William Porcher Miles

Does anyone have any information, or know where I can find information, on William Porcher Miles (besides the basic Wikipedia article--which isn't very helpful). I'm a little surprised not to find much on him as he was the chairman for the committee of military affairs for the Confederacy. Anything would be great . . .

Thanks.

I found Memorial to William Porcher Miles on find a grave. It states he was born July 4, 1822 in Chaleston, S.C. He died May 11, 1899 in Burnside, La. He is buried in Green Hill Cemetery in Monroe County, West Virginia. His wife's name was Betty Beirne Miles (1835-1874). There is one daughter listed, Sarah Beirne Miles )1864-1946). There are photos of him and the grave stone.

I found another biographic reference to him at http://www.civilwarreference.com/people/index.php?peopleID=201

It gives some more information on him.

Thanks, Donna. I hadn't seen the link on the civil war reference. That does help, though I am looking beyond basic stats. I want to know more about the man himself. I'll keep plugging on my end and will post anything I come across. He was pretty important and influential, but seems mostly lost to history. Did find him in the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War on page 1328:

http://books.google.com/books?id=SdrYv7S60fgC&pg=PA1&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Looks like there is a chapter devoted to him in "The Fire-Eaters" by Eric Walther. Now queued up in my inter-library loan. I'll post if I find anything of interest.

I found a little more on Miles in book, "Old Louisiana Plantation Homes and Family Trees" by Herman de Bachelle Seebold. There was some facts from book on web. I googled it and it told how he came to Louisiana and married Oliver Beirne's daughter, Betty Beirne. It stated that Col. Miles organized the Miles Planting and Manufacturing Co., which would grow into a sugar empire. There has to be a lot more on him in Louisiana.

Also, it is interesting he and his family buried in West Virginia. He died in Louisiana. I wonder why he buried in West Virginia. Maybe in your research you will find out.

There is a great website that I have used over the last few years to get music and now Kindle books. This is a link to a 43 page description of the negotiations between South Carolina commissioners and President Lincoln regarding Fort Sumter of which Porcher was involved. It is available online and downloadable at http://www.archive.org/details/correspondencebe00sout

I got "Fire Eaters" through the inter-library loan. Its a pretty dry read. I've only read the chapter on Miles, but it mostly covered his pre-war years, mostly about his writings and speeches as a fire eater. Disappointingly, there is actually very little dedicated to him concerning his war years (just a few paragraphs). I didn't get much insight into the man himself either, which was also disappointing. I did learn that unlike most other fire-eaters, he believed the war would be long and the most brutal in history. Fortunately I didn't spend any money on the loan.

Hey, Donna. According to "Fire-Eaters" Miles was buried in West Virginia because that is where his wife's family was buried. Ironic that an unrepentant southern sympathizer would be buried in Union Cemetery.

DanB thanks for information on Cemetery. I have actually found Ancestors in Cemeteries of in-laws of the ancestor. It then lead me to find a great great great grandfather and grandmother i didn't know about. They were all buried in a family cemetery with a name I had never found a connection with until found the in- law.

If one is really interested, looks like his papers are available at the University of North Carolina:

http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/m/Miles,William_Porcher.html

David Eicher's book Dixie Betrayed has a lot of information about Porcher Mills. According to Eicher -Porter wrote a autobiography, a brief part from Eicher's book quoting from Mills autobiography reads;
I believe I am the eight generation born upon the soil of South Carolina which may account for my intense Southern sentiments."
He (Mills) was such a hardliner for states rights, he slowly came to resent Davis's administration, the divide became acute during the debate over the First Conscription Act. However he did support Davis's attempt to create a Supreme Court, but the bill Mills presented never passed. He was a strong supporter of Beauregard and fought for his reinstatement.

According to William Freehling in his second volume of "The road to Disunion: Secessionists triumphant" ( Page 257) Miles was the main character in a plot to drive John Sherman from the senate chambers by force of arms if Sherman had been elected Speaker of the House. (in 1859) Miles had received assurances from South Carolina Governor Gist that if he and his confederates took that action that Gist would send troops by train to the capital to support them.

I believe that William C. Davis also documents this plot in his book "Look Away". But I would have to check to be sure.