Henry L. Benning
A fiery Georgia secessionist and Confederate brigadier whose name now graces a major U.S. Army fort, sparking modern debate.
1814–1875 (age 61)·Confederate States Army general·Birthday: April 2
Biography
Henry Benning was a prominent Georgia lawyer and state supreme court justice whose fierce advocacy for Southern interests plunged him into the heart of the secession crisis. He was a vocal 'fire-eater,' arguing passionately for Georgia to leave the Union to protect the institution of slavery. When war came, he raised a regiment of Georgia infantry and fought from the Peninsula to Gettysburg, where his brigade made a desperate assault on Little Round Top. Known as 'Old Rock' for his steadiness, he was a competent if not brilliant battlefield commander. After the war, he returned to his law practice in Columbus, Georgia. His legacy was revived controversially when Fort Benning, the massive Army base, was named in his honor.
#1 When Henry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1814
Henry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1814Born
1819Started school
1827Became a teenager
1830Could drive
1832Could vote
1835Turned 21
1844Turned 30
1854Turned 40
1864Turned 50
President: Abraham Lincoln
1874Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1875Died at 61
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Served as an associate justice of the Georgia Supreme Court from 1853 to 1859.
- Was a leading secessionist voice at Georgia's convention, helping to draft the state's ordinance of secession.
- Commanded a Georgia infantry brigade (known as 'Benning's Brigade') in the Army of Northern Virginia throughout major campaigns of the Civil War.
- Had the U.S. Army's Fort Benning in Georgia named after him in 1918, a name that stood for over a century.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a judge, he was a solicitor general for Georgia's Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.
His daughter, Mary Howard Benning, married Confederate General John B. Gordon, who later became a Georgia governor and U.S. Senator.
The petition to rename Fort Benning, which was successful in 2023, cited his own words advocating for secession to preserve slavery.
He was wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864 but returned to command.
“Our independence is the only sure guarantee of our property and our safety.”
