- In full:
- Wade Hampton III
- Born:
- March 28, 1818, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
- Died:
- April 11, 1902, Columbia, South Carolina (aged 84)
- Title / Office:
- United States Senate (1879-1891), United States
- governor (1876-1879), South Carolina
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Party
Wade Hampton
-
Who was Wade Hampton?
Wade Hampton (1818–1902) was a Confederate Civil War hero who restored white rule to South Carolina following Radical Reconstruction. Born into an aristocratic plantation family, he became a symbol of the supposed nobility of the "Lost Cause".
Hampton organized and commanded "Hampton’s Legion" of South Carolina troops, rising to lieutenant general. After the war, he initially backed President Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction plans but later led the fight to restore white supremacy in South Carolina.
In 1876, Hampton won a contested gubernatorial election marked by corruption and violence. He served as governor from 1877 to 1879 and as a U.S. Senator from 1879 to 1891. His defeat and the rise of Ben Tillman marked the end of aristocratic rule in the South.
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What was Wade Hampton's role in the Confederate Army during the Civil War?
During the Civil War, Wade Hampton, despite lacking prior military experience, organized "Hampton's Legion" of South Carolina troops for the Confederacy. Progressing from colonel to lieutenant general, he engaged in key battles and served as second in command to Gen. Jeb Stuart. After Stuart’s death, Hampton led the cavalry corps. He was wounded three times and became a war hero to the South.
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What battles or campaigns is Wade Hampton known for?
Wade Hampton, a Confederate Civil War hero, is known for commanding "Hampton's Legion" and serving as second in command to Gen. Jeb Stuart, eventually leading the cavalry corps after Stuart's death. Hampton saw combat in many key battles, was wounded three times, and rose from colonel to lieutenant general. After the war, he played a role in restoring white rule to South Carolina and served as governor from 1877 to 1879.
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How did Wade Hampton's leadership affect the Confederate cavalry?
Wade Hampton, a Confederate Civil War hero, significantly impacted the Confederate cavalry through his leadership. Despite lacking initial military experience, he organized and commanded "Hampton's Legion" and rose to lead the cavalry corps after Gen. Jeb Stuart's death. Hampton's command was marked by his courage; he was wounded three times in battle. His leadership and gallantry made him a military hero to the South, embodying the ideals of the "Lost Cause".
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What did Wade Hampton do after the Civil War ended?
After the Civil War, Wade Hampton, a Confederate hero, initially supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction plans and sought reconciliation. However, with the implementation of Radical Reconstruction policies, he spearheaded the effort to restore white supremacy in South Carolina.
From 1868 to 1876, while Republicans controlled the state, Hampton focused on rebuilding his diminished wealth. In 1876, as the Democratic candidate for governor, he became the face of the party's conservative faction. The election was marred by corruption, intimidation, and violence aimed at suppressing Black voters.
Hampton was reelected in 1878 but resigned in 1879 upon election to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1891. Later, he was a commissioner of Pacific Railways from 1893 to 1897 before retiring in Columbia, South Carolina.
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Why is Wade Hampton a controversial figure today?
Wade Hampton is a controversial figure due to his role as a Confederate Civil War hero and his subsequent efforts to restore white supremacy in South Carolina following Radical Reconstruction.
Hampton, born into an aristocratic plantation family, staunchly defended slavery and secession. Despite lacking military experience, he rose to become a lieutenant general in the Confederate army, symbolizing the "Lost Cause".
After the war, Hampton initially sought reconciliation but later led the fight to restore white rule. His election as governor in 1876 was marred by corruption, intimidation, and violence against Black voters. Although he decried the violence, he tacitly supported the Red Shirts' campaign of intimidation. Hampton's legacy is thus tainted by his association with the suppression of Black rights and the perpetuation of white dominance in the post-Reconstruction South.
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Wade Hampton (born March 28, 1818, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.—died April 11, 1902, Columbia, South Carolina) was a Confederate Civil War hero who restored white rule to South Carolina following Radical Reconstruction. After gaining office in the contested gubernatorial election of 1876, he served as the governor of South Carolina from 1877 to 1879.
Born into an aristocratic plantation family, Hampton graduated from South Carolina College in 1836 and studied law. He never practiced, however, instead devoting himself to the management of his family’s landholdings in Mississippi and South Carolina.
From 1852 to 1861 Hampton served in the South Carolina legislature. He consistently upheld a conservative position on slavery and secession. When the South seceded, Hampton gave unstintingly of himself and his fortune to the Confederacy. Though lacking military experience, he organized and commanded “Hampton’s Legion” of South Carolina troops. He rose from colonel to lieutenant general and saw combat in many key battles. He served as second in command to Gen. Jeb Stuart and, after Stuart’s death, led the cavalry corps. Wounded three times, he survived to become a military hero to the defeated South and a symbol of the supposed nobility and gallantry of the “Lost Cause.”
Hampton backed U.S. Pres. Andrew Johnson’s plans for Reconstruction and sought reconciliation between North and South, but, with the imposition of Radical Reconstruction policies, he took the lead in South Carolina in the fight to restore white supremacy. However, while the Republicans were firmly in control of the state, from 1868 to 1876, he devoted himself primarily to attempting to restore his greatly depleted fortune. In 1876 he campaigned vigorously as the Democratic candidate for governor, becoming the most prominent representative of the party’s then dominant conservative aristocratic (“Bourbon”) faction. Held in November, the gubernatorial election is said to have been the most corrupt in South Carolina history and was characterized by polling-place intimidation and violence as well as ballot rigging, stealing, and stuffing. The Republican incumbent, Daniel Henry Chamberlain, was initially declared the winner, but a second count of the votes, including previously ignored ballots from Laurens and Edgefield counties, showed Hampton to be the winner. The commissioners of those counties then reported voting fraud, calling the election results into question again. Both Hampton and Chamberlain ended up claiming to be governor until Chamberlain left the state in 1877 when federal troops, who had been keeping a modicum of public order, withdrew. Although Hampton would claim that his triumph owed much to the support he claimed to have received from Black voters, it was in fact largely attributable to systematic efforts by his backers to prevent Black people from voting. Hampton publicly decried the violence that surrounded the election, but he tacitly countenanced the widespread campaign of intimidation practiced against Blacks and white Republicans by the Red Shirts, the army of armed and often mounted Hampton supporters who accompanied him on his campaign appearances.
Hampton was reelected in 1878 but resigned the following year after being elected to the U.S. Senate. He served as a senator until 1891, having been defeated for reelection the previous year by John Irby. More broadly, the transition of the leadership of the Democratic Party from Hampton to the populist Ben Tillman represented the end of rule by genteel antebellum aristocrats in the South. Hampton served as a commissioner of Pacific Railways from 1893 to 1897 before retiring to Columbia, South Carolina.