Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr.

(Kentucky, April 1, 1823 - January 8, 1914)

Was an American military officer who participated in the Civil War as an officer of the Confederate Army.

Biography

Buckner was born in Glen Lily, owned by his family near Munfordville, Kentucky. He was the third child of Aylett Hartswell and Elizabeth Ann *(Morehead)* Buckner. They baptized him with the name of the Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolivar, who at that time He was at the height of his power. He joined the army in 1840. He fought in the United **States-Mexico War**. In the Civil War, he fought in the Army of the Confederate States. In 1862 he accepted the demand of General Ulysses S. Grant for an unconditional surrender at the Battle of Fort Donelson; He was the first Confederate general to surrender an army during the war. Later he was the **30th governor** of the state of **Kentucky**. His son, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., was a hero in World War II, died in combat at the Battle of Okinawa ***(1945)***.

Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr

(Munfordville, Kentucky, United States, July 18, 1886 - Okinawa, Empire of Japan, June 18, 1945)

Was a US military officer with the rank of Lieutenant General who participated in the battles of the Aleutian and Okinawan Islands, within the framework of the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Biography

Son of Confederate *General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr*. and *Delia Clairborne*. He fought in the First and the Second World War. He died in combat at the Battle of Okinawa. It is the highest-ranking US military officer to be killed by the enemy during this contest. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of four-star general on **July 19, 1954** by a special law ***(Public Law 83-508)*** .