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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 31.

1862: Battle of Port Lavaca, Texas: Two Federal warships, Clifton and Westfield, bombarded the coastal Texas town of Port Lavaca after Confederate defenders refused to surrender. Lt. George E. Conklin [8th Texas Infantry/Capt. B.F. Neal's Artillery Co.], post adjutant at Port Lavaca, reported, "At 1p.m. they sent a boat with a flag of truce on shore, which was met by Major [Daniel] Shea [8th Texas Infantry/4th Battery Texas Artillery], accompanied by four of the citizens of the town. A short interview succeeded, during which a demand was made to surrender the town. They were answered by the commanding officer that he was there to defend it and should do so to the best of his ability with all the means he had at hand. A demand was then made for time to remove the women, children, and sick persons from town. The officer in charge of the flag replied that one hour was the time he was authorized to grant, but in consideration of the fact that an epidemic (yellow fever) was still raging in the town, he would extend the time to one hour and a half; at the expiration of which period, they moved up abreast the town and opened fire from both steamers on both the town and batteries. At this time there were many women and children still in the place, they have been unable, for want of time to leave. Our batteries promptly returned fire." The Confederate batteries struck the gunboats several times causing them to withdraw. They then anchored out of the range of the Confederate batteries and continued their bombardment, which would be continued into the next day.

1863: Bombardment of Charleston, S.C.: The Federal Navy bombarded the iconic Confederate bastion in Charleston, South Carolina harbor reducing it to rubble. Here's the National Park Service summary: "Sumter's 'sea front' (right flank), upright and relatively unscathed till then, was breached now for nearly half its length. The ramparts and arches of its upper casemates were cut down and the interior barracks were demolished. The accumulated debris made ascent easy inside and out. Through the breach, the Federal guns took the channel fronts in reverse.' For the first time, these were exposed to direct fire; soon they were 'cut and jagged.' Still, the gorge ruin remained much the same; to Admiral Dahlgren, that 'heap of rubbish' looked 'invincible.' " The Federal armada fired a total of 2,961 shells at the fort, but the Confederate flag still flew over Charleston until near the end of the war.

Pvt. Thomas Hall

Manigault's South Carolina Artillery Battalion

(Library of Congress)

1864: Confederate and Federal cavalry units from the Army of Tennessee and Sherman's army skirmished near Shoal Creek, Alabama on this day in 1864. General John Bell Hood plans to move his army into Tennessee which cheered the Tennessee troops in the army.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 30.

1863: THE TIDE TURNS: With their previous attempts to invade Texas a complete failure, the Northern invaders dispatched from New Orleans the 13th Army Corps under Brig. Gen. N.J.T. Dana on 23 transport ships to south Texas near the Mexican border. Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee was the Confederate commander of the Sub-Military District of the Rio Grande, where the invaders would land. The ranks of the Confederate coastal forces there had already been weakened by a yellow fever outbreak. Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder was the Confederate commander in Texas. The Federals were planning to fight their way up the coast to Houston and Galveston. But Magruder, the hero of the liberation of Galveston, would be their implacable foe.

Maj. Gen. John G. "Prince John" Magruder

Cmdr. of the Dept. of Tex., N.M. and Arizona

(CDV Collection of M.D. Jones)

1864: Planning the Johnsonville Raid: Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's raid in Tennessee and Kentucky in 1864 focused on this day on river traffic on the Tennessee River at Fort Heiman. Brig. Gen. Abraham Buford's command occupied Fort Heiman, which had been vacant, and disrupted Federal traffic on the river bringing supplies to Sherman's army in Georgia. On the previous day they captured the steamer Mazeppa and on this day, Oct. 30, they captured the Venus, the Cheeseman, and also the gunboat USS Undine after a three-hour artillery exchange.  Forrest, in the process of planning a major attack on the massive Federal supply base at Johnsonville, Tenn., turned the Undine and Venus into a flotilla of his own for the attack. The Undine was a "tinclad" steamer that displaced 179 tons and was armed with 8, 24-pounder brass howitzers. 

Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 30.

Maj. General John Stevens Bowen was born on this day in 1830 in Savannah, Georgia. He graduated from West Point in 1853 and then served in the U.S. Army until about 1855 when he resigned to start an architect's practice in  Georgia and then moved to St. Louis, Mo. in 1857. Bowen was also active in the Missouri Volunteer Militia and in 1861 was promoted to colonel of the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Militia Regiment. After being captured and exchanged by the Federals, Bowen was made a colonel in the Confederate Army and was promoted to brigadier general on March 14, 1862. Bowen fought in the Battle of Shiloh, the Battle of Port Gibson, the Battle of Champion Hill, the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, and throughout the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. Bowen contracted dysentery during the siege and died in captivity on July 13, 1863, near Edwards, Miss., and is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Vicksburg, Miss. He was survived by a wife and two young children.

Maj. Gen. John S. Bowen

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 29.

1862: Captain Otis M. Marsh's Company A, 11th Battalion (Spaight's) Texas Volunteers opened fire on two Federal gunboats, the USS Dan, a steamer, and the USS Velocity, a schooner, that was patrolling Sabine Pass, Texas. Sgt. H.N. Connor of Captain Marsh's company, wrote in his diary, "Gunboats lying near the fort. In a few days, they made preparations to visit the town [Sabine City] with the vessels. Being delayed, they did not get up until about dark, and as they passed Wingate's mill, we opened up with small arms, doing some little damage and frightening them badly. By bringing their guns to bear on us, we were soon compelled to retreat with no loss. The town was then shelled, a wanton outrage, as we were not near any buildings. The next morning, a party landed and burned the mill, dwelling house, 700,000 feet of lumber belonging to Judge Wingate, and two dwelling houses belonging to Judge Stamps, total loss of about $150,000. All of which wantonness as we did not fire on them from houses, but from the bank at the water's edge." Col. A.W. Spaight said in his report that Marsh's company was acting under orders to inflict damage on the enemy at every opportunity."

Pvt. James D. Collier, Co. D, 

11th Bn. (Spaight's) Tex. Vols.

1864: Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's command, on its way to destroy a massive Federal supply depot at Johnsonville, Tenn., detached Brig. Gen. Abraham Buford with his 400-man command and four artillery pieces occupied abandoned Fort Heiman on the Tennessee River and disrupted Federal transports bringing supplies to Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman's army in Georgia. On this day Buford's command opened up on the passing transport Mazeppa, which was packed with supplies for the Yankee army. The Confederates opened up on the vessel with both small arms fire and artillery. The pilot's house was demolished and the boat beached on the opposite side of the river, as the crew ran away. The Southerners unloaded as much of the boat's cargo, including thousands of barrels of flour, eight cook stoves, and tons of other supplies that would supply Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee. The Mazeppa was burned with remaining unloaded supplies when a Federal gunboat came on the scene to bombard the fort.

Brig. Gen. Abraham Buford

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 28.

1862: Brigadier General Alfred Mouton skillfully extricated his badly outnumbered Louisiana infantry brigade and a Yankee trap in South Louisiana's bayou country. Here is an excerpt from his report: "On the 28th, whilst slowly receding, I held the enemy in check, and at about 12 m. concluded that I was reduced to the sad alternative of evacuating the place or having my entire command captured. Resistance with the small force I had was no longer possible, especially as the men were worn-out with fatigue and loss of rest besides, the mounted picket at Boutte had been driven in by the enemy, who was advancing by the Des Allemandes to re-enforce the enemy in front of me, and vague rumors were afloat that the expedition to Berwick Bay had reached its destination. Information also came to me that two transports and two gunboats had gone down from Donaldsonville to New Orleans and that they had returned and were landing re-enforcements at the Assumption Cut-off. Hence, I fell back to the Terre Bonne Station, embarked all the stores and troops, and moved them over to Berwick Bay. Colonel [T.E.] Vick’s command [the La Fourche militia 500 strong] had not yet arrived, and I remained at the station with the cavalry to protect and cover it, while I sent on the artillery and wagon train via Chucahoula by land to rendezvous at Tigerville for transportation, the cars being already filled with troops and stores. About 3 p. m. such portion of Colonel Vick’s command as he could bring up arrived, and it was sent on over the railroad track till it met a return train which had been ordered up to receive it. "At 4 p. m. all the troops which could be collected having been sent forward I caused the Thibodeaux Bridge, the La Fourche Crossing Bridge, and the Terre Bonne Station to be burned, and moved on with the cavalry, reaching the bay on the 29th, and crossing everything by the 30th. The casualties in the engagement of the 27th are, according to returns made, as follows, viz: Killed, 5; wounded, 8; missing, 186; 3 horses were killed and 9 wounded; one 12-pounder howitzer axle broken since replaced by one

Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton

(Lafayette Museum)

from Des Allemandes. The enemy’s loss reaches fully 250 to 300, as I have been informed by an officer of the Eighteenth Regiment, who was taken prisoner and released on parole. It is my painful duty to record the death of Colonel McPheeters, commanding the Crescent Regiment, who fell gallantly and nobly defending our sacred cause at the head of his command."

1863: Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's Corps attacked at night the Federal forces of Brig. Gen. John W. Geary in the Battle of Wauhatchie, Tenn. Leading the attack was Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins. The battle started slightly after midnight the Confederates attacked both fronts of the Federal V-shaped position. The yelling Confederates pushed the Federals back, but the bluecoats managed to hold on until reinforcements came. The reinforcements in the form of Federal Brig. Gen. Carl Schurz division first had to get by Confederate Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law's brigade, which was greatly outnumbered. Law's brigade had to withdraw, and Schurz then arrived with the reinforcements for Geary and the Jenkins Confederates at Wauhatchie also withdrew. The Federals lost 28 killed, 327 wounded, and 15 captured or missing. The Confederates lost 153 killed, 305 wounded, and 69 captured or missing.

1864: The Second Battle of Newtonia, Mo. took place on this day in 1864. Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby, of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's command led an estimated 2,000 troops against Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt's 2,000 bluecoats. Shelby initially outnumbered the Federals and managed to outflank them, but then his men ordered a retreat when Federal reinforcements came up. Both sides claimed victory and the losses of both sides are disputed.

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 28.

Brigadier General Dudley McIver DuBose was born on this day in 1834 in Shelby County, Tennessee. A prewar lawyer, DuBose started the War for South Independence as a lieutenant colonel of the15th Georgia Infantry in Brig. Gen. Robert Toombs's brigade, his father-in-law. His battles and campaigns included the Seven Days Battles, the Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Suffolk, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Knoxville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Appomattox. Following the war he was elected to the U.S. Congress for one term, and practiced law in Washington, Georgia where he died on March 2, 1883 and was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery. 

Brig. Gen. Dudley DuBose

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Brigadier General Adley Hogan Gladden was born on this day in 1810 in Fairfield, South Carolina. A cotton broker in Columbia, S.C., Gladden got plenty of military experience in the Mexican-American War as the lieutenant colonel of the Palmetto Regiment. He fought at the Battle of Churubusco and the Battle of Mexico City where he was severely wounded. Gladden was also was also the lieutenant colonel of the 1st South Carolina Infantry in the state militia but resigned to become a delegate in the Louisiana Secession Convention in 1861. Gladden then became the colonel of the 1st Louisiana Infantry (Regulars) and was promoted to brigadier general September 30, 1861 and commanded the fortifications at Pennsacola, Fla. He was mortally wounded on April 6, 1862, at the Battle of Shiloh, Tenn. while leading his brigade. Gladden died April 12, 1862, and is buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

Brig. Gen. Adley H. Gladden

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 27.

                                                      Col. Franklin H. Clack, 33rd La. Inf.

                                                                (Special Collections, Washington & Lee University)

1862: The Battle of Georgia Landing, La. took place along Bayou Lafourche when Maj. Gen. B enjamin "Beast" Butler sent Brig. Gen. Godfrey Weitzel with 4,000 bluecoats to clear the Confederates out of the district. Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton with about 1,300 Confederates, including conscripts and militia, to defend the bayou. Weitzel's had with him the 12th Conn. Inf., 13th Conn. Inf., 1st La. Cav. (Union), 8th N.H. Inf., and 75th N.Y. Inf. Mouton had the Shiloh veterans of the 18th La. Inf., the Crescent Regiment, the newly organized 33rd La. Inf., commanded by Shiloh veteran Col. Franklin H. Clack, the 2nd La. Cav., the Terrebonne State Militia, Semmes Battery, and Ralston's Battery. Here is Mouton's report on the battle: "I have the honor of submitting the following report of the movements preceding and following the engagement of the 27th October 1862, and details relative thereto. Late on the 25th of October, 1862, I received information that the gunboats and transports of the enemy were moving up the river slowly and cautiously and that in all likelihood they would soon be at Donaldsonville. They arrived there on the evening of the 25th and commenced landing troops, completing the landing on the 26th. Immediately I moved to Donaldsonville and found that our troops at that point had fallen back, under the command of Colonel [W. G.] Vincent [2^nd La. Cav.], to the Racconici, in the parish of Assumption, about 12 miles from Donaldsonville. Colonel Vincent informed me that from all the information he had obtained the enemy numbered from 2,500 to 3,000 infantry, 250 cavalrymen, and two batteries of field artillery. To oppose this force, which was mainly on the left descending bank of La Fourche, Colonel Vincent had only 600 infantry and about 250 cavalrymen, with Semmes’ field battery. The disparity was so great that I deemed it my duty to recede until the re-enforcements I had ordered up arrived, and accordingly fell back to the plantation of Mr. Winn, 2 miles above Labadieville, where the Eighteenth and Crescent Regiments and Ralston’s battery reached me at about 2 p.m., coming in from Berwick Bay and Bayou Boeuf, where they were stationed. I had also ordered the Terre Bonne regiment militia forward, and they arrived at about 8 a. m. On the 27th Faries’ battery was ordered up, but it reached me only on the morning of the 28th. The columns of the enemy were advancing on both banks in about equal force, and in consequence, to prevent being outflanked, it became necessary to hold positions on both sides of the bayou. The Eighteenth and Crescent, supported by Ralston’s battery, were placed on the right descending bank, and the Terre Bonne regiment moved over to the left bank. 

      "The enemy moved down about equally strong on both banks, his force being from 1,500 to 1,800 on each side. The column on the right bank pressed on more speedily than that on the left and approached our line of battle at about 9 a.m. near the road leading into the settlement called Texas, in Assumption. Our forces, though much inferior in numbers, resisted their onward march and effectually succeeded in checking them, until, unfortunately, Ralston’s battery was so severely injured by the enemies, and their ammunition giving out, they were compelled to fall back, which was done in some confusion, owing to the loss of their commander. I then took position about a mile and a half below, at Labadieville, at about 4 p.m., and awaited the advance of the enemy. This retrograde movement was rendered the more necessary from the fact that the enemy was crossing troops on the pontoon bridge to the right bank and there, massing forces. Immediately I also threw across part of the infantry stationed on the left; and at the close of the day the force of the enemy numbered about 2,000 infantry, 100 cavalry, and a battery, while my own barely reached 1,000, including infantry, cavalry, and artillery."

                                                                Maj. Gen. Charles Field

1864: The Second Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Va. took place this day. Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. "Beast" Butler commanded two corps, the X and XVIII, in the battle. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet commanded for the Confederates but only had to use Maj. Gen. Charles W. Field's Division to easily repulse the Federal attack. Federal casualties totaled 1,603 and the Confederates lost only 100 in all categories.  
     Here's an excerpt from General Longstreet's report on that action: "Hardly had Field located himself when an attack in very heavy force was attempted on his front over the open ground on each side of the Williamsburg Road. This was repulsed with ease and small loss to ourselves but with heavy loss to the enemy in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Major Johnson’s artillery assisted materially in this success. No other effort was made by the enemy at this point, and only heavy artillery fire kept up for about an hour. In the meanwhile, [Brig. Gen. Martin W.] Gary had moved a part of the way over to the Nine-Mile Road when he sent word to me that no enemy had appeared on that road, and that his scouts reported none as being about. He was then ordered to return and attack the force in front of Field on the flank. While in the execution of these orders, he received information that the enemy was attacking the small force picketing the Nine-Mile Road, and he withdrew his command to their assistance. Moving with promptness he arrived only in time to see his small squadron driven out of the salient at that part of the line by the heavy ordnance of the enemy’s skirmishers, supported by a large force in the line of battle and about 100 yards from the works. A piece of artillery had been captured. Immediately forming his lines at right angles with the works, Gary charged down them, taking the enemy in flank, routing them, and recapturing the piece of artillery. This was accomplished with such rapidity that our loss was but slight."

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 26.

1863: Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder, the commander of the Confederate Department of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, is busy building up the defenses of the upper Texas Gulf Coast to resist the Yankee invasion force building up along the lower coast near Brownsville. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks ordered the second division of the Army of the Gulf to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to subjugate the Lone Star State. Meanwhile Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin is trying to keep Confederate forces in Southwest Louisiana busy to prevent them from sending reinforcements to Magruder. 

Maj. Gen.  John B. Magruder

Cmdr. of the Dept. oF Tex., N.M.,  & Az.

(Cabinet card, M.D. Jones Collection)

1864: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price gave the following report on this day's activities in his Missouri Campaign; "On the next morning, after destroying many wagons with broken-down teams that could not be replaced, I took up my line of march at 2 o’clock, there being but little forage in the neighborhood of my encampment. We marched over beautiful prairie roads, a distance of fifty-six miles, and encamped at Carthage, on Spring River, the nearest point that forage could be procured, as I was informed by Major-General Fagan and Brigadier-General Shelby, who earnestly desired me to reach Spring River, as no forage could be procured shortly of it. The Federal prisoners I had with me became so much exhausted by fatigue that out of humanity I paroled them."

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 26.

Brigadier General Stephen Elliott Jr. was born on this day in 1830 in Beaufort, South Carolina. Prior to the war, Elliott was a planter, a member of the South Carolina legislature, and was active in the South Carolina militia as a captain in the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery. When the war came in 1861, Elliott participated in the bombardment of Fort Sumter and his company became infantry with him as a company commander. They became part of the 11th South Carolina Infantry and took part in the defense of Port Royal, S.C. He was wounded in the leg on Nov. 7, 1861, in an action at Fort Beauregard, S.C. Elliott was then appointed in August 1862 Chief of Artillery for the Third Military District. He received promotions to lieutenant colonel and colonel and was wounded again on Dec. 11, 1863, during a bombardment of Charleston. Elliott was made commander of Holcombe's Legion in the spring of 1864 and with his unit was transferred to Petersburg, Va. There, he was given command of a brigade and was promoted to brigadier general on May 24, 1864. The part of the Petersburg defenses he commanded was called Elliott's Salient and it was blown up by the Federals with a mine on July 30, 1864. He organized a counterattack and was seriously wounded while leading it. Although not completely healed, Elliott was given command of a brigade in the Army of Tennessee on Jan. 2, 1865. Seriously wounded again in the Battle of Bentonville on March 19, 1865, he was at home convalescing when the war ended. Following the war, he lived in Charleston, S.C., and worked as a fisherman. He was re-elected to the S.C.  Legislature but died on Feb. 21, 1866, and was buried in St. Helena's Episcopal Churchyard in Beaufort. 

Brig. Gen. Stephen Elliott Jr.

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Brigadier General Arthur Middleton Manigault was born on this day in 1824 in Charleston, South Carolina. During the Mexican-American War Manigault served as a first lieutenant in the Palmetto Regiment. Prior to the War for Southern Independence, he was running a rice plantation in Georgetown County, S.C. He participated in the Battle of Fort Sumter, became the colonel of the 10th South Carolina Infantry, and was assigned to Gen. Beauregard's Amry of the Mississippi, which later became the Army of Tennessee, in 1862 and took part in the Siege of Corinth, Miss. His other battles included Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, the Atlanta Campaign, Resaca, and Franklin. Manigault was promoted to brigadier general on April 26, 1863. He was wounded at both Resaca and Frankling and was still recovering at the end of the war. Manigault resumed running his rice plantation after the war, served his state as Adjutant and Inspector General, and died in Georgetown Count on Aug. 18, 1886, and was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.

Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Manigault

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 25.

1864: The Battle of Mine Creek in Linn County, Kansas took place on this day between Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Confederate forces, specifically Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan and Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Federal cavalry under Col. John F. Philips and Lt. Col. Frederick Benteen. The Confederates were trying to protect their wagon train crossing Mine Creek when the Federal cavalry attacked. Confederate artillery held off the bluecoat horse soldiers, who were armed with repeating rifles. But the Federals attacked again from both the front and on the Confederate left flank. The Southron line began crumbling and pretty soon many were captured, including General Marmaduke. Confederate losses were estimated to be about 1,200 out of 7,000 engaged, and the Federals lost only about 110 total casualties.

Unidentified soldier in Confederate 

uniform with star belt plate

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

On the same day, the Confederates had another clash of arms the same day at the Battle of Marmiton River, in Vernon County, Missouri. Price's wagon train was stalled again trying to cross the Marmiton River. A charge by Confederate Colonel Sidney D. Jackman's brigade succeeded in driving off the 4th Iowa Cavalry and allowed Price's surviving wagon train and army to get across the river. Casualties were light on both sides.

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 25.

Brigadier Zachariah Cantey Deas was born on this day in 1819 in Camden, South Carolina. He served in the Mexican-American War and became a cotton broker in Mobile, Ala. During the War for Southern Independence, he led an Alabama brigade in the Army of Tennessee and saw much action. Deas was an aid to Gen. Joseph Johnston during the First Battle of Manassas, Va. He then became colonel of the 22nd Alabama Infantry and commanded a brigade at the Battle of Shiloh, was severely wounded, and was appointed a brigadier general on Dec. 3, 1862, His other battles included Chickamauga, the Atlanta Campaign, Franklin, and the Carolina Campaign. Following the war, Deas continued in the cotton brokerage business in New York City. He died there on March 6, 1862, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, N.Y.

Brig. Gen. Zachariah C. Deas

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 24.

1862: Bayou Lafourche Campaign of 1862: Major Silas Grisamore, quartermaster of the 18th Louisiana Infantry wrote of the atmosphere at this time along Bayou Lafourche, La. during the Northern invasion: "The terror, destruction, and confusion that reigned here at that time can only be described by those who remained to witness it. The cold North wind blew the tides out, and so lowered the Atchafalaya River that the fleet of gunboats could not enter that stream for several days so that all the Confederate forces had crossed over in safety before their (the Federals] arrival." After crossing the Atchafalaya River, General Mouton began looking for another defensible position on Bayou Teche."

Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton

Managed to get his outnumbered 

brigade out of a Yankee trap.

1863: Great Texas Overland Expedition: Brig. Gen. Tom Green with his Texas and Louisiana cavalry continued skirmishing with Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's divisions of the Army of the Gulf, which was moving very slowly along the Cajun prairie land of Southwest Louisiana. There was a skirmish on this day at Washington, La., which was a steamboat town along Bayou Teche.

1864: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price moved his cavalry raiders and a long line of wagons with captured Federal supplies near the Missouri-Kansas border after losing the Battle of Westport, Missouri the previous day. The Confederates would have still more skirmishes and battles before the campaign was over.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 23.

1861: Northern President Lincoln unconstitutionally suspended the writ of habeas corpus on all military matters. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Merryman that Lincoln's action was unconstitutional and illegal. Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote, "These great and fundamental laws, which Congress itself could not suspend, have been disregarded and suspended, like the writ of habeas corpus, by military order, supported by the force of arms. Such is the case now before me, and I can only say that if the authority which the Constitution has confided to the judiciary department and judicial officers, may thus, upon any pretext or under any circumstances, be usurped by the military power, at its discretion, the people of the United States are no longer living under a government of laws, but every citizen holds life, liberty, and property at the will and pleasure of the army officer in whose military district he may happen to be found." ^[22]

1863: The Rio Grande CAMPAIGN: Confederate Texas was invaded this day by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks' Army of the Gulf near the border with Mexico. Banks had also called off his failed invasion across Southwest Louisiana but there was still skirmishing with Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's divisions were left behind there. The Federals in Texas met little opposition at first but would soon meet serious opposition as they tried to move up the coast to the Houston, Galveston area. Confederate Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder rallied available Confederate regiments and the Texas State Militia.

1864: The Second Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Va. took place this day. Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. "Beast" Butler commanded two corps, the X and XVIII, in the battle. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet commanded for the Confederates but only had to use Maj. Gen. Charles W. Fields Division to easily repulse the Federal attack. Federal casualties totaled 1,603 and the Confederates lost only 100 in all categories. 

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 23.

Brigadier General Turner Ashby was born on this day in 1828 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He was a partner in a mill and also farmed. He was also active in the prewar Virginia Militia organizing a cavalry troop, Company A, 7th Va. Cav. During the war,  Ashby was one of the most popular Confederate generals and led cavalry under Stonewall Jackson and led the famous Laurel Cavalry Brigade. He was killed in action on June 6, 1862, in a rear-guard action south of Harrisonburg, Va. Ashby is buried at the Stonewall Cemetery in Winchester, Va.

Brig. Gen. Turner Ashby in his Va. Militia uniform

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Brigadier General James Monroe Goggin was born on this day in 1820 in Bedford County, Virginia. He attended West Point but did not graduate. He moved to Texas and joined by Army of the Republic of Texas with the rank of first lieutenant. Goggin was also a real estate purchasing agent in Waller County, Texas. He moved to California in 1848 where he established mail routes, then moved to Memphis, Tenn., and worked as a cotton broker. Goggin joined the Confederate Army on July 1, 1861, as a major in the 32nd Virginia Infantry. His battles and campaigns included the Peninsula Campaign, and the Battle of Fort Sanders, Ky., and commanded a brigade in the Battle of Cedar Creek, Va. He was appointed a "special" brigadier general on Dec. 4, 1864, but the appointment was soon withdrawn. He served most of the war as a staff officer and was serving in that capacity on Maj. Gen. Joseph Kershaw's staff when he was captured on April 6, 1865. Following the war, Goggin made Texas his home again and died on Oct. 10, 1889, in Austin, where he was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. James M. Goggin

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 22.

1861: The soon-to-be-famous Department of Northern Virginia (informally Army of  Northern Virginia) was constituted today with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in overall command; and district commanders Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, Potomac District; Maj. Gen. Theophilus Hunter Holmes, Aquia District; and Maj. Gen. T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Valley District.

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston

The first commander of the 

Confederate Department of Northern Virginia.

1862: There was widespread skirmishing between Federals and Confederates including Helena, Arkansas, Fort Wayne  I.T.,  London, Ky. Van Buren, Missouri, Coosawatchie, South Carolina, and Snickersville, Va.

1863: In the aftermath of a skirmish near Volney Logan County, Kentucky, the Federals were confiscating the horses of private citizens. A bluecoat soldier fatally shot one local citizen when he objected to his horse being taken.

1864: Confederate partisans attack a Federal transport on the White River in Arkansas on this day resulting in three killed and 14 wounded soldiers of the 53rd U.S. Colored Troops.

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 22.

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day In Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 21.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 21.

1861: The Battle of Ball's Bluff, Va. is another early war victory in this promising year of victories for the Confederates, including the First Battle of Manassas, Va., July 21, 1861; the Battle of Oak Hills (Wilson's Creek) Aug. 10, 1861; and the Battle of Ball/s Bluff, Va. Oct. 21, 1861. Brig. Gen. Charles Stone and Brig. Gen. Edward D. Baker (U.S. Sen. & Friend of Lincoln) was in command of about 1,720 Federals. Brig. Gen. Nathan G. Evans commanded 1,709 Confederates. The battle developed a reconnaissance and an intended raid on Leesburg, Va. They eventually ran into Gen. Evans' Confederates at 3 o'clock that afternoon which developed into a serious battle. The Southerners drove the Northerners to the rear of the bluff, with Baker being killed at about 4:30. The 17th Mississippi Infantry arrived on the scene late in the battle and staged an assault that broke the Federal line and routed the bluecoats. Many Northerners drowned while crossing the Potomac River. The Federals lost 223 killed, 226 wounded, and 553 captured. The Confederates lost 36 men killed, 117 wounded, and two captured. Baker is the only sitting U.S. Senator to ever be killed in battle. 

Col. Winfield S. Featherston

Commanded the 17th Miss. Inf. at Ball's Bluff

1863: The Battle of Opelousas took place on this day at a railroad crossing three miles south of that important strategic town in St. Landry Parish, La. in the Great Texas Overland Expedition. Confederates have about nine regiments of cavalry, two battalions of infantry, and several artillery pieces under Brig. Gen. Tom Green. Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin commanding the Army of the Gulf had an overwhelming force. The powerful Federal artillery opened on the Southerners and the arrival of infantry drove the Confederates back and the bluecoats occupied Opelousas, one of the temporary capitals of the state. Franklin held this area while awaiting further orders.

1864: Franklin-Nashville Campaign: Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee on this day raided the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad in Tennessee which supplied Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Federal army from the major supply depot at Johnsonville, Tenn.

Confederate General History, Oct. 21.

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 20.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 20.

1862: Confederate Cavalry under Col. John Hunt Morgan captured a federal supply train near Bardstown, Ky., and burned all 150 wagons.

1863: Col. George G. Dibrell's Confederate Cavalry captured a large federal supply train for Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside's command destroys it and inflicts 479 casualties on the bluecoats near Philadelphia, Tennessee.

1864: Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Confederate Army of the Valley, badly beaten by the Federals the previous day at the Battle of Cedar Creek, has a skirmish with Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's pursuing forces at Fisher's Hill and then continues its retreat.

Lt. Gen. Jubal Early

Oil on Canvas painting by John W. Lowes

(Virginia Historical Society)

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 20.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Franklin Cheatham was born on this day in 1820 in Nashville, Tennessee. He served in the 1st Tennessee Infantry as a captain and the colonel of the 3rd Tennessee during the Mexican-American War. He also served as a brigadier general in the Tennessee Militia. Cheatham was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate Army on May 9, 1861, and was promoted to major general on March 10, 1862. His battles and campaigns included Belmont, Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Franklin-Nashville, and the Carolinas. After the war, he was the superintendent of the Tennessee State Prisons, and postmaster of Nashville, and died Sept. 4, 1886, in Nashville and was buried there in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

                                        

                                             Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham

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Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell was born on this day in 1822 in Washington, D.C. He graduated from West Point in 1842 served in the Mexican-American War and was severely wounded in the Battle of Chapultepec. In 1854, he resigned from the army to serve in a filibuster campaign to Cuba. Lovell then served as the deputy street commissioner in New York City. He was appointed a major general in the Confederate Army on Oct. 7, 1861, and commanded in New Orleans, Louisiana. He also fought in the Second Battle of Corinth, Miss. Following the war he farmed near Savannah, Georgia, worked as a civil engineer in New York City died there on June 1, 1884, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell

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Brigadier General. Francis Marion Cockrell was born on this day in 1824 in Walton County, Georgia. A prewar lawyer, he practiced in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 1861, Cockrel joined the Missouri State Guard and was commissioned in the Confederate Army in the 2nd Missouri Regiment and rose to the rank of colonel. He was promoted to brigadier general July 18, 1863. His battles included Champion's Hill, Big Black River Bridge, the Siege of Vicksburg (wounded), the Atlanta Campaign, wounded in the Battle of Franklin, and defended Fort Blakely, Alabama. Following the war, Cockrell was elected to the U.S. Senate serving from 1875 to 1905, served on the Interstate Commerce Commission, and on the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications for the War Department in Washington, D.C. He died on Dec. 13, 1915, in Washington, D.C.

Brig. Gen. Francis M. Cockrell

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 19.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 19.

1862: Bragg's Heartland Campaign: The Army of Tennessee withdrew from Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap and although historians deem it a major failure, Maj. Gen. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler later pointed out the tremendous material gain. He wrote: ‘We recovered Cumberland Gap and redeemed Middle Tennessee and North Alabama. Two months of marches and battles by the armies of Bragg and Kirby Smith had cost the Federals a loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners 26,530. We had captured 35 cannons, 16,000 stands of arms, millions of rounds of ammunition, 1,700 mules, 300 wagons loaded with military stores, and 2,000 horses." In addition, Confederate War Department clerk John B. Jones noted Gen. Braxton Bragg" succeeded in getting away with the largest amount of provisions, clothing, etc., ever obtained by an army, including 8,000 beef cattle, 50,000 barrels of pork, and a million yards of Kentucky cloth."

1863:  Great Texas Overland Campaign: Brig. Gen. Tom Green's crack Confederate cavalry division in the Army of Western Louisiana continued harassing Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin divisions of the Army of the Gulf, this time with skirmishing at Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

1864: Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Army of the Valley comes close to an overwhelming victory at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Va., but the morning victory turned into an overwhelming defeat in the afternoon. The battle pitted about 14,000 Confederates against 31,600 Federals under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. Gen. Early's morning attack catches the unprepared bluecoats with coordinated frontal and flanking maneuvers. The Yankees are scattered and routed, but Early, thinking the enemy is defeated and the battle won, fails to follow up that afternoon. But the absent Sheridan comes back and gathers his men and stages a devastating counterattack that renders the battle a victory for the North. Confederate casualties were 320 killed, 1,540 wounded, and 1,050 captured or missing. The Federals lost 644 killed, 3,430 wounded, and 1,491 captured or missing. The dead include one Confederate general, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, and two Federal generals, Daniel Davidson Bidwell and Charles Russell Lowell.

Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur

Mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek

Confederate General Birthdays. Oct. 19.

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 18.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 18.

1861: Maj. Gen. David Twiggs, in poor health and over 70 years of age resigned on Oct. 11, 1861, his command of the Department of Dept. No. 1 in Louisiana and was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell on this day in 1861. Department No. 1 headquarters was in New Orleans, which was already under threat by Federal blockade runners and a build-up of Federal forces on Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico.

1862: Brig. Gen John Hunt Morgan's Confederate cavalry brigade captured Lexington, Ky. after a short firefight during which Morgan's brother, Wash Morgan, was killed by friendly fire. The Confederates proceeded to destroy Federal military supplies in Lexington. The Southron forces then left the city.

1863: Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. Tom Green continued to harass Federals under Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Army of the Gulf at Carrion Crow (Carencro) Bayou in Louisiana during the Texas Overland Expedition. 

Pvt. James Dallas Collier, Co. D,

11th Battalion  (Spaight's) Texas Volunteers

(Musician) (Find A Grave)

1864: Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee skirmished with Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Federals near Huntsville, Alabama, and then headed for Gadsen, Alabama. Hood then switched from attacking Sherman's supply lines to begin his Tennessee Campaign.

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 18.

Brigadier General Samuel Benton was born on this day in 1820 in Williamson County, Tennessee.  He was mortally wounded in the chest in the Battle of Atlanta, Ga. and died six days later, two days before his promotion to brigadier general reached him.

 Brig. Gen. Samuel Benton

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Brigadier General John Breckinridge Grayson was born on this day in 1806 in Fayette County, Kentucky. He died of pneumonia and tuberculosis on Oct. 21, 1861, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Brig. Gen. John B. Grayson

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Brigadier General Lucius Marshall Walker was born on this day in 1829 in Columbia, Tennessee. He died of wounds Sept. 7, 1863, received in a duel with Confederate Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke.

Brig. Gen. Lucius M. Walker

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Brigadier General Charles Sidney Winder was born on this day in 1829 in Talbot County, Maryland. He was mortally wounded on Aug. 9, 1862, in the Battle of Cedar Run, Va., and died later that evening.

Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 17.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 17.

1863: In the Bristoe Campaign in Virginia, the Confederates and Federals skirmished at Groveton, Manassas Junction, Frying Pan Church, and other places, following which the Army of Northern Virginia moved back into its defenses at the Rappahannock River. The campaign concludes indecisively. But before the year ends, there will be one more campaign, the Mine Run Campaign.

Gen. Robert E. Lee in 1863

(Library of Congress)

1864: After recovering from his serious wound from the Battle of the Wilderness, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, resumes command of the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia which is engaged in the fateful Petersburg Campaign.

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 17.

None.