Name/Title
Randal William McGavockEntry/Object ID
McGavock, Randal WilliamDescription
Waist-length oval of man in a CSA colonel's uniform. He has red hair and a full red beard. Subject is turned to hide the fact that his right ear had been cut off.Collection
Private CollectionMade/Created
Artist
George Dury, 1817-1894Date made
1863 - 1864General Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Randall W. McGavock was born in Nashville on August 10, 1826, to Jacob McGavock and Louisa Grundy McGavock. He studied at the Classical and Mathematical Seminary in Nashville before attending the University of Nashville and finally graduated from Harvard School of Law in 1849. After a 20-month tour of Europe, Asia, and Africa, he returned to Nashville and opened a law practice and oversaw family plantations in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. He married Seraphina Deery in 1855. He was elected mayor of Nashville in 1858, serving one term. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he outfitted the 10th Tennessee Infantry (Confederate) and served as lieutenant colonel. He was captured at the Battle of Fort Donelson and paroled in September 1862. After Col. Adolphus Heiman's death, McGavock succeeded him as colonel of the 10th Tennessee, but was killed in action at the Battle of Raymond on May 12, 1863. He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.Create Date
September 1, 2026Update Date
September 1, 2026