Junius Daniel Bio-Sketch
QUICK FACTS (JD)
Name: Junius Daniel
Rank: Brigadier General
Education: J. M. Lovejoy Academy in Raleigh, NC and U. S. Military Academy
Birth Date: June 27, 1828
Birthplace: Halifax, NC (Halifax County)
Death Date: May 13, 1864 (Age 35)
Death Place: Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Junius Daniel was born on June 27, 1828 in Halifax, NC. His father was John Reeves Jones Daniel and his mother was Martha Stith. His father having served as N. C. Attorney General and a U. S. Congressman, his family was politically connected. Junius attended elementary school in Halifax and then attended J. M. Lovejoy Academy in Raleigh, NC. Upon his graduation in 1846, he received an appointment by President James K. Polk to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from the U. S. Military Academy 33rd in his class of 1851. Appointed as a brevet second lieutenant, he reported to his duty station in Newport, KY in the 3rd Infantry Division. In 1852, he received assignment to the New Mexico territory, remaining stationed at the frontier post of Fort Albuquerque for five years. While in this post, he met Richard S. Ewell and saw action with the 3rd U. S. Dragoons under Captain Ewell against the Apache Tribe.
In 1858, Junius Daniel resigned his commission and moved to Louisiana to join his father as a planter. In October of 1860, Junius Daniel married Ellen Long of Northampton County, NC. With the call for volunteers from President Lincoln, Daniel offered his services to his native state of North Carolina.
Daniel received an appointment to Colonel of the 14th N. C. Regiment that was formerly the 4th N. C. Troops. He remained in this position until he received appointment to Colonel of the 45th N. C. Regiment. Daniel led four regiments from Raleigh to Goldsboro and helped to form them into a brigade of Tar Heel Troops. He helped establish two more brigades in North Carolina. In June of 1862, Colonel Daniel received orders to Petersburg, VA where they joined the Army of Northern Virginia. In September of 1862, Daniel received a promotion to brigadier general. Stationed at Drewry’s Bluff for the remainder of 1862, they saw little action.
In May of 1863, after the Chancellorsville Battle, Daniel came under the command of Major General Robert Rodes’ Division in Lieutenant General Ewell’s Corps. His brigade consisting of the 32nd, 45th, 43rd, and 53rd N. C. Regiments along with the 2nd N. C. Battalion fought valiantly during the first day of the Gettysburg Campaign. His brigade endured more casualties than any other brigade in the Second Corps while repeatedly attacking Union positions on McPherson’s Ridge.
On May 12, 1864, Brigadier General Junius Daniel led his brigade in the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. During a counter attack on Union troops at the Bloody Angle, Daniel received a wound in the abdomen by a ball. This wound proved to be fatal and on May 13, 1864 in a nearby field hospital, Brigadier General Junius Daniel succumbed to his wound. His remains lie in the Old Colonial Cemetery in Halifax, NC. Unbeknownst to Junius Daniel was that General Robert E. Lee had recommended him for promotion to major general.
