Hampton, Wade (1818-1902), was a Confederate general in the American Civil War (1861-1865). In 1864, he became commander of all of General Robert E. Lee’s cavalry. Later, in South Carolina, Hampton tried to prevent Union General William T. Sherman’s march northward from Savannah, Georgia.
Hampton was born on March 28, 1818, in Charleston, S.C. He was the grandson of General Wade Hampton, who fought in both the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and the War of 1812. After the Civil War, he entered politics. He was elected governor of South Carolina in 1876 and 1878 and served as a U.S. senator from 1878 to 1891. Hampton died on April 11, 1902. South Carolina placed a statue of Hampton in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 1929.
