Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 3.

Click 👉 Today in History (general history) Nov. 3.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY 

1863: The Battle of Bayou Bourbeau, La. was a major victory for the Confederates in the North's Great Texas Overland Campaign on this day, Nov. 3. In the battle, Brig. Gen. Tom Green commanded a combined infantry, cavalry assault on the Federal Army of the Gulf's rear guard west of Opelousas. The Confederate forces were made up of Col. Orin Milo Roberts's Texas Infantry Brigade (the 11th, 15th, and 18th Texas infantry); Col. A.P. Bagby's Texas Cavalry Brigade (the 7th, 13th, 4th, and 15th Texas cavalry); Brig. Gen. J.P. Majors Texas Cavalry Brigade (1 Tex. P.R., 3rd & 6th Texas cavalry); and Valverde, Daniel's batteries of artillery. Federal Brig. Gen. Stephen Burbridge had the 67th Indiana, 23rd Wisconsin, 83rd Ohio, and 118th Illinois infantry regiments, the 6th Missouri Cavalry, and Nims and 17th Ohio batteries. In spite of all the skirmishing of the previous day, the Federals were caught by surprise with Roberts' infantry on the Confederate left, anchored on the bayou, and Bagby's dismounted cavalry on the right and smashed into the unprepared bluecoats. As the Federals fell back, Major's mounted cavalry outflanked them and struck their rear, causing a complete collapse of the invaders. The Confederates lost 22 men killed, 103 wounded, and 55 missing. The Federal total losses were 26 killed,124 wounded, and 566 captured or missing. The Confederates also captured 36 horses, one 10-pounder Parrott gun, and one caisson. The North's invasion attempt of Texas across Southwest Louisiana fails.

                   

Pvt. William P. Barns

13th Texas Cavalry Regiment

(9th Plate Ambrotype, M.D. Jones Collection)

1864: Skirmish at Vera Cruz, Missouri. This engagement was also called the Battle of Wilson's Mill and the 2nd Battle of Vera Cruz, Mo. The skirmish was between Federals under the command of Moses Lock Alsup and about 1,600 troops. The Confederates retreated into Arkansas.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS ON NOV. 3

Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early on this day in 1816 in Franklin County, Virginia. He graduated from West Point in 1837 and served in the Seminole War then resigned in 1838 and became a Virginia lawyer and politician. He briefly returned to military service in the Mexican American War but saw no action and returned to his civilian pursuits. He opposed secession and voted against it in 1861 but rallied to his state's defense when a Northern invasion threatened. Early rose from the colonel of the 24th Virginia Infantry to a lieutenant general in command of the Army of the Valley. His battles included First Manassas, Williamsburg, Malvern Hill Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg the Overland Campaign, Valley Campaigns of 1864, and Waynesboro. Following the war, he spent some time in Mexico, then Cuba and Canada before returning to the United States. He was a staunch defender of the Southern viewpoint of the war and was involved in many controversies. Early died Feb. 15, 1894, in Lynchburg, Va., and was buried in Springhill Cemetery there.

Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early

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Brigadier General Samuel Wragg Ferguson was born in 1834 in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1857 and served in the U.S. Army until he heard that Lincoln had won the 1860 presidential election, and promptly resigned. Ferguson joined the Confederate Army and was made an aide-de-camp on Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's staff with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to brigadier general on July 28, 1863. His battles included Fort Sumter, First Manassas, Shiloh, Farmington, Meridian, Atlanta, Savannah, and the Carolinas. Following the war, Ferguson practiced law. He moved to Ecuador, came back in 1898, and died Feb. 3, 1917, in Jackson, Miss., and was buried there in Greenwood Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Ferguson

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Brigadier General Thomas Muldrop Logan, in 1840, Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from South Carolina College in 1860, he joined the Washington Light Infantry and became one of the youngest Confederates generals when he received a temporary appointment to brigadier general on Dec. 1, 1864. His battles included Fort Sumter, First Manassas, Gaines' Mill, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Suffolk, Chickamauga, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Riddells' Shop, and Bentonville. Following the war, became a lawyer, worked in the railroad industry, and married and had nine children. Logan died Aug. 11, 1914, in New York City and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.

Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Logan
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