Lieut. Gen. Wade Hampton Despite his lack of military experience and his relatively advanced age of 42, Hampton was a natural cavalryman—brave, audacious, and a superb horseman. Some say he merely lacked some of the flamboyance of his contemporaries, such as his eventual commander, J.E.B.Suart, age 30. He was one of only two officers without previous military experience to achieve the rank of lieutenant general.
Sam Davis (1842–1863) is called the Boy Hero of the Confederacy. He was born in Rutherford County Tn. He served in various combat roles in the Confederate army in 1861 through 1863 during the American Civil War. As a Confederate courier, he was captured on November 19, 1863, and upon suspicion of espionage was executed by the Union Army after a captivity of only seven days. "I would die a thousand deaths before I would betray a friend."