According to extant records – Major-General George E Pickett (Confederate States Army) – was married three-times (sometimes, facts and figures vary depending upon sources, and I have given the most probable analysis according to logical reasoning):
a) Sally Harrison Minge (1829-1851) – Married 1851 – Died During Child-Birth 1851
b) Princess Sâkis Tiigang (“Morning Mist”) of the Northern Haida Tribe – Married 1857 – Died of Complications Due to Child-Birth (around April, 1858). Son – James Tilton Pickett (1857-1889)
c) LaSalle “Sallie” Corbell (1843–1931) – Married 1863 – No Children. Corbell Incorrectly Asserted She Was Born in 1848 – Falsely Implying She was “15” When Wed to Pickett.
US Army Officer – George Pickett – was stationed to the Pacific Northwest in 1856. This was ostensibly to fight Native American Indians. By this time, George Pickett was already a widower – his first wife having died in childbirth when he was stationed in Texas. He was stationed at Fort Bellingham when, in 1857, he married a “royal” Native American “Haida” (teenage) woman. Such a mixed-race union was forbidden under the laws of Washington Territory – with the marriage ritual probably being Native American. Although no photographs of “Morning Mist” are known to exist – she did leave a Chinese Tea Chest to her son – James Tilton Pickett. When “Morning Mist” died – George Pickett ensured his wife was the first “indigenous” woman to be buried in a Cemetery designated for “White” Christian people only. This which would have caused a considerable public outcry at the time. The grave of “Morning Mist” has been lost to time.
The referenced website describes this artefact in the following manner:
“Small Chinese trunk: Small Chinese chest that once belonged to James Tilton Pickett, 1820-ca. 1850. Rectangular with hinged lid. Round brass ring on front of lid. Escutcheon that is roughly triangular at center top of front of chest. Chest made of wood, possibly camphorwood, with exterior surface covered with red dyed leather. Painted design in large border pattern forming rectangles on lid, front and ends. Four petaled flowers at corners and series of fines with curled leaves and additional flowers along band. Lid edge fitted with brass. Between the design and brass is a double row of brass tacks. A single row of brass tacks extends around the floral design at the center of the lid. Similar design and tack ornamentation on sides and front of box. At either end is curved brass handle. Back is paintged red but without further decoration. Base is raised with wood strips extending around edges. Interior is undecorated but with smooth finished wood. On left side is a flat brass rod designed to hold up lid. This type of trunk was sold by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Note an image of a Haida woman is overlayed over the trunk. ~ Source: Hudson Bay Company property of Mrs. Pickett ~ Creator: China ~ Date: 1820-1850“
George Pickett finished last (56th) in his West Point Class – but as a practical soldier – he was first class! Although enlisted in the US Army – when war came he instinctively aligned himself with the cause of the Confederacy. George Pickett is famous for leading the Confederate attack at the Battle of Gettysburg (Pickett’s Charge) amongst many other actions (before the Civil War he clashed with the British Army on the US-Canada Border). His letters to LaSalle “Sallie” Corbell (his third wife) – are extraordinary – as he writes almost daily with sincere emotion in the days before military censorship. He penned a heartfelt letter just before the attack he led at Gettysburg – obviously concerned that he might die during the upcoming conflict – and yet within minutes of returning from his defeat whilst leading from the front – George Pickett once again wrote a letter whilst resting beneath a tree, lamenting the destruction of his Division at the hands of the Yankees, and concerned that the Confederate cause might well be defeated!
Online References:
https://www.geni.com/people/Sâkis-Tiigang-Morning-Mist/6000000025427344431
https://islandhistories.com/items/show/104
https://www.geni.com/people/Sally-Pickett/6000000012288006679
https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/pickett/menu.html
Book References:
Charles River Editors, Charfing into Immortality – The Life and Legacy of George Pickett, (2017), Audible Studios
Phillip Thomas Tucker, Pickett’s Charge – A New Look at Gettysburg’s Final Attak, (2016) Audible Studios
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 