William B. Taliaferro

William Booth Taliaferro ( ; December 28, 1822 – February 27, 1898), was a United States Army officer, a lawyer, legislator, Confederate general in the American Civil War, and Grand Master of Masons in Virginia. Early and family life and education William Booth Taliaferro was born in Gloucester County, Virginia, to an Anglo-Italian family, the Taliaferros. He was the son of Frances Amanda Todd (Booth) and Warner Throckmorton Taliaferro, and the nephew of James A. Seddon, who would become Secretary of War for the Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. Taliaferro attended Harvard University and The College of William and Mary, graduating from the latter in 1841. Soldier, planter and politician Taliaferro joined the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War, fighting in both the 11th and 9th U.S. Infantry regiments. After the war, Taliaferro operated plantations using enslaved labor. He also entered public life, winning election as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He also became a prominent backer of James Buchanan's presidential campaign in 1856. Taliaferro also continued his military service as commander of a division of the Virginia state militia; he commanded at Harpers Ferry following the raid of that town's arsenal by John Brown. He, with the sheriff, was in charge of Brown's execution.