Gardner, Franklin, 1823-1873

Franklin Kitchell Gardner was a Confederate general during the Civil War. Born on January 29, 1823, in New York City, Gardner graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1843. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 7th Infantry Regiment and saw combat during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848. Gardner was given a brevet (honorary) promotion to first lieutenant for bravery at the Battle of Monterey, and subsequent brevet promotion to captain after his performances at Vera Cruz, Churubusco, and Molino del Rey.

After the Mexican-American War, Gardner served at a variety of different U.S. Army posts. In 1861 he was in Utah Territory, but left the army when the south seceded. His mother was from Louisiana and Gardner had married Marie-Celeste Mouton, daughter of Louisiana’s governor Alexander Mouton. He volunteered for Confederate service and was initially commissioned as a captain. He was subsequently promoted, reaching the rank of brigadier general in April 1862 and being named Chief of Cavalry under General P. G. T. Beauregard. After seeing action in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, Gardner was placed in command of an infantry brigade. He held that command for a short time before being promoted to major general and placed in charge of Confederate fortifications around Port Hudson in Louisiana.

Gardner labored to improve the defenses at Port Hudson. He unsuccessfully tried to stop Union gunboats from steaming past Confederate fortifications to threaten Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1863. Then, in May 1863, Union troops under Major General Nathaniel P. Banks surrounded Port Hudson and, after a siege lasting 47 days, captured Gardner and his command. Despite his defeat, many Confederates believed Gardner had commanded the defenses of Port Hudson well.

Gardner was a prisoner of war until August 1864, at which point he was formally exchanged and allowed to return to the Confederacy. He commanded troops under Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, and battled Union forces who raided Mississippi and Alabama. He surrendered to federal troops in Meridian, Mississippi, in May 1865.

After the war, Gardner lived on a farm near Lafayette, Louisiana. He died on April 29, 1873, at the age of 50. His widow Marie-Celeste, with whom he had four children, lived another 40 years, dying in 1915. Gardner is buried at Saint John Cemetery in Lafayette, Louisiana. (Wikipedia; FindaGrave; American Battlefield Trust)