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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Oct. 19.

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 blue coats 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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