Lovell, Mansfield, 1822-1884

Mansfield Lovell was a general in the Confederate Army.

Born in Washington, D.C., on October 20, 1822, Lovell was related to some notable figures in early United States history. His father was surgeon general of the U.S. Army, and his great grandfather had been a member of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. Lovell graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1842 and initially pursued a career with the U.S. Army. He fought in the Mexican-American War, receiving a brevet (honorary) promotion and a serious wound at the Battle of Chapultepec. After recovering from his injuries, he carried out a variety of assignments in the army until 1854, when he resigned to join a planned effort by some Americans to conquer Cuba. The plan fell apart, and Lovell moved to New York City where he took a job with the city administration.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Lovell traveled south to join the Confederacy. He was commissioned as an officer, quickly being promoted to major general in October 1861 and placed in command of Confederate forces at New Orleans, Louisiana. Lovell focused his defense of the city on from Union forces attacking overland from the north. When Union naval forces attacked the city from the south, sailing up the Mississippi River, Lovell was forced to abandon the city in early May 1862. The loss of the city to federal forces was one of the first major defeats for the Confederacy, and Lovell was vehemently criticized across the south.

He was then placed in command of a division under Major General Earl Van Dorn and participated in the Second Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, in October 1862. His performance was criticized, and he was relieved of command. With his reputation tarnished, mostly from the loss of New Orleans, Lovell requested a court of inquiry in hopes of justifying his previous command decisions. Indeed, the court found that he had not been guilty of any incompetence, but this did not result in any new military assignments during the Civil War.

After the war ended, Lovell took over a rice plantation near Savannah, Georgia. During his first year of farming, his crop was destroyed by a tidal wave, forcing him to abandon the endeavor. He moved to New York City and worked as a civil engineer and surveyor. Among his projects was clearing the East River for river traffic.

Lovell died on October 20, 1822, in New York. He was married to Emily Maria Plympton and had one child. Lovell is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

(Wikipedia; National Park Service; FindaGrave)

Mansfield Lovell belonged to the following social groups: