Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 1, 1824 Savannah, Georgia |
| Died | April 16, 1865 (aged 41) Columbus, Georgia |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Service |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861-1862, 1865 |
| Rank |  Colonel (CSA) |
| Known for | Being the last Confederate officer to be killed in the American Civil War |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Agnes Lamar |
| Relations | Gazaway Bugg Lamar |
Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar (April 1, 1824 – April 16, 1865) was an American businessman from Savannah, Georgia, best known for his leadership in an investment ring to illegally import slaves from Africa on the ship Wanderer in 1858. The ship ran blockades and brought 409 surviving Africans from the Congo to the United States for sale. The ship was later impounded. Although Lamar and numerous other defendants were prosecuted, none of them were convicted.
Born and raised in Savannah, Lamar was the son of businessman and banker Gazaway Bugg Lamar and Jane Meek Cresswell of Augusta. Most of his family was lost in the June 1838 explosion and wreck of the steamship Pulaski. Lamar took over many of his father's business interests and made investments of his own. During the 1850s, he became deeply indebted and entered the illegal slave trade.
Lamar was a secessionist. During the American Civil War, He initially enlisted in the Confederate Army, but he soon returned to civilian life. He worked with his father to manage blockade runners to keep open trade between the Confederacy and the North, as well as Europe. Toward the end of the war, Lamar returned to military service and held the rank of Colonel. He was one of the last Confederates killed in the Civil War, at the Battle of Columbus.