- May 1 Edward D. Tracy, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 29
- May 3 Elisha Franklin "Bull" Paxton, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 35
- May 7 Amiel Weeks Whipple, US Union gen-major, dies of injuries at 46
Stonewall Jackson
May 10 Stonewall Jackson [Thomas Jonathan], Confederate general during the American Civil War, dies of pneumonia at 39