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Hampton remained in command of the Legion during the following months. In January 1862, he was placed in charge of an infantry brigade that included the Legion, and in June, after the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia following Robert E. Lee's appointment as commander, he was promoted to brigadier general. After briefly serving under [[Stonewall Jackson]] during the Seven Days Campaign, Hampton transferred to the cavalry, leading a brigade under [[Jeb Stuart]]. Though Hampton and Stuart sometimes clashed on a personal level, they respected each other's abilities, and Hampton performed capably in most of the Army of Northern Virginia's subsequent operations, despite being seriously wounded at the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] in 1863. That August, he was promoted to major general, now leading a division within Stuart's cavalry.
Hampton remained in command of the Legion during the following months. In January 1862, he was placed in charge of an infantry brigade that included the Legion, and in June, after the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia following Robert E. Lee's appointment as commander, he was promoted to brigadier general. After briefly serving under [[Stonewall Jackson]] during the Seven Days Campaign, Hampton transferred to the cavalry, leading a brigade under [[Jeb Stuart]]. Though Hampton and Stuart sometimes clashed on a personal level, they respected each other's abilities, and Hampton performed capably in most of the Army of Northern Virginia's subsequent operations, despite being seriously wounded at the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] in 1863. That August, he was promoted to major general, now leading a division within Stuart's cavalry.
Stuart was mortally wounded at the [[Battle of Yellow Tavern]] on May 11, 1864, and Lee informally placed Hampton in command of all the army's cavalry, officially confirmed in August 1864. Despite the Confederacy's declining fortunes, he achieved a number of limited victories raiding and checking Union advances during the Siege of Petersburg (despite the personal tragedy of witnessing his son Preston's death at the Battle of Burgess Mill in October). In January 1865, in response to the invasion of South Carolina by Union forces under General [[William T. Sherman]], Hampton (promoted again to lieutenant general the following month) and a division of cavalry were sent back to defend the state, though as they were heavily outnumbered, there was little that could be done. As the remaining Confederate armies surrendered in April, Hampton, in conference with President [[Jefferson Davis]], sought to continue the war west of the Mississippi, but the total collapse of the Confederacy and Davis' own capture in May 1865 rendered this idea moot, and Hampton remained in South Carolina, disbanding his remaining troops.
Stuart was mortally wounded at the [[Battle of Yellow Tavern]] on May 11, 1864, and Lee informally placed Hampton in command of all the army's cavalry, officially confirmed in August 1864. Despite the Confederacy's declining fortunes, he achieved a number of limited victories raiding and checking Union advances during the Siege of Petersburg (despite the personal tragedy of witnessing his son Preston's death at the Battle of Burgess Mill in October). In January 1865, in response to the invasion of South Carolina by Union forces under General [[William T. Sherman]], Hampton (promoted again to lieutenant general the following month) and a division of cavalry were sent back to defend the state, though as they were heavily outnumbered, there was little that could be done. As the remaining Confederate armies surrendered in April, Hampton, in conference with President [[Jefferson Davis]], sought to continue the war west of the Mississippi, but the total collapse of the Confederacy and Davis' own capture in May 1865 rendered this idea moot, and Hampton remained in South Carolina, disbanding his remaining troops.
==Political Career==
Like many Confederate leaders, Hampton was left impoverished and deeply embittered toward the North following the war. Nonetheless, he counseled peace and reconciliation among his fellow South Carolinians, applying for amnesty in summer 1865 and supporting the pro-Union state government soon established. (He also rejected a campaign to nominate him for governor, warning it would accomplish nothing but to antagonize the federal government.) He rejected, however, the [[Reconstruction]] policies of the [[Radical Republicans]] in [[United States Congress|Congress]], such as the disenfranchisement of white Southerners while former slaves were armed and given voting rights. In an open letter published in 1866, Hampton stated that South Carolina would be a loyal state, but "She will not return to the Union {as} an unequal partner."
By 1868, a Radical state government had been established, supported by enfranchised blacks, Northern transplants (derided by ex-Confederates as "carpetbaggers"), and a few pro-Union white Southerners ("scalawags"). It was regarded by Northern and Southern observers as highly corrupt, with widespread allegations of voter fraud and embezzlement of official funds, leaving the state deeply in debt. According to one account, a carpetbagger politician questioned on the possibility of reform replied, "Why gentlemen, there are five years of good stealing in South Carolina yet."
Until well into the 1870s, Hampton had continued to reject urges that he challenge the Radical government at the ballot box, though he had been active in upholding the merits of the Southern cause and imploring his fellow Southerners to take pride in their actions during the war. In 1876, however, a number of white Democratic politicians convinced him to consent to being nominated for governor by the state convention, arguing that only he had the prominence and positive reputation to make an effective run. Hampton was nominated that August, campaigning against the Republican incumbent, Daniel H. Chamberlain. The campaign was marked by numerous incidents of violence, especially between black Republican militias and the pro-Hampton "Red Shirts" (which included both white and black Democrats), though Hampton himself worked to prevent provocations from his own supporters. Following the November election, both Hampton and Chamberlain claimed victory, and each party tried to outmaneuver the other in gaining control of the state government buildings. Finally, as a result of the [[Compromise of 1877]], and realizing the superior organization of state Democrats, the new U.S. President, [[Rutherford B. Hayes]], recognized Hampton as governor and withdrew federal troops from the state, ending Reconstruction. Hampton took possession of the governor's office on April 11, 1877, effectively beginning his tenure as the state's chief executive.
Hampton later served as U.S. Senator for South Carolina from 1879 to 1891.
==References==
==References==