About Me
I was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest son of Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), known as "Colonel Wade Hampton", one of the wealthiest planters in the South (and the owner of the largest number of slaves)[1], an officer of dragoons in the War of 1812, and an aide to General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. I am the grandson of Wade Hampton (1754–1835), lieutenant colonel of cavalry in the American War of Independence, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and brigadier general in the War of 1812.I grew up as a privileged boy, receiving private instruction. I had an active outdoor life, riding horses and hunting. I was known for taking hunting trips alone into the woods, hunting bears with only a knife. Some accounts credit me with killing as many as 80 bears. In 1836 I graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina), and was trained for the law, although I never practiced. I devoted himself, instead, to the management of my great plantations in South Carolina and Mississippi,[1] and took part in state politics. I was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1852 and served as a Senator from 1858 to 1861. My father died in 1858 and I inherited a vast fortune, the plantations, and one of the largest collections of slaves in the South.Although my views were conservative concerning the issues of secession and slavery, and I had opposed the division of the Union as a legislator, at the start of the Civil War, I was loyal to his home state. I resigned from the Senate and enlisted as a private in the South Carolina Militia; however, Governor Pickens insisted that I accept a colonel's commission, even though I had no military experience at all. I organized and partially financed the unit known as "Hampton's Legion", which consisted of six companies of infantry, four companies of cavalry, and one battery of artillery. I personally financed all of the weapons for the Legion. Despite my lack of military experience and my relatively advanced age of 42, I was a natural cavalryman—brave, audacious, and a superb horseman. I merely lacked some of the flamboyance of my contemporaries, such as my eventual commander, J.E.B. Stuart, age 30. I was one of only two officers (the other being Nathan Bedford Forrest) to achieve the rank of lieutenant general in the cavalry service of the Confederacy.I first saw combat in July 1861, at the First Battle of Bull Run, where I deployed my Legion at a decisive moment, giving the brigade of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson time to reach the field. I was wounded for the first of five times during the war when I led a charge against a federal artillery position, and a bullet creased my forehead.I was promoted to brigadier general on May 23, 1862, while commanding a brigade in Stonewall Jackson's division in the Army of Northern Virginia. In the Peninsula Campaign, at the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31, 1862, I was severely wounded in the foot, but remained on my horse while it was being treated, still under fire. I returned to duty in time to lead a brigade at the end of the Seven Days Battles, although the brigade was not significantly engaged.After the Peninsula Campaign, General Robert E. Lee reorganized my cavalry forces as a division under the command of J.E.B. Stuart, who selected me as his senior subordinate, to command one of two cavalry brigades. During the winter of 1862, around the Battle of Fredericksburg, I led a series of cavalry raids behind enemy lines and captured numerous prisoners and supplies without suffering any casualties, earning a commendation from General Lee. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, my brigade was stationed south of the James River, so saw no action.In the Gettysburg Campaign, I was slightly wounded in the Battle of Brandy Station, the war's largest cavalry battle. My brigade then participated in Stuart's wild adventure to the northeast, swinging around the Union army and losing contact with Lee. Stuart and I reached the vicinity of Gettysburg late on July 2, 1863. While just outside of town, I was confronted by a Union cavalryman pointing a rifle at me from 200 yards. I charged the trooper before he could fire his rifle, but another trooper blindsided me with a saber cut to the back of my head. On July 3, I led the cavalry attack to the east of Gettysburg, attempting to disrupt the Union rear areas, but colliding with Union cavalry. I received two more saber cuts to the front of my head, but continued fighting until I was wounded again with a piece of shrapnel to the hip. I was carried back to Virginia in the same ambulance as General John Bell Hood.On August 3, 1863, I was promoted to major general and received command of a cavalry division. My wounds from Gettysburg were slow in healing, so I did not actually return to duty until November. During the Overland Campaign of 1864, Stuart was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern and I was given command of the Cavalry Corps on August 11, 1864. I distinguished myself in my new role at the bloody Battle of Trevilian Station, defeating Philip Sheridan's cavalry, and in fact, lost no cavalry battles for the remainder of the war. In September, I conducted what became known as the "Beefsteak Raid", where my troopers captured over 2400 head of cattle and over 300 prisoners behind enemy lines.While Lee's army was bottled up in the Siege of Petersburg, in January 1865, I returned to South Carolina to recruit additional soldiers. I was promoted to lieutenant general on February 14, 1865, and surrendered to the Union along with Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina. I was reluctant to surrender. My home in South Carolina had been burned by Sherman, much of my fortune had been depleted supplying his soldiers, and my many slaves had been freed. Understandably bitter, I was one of the original proponents, alongside General Jubal A. Early, of the Lost Cause movement, attempting to explain away the Confederacy's loss of the war. I was especially angry upon the arrival of black Federal troops to occupy my home state.I was offered the nomination of governor in 1865, but refused because I felt that those in the North would be suspicious of a former Confederate General seeking political office only months after the end of the Civil War. Despite my refusal, I had to campaign for his supporters not to vote for me in the gubernatorial election. In 1868, I became the chairman of the state Democratic Party central committee. I tried to limit the influence of the extremists in the party and promote a conciliatory policy towards the blacks, but it was to no avail as the Radical Republicans crushed the Democrats in the election. My role in the politics of the state ceased until 1876, although I tried to help M. C. Butler in the Union Reform campaign of 1870.I was a leading fighter against radical Republican Reconstruction policies in the South, and re-entered South Carolina politics in 1876 as the first southern gubernatorial candidate to run on a platform in opposition to Reconstruction. I, a Democrat, ran against Radical Republican incumbent governor Daniel Henry Chamberlain. My supporters were called Red Shirts, and were very violent. However, supporters of Chamberlain, mostly black militia members, responded with violence. Therefore, the 1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election was the bloodiest in the history of the state. The vote was very close, and both parties claimed victory. For over six months, there were two legislatures in the state, both claiming to be authentic. Eventually, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled I as the winner of the election. The election of the first Democrat in South Carolina since the end of the Civil War, as well as the national election of Rutherford B. Hayes as President, signified the end of the long period of Reconstruction in the South.After the election, I became known as the "Savior of South Carolina." I was reelected in 1878 to a second term, but two days after the election I was thrown from a mule while deer hunting and fractured my right leg. Called the "Mule Fraud" by the New York Times, the newspaper claimed that it was a political trick planned by me so that I would not have to sign election certificates even though the Governor of South Carolina does not sign such certificates. Despite refusing to announce my candidacy for the Senate, I was elected to the United States Senate by the General Assembly, albeit on the same day as the amputation of my leg. I resigned from the governorship in 1879 and served two terms in the Senate until 1891 after being denied a third term by the Tillmanites in the state elections of 1890.From 1893 to 1897, I served as United States Railroad Commissioner, appointed by President Grover Cleveland. In 1899, my home in Columbia, South Carolina, was destroyed by fire. An elderly man, I had limited funds and limited means to find a new home. Over my strong protests, a group of friends raised enough funds to build me one.In 1890, my niece Caroline, an operating room nurse, married the father of American surgery, William Halsted. It was because of her skin reaction to surgical sterilization chemicals that Halsted invented the surgical glove the previous year.I died in Columbia and am buried there in Trinity Cathedral Churchyard.
