calsfoundation@cals.org
June 20, 1880
Theophilus Holmes—who had been a lieutenant general in the Confederate army and served variously as the commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department and commander of the District of Arkansas—died after retiring to a farm in Fayetteville, North Carolina, following the Civil War. He is perhaps best known for his perceived failures in leadership during his time in Arkansas. Eventually maligned by soldiers and civilians alike, Holmes is a classic example of a Civil War commander who was promoted beyond his abilities.