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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 31.

1862: In the Siege of Island No. 10 in the Mississippi River, 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. Has 

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

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 breakthrough after a sharp skirmish and enter Natchitoches at 5 o'clock.

1865: Petersburg Campaign: Confederates despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, 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 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.

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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 for the main Federal force under Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson destroys 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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, 29.

1862: Shiloh Campaign: Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston assembles reinforcements at Corinth, Mississippi to attack the Federal Army under Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, about 20 miles north, before he could join forces with another Federal Army under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell. General P.G.T. Beauregard, second in command to Johnston, called upon governors in the Southern states in the Mississippi River Valley to send reinforcements.

1864: Red River Campaign: Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor orders the burning of cotton ten miles above the approaching Federal Army along the Red River. A major goal of the Red River Campaign by the Federals is to steal as much cotton as possible. The cotton stealing turns out to be a major distraction for the Federals.

1865: Siege of Petersburg: Confederate General Robert E. Lee prepares to counter the new Federal offensive to turn the Confederate right flank in the Siege of Petersburg, Va. Sherman's forces have united with Grant's before Petersburg, giving them an overwhelming advantage. This is considered the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign. 

Confederate General Birthdays, March 29.

Major General Robert Emmett Rodes was born on this day in 1829 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was an 1848 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and taught there until 1851.  He then became a railroad engineer. In the War for Southern Independence, Rodes was the colonel of the 5th Alabama Infantry, then became a brigadier general in October 1861, and a major general effective May 2, 1863. His battles were First Manassas, Seven Pines, South Mountain, Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Third Winchester. Rodes was killed in action on September 19, 1864, at the Third Battle of Winchester, Va. (aka Opequon) when he was struck in the back of the head by a shell fragment. He was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va.

Brig. Gen. Robert E. Rodes

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 28.

1862: The major fighting in the Battle of Glorieta Pass, N.M. occurs on the third day of the battle. In the morning, the Confederates and the Federals both decide to launch attacks. Federal Lt Col. J.P. Slough splits his forces and detaches Maj. Chivington's command is to make a flank attack while he is attacking the rebels from the front. Lt. Col. W.R. Scurry decides to attack the Federals in a frontal assault, but a small part of his command is detached to guard the supply place at Johnson's Ranch with one artillery piece. He is expecting reinforcements under Col. Tom Green. The two armies clash along the Glorietta River near Pigeon's Ranch and the Federals attack first. Scurry counterattacked and outflanked the Federals, but Texan Maj. John Shropshire is killed in the action and Texan Maj. Henry Raguet is mortally wounded. By the end of the day, Slough retreats to Kozloski's Ranch with the Confederate winning that phase of the battle. However, Maj. Chivington doesn't flank the Confederates as ordered but attacks the small detachment at Johnson's Ranch and quickly overwhelms it, looting and destroying or capturing the vital Confederate supplies and livestock, including the artillery piece and some of the men. That phase is won by the Federals. The Confederates lost 222 men killed, wounded, and captured or missing. The Federal casualty total is 147.

1864: Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor on this day in the Red River Campaign gets positive word that Banks' Federal juggernaut has reached Cotile Landing just south of Natchitoches. Hoping to defend Natchitoches, but still waiting for Brig. Gen. Tom Green's Texas Cavalry Division, Taylor reluctantly orders his command to retreat to Pleasant Hill in Northwest Louisiana. The men, especially the Louisianians are anxious to stop the looting and burning of their state. Federal Brig. Gen. Albert Lee's cavalry is in the lead, followed by Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith's detachment from Vicksburg, and the elements of the 19th Army Corps and other units. The Federal flotilla brings added punch to the Northern offensive.

1865: Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in Alabama scrambles to set up an effective defense against Wilson's Raiders which are headed for the major Confederate base at Selma. But the Federal cavalry is moving fast and Forrest has few men with little hope of stopping them. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 28.

Lieutenant General Wade Hampton III was born this day in 1818 in Charleston, South Carolina. A wealthy prewar planter and politician in South Carolina, Hampton was a citizen soldier who rose to the second-highest rank of generals in the War For Southern Independence. He organized Hampton's Legion early in the war, took part in the First Battle of Manassas, and is wounded, and fought in most of the major campaigns and battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, rising to the level of lieutenant general and commanding the cavalry of the army. He finished the war with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee in North Carolina in 1865. In the post-war years, he was a major political figure in South Carolina fighting Reconstruction and serving as governor of the state. He died April 11, 1902, and is buried in Trinity Cathedral Churchyard, Charleston, in S.C.

Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton III

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Brigadier General Thomas Taylor Munford was born on this day in 1831 in Richmond, Virginia. He was an 1852 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and in the War for Southern Independence rose to the rank of brigadier general. His battles were First Manassas, Cross  Keys, White Oak Swamp, Second Manassas, Mile Hill, South Mountain, Gettysburg, Bristoe, Wapping Heights, Five Forks, High Bridge, and Sayler's Creek. Following the war, he worked as a cotton planter in Alabama and served as president of the Virginia Military Institute Board of  Visitors. He died Feb. 27, 1918, in Uniontown, Alabama and was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va.

Brig. Gen. Thomas T. Munford

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 27.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 27.

1862: The Battle of Glorieta Pass, N.M. enters its second day. The battle occurs between mainly the Federal 1st and 2nd Colorado Infantry, 2nd New Mexico Infantry, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Texas Cavalry regiments under the command of Col. John P. Slough and Maj. John M. Chivington, with two artillery batteries. The Confederates had on hand Lt. Col. Charles L. Pyron's 2nd Texas Mounted infantry and five companies of the 5th Texas Mounted Rifles under Maj. John S. Shropshire. He was joined that afternoon by Lt. Col. William Read Scurry's nine companies of the 4th Texas Mounted Rifles under Maj. Henry Raguet and five companies of the 7th Texas Mounted Rifles under Maj. Powhatan Jordan, all from Sibley's Texas Brigade. The Confederates also had a total of five artillery pieces. No fighting occurs on this day.

Lt. Col. Charles L. Pyron

2nd Bn.Texas Mounted Rifles

(Find-A-Grave)

Maj. John Shropshire, 5th Texas Mounted Rifles

Killed in Action

(Find-A-Grave)

Maj. Henry Raguet

4th Texas Cavalry (Mounted Rifles)

Mortally Wounded

(Lawrence T. Jones II Texas Photographs, 

DeGloyer Library, Central University Libraries, 

Southern Methodist University)

1864: Red River Campaign: Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor with Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton's fine infantry division at Cloutierville, La., is still anxiously awaiting the arrival of Brig. Gen. Tom Green's Texas cavalry division which is 20 miles south of Natchitoches. The Federal juggernaut is reported approaching Monett's Ferry. It is Easter Sunday.

1865: Siege of Petersburg: After the failure of the Confederate assault on Fort Stedman, the Siege of Petersburg, Va. enters its final phase of maneuvering. The Federals under General Grant have 114,335 men, and General Lee has 56,000 men of all arms.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 27.

NONE

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 26.

1862: The first day of the Battle of Glorieta Pass begins in New Mexico when Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley's Texas Cavalry Brigade with 1,100 gray-clad troopers clashes with Federal forces numbering 1,300 bluecoats under Col. John Potts Slough. The day sees a skirmish at Apache Canyon between the Northern and Southern forces as the Confederates pushed the Federals back to Glorieta Pass.

The Battle of Glorieta Pass, Roy Andersen

(National Park Service)

1864: Red River Campaign: Brig. Gen. A.L. Lee's Federal cavalry arrived at Henderson Hill as it hunts for the main Confederate Army under Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor in western Louisiana. Brigadier General Tom Green's crack Texas cavalry is still pushing across the Sabine River to join forces with Taylor for the coming clash between the Blue and the Gray.

Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor

1865: Spanish Fort defense complex at Mobile, Alabama under Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson of Louisiana with just 2,500 men in Fort Huger, Fort Tracey, Fort McDermott, Fort Alexis, Red Fort, and Old Spanish Forts get ready for the arrival of Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby's massive army of 30,000 men. Though vastly outnumbered, the Confederates are determined to hold out as long as they can.

Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 26.

None.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 25.

1863: Confederates make it difficult for Federals to extricate their remaining boats and troops at the conclusion of the Steele's Bayou Expedition near Vicksburg, Miss. Confederates had slipped around Porter's flotilla and felled some trees in the rear, possibly cutting the flotilla off from the troops. Porter sent Sherman an appeal for help and he receives it. Reinforcements rush to the scene so Porter's flotilla can safely retreat.

1864: The Battle of Paducah, Kentucky takes place between Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest with 3,000 troopers, and the Federal garrison there under the command of Col. Stephen G. Hicks, 650 men in Fort Anderson. The fort was also supported by two Federal gunboats on the Ohio River. Forrest occupied the town and demanded Hicks surrender his command, but the Federal commander refused. Forrest decided it would be too costly to assault the fort so he decided instead to take all the supplies and livestock he could and leave. But some of the Kentuckians in his command assaulted the fort on their own unsuccessfully. The Confederates suffered 90 casualties and the Federals 50.

1865: Confederates launch an attack on Fort Stedman at Petersburg. Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordon leads 10,000 Southern troops in a desperate attempt to break the siege. Defending the fort are some 14,898 Federals under Maj. Gen. John G. Parke. The Confederates attacked early achieved surprise and occupied part of the fort. But when Federal reinforcements arrive, Gordon, with permission from General Robert E. Lee who was on the scene watching, withdraws the Southerners. Confederate casualties were 72 killed, 450 wounded, and 522 captured or missing. The Federals lost 600 killed, 2,400 wounded, and 1,000 captured or missing.

Col. Eugene Waggaman led the 

Consolidated Louisiana Brigade as

the tip of the spear, spearheading the

Confederate attack for Gen. Clement A. Evans' 

Division  in the Battle of Fort Stedman

.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 25.

Major General William Thompson Martin was born on this day in 1823 in Glasgow, Kentucky. Prior to the war, he was a district attorney who opposed secession in Mississippi. During the war, he raised cavalry troops and served as a colonel under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. He was promoted to brigadier general in January 1863. His battles included Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Stuart's Ride Around McClellan's Army, the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Dumfries, and Occoquan. He was promoted to major general and transferred to the Army of Tennessee in 1863 and commanded a division under Maj. Gen. Fighting Joe Wheeler. He took part in the Tullahoma Campaign, Chickamauga, Knoxville, and Atlanta, and then commanded the Northwest District of Mississippi. Following the war, he practiced in Mississippi and died March 16, 1910, in Natchez, Miss., and was buried in Natchez City Cemetery.

Maj. Gen. William T. Martin

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Brigadier General Martin Witherspoon Gary was born on this day in 1831 in Cokesbury, South Carolina. Prior to the war, he practiced law at Edgefield, S.C., was elected to the state legislature in 1860, and supported secession. During the war, he started in 1861 as a captain in Hampton's Legion infantry and fought in the First Battle of Manassas. He rose to the command of a regiment and fought in various battles in Virginia before being transferred in 1863 to the Army of Tennessee. He was promoted to brigadier general and was transferred back to the Army of Northern Virginia and commanded a cavalry brigade. Gary refused to surrender at Appomattox and escorted President Davis with 200 cavalrymen to Greensboro, N.C., and left the army at that time. After the war, he practiced law in Edgefield, S.C. again and fought against Radical Republicans in his state. After Reconstruction, he was elected to the state senate until 1881 and moved to Cokesbury, S.C., and died there on April 9, 1881.

Brig. Gen. Martin W. Gary

👋

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 24.

1863: Confederate forces foil General Grant's efforts to bypass Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant ordered Sherman to cease Steele's Bayou Expedition on this day. This was a Confederate victory in the Vicksburg Campaign.

1864: Red River Campaign: In Louisiana, while Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor is still waiting for reinforcements from Texas and Arkansas, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks arrives in Alexandria and orders his still-gathering forces to begin their advance on Shreveport, the Confederate headquarters for the Trans-Mississippi Dept. Banks, however, is faced with the low water level of the Red River and orders to return Major Gen. A.J. Smith's 10,000 troops borrowed from Vicksburg, by April 15.

Col. Henry Gray

He commanded Mouton's Brigade in

the Red River Campaign. He was promoted to

brigadier general before the end of the war.

(Library of Congress)

1865: General Robert E. Lee plans to cut the Federal supply line and force Grant to constrict the Yankee siege line by launching an offensive at Fort Stedman, Petersburg, Va. The desperate assault will be launched by Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordon the next day.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 24.

Brig. Gen. William Henry Wallace was born on this day in 1827 in Laurens District, South Carolina. He was a pre-war planter, newspaperman, and politician who supported secession. During the war, he rose from private in the 18th South Carolina Infantry, to lieutenant, captain, lieutenant colonel, and then to brigadier general in 1864. His battles included the Second Battle of Manassas, Sharpsburg, the defense of Charleston, S.C., and the Siege of Petersburg, Va. He was disabled by the mine explosion there on July 30, 1864, called the Battle of the Crater. He finished the war with General Lee at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Following the war, Wallace practiced law in South Carolina and returned to farming, and again served in the state legislature and as a circuit judge. He died March 21, 1901, at Union, S.C., and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. William H. Wallace

Today in History (general History)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 23.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 23.

1862: Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Army of the Valley, numbering about 4,200 men, battles a federal division under the command of Col. Nathan Kimball, some 9,000 men, at the First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia. The division's leader, Brig. Gen. James Shields had been wounded the day before in a skirmish. After fighting from 11 o'clock in the morning to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the Confederates were overwhelmed and retreated. The battle was a tactical defeat, but it was a strategic victory for the Confederates because it caused the Federals to reinforce the Shenandoah Valley and drew units away from the planned campaign against Richmond, Virginia. Losses for the Confederates were 80 killed, 375 wounded, and 263 captured or missing. The Federals lost 118 killed, 450 wounded, and 22 captured or missing.

Maj. Gen T.H. "Stonewall" Jackson

1863: Confederate batteries at Warrenton, Mississippi five miles south of Vicksburg, engage in an artillery duel with the U.S.S. Hartford and the U.S.S. Albatross. The two warships had been the only two to successfully run the big guns at Port Hudson, La. March 14, 1863. The First Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment was manning the big guns there and the 28th (Thomas) Louisiana Infantry Regiment was providing the infantry support. The Yankee boats failed at knocking out the guns.

Pvt. Thomas Booker, Co. B., 28th

Louisiana Infantry. 

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 23.

Brigadier General Edward Lloyd Thomas was born on this day in 1825 in Clarke County, Georgia. Thomas received some military experience in the Mexican American War when he served as a second lieutenant in a mounted company Georgia Independent Volunteers from May 1847 to August 1848. During the war for Southern Independence, Thomas became the colonel of the 35th Georgia Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia. When his brigade commander resigned, Thomas assumed command of the brigade. He was promoted to brigadier general on Nov. 1, 1862. His battles included the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign. Following the war, Thomas farmed in Newton County, Georgia, and in 1885 President Grover Cleveland made him an agent in the Land Bureau in Kansas, then an Indian Agent in the Indian Territory, which became Oklahoma. Thomas died March 8, 1898, in South McAlester, Indian Territory. He was buried in Kiowa, Oklahoma.

Brig. Gen. Edward L. Thomas

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 22.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 22.

1862: Gen. Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign received orders from Gen. Joseph E. Johnston that he was to not let Gen. Nathaniel Banks' Federals leave the valley. Jackson's army marches 22 miles on this day to catch the retreating Yankees. Jackson's cavalry, under Col. Turner Ashby, fights a skirmish with the Federals under Maj. Gen. James Shields, who is wounded in the engagement.

Lt. Gen. T.J. "Stonewall Jackson

(Click on the image to enlarge)

1863: More fighting continues in the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tenn. between the blue and the gray. In Kentucky, Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan and Brig. Gen. John Pegram both continue their raids in Kentucky. 

1865: Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been dispatched to stop the Federal cavalry raid of Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, which began on this day with 13,480 troopers. But the Confederates only had some 5,000 men poorly equipped and widely scattered to stop them.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 22.

General Braxton Bragg was born on this day in 1817 in Warrenton, North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1837 ranking fifth out of 50 graduates in the class. In his U.S. Army career, he served in the Seminole War and the Mexican War where he performed brilliantly commanding an artillery battery. Bragg resigned from the army effective Jan. 3, 1855, and became a sugar cane planter in southeast Louisiana. He was also active politically and a major general in the Louisiana militia. On orders from the governor, he led 500 state militia in a non-violent takeover of the U.S. Arsenal in Baton Rouge on Jan. 11, 1861. With the formation of the Confederacy, he became a brigadier general in the Confederate and was quickly promoted to major general and led a corps in the Battle of Shiloh. He took command of what would be renamed the Army of Tennessee. His abrasive personality and martinet treatment of the men alienated many of his subordinate generals and enlisted men. He led the army in the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge, after which he resigned his command. At the end of the war, he again led troops in defeats at Second Fort Fisher, Wyse Fork, and Bentonville. He had a wide range of jobs after the war and finally moved to Texas and died there in Galveston on Sept. 27, 1876, and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

Gen. Braxton Bragg

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Major General William Henry Chase Whiting was born on this day in Biloxi, Mississippi. He graduated first in his class at West Point in 1845. He had a variety of assignments as an engineer in the army but missed service in the Mexican-American War. Whiting resigned from the U.S. Army on Feb. 20, 1861, joined the Confederate Army engineer serving under General Beauregard at Charleston, S.C. improving defenses there, and was promoted to brigadier general. He also served as the chief engineer on the staffs of other generals and was assigned to command a division in the Peninsula Campaign and was made a wing commander at Seven Pines on May 31, June 1, 1862. Whiting led his division at Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, and was given command of the District of Wilmington, North Carolina. Whiting was wounded in the thigh and captured at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C. He died a prisoner of war on March 10, 1865, of dysentery at Fort Columbus on Governors Island, New York. 

Maj. Gen. William H.C. Whiting

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Brigadier General William Wirt Adams was born on this day in 1819 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Prior to the war, he gained a little military experience when he joined the army in 1839 in the Republic of Texas as a private. He was promoted captain and adjutant of a regiment and took part in a campaign against Indians in northeast Texas. Adams moved back to Mississippi and became a banker and was elected to two terms in the Mississippi legislature. In the War For Southern Independence, he became a brigadier general and led a cavalry brigade. His battles included Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, Hatchie's Bridge, Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and Meridian. He was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama, on May 12, 1865. Following the war, he had a variety of jobs in Mississippi, including as a revenue agent, and postmaster. He was killed May 1, 1888, in Jackson, Miss. in a gun battle with a newspaper editor who had criticized him, and he also killed the editor. Adams was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.

Brig. Gen. William W. Adams

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Brigadier General Francis Asbury Shoup was born on this day in 1834 in Laurel, Indiana. He graduated from West Point in 1855, fifteenth in his class of 34 cadets. He served in the Seminole War and resigned from the army on Jan. 10, 1860, and settled in Indianapolis, Ind. where he was a lawyer and commanded the Indianapolis Zouave militia. He moved to St, Augustine, Florida in 1860 to continue his legal career. With the coming of the war, his Southern sympathies led him into the Confederate Army and he served as chief of artillery under Maj. Gen. William J. Hardee at the Battle of Shiloh. Shoup was promoted to brigadier general on Sept. 12, 1862, and he commanded a division at the Battle of Prairie Grove. Shoup commanded a Louisiana brigade at the Siege of Vicksburg, being captured along with the garrison at the end. After being exchanged, he served in the Battle of Atlanta and became the chief of staff for General John Bell Hood in the Army of Tennessee. Following the war, Shoup was a professor at the University of Mississippi and the University of the South. Shoup also became an Episcopal rector. He died Sept. 4, 1896, in Columbia, Tenn., and was buried at the University of the South.

Brig. Gen. Francis A. Shoup

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 21.

1864:   The Battle of Henderson Hill, Louisiana occurred on this day during the Red River Campaign when part of the 2nd Louisiana Cavalry and Edgar's Battery, 1st Texas Light Artillery were surprised and captured by the 35th Iowa Infantry and 33rd Missouri Infantry upriver from Alexandria, Louisiana. The Federals made their approach during wretched weather with rain and hail helping mask their approach, after dark, guided by deserters and jayhawkers. The two Federal regiments pushed forward toward the camp of the 2nd Louisiana Cavalry, commanded by Colonel William Vincent. At about 10:30 p.m., the guards at eight Confederate picket posts were surprised and captured without a shot being fired. Then at about midnight, the bluecoats found the main Confederate camp, and the 35th Iowa surrounded and captured some of the Southerners in a house and a section of Edgar's Battery before their presence had been discovered. The Confederate guns were ready with horses hitched and two of the pieces loaded with canisters, but obviously, the men were not ready. The two Federal regiments then fixed bayonets and moved in on the rest of the camp, captured another section of the artillery, and then the cavalrymen, some of whom were mounting their horses. Only a few shots were fired in resistance. While Colonel Vincent escaped, 16 officers and 206 men were captured, along with horses, cavalry equipment, and artillery pieces, and the encampment was completely destroyed. Confederate General Richard Taylor lost most of the available cavalry he had at that time.

1st Lt. William B. Champlin, Co.D & F, 2nd La. Cav. 

He was captured on Nov. 30, 1863, near the Salt

Works near New Iberia, La., and exchanged Dec.

31, 1863. (Printerest, quarter plate ambrotype)

A Confederate cavalryman,

as indicated by the "C" for

 cavalry buttons on his shell jacket.

(CDV, M.D. Jones Collection)

1865: On the last day of the Battle of Bentonville, N.C., there is heavy fighting on the Confederate left at the Mill Creek bridge, which was on the Confederate line of retreat. General Joseph Johnston's forces are able to halt the Federal advance. On the first day of the battle, March 19, 1865, the Confederates made several unsuccessful attacks on the Federal, and they dug in and went on the defensive. On the second day of fighting both combatants engaged in skirmishing. Johnston successfully withdrew his army on the night of March 21. The battle cost the Confederates 239 killed, 1,694 wounded, and 673 missing. Federal losses were 194 killed, 1,112 wounded, and 221 missing. Sherman continued toward Petersburg, Va.

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 21.

NONE.

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

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 20.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 20.

1862: In the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson and his army advance from Strasburg, Va. as the Federal forces retreat. Some light skirmishing occurs.

1863: The Battle of Vaught's Hill, Tenn. occurs between Brig. Gen. John Hunt's Morgan's Confederate Cavalry Division, numbering 3,500 men, and Colonel Albert S. Hall's Federal brigade of 1,300. Hall managed to repel Morgan's attacks and bombardment. Morgan retires after receiving word those enemy reinforcements are on the way from Murfreesboro. The Confederates lost 373 men while the Federals lost 62.

1864: In the Red River Campaign, Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor dispatched Col. William G. Vincent's 2nd Louisiana Cavalry and Edgar's Texas Battery to Bayou Rapides, 20 miles from occupied Alexandria, La., and they began skirmishing with Federals sent out by Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith's forces were there to find the Confederates.

Confederate cavalryman

Painting by William L. Sheppard

1865: Carolinas Campaign: Confederate forces of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, 21,900 men, at Bentonville, North Carolina face Federals in Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum's corps, whose advance was halted the previous day. As the Federals received reinforcements from Sherman's main army, only light skirmishing occurred on this day.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 20.

Maj. Gen. George Bibb Crittenden was born this day in 1812 in Russellville, Kentucky. He was an 1832 graduate of West Point and fought in the Black Hawk War of that year as a second lieutenant. He resigned in 1833, became a lawyer, and in 1842 moved to the Republic of Texas and joined the army there. Crittenden took part in the Mier Expedition in 1843 to Mexico and was captured but exchanged. He also took part in the Mexican-American War in 1846 with the U.S. Army and was promoted to major for gallantry at the battles of Churubusco and Contreras. In the war for Southern Independence, Crittenden became a colonel in the Confederate Army on March 16, 1861, and was promoted to brigadier general on Aug. 15, 1861, and to major general on Nov. 9, 1861. His only battle was the Battle of Mill Springs on Jan. 19, 1862, and defeated. Crittenden resigned as a general when faced with a charge of drunkenness and reverted to colonel and served various posts for the rest of the war. Following the war, Crittenden was the state librarian in Kentucky from 1867 to 1871. He died Nov. 27, 1880, and was buried in the State Cemetery in Frankfort, Ky.

Maj. Gen. George B. Crittenden

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Brig. Gen. William Nelson Rector Beall was born on this day in 1825 in Bardstown, Kentucky. He graduated 30th in his West Point Class of 1848 participated in various Indian wars and achieved the rank of captain. He resigned in 1861 and joined the Confederate Army. Beall was appointed a brigadier general on April 11,1862 and commanded a brigade at the Siege of Port Hudson, La. in 1863. He surrendered with the Port Hudson garrison on July 9, 1863. In 1864 Beall was appointed by the Confederate government, with Federal approval, to be an agent selling cotton in New York City to supply Confederate P.O.W.s with uniforms and supplies. The Federals suspended his parole and incarcerated him at Fort Warren in New York Harbor. He wasn't released until August 2, 1865. In the post-war period, Beall lived in St. Louis, Mo., and worked as a general commission merchant. He died July 25, 1883, in McMinnville, Tenn., and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tenn.

Brig. Gen. William. R.B. Beall

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Brig. Gen. John Echols was born on this day in 1823 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He spent one year, 1841-42, at the Virginia Military Institute but resigned and later attended Washington College and Harvard College and became a lawyer and Virginia politician. In 1861, he first joined the Virginia state forces as a lieutenant colonel and then a colonel of the 27th Virginia Infantry. Echols fought at the First Battle of Manassas, and the First Battle of Kernstown, where he was severely wounded and promoted to brigadier general on April 16, 1862. His other battles included the Battle of Droop Mountain, the Battle of New Market, and the Siege of Petersburg. After Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Echols led two brigades south to join Johnston's Army of Tennessee and subsequently accompanied President Jefferson Davis to Augusta, Ga. Following the war Echols practiced law in Staunton, Va., was reelected to the Virginia House of Delegates and served as president of the Staunton National Valley Bank. Late in life he moved to Kentucky where he died May 24, 1896, and was buried in Staunton in Thornrose Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. John Echols

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

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 19.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 19.

1863: Confederate Brigadier General [John S.] Bowen reported that morning the sloop-of-war U.S.S. Hartford, with Adm. David G. Farragut on board, and the gunboat U.S.S. Albatross engaged the batteries at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The two warships were the only two that successfully passed the big guns of Port Hudson, La. on March 14 and they were on their way to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Bowen wrote, "Colonel [William] Wade, commanding the Parrott battery, reserved his fire, as directed until the vessels were nearly opposite his guns. The Hartford kept between the shore and the gunboat. As soon as he opened, the latter made the best possible time around the point, and all the fire was directed against the sloop of war. The firing was accurate, and almost every shot struck the mark, but with what effect could not be perceived. They answered with heavy guns but harmed nothing except a battery flagstaff."

1864: Red River Campaign: While the Confederates continue to concentrate 50 miles from Natchitoches, La., the Federals do the same at Alexandria. On this day the Federal cavalry under Brig. Gen. Albert L. Lee arrived. neither Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, commander of the Army of the Gulf, nor Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith has yet to arrive at Alexandria, which continues to delay the campaign and give the Confederates time to concentrate.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 19.

Brigadier General Johnson Kelly Duncan was born on this day in 1827 in York, Pennsylvania. He graduated from West Point in 1849 ranking 5th in his class of 43 cadets. Duncan was breveted a second lieutenant and assigned to the 2nd U.S. Artillery. He was soon promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to the 3rd U.S. Artillery. After seeing some action in the Seminole War in Florida, he served at various posts around the country. Duncan was promoted to 1st Lt. in 1853 and resigned in 1855. In private life, he moved to New Orleans where he became Superintendent of Construction and Repairs and worked closely with Maj. P.G.T. Beauregard of the Army Corps of Engineers on the U.S. Customs House and area forts. Before the war, he served as a captain in the Louisiana State Militia on Gov. T.O. Moore's staff. After Louisiana's secession, he delivered the governor's demand for surrender to the U.S. Arsenal in Baton Rouge. Duncan sided with the South in the war and was made the lieutenant colonel of the 1st Louisiana Regular Artillery Regiment (Regulars), was promoted to colonel in the Confederate Army (regulars) and then to brigadier general on January 7, 1862. Duncan commanded Forts Jackson and St. Philip south of New Orleans on the Mississippi River and other fortifications in the district. He was taken captive on April 28, 1862, and when exchanged, became chief of staff for Gen. Braxton Bragg. Johnson died of malaria on Dec. 18, 1862, at Knoxville, Tenn., and was buried at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tenn.

Brig. Gen. Johnson K. Duncan

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 18.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 18.

1861: The Arkansas secession convention voted 39-35 against seceding from the Union. The Arkansas convention was led by unionists and held a unionist majority from the beginning. It does provide for a vote of the people on the issue later in the summer.

1862: President Jefferson Davis moved Judah Benjamin from his Secretary of War position to Secretary of State. Benjamin was much more able in his new cabinet post.

1863: Major General Franklin Gardner at Port Hudson, La. has his Confederates gather an enormous number of supplies and equipment from the retreating Northern Army of the Gulf. The riches are reportedly 15 wagon loads of supplies and livestock as well. The below picture of Pvt. Louis Cormier depicts the typical Confederate uniform issued to troops at Port Hudson and Vicksburg in 1863. A group picture of the Port Hudson shows most of those soldiers in the picture are wearing this type of uniform.

Pvt. Louis Cormier, Boone's La. Battery Light Artillery

Port Hudson Confederate garrison.

(Port Hudson State Historic Site)

1864: Major General Richard Taylor on this day in the Red River Campaign keeps his Army of Western Louisiana stationary at a position 50 miles from Natchitoches while waiting for reinforcements. He especially needs cavalry to keep an eye on Federal forces which were gathering forces and supplies at Alexandria, Louisiana in the central part of the state.

1865: The Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Joseph E. Johnston at Bentonville, North Carolina gets ready to try to block Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman's Federal juggernaut of 60,000 bummers who have been burning and looting their way across the Carolinas. Johnston has only about 21,000 Southern soldiers.

At Mobile, Alabama: Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Dabney Maury with just 6,000 men, prepares for an attack by a Federal Army under Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby with 45,000 men. Major fortifications around the city include Fort Blakely under Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell and Spanish Fort under Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 18.

Brigadier General William Robertson Boggs was born on this day in 1829 in Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from West Point in 1853 and ranked fourth in his class of 47 cadets. He got a choice assignment as a brevet second lieutenant in the Topographical Bureau. Despite his promising career, he only reached the rank of first lieutenant by 1861. He resigned from the U.S. Army when Georgia seceded and became a staff officer for General Braxton Bragg. Boggs was appointed Chief Engineer for Georgia in 1862, and in 1863 was promoted to brigadier general and became chief of staff for General E. Kirby Smith in the Trans-Mississippi Department. He resigned as chief of staff after quarreling with Smith and was temporarily commander of the District of Louisiana. He was awaiting orders in Houston when the war ended and he was paroled on June 9, 1865. Following the war, he was a railroad construction engineer, and a professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and died in Winston-Salem, N.C. Sept. 11, 1911, and was buried in Salem Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. William R. Boggs

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

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 17. 

Among the most famous Texas heroes of the 19th Century was Lt./Maj. Richard W. Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard, officially known as Company F, 1st Texas Heavy Artillery, Confederate States of America. They fought in the Battle of Galveston, Texas and against the the blockaders of the Texas coast and at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass. Being  an native of Ireland, Dowling was also and active Fenian who believed in independence for Ireland and was the Fenian commander in Texas after the war and raised money for the Fenian cause. This is the story of Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard. Click below for more information. 

Click

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         Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 17.

1863: At the Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia, 800 Confederate cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee engaged with 2,1000 Federal cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell. When the Federals try to cross Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock River but 60 Confederate sharpshooters drive them back. The 1st R.I. Cavalry eventually force the crossing Gen. Fitzhugh Lee then leads his 800 gray cavalrymen against the Federals. But, outnumbered more than two to one, the Confederates had to withdraw to a Woodline. Averell then decides to withdraw his force back across the river. The Federals lost 6 killed, 50 wounded, and 22 missing. The Confederates suffered 11 dead, 88 wounded and 34 captured. 

1864: Red River Campaign: Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton's brigade marched 20 miles on this day in Northwest Louisiana. The Confederates settle in 50 miles from Natchitoches and wait for the arrival of Vincent's Louisiana Cavalry, and Walker's Texas Infantry Division. Many of Vincent's men are recent conscripts. Also coming is Brig. General Camille Polignac's Texas Infantry Brigade to form a powerful new infantry division with Mouton's brigade, which Mouton will command. Brig. Gen. Thomas Green's Texas Cavalry is coming from Texas to help defeat the Federal advance up the Red River.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 17.

Brig. Gen. Sterling Alexander Martin Wood is born on this day in 1823 in Florence, Alabama. He was a pre-war lawyer, state legislator, and newspaper editor. He was elected on May 18, 1861, colonel of the 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Wood was promoted to brigadier general on Jan. 7, 1862, and commanded a brigade at the battles of Shiloh (wounded), Perryville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma, and Chickamauga. Wood resigned from his commission on October 17, 1863, and resumed his law practice. Following the war, he received a pardon on November 1865. He was elected to the Alabama legislature. He died on Jan. 26, 1891, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. S.A.M. Wood

Brig. Gen. S.A.M Wood and staff, from l-r,

seated, Lt. Henry Class Wood, aide-de-camp, and Gen.

Wood; standing, Surgeon Major William Cordwell Cross, Rev. Alexander Lockett

Hamilton, and possibly asst. Q.M. Martin Walt. 

                                       (Ala. Photographs & Pictures Collection, Ala. Dept. of Archives and History.)