David E. Twiggs

David E. Twiggs
Nickname(s)"Bengal Tiger"[1]
BornFebruary 14, 1790 (1790-02-14)
Richmond County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1862 (1862-07-16) (aged 72)
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Place of burial
Twiggs Cemetery, Augusta, Georgia
Allegiance United States of America
 Confederate States of America
Service / branch United States Army
 Confederate States Army
Years of service1812–1861 (USA)
1861 (CSA)
Rank Brevet Major General, USA
Major General, CSA
CommandsDepartment of the West
Battles / warsWar of 1812
Black Hawk War
Second Seminole War
Mexican–American War American Civil War
RelationsLevi Twiggs (brother)
Abraham C. Myers (son-in-law)
John Twiggs Myers (grandson)
Sarah Lowe Twiggs (great-niece)

David Emanuel Twiggs (February 14, 1790 – July 15, 1862) was an American career army officer, who served during the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and Mexican–American War.

As commander of the U.S. Army's Department of Texas when the American Civil War broke out, he surrendered his entire command to Confederate commissioners, with facilities, armaments, and other supplies valued at $1.6 million. Dismissed from the U.S. Army as a traitor, he was commissioned as a general of the Confederate States Army in 1861. But, recognizing he was in poor health, he quickly resigned from his commission that year. He was the oldest Confederate general to serve in the Civil War.

  1. ^ Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. p. 538.