Major and Captain Monroe, CSA - Brothers In Arms

From Confederate Veteran 4(10), 1896, pg.343

Secretary of State

Thomas B. Monroe

Term of Office	August 30, 1859 - October 1, 1861
Party	Democrat
Governor during his term of Office	Gov. Beriah Magoffin
Education	University of Louisiana
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth C. Grier
Children	1 son
Parents
Residence	Kentucky (Lexington, Fayette County)
Occupation	Attorney; Newspaper Editor
Birth Date	7/3/1833
Birth Place	Kentucky (Frankfort, Franklin County)
Date of Death	4/6/1862
Place of Death	Mississippi (Burnsville, near Shiloh)
Cause of Death	Killed at a battle near Burnsville, Mississippi
Place of Burial	Kentucky (Frankfort Cemetery); originally interred on the field of battle by Union soldiers
City Offices Held	Elected Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky.
Military Service	Civil War (4th Ky. Infantry, CSA)
Note	Monroe's father, Judge Thomas Bell Monroe, Sr., served as Kentucky's Secretary of State from September 1823 to September 1824 during the administration of Gov. John Adair. Monroe, Jr., was commissioned Major of the 4th Ky Infantry, CSA, during the Civil War. He died on the battlefield near Shiloh, Mississippi.
Historical Firsts	Appointed Secretary of State in 1859, Monroe (age 26) was the youngest person to occupy the office since statehood.

Thomas B. Monroe, Jr., was the fourth son of Judge Thomas Bell Monroe, Sr. He was born on July 3, 1833, at Frankfort. He was educated at the University of Louisiana while his father was a professor there. In 1849, he settled in Lexington and began the practice of law. In 1856, he became editor of the Democratic newspaper, the "Kentucky Statesman". In 1859, he was elected mayor of Lexington. In 1860, he endorsed states’ rights and the presidential candidacy of fellow Kentuckian John C. Breckinridge.

Monroe was appointed Secretary of State in September 1859 in the administration of Governor Beriah Magoffin, becoming the youngest person to ever occupy the office. He served as Secretary of State until October 5, 1861, when he resigned his office to serve as Major of the Fourth Kentucky Confederate Infantry. He was killed at an engagement at Burnsville on April 6, 1862, and was buried on the field of battle by Union soldiers. After the war, he was reinterred in the Frankfort Cemetery next to his brother Captain Ben Monroe.

Monroe married Elizabeth C. Grier of Philadelphia on November 15, 1859. She was the daughter of Justice Robert C. Grier of the United States Supreme Court. The couple had one son.

References:

"Biographical Encyclopedia", (1878), page 548;

Ed Porter Thompson, "History of the Orphan Brigade", (1898), pages 458-66.

From KY Secretary of State website: http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=36

Gravesites at Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. Photos by Confederate Kentuckian.