Click 👉 Today in History (general history) May 9.
On This Day in Confederate History, May 9.
1862: The Battle of Farmington, Miss. occurs in the Siege of Corinth. Capt. W.E. Walker of the 16th Louisiana Infantry gives this account of the battle: "In the battle of Farmington, on the 9th instant, the Sixteenth Regiment Louisiana Volunteers formed the right of the Second Brigade, commanded by Major Daniel Gober, Ruggles' division. Line of battle having been formed at Farmington, it was directed to move forward beyond a field to our front, in order to occupy the woods, in possession of the enemy. Arriving near the point, a brisk fire was opened on us. Having crossed the ridge of woods referred to, the firing of the enemy upon us was resumed with such effect as to occasion temporary derangement of our line. Order having been restored, we again advanced in of battle across the adjacent fields in pursuit of the enemy, then retiring, but, unable to overtake them, we were ordered to return to the encampment at Corinth." [War of the Rebellion:, Vol. 10, Page 8] Confederate casualties were 8 killed, 189 wounded and 110 missing. Federal casualties were 16 killed, 148 wounded, and 192 missing.
1863: In the Vicksburg, Miss. campaign, Confederates skirmish with Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant's army is headed for Jackson, Miss., near Utica, Miss. at Big Sandy Creek.
Bayou Teche Campaign, 1863, in Louisiana, Confederates under Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor retreats back to Natchitoches, La. while Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks' Army of the Gulf arrives at Alexandria, La. The Federals cleared the Confederates out of the Bayou Teche region west of New Orleans, before turning east to attack the Confederate bastion at Port Hudson, which is the southern anchor of Vicksburg and Confederate control of that portion of the Mississippi River.
1864: At the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Va., a Confederate sharpshooter picks off a Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick just as he derided some of his men who were dodging Confederate fire. He was the highest-ranking general killed in Grant's Overland Campaign. Meanwhile, General Robert E. Lee's men continued entrenching.
In the Atlanta Campaign, Confederates of the Army of Tennessee under General Joseph Johnston repulsed repeated attacks on their line at Dug Gap, Georgia. The Federals were under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. Also, the Federals attacked Snake Creek with some success but failed to cut off Johnston's line of retreat.
In the Red River Campaign, Maj. Gen. Camille Polignac's Texas and Louisiana Infantry Division was poised at Lecompte, La. while Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks' much larger army is bottled up at Alexandria, La. Federal engineers were building a dam to save the Federal navy which was stranded by the low level of the water in the river.
Confederate General Birthdays, May 9.
Brigadier General William George Mackey Davis was born on this day in 1812 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Prior to the war, Davis was a lawyer and speculator in cotton in Apalachicola, Fla. During the War for Southern Independence, Davis raised the 1st Florida Cavalry and elected its colonel. He was promoted to brigadier general on Nov. 6, 1862, and was a brigade command and then department commander in East Tennessee. He resigned on May 6, 1863, and moved to Richmond, Va. He also ran a fleet of blockade runners out of Wilmington, N.C. Following the war he moved to Jacksonville, Fla., and then to Washington, D.C. where he practiced law. David died on March 11, 1898, in Alexandria, Va., and was buried in Tacket-Burroughs-Davis Cemetery in Remington, Va.
Brigadier General William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones was born on this day in 1824 in Washington County, Virginia. Jones graduated from West Point in 1848 and ranked 12th in his class of 48 cadets. His antebellum service in the army was with the cavalry on the western frontier fighting Indians. Jones resigned in 1857 and went into business. During the War for Southern Independence, Jones joined the 1st Virginia Cavalry as a company commander. While he was a skilled and courageous leader of cavalrymen, he and his commander, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart developed a strong dislike of one another. Nevertheless, his ability as a cavalry commander earned him a promotion to colonel, of the 7th Virginia Cavalry. He was then promoted to brigadier general commanding brigades. His battles included the First Battle of Manassas, Stuart's Raid around the Federal Army in 1862, the Second Battle of Manassas, Brandy Station, the Gettysburg Campaign, and Culpepper Court House. He also led many successful raids. Jones was killed in action on June 5, 1864, while leading a charge against the enemy at the Battle of Piedmont, Va.
Brigadier General William Feimster Tucker was born on this day in 1827 in Iredell County, North Carolina. He moved to Houston, Miss. in 1848 where he became a lawyer. He began the War for Southern Independence he became a captain in the 11th Miss. Inf. and was in the First Battle of Manassas. In May 1862, Tucker became the colonel of the 41st Miss. Inf. and led it at the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. Promoted to brigadier general on March 1, 1864, he was severely wounded in the Battle of Resaca. He finished the war as commander of the District of Southern Mississippi and East Louisiana. Following the war, Tucker practiced law in Chickasaw Co., Miss., and was elected to the Miss. House of Representatives. Tucker was assassinated on Sept. 14, 1884, and was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Okolona, Miss.
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