Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 4.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 4.

1861: At Virginia's Secession Convention, the delegates vote against a resolution to hold a referendum on secession. 

1862: The Yorktown Peninsula Campaign begins in Virginia. General Joseph E. Johnston has 17,000 Confederate troops to resist Maj. Gen. George McClelland, 100,000 Federals. Maj. Gen. John Magruder did a masterful job of outsmarting McClelland with Fabian tactics and tricks. The Federals would be blocked and driven away by Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Seven Days Battles in June and July. 

Sgt. Joseph C. LeBleu

Co. K, 10th Louisiana Inf.

The regiment took part in the 

Peninsula Campaign.

(Photo courtesy Dan Jones)

1864: Red River Campaign: Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of  Western Louisiana arrives in  Mansfield, La., and goes into camp several miles outside the town. Taylor is determined to make a stand near there to block the Federals from reaching Sabine Crossroads, which could give them access to several routes to Shreveport and the Red River. Also on this day, there is a skirmish at Campti, La.

Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor 

(Mansfield State Historic Site)

1865: Appomattox Campaign: General R.E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia continues its retreat toward Farmville, Va., and skirmishes with pursuing Federals at Amelia Springs and Paine's Cross Roads. The general hopes to find food rations for his army at Farmville.

Wilson's Raid: In Alabama, Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest's merged Confederate forces continue to fight Wilson's Raiders at Lanier's Mills, Sipsey Creek, and King's Store.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 4.

Maj. Gen. Edward Cary Walthall was born on this day in 1831 in Richmond, Virginia. He moved to Mississippi with his family as a child and became a lawyer and district attorney in Coffeeville. During the War for Southern Independence, he became a lieutenant in the 15th Mississippi Infantry, then became colonel of the 29th Mississippi Infantry, and was appointed a brigadier general on Dec. 13, 1862. Walthall was appointed a temporary major general on June 6, 1864. His battles and campaigns included Mill Springs, Corinth, Heartland, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Resaca, Missionary Ridge (wounded & captured), Resaca (wounded), Franklin (wounded), Nashville, and the Carolinas Campaign. Following the war, Walthall resumed the practice of law in Grenada, Miss., and served in the U.S. Senate from 1885 until his death on April 21, 1898, in Washington, D.C. His body was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in Holly Springs, Miss.

Maj. Gen. Edward C. Walthall

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Brig. Gen. John Caldwell Calhoun Sanders was born on this day in 1840 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He started the War for Southern Independence as a private in the 11th Alabama Infantry on June 11, 1861, and was promoted to colonel in 1862. Sanders was promoted to brigadier general on May 31, 1864. His battles included Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Frayser's Farm (wounded), Second Manassas (wounded),  Sharpsburg (wounded), Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Gettysburg (wounded), Bristoe Campaign, Mine Run Campaign, Overland Campaign, Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and the Crater. Sanders was killed in action on August 21, 1864, in the Battle of Globe Tavern along the Weldon Railroad in Virginia. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va. Sanders was one of the Confederacy's youngest brigadier generals.

Brig. Gen. John C.C. Sanders

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 3.

1861: Confederate batteries fired on the schooner Rhoda H. Shannon in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The ship was not seriously damaged.

1862: Shiloh Campaign: The newly organized Army of the Mississippi of Gen. A.S. Johnston had little march discipline and made too much noise on its way to Shiloh. On this day the rain greatly hampered the march and there were several skirmishes along the way. The noise included the beating of drums and soldiers firing their weapons. There was also much confusion in the line of march causing traffic jams.

Pvt. Robert Patterson, Co. D, 12th Tenn. Inf.

The regiment included men from the west Tennessee

counties of Dyer and Gibson, as well as Co. E

from Kentucky. It had been in the Battle of Belmont, Mo.

Army of the Mississippi

(Library of Congress)

1864: Red River Campaign: Confederate pickets are driven by Brig. Gen. Albert Lee's Federal cavalry at Grand Ecore, La., but he retreats when he sees the Army of Western Louisiana infantry drawn up in line of battle. The addition of Brig. Gen. Thomas Green's Texas/Louisiana Cavalry Division added mobility and aggressiveness to Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's army.

Brig. Gen. Tom Green

1865: Appomattox Campaign: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet arrive in Danville, Va. after evacuating Richmond the day before. The president brought with him the Confederate Treasury and archives.

President Jefferson Davis

(Library of Congress)

Battle of Tuscaloosa: Also, on this day Federal troops enter Richmond, Va., and Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest skirmishes with Croxton's Raiders outside Tuscaloosa, Ala. Confederate forces consisted of Capt. Benjamin Eddins' Tuscaloosa Home Guard and the University of Alabama cadets under university commandant Col. James T. Murfee, numbering some 300. Eddins was killed in the action.

Lt. Col. James T. Murfee

(VMI Archives Photographs Collection)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 3.

NONE.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthday, April 2.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 2

1862: Shiloh Campaign: Confederate units are ordered to begin their march from Corinth, Miss. for the Federal encampment at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. General Albert Sidney Johnston is leading the army. The Federal Army, under Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant has become complacent at their encampment.

Col. Horace Ready

23rd Tenn. Inf.

He rose from 3rd Lt. to Col.

throughout the war. 

The 23rd Tenn. Inf. was

in Cleburne's Brigade at

Shiloh. (Find A Grave) 

1863: President Jefferson Davis personally quells the bread riot in Richmond, Va. He bravely went into the middle of the mob and told the rioters they (the militia) had no desire to hurt anyone, but the lawlessness must stop and that the militia would open fire if they did not disperse. The mob, seeing the militia ready, disperses and no one is hurt.

1864: Red River Campaign: Col. Xavier DeBray's 26th Texas Cavalry Regiment, on its way to join Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana at Pleasant Hill crosses paths with Federal Brig. Gen. Albert Lee's Federal cavalry at Crump's Hill, Louisiana. The Confederates rallied and repulsed the Yankees.

1865: Petersburg Breakthrough: President Jefferson Davis at church receives a message from General Lee that the Federals have broken the Siege of Petersburg and that the Army of Northern Virginia must evacuate. The president quietly leaves the church and that evening leaves via railroad for Danville, Va.

At Petersburg, Va., Grant's Federals broke through the Confederate fortifications at multiple points and General Lee orders the army to Amelia Court House, Va. where he ordered supplies to be ready for the army. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon's forces hold back the Federals long enough for the rest of the Confederates to successfully leave the siege lines.

Mobile Campaign: At Mobile, Alabama, Spanish Fort is under siege, and Federal forces also begin another siege at Fort Blakely.

Battle of Selma, Ala.: At Selma, Alabama, Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest's command outnumbered defending the city are overrun by numerically superior Federal forces.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 2.

Brigadier General Henry Lewis Benning was born on this day in 1814 in Columbia, Georgia. A citizen-soldier before the War for Southern Independence, Benning was a Georgia Supreme Court justice and started the war as colonel of the 17th Georgia Infantry Regiment and was promoted to brigadier general rank on Jan. 17, 1863. His battles included Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Wauhatchie, Knoxville, the Wilderness (where he was wounded), Petersburg, and Appomattox. Following the war, he practiced law and died July 10, 1875, in Columbus, Ga., and was buried in Linwood Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning

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Brigadier General Phillip Dale Roddy was born on this day in 1826 in Moulton, Alabama. Before the war, he was a tailor and sheriff in Lawrence County, Alabama, from 1846 to 1852. Roddy organized a cavalry company in 1862, which he commanded during the Battle of Shiloh. His outstanding performance led to his command of the 4th Alabama Cavalry Regiment, which served under generals Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fighting Joe Wheeler. Roddy was promoted to brigadier general and fought against various Northern raids in Alabama. His battles included Shiloh, Brices Cross Roads, and Selma. Following the war, Roddy worked as a commission merchant and lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, New York City, and London, England. He died in London on July 20, 1897, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Tuscaloosa.

Brig. Gen. Phillip D. Roddy

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 1.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 1. 

1863: Captain John Singleton Mosby, with 69 Confederate partisan rangers, are surprised while sleeping at the Miskel farmhouse near Dranesville, Va., by 150 Federal troopers of the 1st Vermont Cavalry under Captain Henry C. Flint. The Confederates fight on foot and win a complete victory over the Federals. The Southerners had one man killed and three wounded. The Northerners lost 9 men killed, including Captain Flint, 15 wounded, and 82 captured.

Maj. (Col.) John Singleton Mosby

1864: Red River Campaign: Brigadier General Tom Green's Texas Cavalry Division, 3,000 strong, arrives in Pleasant Hill to check in with the main Confederate Army near Pleasant Hill, La. The Texans are then dispatched to monitor the advancing Federals and slow them down while Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor gets his army ready to make a stand between Mansfield and Pleasant Hill.

1865: Petersburg Campaign: The Battle of Five Forks, Va., on the Petersburg siege line takes place. Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's 22,000 Federals attack the 10,600 Confederates under Maj. Gen. George Pickett at Five Forks to cut the last Confederate supply into Richmond, which is the South Side Railroad. While Pickett and Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee are at a shad bake while the Federals attack. Yankees overwhelm the outnumbered Confederates. Pickett and Fitz Lee arrive back in time to save a part of his command, which withdraws. The Federals lose about 830 from all causes and the Confederates about  2,950. Some historians call it the "Waterloo of the Confederacy." 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 1.

Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner was born on this day in 1823 in Hart County, Kentucky. He graduated from West Point in 1844, 11th in a class of 25 cadets. During the Mexican-American War, he fought with the 6th U.S. Infantry in the battles of Amazoque, San Antonio, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. He was breveted a captain for his actions at Molino del Rey. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1855 and worked in real estate in Chicago, Ill., and served in the Illinois State Militia as adjutant general. In 1857, he moved to Louisville, Ky., and served as inspector general of the Kentucky State Guard. He resigned from the State Militia in 1861 and accepted a brigadier generalship in the Confederate Army. He was given the onerous duty of surrendering Fort Donelson, Tenn. in 1862 and became a P.O.W. at Fort Warren, N.Y. After being exchanged later that year, he was promoted to major general and to lieutenant general in 1864. His other battles included Perryville, Chickamauga, and Munfordville. Late in the war, he was assigned to duty in the Trans-Mississippi Department and commanded the districts of Arkansas and West Louisiana. Following the war, Buckner was elected governor of Kentucky, and in 1896, he ran as vice president of the United States on the National Democratic Party ticket with John Palmer, a former Union general, as the presidential candidate. Buckner died on Jan. 8, 1914, and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Ky. His only son, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., was killed in action in the Battle of Okinawa, the highest-ranking American general to be killed in action in World War II. 

Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 31.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 31.

1862: In the Siege of Island No. 10 in the Mississippi River, near Tipptonville, TN, 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. He was 

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

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

1865: Petersburg Campaign: Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, Confederates 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 the 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 from the main Federal force under Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson destroyed 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

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 29.

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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

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 28.

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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 Confederates 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.

Lt. Col. (later BG) William R. Scurry

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, was 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.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 26.

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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.

Today in History (general history)/ On This day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 25.

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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 after 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 received 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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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 24.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 24. 

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/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 22.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 22. 

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

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 21. 

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.