Major General John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875) began his political career as US Representative from Kentucky, and eventually served as the 14th Vice President of the United States under the Presidency of James Buchanan. After his failed presidential bid in 1860, he was appointed US Senator from Kentucky. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Breckinridge was kicked out of the Senate and joined the Confederate army. He was appointed General of the 1st Kentucky Brigade. In 1864, General Breckinridge assumed command of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. He finally became the Confederate States Secretary of War in 1865. After the war, Breckinridge fled the country, fearing a trial for treason. He was granted amnesty in late 1868 and in 1869 returned to Kentucky, where he died in 1875.
No biographical information is available on W. H. Pitts.
From the guide to the General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling), 1864, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)
