Breckinridge was born in 1842, a member of the prominent Breckinridge family, in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Ann Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1803–1844) and Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1800–1871), a Presbyterian minister, politician, public office holder and abolitionist who was one of the most distinguished divines and one of the most prolific writers of the century. His father served as a leader of the Kentucky emancipation party in 1849 and was a strong Union man in 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War.[1]
In August 1861, Breckinridge joined the U.S. Army and was appointed an aide-de-camp to George H. Thomas, and served with him at Mill Springs and Shiloh. While serving at Corinth, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd US Artillery. He served in the Atlanta Campaign, and was captured following the death of James B. McPherson. After being exchanged, he served out the remainder of the war as a mustering officer, and received brevet promotions to captain (July 1864) and major (March 1865). He received promotions to the full ranks of captain and major in 1874 and 1881 respectively.[3]
General Breckinridge retired from the Army on April 12, 1903, having been promoted to major general the day before.[4]
Personal lifeedit
Major General Breckinridge was married to Louise Ludlow Dudley (1849–1911), daughter of Ethelbert Ludlow Dudley of Lexington, Kentucky in July 1868. Together, they were the parents of:[1][5]
Mary Dudley Breckinridge (1869–1939), who married John Fore Hines (1870–1941).[6]
Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1871–1871), who died young.
^ abBrown, Alexander The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy (1895).
^See generally Hollingsworth, Randolph. "Breckinridge, Robert Jefferson" In Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-393-04758-X. pp. 279–280.
^Powell, William Henry; Shippen, Edward (1892). Officers of the Army and Navy (regular) who served in the Civil War. Philadelphia, Pa.: L.R. Hamersly & Co. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^Hollingsworth, Randolph. "Breckinridge, Robert Jefferson" In Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-393-04758-X. pp. 279–280.
^Dorman, John Frederick (1982). The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia: descendants of John and Elizabeth (Patton) Preston through five generations. Filson Club. p. 113. ISBN 9780960107216. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^Office, United States Adjutant-General's (1920). Congressional Medal of Honor. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 909. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"Ethelbert Breckinridge - Recipient - Military Times Hall Of Valor". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"COL. L. C. BRECKINRIDGE Assistant Corporation Counsel". New York Daily News. 14 Oct 1941. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"DR. S. D. BRECKINRIDGE, GYNECOLOGIST, WAS 59; Kentucky Practitioner, Former National Fencing Champion" (PDF). The New York Times. 2 August 1941. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"Col. Henry Breckinridge Dies; Ex-Assistant Secretary of War; Wilson Cabinet Aide at 27-- Was Intermediary in the Lindbergh Kidnapping" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 May 1960. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"NSSAR Presidents General | National Society, Sons of the American Revolution". www.sar.org. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26.
^"Breckinridge Biographies". 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2019.