Campaigns · Second Bull Run, Crampton's Gap (Antietam), Ashby's Gap, Tom's Brook, Sayler's Creek
HistoryCentral · Primary Source & History GENERAL THOMAS TAYLOR MUNFORD, CSA VITAL STATISTICS BORN: 1831 in Richmond, VA. DIED: 1918 in Uniontown, AL. CAMPAIGNS: Second Bull Run, Crampton's Gap (Antietam), Ashby's Gap, Tom's Brook, Sayler's Creek. HIGHEST RANK ACHIEVED: Brigadier General (although the promotion was never confirmed) BIOGRAPHY Thomas Taylor Munford was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 28, 1831.
He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1852, then worked as a farmer in the Lynchburg area until the Civil War. He joined the Confederate forces as lieutenant colonel of the 2d Virginia Cavalry in May of 1861. Much of his fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley and in western Virginia. In the summer of 1862, he led a charge at the Second Battle of Bull Run, and led a strong defense at Crampton's Gap during the Antietam Campaign.
He took part in the Battle of Brandy Station and the Gettysburg Campaign. His promotion to brigadier general went through by November of 1864, although it was never officially confirmed. After commanding troops at Sayler's Creek, in April of 1865., he found out about Gen. Lee's intention to surrender. Munford escaped with his division and tried to reach Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to continue fighting in the Carolinas.
They reached only as far as Lynchburg, then dispersed without surrendering. Later, Munford would claim that he had been paroled around May 10, 1865. After the war, he lived in Alabama, and worked as a cotton planter, businessman and writer. Munford died on February 27, 1918, in Uniontown, Alabama.