Governor John B. Floyd

John Buchanan Floyd, son of Governor John Floyd (1738-1837), was born in Montgomery County on 1 June 1806. He represented Washington County in the Virginia House of Delegates (1847-1849) and served as governor of Virginia (1849-1852). Floyd was appointed U.S. Secretary of War in 1857. He resigned in Dec. 1860 and became a Confederate brigadier general in Mar. 1861. Floyd was relieved of duty in Mar. 1862 over controversies surrounding his command of Fort Donelson, Tenn., but was soon commissioned a major general in the Virginia militia. He died nearby on 26 Aug. 1863.