General William Loring Account Book, Letterbook, and Photographs

William Wing Loring was born to a prominent North Carolina family in 1818. His family moved to Florida in 1823. He joined the army and served in the Second Seminole War as a Lieutenant. He served with distinction in the Mexican-American war, where he lost an arm in one of the final battles outside of Mexico City. When the Civil War broke out he joined the Confederate Army, serving in many different commands and igniting several famous feuds with Confederate generals like Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Old Blizzards, Loring's newfound nickname, became separated from Pemberton's army near Vicksburg and, instead of trying to reunite with his commander, he left the campaign entirely and joined Joseph Johnston's army further south. He participated in the campaigns against Sherman, but eventually surrendered along with the rest of Johnston's army in 1865. After the Civil War he became a businessman in New York representing Southern interests, but became bored without the excitement that he was used to. When he was approached by a representative of the Egyptian Khedive who sought to modernize his army with American experts, Loring leapt at the chance. He served in Egypt for 10 years, and was involved in a costly Egyptian defeat against the Abyssinians. Loring returned to the U.S. and died of pneumonia in 1887.