Robert Toombs

Robert Toombs, born on July second, eighteen ten, was a prominent American politician and lawyer from Georgia. He emerged as a significant figure in the formation of the Confederacy, drawing from his privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder. Toombs was known for his effective oratory skills, yet he also garnered a reputation for his hard living, disheveled appearance, and irascibility.

Aligned with the libertarian wing of secessionist thought led by Alexander H. Stephens, Toombs held a contrasting view to the nationalist Jefferson Davis. He believed that a civil war was neither inevitable nor winnable for the South. His political career took a pivotal turn when he was appointed as the Secretary of State of the Confederacy, a government that notably lacked political parties.

Toombs opposed the decision to attack Fort Sumter, leading to his resignation from Davis's cabinet. He later served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, where he was wounded at the Battle of Antietam, demonstrating commendable bravery. However, during the 1865 Battle of Columbus, his hesitance to employ canister shot against a mix of Union and Confederate soldiers resulted in the loss of a crucial bridge.

After the war, Toombs evaded detention by fleeing to Europe. Upon his return two years later, he chose not to seek a pardon for his actions during the conflict. Remarkably, he successfully ran for election in Georgia following the conclusion of the Reconstruction era in eighteen seventy-seven, marking a notable comeback in his political career.