Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) April 5. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 5.

1862: PENINSULA CAMPAIGN: Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder at Lee's Mill is approached by the IV Corps of Brig. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes officially starts the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia. Magruder, badly outnumbered, successfully uses deception to convince the Federals he has more troops than he has.

On the eve of the Battle of Shiloh, the Confederate Army of the Mississippi arrived near the camp of the Federals at Pittsburg Landing, which was scattered over a wide area. The Confederates planned to attack on April 5, but the attack was postponed to April 6. On the 4th of April, Cleburne's Brigade had met and repulsed Federal cavalry. On the night of the fifth, General Beauregard, in a meeting of the generals, expressed his opinion that they had lost the element of surprise because of the disorganization of the march, with yelling and shooting, and wanted to call off the attack. But General Johnston said in reply, "We shall attack at daylight tomorrow." He then said to a staff member, "I would fight them  if they were a million."

Pvt. John W. Branch, Co. D, 12th Tenn. Inf.

The 12th Tenn. Inf. served at Shiloh in Polk's First Army

Corps, 1st Division, 1st Brigade, Col. R.M. Russell Cmdg.

(Library of Congress)

1864: Red River Campaign: Confederates stand fast at Mansfield, La., waiting for the Federal juggernaut under Maj. Gen. N.B. Banks to arrive. Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor is planning to spring a trap on the approaching enemy army.

1865: Appomattox Campaign: At Amelia Springs, Va., Confederate and Federal cavalry clash. The Confederates are under Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee versus Federal Maj. Gen. George Crook. The fighting is inconclusive, and the Confederates lose about 100 men to 158 for the Federals.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 5.

Maj. Gen. David Rumph "Neighbor" Jones was born on this day in 1825 at Orangeburg District, South Carolina. He was an 1846 graduate of West Point. During the Mexican-American War, Jones was breveted a first lieutenant for gallantry. He reached the rank of brevet captain in the U.S. Army before he resigned in 1861 to join the Confederate Army. He served on Gen. Beauregard's staff at the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, S.C. in 1861 and reportedly hauled down the U.S. flag after the surrender of the fort. Jones was promoted to brigadier general on June 17, 1861, and commanded a brigade in the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, and the Peninsula Campaign in 1862. He was promoted to major general on March 10, 1862. He led a division in the Seven Days Campaign, the Second Battle of Manassas, and the Battle of Sharpsburg. Jones died of a heart attack on January 15, 1863, in Richmond, Virginia, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

Maj. Gen. David R. Jones

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 4.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) April 4.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 4.

1861: At Virginia's Secession Convention, the delegates vote against a resolution to hold a referendum on secession. 

1862: The Yorktown Peninsula Campaign begins in Virginia. General Joseph E. Johnston has 17,000 Confederate troops to resist Maj. Gen. George McClelland, 100,000 Federals. Maj. Gen. John Magruder did a masterful job of outsmarting McClelland with Fabian tactics and tricks. The Federals would be blocked and driven away by Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Seven Days Battles in June and July. 

Sgt. Joseph C. LeBleu

Co. K, 10th Louisiana Inf.

The regiment took part in the 

Peninsula Campaign.

(Photo courtesy Dan Jones)

1864: Red River Campaign: Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of  Western Louisiana arrives in  Mansfield, La., and goes into camp several miles outside the town. Taylor is determined to make a stand near there to block the Federals from reaching Sabine Crossroads, which could give them access to several routes to Shreveport and the Red River. Also on this day, there is a skirmish at Campti, La.

Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor 

(Mansfield State Historic Site)

1865: Appomattox Campaign: General R.E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia continues its retreat toward Farmville, Va., and skirmishes with pursuing Federals at Amelia Springs and Paine's Cross Roads. The general hopes to find food rations for his army at Farmville.

Wilson's Raid: In Alabama, Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest's merged Confederate forces continue to fight Wilson's Raiders at Lanier's Mills, Sipsey Creek, and King's Store.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 4.

Maj. Gen. Edward Cary Walthall was born on this day in 1831 in Richmond, Virginia. He moved to Mississippi with his family as a child and became a lawyer and district attorney in Coffeeville. During the War for Southern Independence, he became a lieutenant in the 15th Mississippi Infantry, then became colonel of the 29th Mississippi Infantry, and was appointed a brigadier general on Dec. 13, 1862. Walthall was appointed a temporary major general on June 6, 1864. His battles and campaigns included Mill Springs, Corinth, Heartland, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Resaca, Missionary Ridge (wounded & captured), Resaca (wounded), Franklin (wounded), Nashville, and the Carolinas Campaign. Following the war, Walthall resumed the practice of law in Grenada, Miss., and served in the U.S. Senate from 1885 until his death on April 21, 1898, in Washington, D.C. His body was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in Holly Springs, Miss.

Maj. Gen. Edward C. Walthall

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Brig. Gen. John Caldwell Calhoun Sanders was born on this day in 1840 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He started the War for Southern Independence as a private in the 11th Alabama Infantry on June 11, 1861, and was promoted to colonel in 1862. Sanders was promoted to brigadier general on May 31, 1864. His battles included Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Frayser's Farm (wounded), Second Manassas (wounded),  Sharpsburg (wounded), Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Gettysburg (wounded), Bristoe Campaign, Mine Run Campaign, Overland Campaign, Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and the Crater. Sanders was killed in action on August 21, 1864, in the Battle of Globe Tavern along the Weldon Railroad in Virginia. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va. Sanders was one of the Confederacy's youngest brigadier generals.

Brig. Gen. John C.C. Sanders

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 3.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) APRIL 3. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 3.

1861: Confederate batteries fired on the schooner Rhoda H. Shannon in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The ship was not seriously damaged.

1862: Shiloh Campaign: The newly organized Army of the Mississippi of Gen. A.S. Johnston had little march discipline and made too much noise on its way to Shiloh. On this day the rain greatly hampered the march and there were several skirmishes along the way. The noise included the beating of drums and soldiers firing their weapons. There was also much confusion in the line of march causing traffic jams.

Pvt. Robert Patterson, Co. D, 12th Tenn. Inf.

The regiment included men from the west Tennessee

counties of Dyer and Gibson, as well as Co. E

from Kentucky. It had been in the Battle of Belmont, Mo.

Army of the Mississippi

(Library of Congress)

1864: Red River Campaign: Confederate pickets are driven by Brig. Gen. Albert Lee's Federal cavalry at Grand Ecore, La., but he retreats when he sees the Army of Western Louisiana infantry drawn up in line of battle. The addition of Brig. Gen. Thomas Green's Texas/Louisiana Cavalry Division added mobility and aggressiveness to Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's army.

Brig. Gen. Tom Green

1865: Appomattox Campaign: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet arrive in Danville, Va. after evacuating Richmond the day before. The president brought with him the Confederate Treasury and archives.

President Jefferson Davis

(Library of Congress)

Battle of Tuscaloosa: Also, on this day Federal troops enter Richmond, Va., and Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest skirmishes with Croxton's Raiders outside Tuscaloosa, Ala. Confederate forces consisted of Capt. Benjamin Eddins' Tuscaloosa Home Guard and the University of Alabama cadets under university commandant Col. James T. Murfee, numbering some 300. Eddins was killed in the action.

Lt. Col. James T. Murfee

(VMI Archives Photographs Collection)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 3.

NONE.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthday, April 2.

Click👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) April 2.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 2

1862: Shiloh Campaign: Confederate units are ordered to begin their march from Corinth, Miss. for the Federal encampment at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. General Albert Sidney Johnston is leading the army. The Federal Army, under Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant has become complacent at their encampment.

Col. Horace Ready

23rd Tenn. Inf.

He rose from 3rd Lt. to Col.

throughout the war. 

The 23rd Tenn. Inf. was

in Cleburne's Brigade at

Shiloh. (Find A Grave) 

1863: President Jefferson Davis personally quells the bread riot in Richmond, Va. He bravely went into the middle of the mob and told the rioters they (the militia) had no desire to hurt anyone, but the lawlessness must stop and that the militia would open fire if they did not disperse. The mob, seeing the militia ready, disperses and no one is hurt.

1864: Red River Campaign: Col. Xavier DeBray's 26th Texas Cavalry Regiment, on its way to join Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana at Pleasant Hill crosses paths with Federal Brig. Gen. Albert Lee's Federal cavalry at Crump's Hill, Louisiana. The Confederates rallied and repulsed the Yankees.

1865: Petersburg Breakthrough: President Jefferson Davis at church receives a message from General Lee that the Federals have broken the Siege of Petersburg and that the Army of Northern Virginia must evacuate. The president quietly leaves the church and that evening leaves via railroad for Danville, Va.

At Petersburg, Va., Grant's Federals broke through the Confederate fortifications at multiple points and General Lee orders the army to Amelia Court House, Va. where he ordered supplies to be ready for the army. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon's forces hold back the Federals long enough for the rest of the Confederates to successfully leave the siege lines.

Mobile Campaign: At Mobile, Alabama, Spanish Fort is under siege, and Federal forces also begin another siege at Fort Blakely.

Battle of Selma, Ala.: At Selma, Alabama, Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest's command outnumbered defending the city are overrun by numerically superior Federal forces.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 2.

Brigadier General Henry Lewis Benning was born on this day in 1814 in Columbia, Georgia. A citizen-soldier before the War for Southern Independence, Benning was a Georgia Supreme Court justice and started the war as colonel of the 17th Georgia Infantry Regiment and was promoted to brigadier general rank on Jan. 17, 1863. His battles included Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Knoxville, the Wilderness (where he was wounded), Petersburg, and Appomattox. Following the war, he practiced law and died July 10, 1875, in Columbus, Ga., and was buried in Linwood Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning

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Brigadier General Phillip Dale Roddy was born on this day in 1826 in Moulton, Alabama. Before the war, he was a tailor and sheriff in Lawrence County, Alabama, from 1846 to 1852. Roddy organized a cavalry company in 1862, which he commanded during the Battle of Shiloh. His outstanding performance led to his command of the 4th Alabama Cavalry Regiment, which served under generals Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fighting Joe Wheeler. Roddy was promoted to brigadier general and fought against various Northern raids in Alabama. His battles included Shiloh, Brices Cross Roads, and Selma. Following the war, Roddy worked as a commission merchant and lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, New York City, and London, England. He died in London on July 20, 1897, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Tuscaloosa.

Brig. Gen. Phillip D. Roddy

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 1.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) April 1. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 1. 

1863: Captain John Singleton Mosby, with 69 Confederate partisan rangers, are surprised while sleeping at the Miskel farmhouse near Dranesville, Va., by 150 Federal troopers of the 1st Vermont Cavalry under Captain Henry C. Flint. The Confederates fight on foot and win a complete victory over the Federals. The Southerners had one man killed and three wounded. The Northerners lost 9 men killed, including Captain Flint, 15 wounded, and 82 captured.

Maj. (Col.) John Singleton Mosby

1864: Red River Campaign: Brigadier General Tom Green's Texas Cavalry Division, 3,000 strong, arrives in Pleasant Hill to check in with the main Confederate Army near Pleasant Hill, La. The Texans are then dispatched to monitor the advancing Federals and slow them down while Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor gets his army ready to make a stand between Mansfield and Pleasant Hill.

1865: Petersburg Campaign: The Battle of Five Forks, Va., on the Petersburg siege line takes place. Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's 22,000 Federals attack the 10,600 Confederates under Maj. Gen. George Pickett at Five Forks to cut the last Confederate supply into Richmond, which is the South Side Railroad. While Pickett and Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee are at a shad bake while the Federals attack. Yankees overwhelm the outnumbered Confederates. Pickett and Fitz Lee arrive back in time to save a part of his command, which withdraws. The Federals lose about 830 from all causes and the Confederates about  2,950. Some historians call it the "Waterloo of the Confederacy." 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 1.

Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner was born on this day in 1823 in Hart County, Kentucky. He graduated from West Point in 1844, 11th in a class of 25 cadets. During the Mexican-American War, he fought with the 6th U.S. Infantry in the battles of Amazoque, San Antonio, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. He was breveted a captain for his actions at Molino del Rey. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1855 and worked in real estate in Chicago, Ill., and served in the Illinois State Militia as adjutant general. In 1857, he moved to Louisville, Ky., and served as inspector general of the Kentucky State Guard. He resigned from the State Militia in 1861 and accepted a brigadier generalship in the Confederate Army. He was given the onerous duty of surrendering Fort Donelson, Tenn. in 1862 and became a P.O.W. at Fort Warren, N.Y. After being exchanged later that year, he was promoted to major general and to lieutenant general in 1864. His other battles included Perryville, Chickamauga, and Munfordville. Late in the war, he was assigned to duty in the Trans-Mississippi Department and commanded the districts of Arkansas and West Louisiana. Following the war, Buckner was elected governor of Kentucky, and in 1896, he ran as vice president of the United States on the National Democratic Party ticket with John Palmer, a former Union general, as the presidential candidate. Buckner died on Jan. 8, 1914, and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Ky. His only son, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., was killed in action in the Battle of Okinawa, the highest-ranking American general to be killed in action in World War II. 

Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 31.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 31.

1862: In the Siege of Island No. 10 in the Mississippi River, near Tipptonville, TN, which began March 15, the Confederates and Federals skirmished. Here's background excerpted from the Naval History and Heritage Command article: "Island No. 10 derived its name from the fact that it was the tenth island south of the convergence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois. Located on an S-bend in the Mississippi River, the island was in the first bend, and the town of New Madrid rested in the second bend. The swampy lowlands on either shore of the river at this point prevented any attempt to flank the batteries on the river. The only approach to the peninsula across from the island was from the south."

Pvt. Reuben Harrison Nations, Co. I, 12th La. Inf.

The regiment was originally part of the Island No. 10

garrison but was transferred to Fort Pillow. He was 

severely wounded on Oct. 20, 1864, at Decatur, AL,

and both of his legs were amputated. (Find-A-Grave)

1864: Red River Campaign: As the Federal cavalry brigade under Brig. Gen. Albert Lee approaches Natchitoches, La., at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. They hit a roadblock six miles from the town set up by the 5th and 7th Texas cavalry regiments and the Valverde Battery of the Texas artillery. The Federals break through after a sharp skirmish and enter Natchitoches at 5 o'clock.

1865: Petersburg Campaign: Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, Confederates pushed back Federals at the Battle of Hatcher's Run on the Siege of Petersburg, Va. Confederates suffered 800 casualties and the Federals lost 1,870.

On the same day, at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House on the Petersburg siege line, Confederates pushed back another Federal force trying to reach Five Forks. The Confederates lost 760 men and the Federals 354. The two battles are considered the last offensive actions by General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 31.

Brigadier General John Herbert Kelly was born on this day in 1840 in Pickens County, Alabama. Kelly resigned from West Point a few months ahead of his graduation to his graduation when his home state seceded in 1861. He then joined the Confederate Army with the rank of second lieutenant. Kelly served on the staff of Lt. Gen. William Hardee. He was made a major in the 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion and participated in the Battle of Shiloh. Kelly was then promoted to colonel and given command of the 8th Arkansas Infantry regiment. Kelly was promoted to brigadier general on Nov. 23, 1863. His other battles included Murfreesboro, Perryville, Chickamauga, Pickett's Mill, and Franklin and Nashville during Wheeler's Raid of Aug. & Sept. 1864. Kelly was mortally wounded Sept. 3, 1864, by a sharpshooter near Franklin, Tennessee, and captured, and died Sept. 4, 1864. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Ala. He was the youngest Confederate general.

                                                              Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 30.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 30.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 30.

1864: Red River Campaign: As the Federal cavalry advances toward Natchitoches, La., cotton is burned to keep it from falling into Federal hands. "In fact, the road all the way to Natchitoches, a distance of 18 miles, one could say was a solid flame of, and the air was permeated with the smell of burning cotton," wrote Capt. Felix Poché of Mouton's brigade.

1865: Siege of Petersburg: Confederate and Federal forces pile up on the Confederate right in anticipation of a massive Federal attack at the Siege of Petersburg, Va.

Croxton's Raid: In Alabama, Federal Brig. Gen. John T. Croxton's brigade, detached from the main Federal force under Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson destroyed all public property at Tuscaloosa.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 30.

Brig. Gen. Samuel Bell Maxey was born on this day in 1825 in Tompkinsville, Ky. He graduated from West Point in 1846 and was assigned as a brevet second lieutenant in the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment. He joined his regiment in Monterrey, Mexico, and took part in the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and Molino del Rey. Maxey was promoted to brevet first lieutenant for gallantry at Cerro Gordo and Contreras. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1849 and became a lawyer and farmer in Paris, Texas, and the district attorney there for Lamar County. During the War for Southern Independence, Maxey became colonel of the 9th Texas Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general on March 7, 1862. He was absent during the Battle of Shiloh but took part in the Siege of Port Hudson, La., in 1863. Late that year, he was assigned to command Indian Territory. Gen. E. Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Dept., appointed him a major general in the Trans-Mississippi only. He had some success in interdicting Federal Army supplies. He resigned on May 22, 1865, and resumed his civilian life in Paris, Texas. After receiving a pardon in 1867, he resumed practicing law. Beginning in 1875, he served two terms in the U.S. Senate. He died Aug. 16, 1894, in Eureka Springs, Ark., and was buried in Evergreen Springs Cemetery in Paris, Texas.

2nd Lt. Samuel B. Maxey

Mexican American War uniform

Brig. Gen. Samuel Bell Maxey

as a U.S. Senator from Texas