He was brother-in-law to Stonewall Jackson, a close friend to both James Longstreet and Joseph E. Johnston, but disagreements with both Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg cost him favor with Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Han var svoger til Stonewall Jackson, en nær ven af både James Longstreet og Joseph E. Johnston, men uenigheder med både Robert E. Lee og Braxton Bragg betød, at han ikke var vellidt af præsident Jefferson Davis.