George Wythe Randolph
The youngest child, George Wythe Randolph, was born to parents Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. and Martha Jefferson Randolph on March 10, 1818, at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia. Monticello belonged to Randolph’s maternal grandfather, former President Thomas Jefferson. Randolph’s name “George Wythe” had ties to the Revolutionary War since Wythe had been a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a Declaration of Independence signer.
While growing up, Randolph spent time at Monticello and Edgehill plantations. Shortly after his birth, his father became the Governor of Virginia, then continued his political career in the State Legislature which often kept him away from home. Randolph moved to Boston in 1827, staying with his sister Ellen Randolph Coolidge and her husband, to attend school there. As Randolph matured, his family debated his next steps, especially after his father’s death in 1828. The Army, Navy, and attending university were all considered.
Randolph chose the Navy, which offered adventure, more obvious lines to promotion and success, and because it continued his education. He would study navigation, seamanship, along with geography, languages and mathematics. Randolph served as a midshipman on the USS Vandalia, USS John Adams and USS Constitution and his voyages took him to the Mediterranean and Caribbean. At the time, midshipman received around $319 annually. After six years in the Navy and reaching senior midshipman rank, Randolph sat for his lieutenant examination and passed in June 1837. That same year he entered the University of Virginia studying economics, history and political science.
Randolph resigned from the Navy in 1839 and graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1840 with distinguished honors. After his admittance to the Albemarle County bar, he practiced law in Charlottesville for nearly ten years. Randolph continued his law practice in Richmond, Virginia; regularly taking on criminal cases. He enjoyed Richmond culture and society, founding the Richmond Mechanic’s Institute, acting as a Virginia Historical Society officer and serving on the Richmond City Council and in the Virginia State Senate. Randolph also met his future wife, Mary Elizabeth Adams Pope, whom he married in New Orleans on April 10, 1852.
With increasing turmoil in the country over the question of slavery, Randolph became more civically involved. On October 15, 1859, John Brown and his men raided the Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. This inspired Randolph to form the Richmond Howitzers, a light artillery unit furnished with short-range howitzers, on November 9, 1859. The group provided security during Brown’s trial and execution. Randolph’s next act of public service was as a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861. After multiple Southern states seceded, the 152 delegates discussed Virginia’s course of action. Joined by two other delegates, Randolph met with President Lincoln, hoping to dissuade him from resupplying Fort Sumter and attempting to hold other Federal forts. Ironically, this meeting occurred the same day as the first shots fired at Fort Sumter. Ultimately, Lincoln’s call for military volunteers swayed Virginia to leave the Union.
A week or so later, Randolph and the Richmond Howitzers mustered into Virginia service. Randolph quickly rose in the ranks reaching major and then colonel. He was present at the Battle of Big Bethel, a Confederate Victory, acting as Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Peninsula. Randolph’s next assignment was to fortify Yorktown and command Suffolk, Virginia’s defenses. In February 1862, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.
Confederate president Jefferson Davis appointed Randolph as the Confederacy’s third Secretary of War on March 18, 1862. The Richmond Dispatch wrote of Randolph’s appointment “A grandson of Thomas Jefferson, his public and professional career have reflected no discredit even upon that illustrious name” and “Dignity and simplicity are the characteristics of the style both of the lawyer and the man.” In this role, Randolph was in charge of the military’s overall strategic plan of action. Moreover, he was accountable for recruiting, training, equipping, feeding and transporting Confederate forces. To make improvements, he implemented national conscription, and he suggested economic planning, including trade with the Union, to help feed and supply troops. Randolph and Davis appeared to disagree on many aspects of the war, including Randolph’s suggestions. After only eight months in the role, Randolph resigned. Frustrations led to his departure along with his battle with the early stages of tuberculosis.
To improve his health, Randolph and his wife traveled to Europe in November 1864 by blockade runner. While in Europe, Randolph visited with friends and family, traveled, and rested. Some newspapers even reported that he was in “excellent health.” By 1866, Randolph was ready to return to the United States. The Confederate loss of the Civil War caused some concern for his freedom – would he be arrested for his part in it? Randolph planned to request a presidential pardon in absentia, but this was never submitted; ultimately, he took an oath of allegiance and returned in September 1866. One month later, Randolph’s respiratory issues worsened, and he would not be able to speak above a whisper again.
Randolph died at age 49 on April 3, 1867, at Edgehill Plantation from tuberculosis (consumption) and related complications. He was buried at Monticello, where his headstone reads “Sailor, Soldier, Scholar, Statesman.” Randolph’s influence was remembered by members of the Richmond Bar and the veterans of the Howitzer Battalion.
