, Caswell, and Foster in the same regard.

In August, Harris again tried to get Sneed, Caswell, and Foster appointed as brigadier generals, writing to Confederate Secretary of War LeRoy P. Walker instead. He explained that the three were “all good and true men, and each has discharged the duties of his position well and faithfully in the organization of the provisional army of the State.” Despite his persistence, nothing came of Harris’ appeal. Caswell was murdered in 1862, Sneed was appointed a commissioner by Harris, and Foster fled Nashville when U.S. troops occupied it.

On December 28, 1871, Foster died after weeks of illness at his home. His funeral took place at the Christian Church, where Rev. Philip S. Fall gave a eulogy. The old flag of the 1st Tennessee, battered and riddled with bullet holes, was taken from the library at the Tennessee State Capitol and placed on his coffin.

Despite the poor weather, there was a large turnout. Among those who attended his funeral were comrades who served with him in Mexico, Gov. John C. Brown and his staff, trustees of the University of Nashville (where Foster had graduated from and served as a member of the board of trustees), city government officials, and members of the legal community. Foster was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Since the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) doesn’t recognize soldiers who held the rank of general at the state level during Civil War, Foster wasn’t eligible to receive a headstone listing his rank as brigadier general. Instead, he was recognized for his service in the Mexican War as a captain.

Shrouded Veterans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing the neglected graves of 19th-century veterans, primarily Mexican War (1846-48) and Civil War (1861-65) soldiers, by identifying, marking, and restoring them. You can view more completed grave projects at facebook/shroudedvetgraves.com.