American Civil War
In 1861, as the American Civil War broke out, the Confederate Army had a lot of new recruits. Promoted to the rank of colonel, Gilham became the Commandant of Camp Lee, at Richmond, Virginia, the camp of instruction for thousands of Virginians. Gilham's manual proved to be the ideal book for the training of these young men.
Col. Gilham briefly commanded a brigade in the field in 1861 and 1862, but returned to teaching at VMI. On May 15, 1864, the VMI cadets participated in the Battle of New Market. Gilham was present, but did not command the young troops during the battle. After Union troops led by Union General David Hunter raided Lexington, and burned buildings at VMI, the VMI cadets were stationed at Richmond for the remainder of the War. Major Gilham's house, a campus landmark, was later rebuilt to original specifications after the War.
Read more about this topic: William Gilham
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