Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 9.

  Click 👉Today in History (general history) Aug. 9. 

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 9.

1862: The Battle of Cedar Mountain, Va. occurred on this day in Culpeper County, Va. Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson commanded 16,868 fighting men versus Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks with 8,030 troops. Banks' Federals attacked first but Stonewall Jackson kept bringing up more and more reinforcements and the Confederate counterattack drove off the Federals in this very bloody battle. Jackson was reinforced by Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill's Division. Federal casualties included 314 killed, 1,445 wounded, and 594 missing for a total of 2,353. The Confederal losses were 231 killed, and 1,107 wounded for a total of 1,338.

Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson

1864: Confederates still holding out at Fort Morgan at the entrance of Mobile Bay., Ala. were besieged on this day. The fort was a masonry structure with 46 guns and a Confederate garrison of 600 under the command of Brig. Gen. Richard L. Page. The besieging Federals were under the command of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger with 5,000 men. The Federal Navy provides heavy bombardment capability. Page decided to surrender on Aug. 23, 1864. The Federals charged Page with violating the rules of war for allegedly having the guns spiked during a truce, but the Federal court found him not guilty. In the siege, the Federals lost only one man killed and seven wounded. Confederate casualties were also reportedly very light.

Fort Morgan, Ala. after the siege in 1864
(Library of Congress)

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 9.

Brigadier General Daniel March Frost on this day in 1823 in Schenectady, New York. He graduated from West Point in 1844 ranking 4th in his clash. Frost served in the Mexican-American War and was in the battles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo, Mexico, and was brevetted a first lieutenant for the last-named battle. He was also in the Battle of Churubusco, Mexico. He started out the War for Southern Independence as a brigadier general in the Missouri State Guard and then became a Confederate brigadier general. Frost led a brigade at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., but when his wife and children were evicted from their home in St. Louis, Mo., they went to Canada as refugees. Frost deserted the Confederate Army and joined his family in Canada. He was dropped from the muster rolls by the Confederate War Department. Following the war, he moved back to St. Louis, Mo. vicinity where he farmed. Frost died Oct. 29, 1900, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.

Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Frost

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