Campaigns · Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Gettysburg, Chattanooga (Siege), Vicksburg, Knoxville, Spotsylvania, Wilderness, Cedar Creek, Petersburg and Sayler;'s Creek
HistoryCentral · Primary Source & History GENERAL JAMES PHILLIP SIMMS, CSA VITAL STATISTICS BORN: 1837 in Covington, GA. DIED: 1887 in Covington, GA. CAMPAIGNS: Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Gettysburg, Chattanooga (Siege), Vicksburg, Knoxville, Spotsylvania, Wilderness, Cedar Creek, Petersburg and Sayler;'s Creek. HIGHEST RANK ACHIEVED: Brigadier General BIOGRAPHY James Phillip Simms was born in Covington, Georgia, on January 16, 1837.
Simms' early life and career are not well documented. By 1862, he had joined the Confederate service, and was commisioned colonel of the 53d Georgia regiment, on October 8, 1862. He fought at Fredericksburg, and captured the United States flag at Salem Church. After service at Gettysburg and Chattanooga, he was wounded at Knoxville's Fort Sanders. Later serving in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, he was promoted to brigadier general to rank from November of 1864.
Simms fought through the Petersburg siege, and was present at the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Held prisoner at Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, until July of 1865, he returned to Covington, Georgia and served in the state legislature in 1865 and 1866. He practiced law for a few years, then returned to politics in 1877. Simms died in Covington, on May 30, 1887.