Gracie, Archibald, 1858-1912

Archibald Gracie III, 1858-1912, was the son of Brig. General Archibald Gracie, Jr., CSA. The Gracies were a prominent New York family and the owners of the Gracie Mansion in New York City. Gen. Gracie graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1854 but resigned from the army after a few years. In the late 1850s Gen. Gracie moved his family to Mobile, Ala., where he was involved in the cotton trade. He was captain of the Washington Light Infantry and captured the federal arsenal at Mount Vernon., Ala., when ordered by Gov. Albert Barry Moore in January 1861. A few months later, the Washington Light Infantry became a company in the 3rd Alabama Infantry Regiment. His superiors quickly realized his abilities and promoted him to the rank of major in the 11th Alabama Infantry in July 1861. In May 1862 Gracie organized a regiment in Mobile, which soon became the 43rd Alabama Infantry, and was elected its colonel. By August he was commanding a brigade composed of some North Carolina and Georgia regiments, in addition to the 43rd Alabama, during the invasion of Kentucky. The following November he was promoted to Brigadier General.

In the spring or summer of 1863 Gracie's Brigade assumed the composition which it would maintain through the end of the war. It was composed of the first four battalions of Hilliard's Legion (also known as the Alabama Legion) and the 43rd Alabama. The brigade fought as a part of Buckner's Corps, Preston's Division, during the battle of Chickamauga. After Chickamauga the 63rd Tennessee was removed from the brigade, and the 41st Alabama joined it for the remainder of the war. On Nov. 25, 1863, near the end of the siege of Knoxville, the four battalions of Hilliard's (Alabama) Legion were reorganized into the 59th Alabama, the 60th Alabama, and the 23rd Infantry Regiment, Sharpshooters. After participating in the battle of Bean's Station, Dec. 14, 1863, at which time Gracie was severely wounded, the brigade was attached to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's Virginia command for the battle of Drewry's Bluff and the siege of Petersburg. On Dec. 2, 1864, while observing troop movements at Petersburg, Gen. Gracie was killed instantly by an exploding shell.

During the first decade of the twentieth century, Gen. Gracie's son, Archibald Gracie III, researched his father's activities during the war, intending to write two books, one on the history of Gracie's Brigade and one on the battle of Chickamauga. He corresponded extensively with members of his father's brigade, chiefly those who were members of Alabama regiments. He published The Truth about Chickmauga in 1911. He survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, but died shortly thereafter, before publishing his history of Gracie's Brigade.