Richard S. Ewell

Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and fought effectively through much of the war, but his legacy has been clouded by controversies over his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg and at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. His decision not to take Cemetary Hill at the former is often cited as a reason for the Confederate defeat. He received several injuries throughout the remainder of the war. He taken prisoner in 1865, just prior to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He was held as a POW until July of that year. He settled down as a planter until he died of pneumonia in 1872.