Joseph L. Hogg

Who was Joseph L. Hogg?

Joseph Lewis Hogg was a politician and Confederate States Army general from Texas. He was also the father of Texas Governor Jim Hogg.

Hogg was born in Morgan County, Georgia, and moved with his family to Alabama in 1818. He studied law, and became an officer in the militia before moving to Texas in 1839, where he established a law practice. He was elected to the Texas Congress and served from 1843 to 1844. He supported annexation by the United States, and was elected to the Texas Senate in 1846. At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War however, he resigned his seat and enlisted in the Texas Mounted Volunteers, fighting in the Battle of Monterrey. He was chosen as a delegate at the Texas State Convention in 1860, and cast his vote to secede from the Union.

After secession, he became a captain in the 3rd Texas Cavalry, a unit he helped organize, and he was appointed colonel by Texas Governor Edward Clark shortly afterwards. In February 1862, he was commissioned a brigadier general and served in the Army of the West. In April, he was given command of a brigade to reinforce Confederate troops at the Siege of Corinth. During the siege, he contracted dysentery and died.