Edward C. Walthall

Edward Cary Walthall (April 4, 1831 – April 21, 1898) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum United States Senator from Mississippi.

Biography
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Walthall moved to Mississippi as a child, attended St. Thomas Hall in Holly Springs, studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1852 and commenced practice in Coffeeville. He was elected district attorney for the tenth judicial district of Mississippi in 1856 and reelected in 1859.

During the Civil War, Walthall entered the Confederate Army as a lieutenant, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, colonel, brigadier general, and finally a major general. He especially distinguished himself at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, where he led his brigade over a ridge and held back the Federal troops until the Confederate army made its escape. He covered the retreat of General Hood's army after the defeat at Nashville.

After the war, Walthall resumed the practice of law in Coffeeville. In 1871, he moved to Grenada, Mississippi, and continued practicing law until 1885.

Walthall was appointed as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Lucius Q.C. Lamar. He was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy, and was reelected in 1889. He served from March 9, 1885, to January 24, 1894, when he resigned due to ill health. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs (Fifty-third Congress) and a member of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Fifty-fifth Congress).

Walthall was again elected for the term beginning March 4, 1895, and served from that date until his death in Washington, D.C. in 1898. Funeral services were held in the Chamber of the United States Senate. He was buried in Holly Springs Cemetery.

Legacy
Walthall County, Mississippi is named after him.