Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 6.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 6.

1861 -- Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected the first president of the Confederate States of America on this day, and Alexander Stephens of Georgia was the first vice president of the CSA. Born June 3, 1809, in Fairview, Kentucky, Davis' father was a Revolutionary War veteran. His family moved to Louisiana and then Mississippi, where they permanently settled when Jefferson was a child. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., 23rd in a class of 33 in 1828. He served in the Black Hawk War as a 1st Lt. and in the Mexican War as colonel of the 1st Miss. Rifles in which he distinguished himself and came home a wounded war hero. 

President Jefferson Davis

He married Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of general and future president Zachary Taylor in 1837 but the marriage tragically ended in a few months when both contracted malaria and she died and he barely survived. His second wife was Varina Howell and the couple was blessed with five children. Davis' pre-war political career included serving from Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as Secretary of War in the administration of President Franklin Pierce. Davis was a unanimous choice for provisional president of the Confederacy and then elected the first president of the new independent Southern Republic on this day in 1861.

Sarah Knox Taylor Davis

(Wikimedia Commons)

1863: Skirmish at Droop Mountain, [West] Virginia.

1864: the Second Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas (also called a skirmish). This small battle was part of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Missouri Campaign was winding down at that time. The actual fighting was between elements of Federal Lt. Col. Frederick W. Benteen's Cavalry Brigade and the rear guard of Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph Orville Shelby's Cavalry. Estimated casualties were 2 to 3 killed for each side.

Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby

1865: The CSS Shenandoah, commanded by Commander James Iredell Waddell, after 13 months of valiant service as a Confederate cruiser, strikes its flag in Liverpool, England. The Shenandoah was an extreme clipper ship with an iron-framed hull. It displaced 1160 tons, was 230 ft. in length, and had a 33.5 ft. beam. It was both steam-powered and was also a full-rigged sailing ship, with a bronze propeller. The ship could make 8 knots under steam and 16 knots with sails. The ship's complement was 109 officers and men and was armed with four, 8-inch smoothbore guns and two, l2 pounder rifled Whitworth guns, and two, 32-pounder guns. In its commerce raiding career, the Shenandoah captured, sank, or bonded 38 merchant vessels. When it surrendered in Liverpool, England in 1865, the last official Confederate flag was furled. The war was truly over, but the military occupation and corruption of the South would linger and leave much bitterness.

Cmdr. James I. Waddell, CSN

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 6.

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 5.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Nov. 5.

1862: Confederates Dandridge McRae, Mosby Parsons, and James Camp Tappan were all promoted to brigadier general on this day in 1862.

1863: Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's connection with the Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn. effectively ends with his orders by General Bragg to move corps to seize Knoxville, Tenn. He has with him the two divisions he brought with him from the Army of Northern Virginia and was later reinforced division of Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson of a brigade of Tennesseans and a brigade of Alabamians. It was a long and miserable trip over muddy roads and an inadequate railroad on the way to Knoxville. The detachment of Longstreet fatally weakened Bragg's Army of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Brothers Pvts. William H. & Dr. John A. Landis,

Co. 2nd Co. F, 23rd Tennessee Infantry, Gen.

Bushrod Johnson's Brigade. William was

severely wounded at Shiloh & disabled, losing an arm,

and J.A. became a Hospital Steward,& after the war a doctor. 

(Confederate Veteran Magazine)

1864: Second Day of the Battle of Johnsonville, Tennessee--The attack by Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry on the Federal supply depot at Johnsonville, Tennessee Nov. 4-5, resulted in the loss of four Yankee gunboats for the Federals, as well as 14 transport ships, 20 barges, 26 artillery pieces, and over $6 million worth of supplies. Confederate losses were 2 killed and 9 wounded. It was a great Confederate victory.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY, Nov. 5

Brigadier General Edward Dorr Tracy Jr. was born on this day in 1833 in Macon, Georgia. Before the war, he practiced the law in Macon and Huntsville, Alabama. He was an elector for the candidacy of John C. Breckinridge in the presidential election of 1860. Tracy started the war as a captain and a company commander in the 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment, then lieutenant colonel of the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and was promoted to brigadier general on August 16, 1862. Tracy fought at the First Battle of Manassas, Va., the Battle of Shiloh, Miss., the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Miss., and he was killed in action on May 1, 1833, at the Battle of Port Gibson, Miss. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia.

Brig. Gen. Edward D. Tracy Jr.

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

 

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On This Day in Confederate History, Nov. 4:

1861, President Davis and General Beauregard disagreed over the aftermath of what should have been done after the July 21 First Battle of Manassas causing a rift that never healed. 

1862, Vicksburg Campaign: Federal invaders, under the command of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant, occupy La Grange, Tenn., and Grand Junction, Tenn. to mount a campaign against Vicksburg, Miss. The Confederates were building up their forces at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, La., under the command of Lt. Gen. J.C. Pemberton, to keep the Mississippi River open to the Confederacy and block Northern commercial traffic to New Orleans.

 

Confederate uniform coat of gray wool with blue trim also referred to as a Columbus Depot Style Jacket. Originally had six buttons. One pocket on the left front side as-well-as an inside pocket on the right side. The coat belonged to Private Michael Jackson Jones, who served with Company H, 1st Missouri Infantry. Private Jones was wearing the coat when he received a disabling wound at Champion Hill on May 16, 1863. Wool. Shoulders (measuring across back just below collar) 39.0, Left Sleeve 60.0, Right Sleeve 60.0, Backseam 56.9 cm Vicksburg National Military Park , VICK 572

 

 

Pvt. Michael Jackson Jones postwar

(Vicksburg, NPS)

1863, President Davis and General Bragg made a strategic mistake in sending Longstreet's corps and "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's cavalry to reinforce Knoxville, Tenn., thus weakening Confederate forces before Chattanooga, Tenn.  

1864, Battle of Johnsonville, Tenn.: Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest's forces clashed with Federals at Johnsonville, Tenn. destroying Yankee boats and Yankee supplies. Confederate field artillery under Captain John W. Morton destroyed or disabled three Federal gunboats guarding the supply depot, Key West, Tawah, and Elfin. Confederates caused the destruction of over $2 million worth of supplies for Sherman's Army.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 4:

Major General Lunsford Lindsay Lomax was born on this day in 1835, in Newport, Rhode Island. Lomax was born to a distinguished Virginia family his father was a career army officer and was raised in Norfolk, Va. He graduated from West Point in 1856 and served in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry on the frontier and in the Kansas troubles. He resigned in April 1861 and joined the Virginia militia and the Confederate Army. He started out as a staff officer but was then promoted to colonel of the 11 Virginia Cavalry. Lomax was promoted to brigadier general in 1863 and to major general in 1864. His battles included the Gettysburg Campaign in 1863 and the Valley Campaign in 1864. Following the war, he was president of the Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College and became a clerk in the War Department editing the Official Records of the war. Lomax some time on the Gettysburg park commission. He died May 28, 1913, in Washington D.C., and was buried in Warrenton, Va.

Maj. Gen. Lunsford L. Lomax

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Brigadier General William Polk Hardeman was born on this day in 1816, in Williamson County, Tennessee. He served in the Texas War for Independence as a teenager, as a Texas Ranger, and in the Mexican American War. Hardeman served in the Confederate Army as a captain and then colonel of the 4th Texas Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to brigadier general on March 17, 1865. His battles were Valverde, Glorieta Pass, Galveston, Bayou Bourbeau Mansfield, and Pleasant Hill.  Following the war, he temporarily moved to Mexico but then became a planter in Texas, sergeant-at-arms in the Texas House of Representatives, railroad inspector, supervised the Texas Confederate Soldiers' Home, and died April 8, 1898, in Austin, Texas, and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

Brig. Gen. William P. Hardeman

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Brigadier General Alexander Robert Lawton was born in 1818 in Beaufort District, South Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1839 and resigned from the army in 1840. Lawton became a lawyer and practiced in Savannah, Georgia. He then was in railroad administration and supported secession. Lawton was commissioned colonel of the 1st Georgia Volunteers and then a brigadier general in the Confederate Army on April 13, 1861. Serving as an infantry brigade commander, his battles and campaigns included Fort Pulaski, the Shenandoah Valley, the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, and Sharpsburg (severely wounded). Unable to serve in the field, he became the second Quartermaster-General of the Confederate Army. Following the war, he became an important political figure in Georgia, became president of the American Bar Association, and U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary. Lawton died on July 2, 1896, in Clifton Springs, New York. He was buried at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

Brig. Gen. Alexander R. Lawton

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Brigadier General Robert Vinkler Richardson was born in 1820, in Granville County, North Carolina. Prior to the war, he was a lawyer in Memphis Tennessee. In 1861, he raised the 12th Tennessee Cavalry and commanded it as colonel. He was appointed brigadier general on December 3, 1863. His battles included the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Corinth. Following the war, Richardson did civil engineering work. He was mortally wounded by an unknown assassin on January 5, 1870, in Memphis, Tennessee, and died the next day. Richardson was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.

Brig. Gen. Robert V. Richardson

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

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

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ON THIS DAY IN THE CONFEDERACY, Nov. 2

1863: TEXAS INVADED: Federal troops attempted to land at Brazos Santiago, Texas in the North's latest attempt to invade the Lone Star State. The boat, from the U.S.S. Owasco, swamped, and seven bluecoats and two blue jackets drowned in the attempt. Confederate Brig. Gen. H.P. Bee evacuated Confederate forces from Brownsville. The Northern invasion force included three brigades from the 3rd Army Corps numbering 6,000 men under Brig. Gen. Napoleon J.T. Dana. The Confederates had four companies of the 33rd Texas Cavalry numbering 150 troopers, and two companies of 3-month volunteers, about 25 men, commanded by Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee.

BATTLE OF BAYOU BOURBEAU PRELUDE: Also, on this day in 1863, the Confederate cavalry of Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana, under Brig. Gen. Tom Green skirmished with the rearguard of Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's segment of the Army of the Gulf, under Brig. Gen. Stephen Burbridge at Bayou Bourbeau, La. This is just a prelude to the major battle that will occur on Nov. 3.

 

Brig. Gen. James Patrick Major, standing center, with his staff, played a major role in the

Battle of Bayou Bourbeau victory for the Confederates. Major commanded a cavalry

division in the Red River Campaign of 1864.     (Doug York Collection) 

 

1864: PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF JOHNSONVILLE: The former Federal vessels, the transports Venus and Chessman, and the gunboat Undine, now part of Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's fleet to support his Confederate raiders on the Tennessee River was attacked by two Federal gunboats at Davidson's Ferry. The Cheeseman and Venus were recaptured by the USS Key West and Tawah and the Undine escaped to the protection of the Confederate batteries at Reynoldsburg Island. But the Confederates burned the Undine on Nov. 4 to prevent its recapture. General Forrest was planning to attack the major Federal supply depot at Johnsonville, Tenn.

Confederate Generals Born Nov. 2

Major General Bryan Grimes was born on this day in 1828 in Pitt County, N.C. He was a planter before the War for Southern Independence. During the war, he commanded the 4th North Carolina Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was promoted to brigadier general and commanded a North Carolina brigade and was then promoted to major general and commanded a division of infantry in the ANV. His battles included First Manassas, Seven Pines, the Peninsula Campaign, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, Valley Campaigns, Petersburg, and Appomattox.  After the war, he was farmed and was a trustee of the University of North Carolina. Grimes was assassinated on Aug. 14, 1880, in Pitt County, N.C. purportedly to prevent him from testifying in a criminal trial. He was buried in his family cemetery on his plantation, Grimesland.

Maj. Gen. Bryan Grimes

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Brigadier General James Byron Gordon on this day in 1822 in Wilkesborough, N.C. Prior to the war, he was a merchant, a Wilkes County commissioner, and a member of the state legislature. During the war, he served in the 1st N.C. Infantry, the 1st N.C. Cavalry and then led a cavalry brigade. Gordon was promoted to brigadier general in September 1863. His battles included Gettysburg and Yellow Tavern. He was mortally wounded on May 12, 1864, while leading his North Carolina Cavalry Brigade at the Battle of Meadow Bridge, Va., and died May 18, 1864, at Richmond, Va. He was buried in St. Paul's Episcopal Cemetery in Wilkesboro, N.C.

Brig. Gen. James B. Gordon

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Brigadier General Robert Hopkins Hatton on this day in 1826 at Steubenville, Ohio. Prior to the war, he practiced law in Lebanon, Tenn., and was elected to the state legislature, then to the U.S. Congress in 1858. During the war, he was elected colonel of the 7th Tennessee Infantry and was promoted to brigadier general on May 23, 1862. General Hatton was killed in action while leading his brigade of Tennesseans at the Battle of Fair Oaks on May 31, 1862. He was buried first in Knoxville, Tenn., and then reburied on March 23, 1866, in Lebanon, Tenn.'s Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Robert H. Hatton

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

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On This Day in Confederate History, Nov. 1.

1862: On the second day of the Battle of Port Lavaca, Texas Lt. George E. Conklin, adjutant of the post, concluded his report on the battle. He wrote," On the next morning, November 1, they [the Federal gunboats Clifton and Westfield] again opened fire upon the town and batteries, but owing to their being entirely out of range of our guns we did not reply to them. At about 11 a. m. they ceased their fire and steamed down the bay in the direction of Indianola, having in tow the schooner Lecompte, which they had captured in the bay a few days before. One of the steamers went outside the bar and steered in the direction of Galveston, probably for a mortar boat or some other additional force to assist them. I am glad to report that no lives were lost on our side, but the enemy succeeded in doing considerable damage to the town, tearing up the streets and riddling the houses, and otherwise damaging the place. The enemy fired in all 252 shots and shells, 174 the first day and 78 the second, nearly all of them from 32 and 64-pounder rifled guns. Capt. H. Willke, acting ordnance officer, rendered very efficient service in keeping the batteries supplied with ammunition and freely exposing himself in the discharge of his duties.

Confederate artilleryman at work

(Library of Congress)

 Also, on this day in 1862, the following Confederate brigadier generals were appointed: George Thomas Anderson, Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, John Rogers Cooke, George Pierce Doles, John Brown Gordon, Alfred Iverson Jr., James Henry Lane, Carnot Posey, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Jerome Bonaparte Robertson, Edward Lloyd Thomas.

1863: The following skirmishes occurred on this day in 1863: Quinn and Jackson's Mill, Miss., Eastport, Tenn., Fayetteville, Tenn., Gila, New Mexico Territory, and at Catlett's Station, Va.

Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 1.

Brigadier General Douglas Hancock Cooper was born on this day in 1815 in Amite County, Mississippi. Before the war, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives and as a captain in the Mississippi Rifles Regiment under Colonel Jefferson Davis in the Mexican-American War. After the war, he was an Indian Agent in the Indian Territory, modern-day Oklahoma where he also led the militia made up of Choctaws and Chickasaws. In 1861, he raised the 1st Choctaws and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles. Coopers was promoted to brigadier general on May 2, 1862. He led a brigade in the battles of Round Mountain and Chusto-Talasah and won the Battle of Chustenahlah. Cooper then led the Indian Brigade in Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's 1864 Missouri and Kansas Raid. Following the war, he supported the Indian land claims to the Federal government and died on April 29, 1879, at Fort Washita, modern-day Bryan County, OKLA. and was buried in an unmarked grave there.

Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper

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Brigadier General Joseph Benjamin Palmer was born on this day in 1811 in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Prior to the war he was a lawyer and served in the Tennessee General Assembly. Palmer organized a company of infantry in 1861 and served as its captain in the 18th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in the Confederate Army. He was elected colonel in June 1861 and was promoted to brigadier general on Nov. 15, 1864. His battles included Fort Donelson, Murfreesboro (wounded), Chickamauga (wounded), Jonesborough (wounded), Franklin, Nashville, and Bentonville where he was again wounded. Following the war, Palmer resumed his law practice and died Nov. 4, 1890, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., and was buried there in Evergreen Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Palmer.

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 31.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Oct. 31.

1862: Battle of Port Lavaca, Texas: Two Federal warships, Clifton and Westfield, bombarded the coastal Texas town of Port Lavaca after Confederate defenders refused to surrender. Lt. George E. Conklin [8th Texas Infantry/Capt. B.F. Neal's Artillery Co.], post adjutant at Port Lavaca, reported, "At 1p.m. they sent a boat with a flag of truce on shore, which was met by Major [Daniel] Shea [8th Texas Infantry/4th Battery Texas Artillery], accompanied by four of the citizens of the town. A short interview succeeded, during which a demand was made to surrender the town. They were answered by the commanding officer that he was there to defend it and should do so to the best of his ability with all the means he had at hand. A demand was then made for time to remove the women, children, and sick persons from town. The officer in charge of the flag replied that one hour was the time he was authorized to grant, but in consideration of the fact that an epidemic (yellow fever) was still raging in the town, he would extend the time to one hour and a half; at the expiration of which period, they moved up abreast the town and opened fire from both steamers on both the town and batteries. At this time there were many women and children still in the place, they have been unable, for want of time to leave. Our batteries promptly returned fire." The Confederate batteries struck the gunboats several times causing them to withdraw. They then anchored out of the range of the Confederate batteries and continued their bombardment, which would be continued into the next day.

1863: Bombardment of Charleston, S.C.: The Federal Navy bombarded the iconic Confederate bastion in Charleston, South Carolina harbor reducing it to rubble. Here's the National Park Service summary: "Sumter's 'sea front' (right flank), upright and relatively unscathed till then, was breached now for nearly half its length. The ramparts and arches of its upper casemates were cut down and the interior barracks were demolished. The accumulated debris made ascent easy inside and out. Through the breach, the Federal guns took the channel fronts in reverse.' For the first time, these were exposed to direct fire; soon they were 'cut and jagged.' Still, the gorge ruin remained much the same; to Admiral Dahlgren, that 'heap of rubbish' looked 'invincible.' " The Federal armada fired a total of 2,961 shells at the fort, but the Confederate flag still flew over Charleston until near the end of the war.

Pvt. Thomas Hall

Manigault's South Carolina Artillery Battalion

(Library of Congress)

1864: Confederate and Federal cavalry units from the Army of Tennessee and Sherman's army skirmished near Shoal Creek, Alabama on this day in 1864. General John Bell Hood plans to move his army into Tennessee which cheered the Tennessee troops in the army.

Confederate General Birthdays, Oct. 31.

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