Voting Station

Albert Pike

Please vote to return to collections.

Poet

The Resume

    (December 29, 1809-April 2, 1891)
    Born in Boston, Massachusetts
    Lawyer and Confederate general
    Poems include 'Dixie,' 'Home,' 'Ode to the Mocking-Bird,' 'Hymn to the Gods,' 'To the Planet Jupiter,' 'The Widowed Heart,' and 'An Invitation'
    Publisher of The Arkansas Advocate newspaper
    Served as a brigadier general in the Civil War until 1862
    Prominent member of the Freemasons
    Author of 'The Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry' (1871)

Why he might be annoying:

    His poems were highly regarded in his day, but now are mostly forgotten.
    He may have been an early member of the Ku Klux Klan.
    While serving in the Mexican-American War, he challenged his commanding officer to an (inconclusive) duel.
    He convinced and led a number of Native American tribes into battle on behalf of the Southern cause, losing badly at Pea Ridge.
    He had the distinction of being tried for treason by two separate governments (he was pardoned by both President Andrew Johnson and the Confederate States).
    He was accused of misappropriating funds and allowing Indian troops to scalp Union soldiers.
    He is the only Confederate general to have a statue in Washington D.C., prompting outcry about its appropriateness.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Historians have not turned up any corroborating documentation to support the KKK membership charge.
    He advocated Native American tribal rights.
    He represented the Creek Nation before the Supreme Court in a claim regarding ceded tribal land (1852).
    He only served in the Confederate army for less than a year, and it is strongly believed the charges against him were fictitiously concocted.
    He resigned from the Confederate army in protest after being ordered to send his troops to Arkansas.
    He fled but was arrested and charged by the Confederates (he faced execution before the charges were dropped).
    He was prolific; with over 100 written works (poetry and prose) to his lifetime's credit.
    His Washington D.C. statue was torn down by rioters and set it ablaze in violation of local laws in the wake of the George Floyd police brutality protests (June 19, 2020).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying