Colonel George O. Watts, former Major General commanding the Louisiana Division, United Confederate Veterans, was born at Richmond, Ky., May 17, 1840, and was graduated at the United States Military Academy in  1861, in the class with General P. M. B. Young, of Georgia; George A. Custer, of Michigan; Willis, of Georgia, and other officers of note. He was made a Lieutenant in the Mounted Rifles and assigned to drill duty at Washington, but resigned and went to Richmond in July, 1861. There he was given a commission in the Confederate service and assigned to drill Cobb's Legion, Georgia troops, at the old fair grounds at Richmond.

Two months later he was ordered to Kentucky and assigned to duty as an officer of Engineers on the staff of General S. B. Buckner. In this capacity he had charge of building the works at Fort Donelson, Bowling Green, Fort Pillow and Nashville, in 1861, and was at the latter city when the army fell back from Kentucky. He accompanied it to Decatur and Corinth, and then was sent to Fort Pillow to take charge of the forts on the Upper Mississippi, under General Villepigue. He was under fire sixty-four days at Fort Pillow, and at Island No. 10 Died, December 5, 1905, at Emma, Texas, aged 66.