Biography

John Buchanan Floyd was an American politician. He served in the capacity as Governor of Virginia, Secretary of War, and as a Confederate General. From 1847-1848 and 1855 he was a member of the Virginia state legislature. Between these terms, from 1849-1852, he was the Governor of Virginia from the Democratic party, advocating for states rights. He opposed seceding, but in 1860 he resigned as Secretary of War (1857-1860) under President Buchanan due to his belief in the Southern cause.  When the Civil War began in 1861 he was appointed Brigadier General by Jefferson Davis. In 1862 he commanded the Confederate forces at Fort Donelson in Tenessee, but before the surrender he withdrew his forces. He was relieved of his command, but the Virginia assembly later made him a Major General.