Mary Todd Lincoln’s Brother Killed on Greenwell Springs Road in Morning Fog

Death of Young Confederate Lt. Brought Tragedy To White House

BATON ROUGE — Like many in the North and South, President Lincoln’s First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, had her life torn apart by the Civil War.  Although her husband led the Union, she had five brothers fighting for the South.

Ironically, events here in Central brought great tragedy to the Lincoln White House.

Confederate Lt. Alexander Todd, 21, a young cavalry officer from Kentucky, was killed around 4 a.m. on the morning of Aug. 5, 1862, the first casualty of the Battle of Baton Rouge.  He was Mary Todd Lincoln’s brother and a favorite of hers.  During the war, Mrs. Lincoln lost three brothers fighting for the South and a young son by illness.