William E. Cameron

William Evelyn Cameron (November 29, 1842January 25, 1927) was a Confederate soldier who became a Virginia lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as the 39th Governor of Virginia from 1882–1886, elected as the candidate of the Readjuster Party headed by William Mahone. Early life and education William Evelyn Cameron was born in Petersburg, Virginia. His parents were cotton-broker Walker Anderson Cameron and Elizabeth Page Walker. He attended local private classical schools operated by Charles Campbell and Thomas D. Davidson before being sent to Hillsboro, North Carolina, to attend the North Carolina Military Institute in 1858. The following year he attended Washington College in St. Louis, Missouri, then became a clerk on a Mississippi River steamboat. Tutored By then Captain John F. Reynolds, Cameron received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, but did not attend, choosing to fight for the Confederacy against the U.S. Army. American Civil War When the American Civil War started, Cameron became a drillmaster with the Missouri Minute Men at Camp Jackson. On May 9, 1861, U.S. Army captain Nathaniel Lyon dispersed the secessionists during what became known as the Camp Jackson affair, during which Cameron was captured but soon released. Returning to Virginia on June 14, 1861, Cameron was elected as the second lieutenant of Co D, 12th Virginia Infantry, formerly a militia group in his native Petersburg. His militia company did not re-elect him during its reorganization. Instead, on May 1, 1862, he was promoted to first lieutenant and appointed regimental adjutant. Severely wounded at the Second Battle of Bull Run on September 30, 1862, Cameron was temporarily promoted to captain and assistant adjutant general upon returning to duty in June 1863. He would serve under Brigadier General William Mahone throughout the rest of the war, with his rank confirmed on November 2, 1863.