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

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

On This Day in Confederate History, Sept. 3.

1862: Sharpsburg Campaign: Gen. Robert E. Lee was readying the Army of Northern Virginia to move into Maryland to liberate that state and recruit up his ranks. Moving the army there would also give some relief to the Virginians from the ravages of war. He was also looking for a clear Confederate victory on northern soil to further discourage the North from its war of subjugation of the South after his victory at Second Manassas. He would first dispatch Gen. T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson to Harper's Ferry and reduce the large Federal garrison there. The ANV had about 55,000 men on hand for the invasion.

Confederate troops marching through Fredericksburg, MD.

1863: Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard reports on Sept. 3, 1863, in the Siege of Charleston, S.C., the Federal bombardment on Battery Wagner that was answered by the Confederate guns on James Island. 

The Chickamauga Campaign is underway in Georgia, and the Federal Army of the Cumberland has about 60,000 men under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans. The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Braxton Bragg has about 65,000 men. Rosecrans was successful in pushing Bragg out of Tennessee and was then invading Georgia to catch the Confederates. On this day, an early skirmish occurred in Alpine, Georgia, in northeast Georgia. Bragg is awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Virginia in the form of two divisions of Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps.

1864: In Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Valley Campaign, Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson's Confederates were on the way to Petersburg, Va. under Gen. Robert E. Lee, when they had an engagement with Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's Federal Army, which forced them to Winchester, Va.

CLICK👉Confederate States Rangers

of the 10th Louisiana Rangers of the 10th Louisiana Infantry

This is the history of Company K, Confederate States Rangers, and the regiment to which it belonged, the 10th Louisiana Infantry. It fought in nearly every major engagement of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, including the Yorktown Peninsula of 1862, the Seven Days, Cedar Run, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, Petersburg, and Appomattox. The book features photographs, illustrations, maps, a bibliography, and an Index.

Confederate General Birthdays, Sept. 3.

Brigadier General States Rights Gist was born on this day in 1831 at Union, South Carolina. He had experience before the war as a brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia. After South Carolina seceded on Dec. 20, 1860, Gov. Francis Pickens appointed Gist the adjutant general of the militia. In that capacity, I recruited the state's armed forces and acquired the necessary armaments to defend the state against the expected Northern aggression. He also accompanied Gov. Pickens and Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard in raising the Confederate flag over Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861. During the First Battle of Manassas, while acting as an aide to Brig. Gen. Bernard Bee and Gen. Beauregard assigned Gist to command the 4th Alabama Infantry after the colonel of the regiment was killed. He suffered a minor wound in the battle. After returning to South Carolina to defend his state, Gist was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. His other battles included Jackson, Secessionville, Chickamauga, the Chattanooga campaign, and the Atlanta Campaign. He was leading his brigade in a charge at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on Nov. 30, 1864, and was shot in the chest. He died shortly thereafter in a field hospital. He was buried at Columbia, South Carolina, in Trinity Episcopal Church cemetery. He was an exemplary example of citizen-soldier.

Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist

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Brigadier General William Gaston Lewis was born this day in 1835 at Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Before the war, Lewis worked as a civil engineer, and when the war began, he started out as a third lieutenant in the 1st N.C. Inf. He took part in the Battle of Big Bethel on June 10, 1861, then, after being promoted to major, fought at the Battle of New Bern in January 1862. Lewis was next promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 33rd N.C. Inf. He then fought in the Battle of Malvern Hill, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Cold Harbor, and was promoted to brigadier general in June 1864. He was wounded during Early's Raid in Washington, D.C., but survived. Lewis was wounded and captured at the Battle of Farmville, Va. on April 7, 1865. Following the war, he resumed his career in civil engineering, including in the railroads. Lewis died Jan. 7, 1901, in Goldsboro, N.C., and was buried there in Willow Dale Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. William G. Lewis

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Brigadier General Armistead Lindsay Long was born this day in 1825 at Campbell, Virginia. He was an 1850 graduate of West Point and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served at Fort Moultrie, S.C., in New Mexico, Fort McHenry, Md., Barrancas Barracks, Fla., Kansas, Nebraska, Indian Territory, Monroe, Va., and Augusta Arsenal, Ga. He resigned from the U.S. Army on June 10, 1861. He joined the Confederate Army as a major, then was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and colonel on the staff of President Jefferson Davis. Long then became a military secretary on Gen. Robert E. Lee's staff and acted in that capacity in the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He was promoted to brigadier general on Sept. 23, 1863, and commanded the artillery in Lt. Gen. R.S. Ewell's 2nd Corps. He also took part in the Bristoe Campaign, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Valley Campaign of 1864, Petersburg, Richmond, and Appomattox Court House. Following the war, Long served as the Chief Engineer for the James and Kanawha Canal, was elected vice president of the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia, and wrote his classic book, the Memoirs of Robert E. Lee. Long died April 29, 1891, in Charlottesville, Va., and was buried there in Maplewood Cemetery.

Brig. Armistead L. Long

👋

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

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On This Day in Confederate History, Sept. 2.

1862: Following the victorious Second Manassas Campaign, President Davis and General Lee planned an invasion of Maryland with the Army of Northern Virginia, while General Bragg planned a movement with the Army of Tennessee to liberate Kentucky, which became known as the Confederate Heartland Campaign. In addition, Confederates were strengthening their strongholds on the Mississippi River with their fortresses at Vicksburg and 200 miles south on the Louisiana side of the river at Port Hudson. Chances for Southern Independence looked bright, as well as possible European recognition.

Three unidentified soldiers in 

Confederate artillerymen's uniforms.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1863: General P.G.T. Beauregard reported on the ongoing masterful Confederate defense in the Siege of Charleston, S.C. He reported: "At 11.40 p.m., six monitors opened on Fort Sumter from distances of 800 to 1,000 yards. They were joined at 1 a.m. of the 2d by the Ironsides, and together fired 185 shots, of which 116 struck outside, 35 inside, and 34 passed over. The projectiles used were an 8-inch Parrott rifle shell, an 11 and 15-inch smooth-bore shot, and shell. Fort Sumter was unable to answer, not having a gun in working order; but a heavy fire was kept up on the fleet from Fort Moultrie with good effect, two of the monitors being apparently injured and requiring assistance when they retired. The effect of this fire on Fort Sumter was thus described by the engineer officer: The chief external injury has been done upon the east scarp, which now has lost its integrity, and hangs upon the arches apparently in blocks and detached masses. The remainder of the day passed in comparative quiet. The fleet was occupied in placing sandbags on the decks of the monitors, the enemy’s land batteries firing but 148 shots; 38 of these were directed against Sumter. In the same period, our batteries fired sixty-six times. During the night, the enemy in front of Wagner was engaged in strengthening his advanced position, which was then within 80 or 100 yards of the salient. Owing to the difficulty of transporting ammunition to Battery Wagner, the fire from that work was slack."

Siege of Charleston, South Carolina

1864: At the skirmish at Franklin, Tennessee, on this day in Wheeler's Raid on Sherman's supply line, Brigadier General John Herbert Kelly was mortally wounded. Kelly, the youngest Confederate brigadier general, was hit in the chest by a bullet fired by a federal sharpshooter. The young general was taken to the Harrison House, where he was treated by Confederate surgeons. However, on the following day, the Confederates had to move, but Kelly could not be moved, and he was captured by the Federals. He died September 4, 1864, and was buried the next day in the Harrison House Garden. The community provided a coffin and fresh clothing for the burial, under his uniform. After the war, in 1866, he was moved to the historic Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama, and reburied. He is remembered today in Gordo, Alabama, which has a Sons of Confederate Veterans camp named in his honor. Kelly was born on March 31, 1840, in Carrollton, Alabama, and became an orphan at age 3. He was raised by his grandmother and an uncle, U.S. Rep. Philemon T. Herbert, who helped him get into West Point. But he resigned a few months before graduation when Alabama seceded. Joining the Confederate Army as a second lieutenant, fought at Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Perryville, Chickamauga, Pickett's Mill, and Franklin-Nashville. He was promoted to brigadier general at age 23 on Nov. 16, 1863.

Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly

Confederate General Birthdays, Sept. 2.

None.

CLICK👉The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou

This is a concise history of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi, from December 26-29, 1862. Also covered are the preliminary cavalry raids of Generals Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest. The book contains maps, photographs, and illustrations, a bibliography, and an index.

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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Sept. 1. 

On This Day in Confederate History, Sept. 1.

1862: The Battle of Chantilly, Va., took place on this day in the Second Manassas Campaign of 1862. Gen. Stonewall Jackson was trying to cut off Maj. Gen. John Pope's retreat to Washington, D.C. It was raining heavily, and two Federal divisions attacked the Confederates and were repulsed and driven back by counterattacks. Federal major generals Philip Kearny and Isaac Stevens were killed in the battle. Federal casualties totaled 1,300 and Confederate casualties 800.

Colonel James M. Gadberry of Co. E, 1st South Carolina 

Infantry Regiment and Co. B, 18th South Carolina Infantry 

Regiment in uniform with a sword in front of 

a painted backdrop showing a landscape. Col. Gadberry

was killed in the Second Battle of Manassas on Aug. 30, 1862.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1863: Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard reports what happened on this day in 1863 in the Siege of Charleston, S.C.: "At daylight on September 1, the enemy opened up on Wagner with mortars, and continued at intervals during the entire day. The two 8-inch howitzers on the salient and curtains of the works were disabled, and two 8-inch shell guns on the land face were also partially disabled. From early morning the Morris Island batteries kept up a heavy fire on Fort Sumter, firing through the day 382 shots-- 166 striking outside, 95 inside, and 121 missing. The fire was very destructive, disabling the remaining guns en barbette and damaging the fort considerably.

1864: The second day of the Battle of Jonesborough, Ga. in the Atlanta Campaign finds Lt. Gen. William Hardee's Corps behind fortifications and being attacked by Sherman's Federals. The fighting was fierce, and the Federals made a breakthrough at one point. But Hardee sent in three brigades that counterattacked and sealed the breach. That night General Hood began a successful withdrawal from Atlanta, passed the Federals at Jonesborough, and made it to Lovejoy Station. Confederate casualties in the battle numbered about 2,000 including many captured in the Federal breakthrough. The Federal casualties totaled 1,149 in the last battle of the Atlanta Campaign.

CLICK👉The Bloody 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment

Battling for Southern Independence

This is the history of one of the hardest-fighting infantry regiments in the War for Southern Independence, the 23rd Tennessee Infantry. The regiment was raised predominantly from the Middle Tennessee counties, where there was considerable support for secession and Southern Independence. The men were overwhelmingly made up of yeoman farmers of predominantly Anglo-Celtic descent who were to face some of the largest, bloodiest, and most memorable battles of the war, both in the West and the East. They got their baptism of fire in the Battle of Shiloh, followed by the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga, and Knoxville in the West with the famed Army of Tennessee. They were then transferred to the East, where they fought in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign in Virginia, under the legendary General P.G.T. Beauregard, and then in the famed Army of Northern Virginia in the Petersburg Campaign, and ended the war with the great General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse. The book covers the history of the regiment from letters, diaries, memoirs, and official records to cover both officers and men in a personal way. It also has an annotated roster of some 1,164 men who served in the regiment, as well as maps, photos, illustrations, bibliography, footnotes, and index.

Confederate General Birthdays, Sept. 1.

Brigadier General James Conner was born this day in 1829 in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a lawyer in Charleston, was appointed the U.S. District Attorney there in 1856, and was an ardent secessionist and member of the South Carolina Secession Convention. During the war, Conner was a participant in the bombardment of Fort Sumter and joined Hampton Legion as a captain. He was promoted to major, and then commanded the 22nd North Carolina Infantry. Conner resigned command on Aug. 13, 1863, and then served on a military court. He returned to a field command after being promoted to brigadier general in 1864. His battles included First Manassas, Seven Pines, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Siege of Petersburg, and a skirmish at Cedar Creek. In that skirmish, Conner was severely wounded in a skirmish at Cedar Creek, Va. six days before the battle. One of his legs had to be amputated which ended his service in the field but he survived the war. Following the war, Conner again practiced law in Charleston and served as Grand Master of Masons in South Carolina from 1868 to 1870. He was elected attorney general of South Carolina in 1876. He died June 26, 1883, in Richmond, Va., and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C.

Brig. Gen. James Conner

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

 Click 👉Today in History (general history) Aug. 31.

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 31.

1862: The Confederate victory in the Second Battle of Manassas, Va. was one of the most impressive in military history and a masterfully planned and carried out campaign by General Robert E. Lee. Casualties for the Federals were 1,747 killed, 8,452 wounded, and 4,263 captured or missing for a total of 14,462. Casualties for the Confederates were 1,096 killed and 6,202 wounded for a total of 7,298.

 

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet 

His 1st Corps delivered the "coup de main"

to the Federal flank at 2nd Manassas.

1863: Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard reports on what happened in the Siege of Charleston, S.C.: "Early on the morning of the 31st, as the steamer Sumter was returning from Morris Island with troops on board, she was unfortunately fired into from the Sullivan’s Island batteries and sunk. Four men were killed or drowned, and the greater portion of the arms was lost. Between 11 a.m. and 12 m., one of the monitors approached Fort Moultrie, and when within range was opened on by the fort. The enemy replied with shrapnel, all of which fell short. After about an hour’s engagement, the monitor withdrew. About 2 p. m. the enemy again approached with four monitors and engaged the fort for four hours. A steady fire was kept up on them from Fort Moultrie and other Sullivan’s Island batteries. During the engagement, the enemy fired about 60 shots, striking Fort Moultrie fifteen times, but doing no damage. The fort fired 132 shots. The enemy’s fire on Fort Sumter was slack throughout the day. Captain [Samuel] Le Roy Hammond, Twenty-fifth South Carolina Volunteers, reported during the day that, in obedience to instructions, he had made a reconnaissance of Light-House Inlet and the south side of Black Island. On the island, he saw pickets and bivouac fires, but discovered no earthworks."

1864: The first day of the Battle of  Jonesborough, Ga., takes place on this day in the Atlanta Campaign. Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood misinterprets the relocation of two Federal armies from in front of Atlanta, which Hood thought was a retreat, but which was actually a flank march to cut the last two Confederate rail lines into the city. Hood sends only 24,000 men from the Army of  Tennessee under Lt. Gen. William Hardee to confront Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman's Army of the Tennessee and Army of the Cumberland, 70,000 men in all. The Federals were already well entrenched and ready to receive the frontal attacks of Hood's Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne and Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee's Corps, but they were easily repulsed.  Cleburne's Corps suffered 400 casualties, and Lee's suffered 1,300 casualties. Hood withdrew Lee's Corps back to Atlanta. 

 

Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne 

"The Stonewall Jackson of the West"

CLICK👉Fighting for Southern Independence

A History of the 13th Louisiana Infantry

This is the story of one of the most heroic and hardest-fighting regiments in the Confederate Army, the 13th Louisiana Infantry. The men of this regiment were largely from the New Orleans area and fought in such famous battles as Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Atlanta (Campaign), Franklin, and Nashville in the main Confederate Army in the Western Theater of operations. They served under such great Confederate generals as P.G.T. Beauregard, Braxton Bragg, Joseph Johnston, and John Bell Hood.

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 31.

Brigadier General Goode Bryan was born on this day in 1811 in Hancock County, Georgia. He graduated from West Point in 1834, ranking 25th in his class of 36 cadets. Bryan resigned from the army 10 months after entering it and became a lawyer in Alabama, and was elected to the state assembly in 1843. In the Mexican-American War, he took part as a major in the 1st Alabama Infantry. Following that war, he moved back to Georgia, where he practiced law and farmed. After serving as a delegate in the Georgia Secession Convention, he joined the Confederate Army as a captain in the 16th Georgia Infantry. Promotions followed to lieutenant colonel, then colonel, and finally to brigadier general in 1864. His battles and campaigns included the Peninsula Campaign, the battles of Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. Suffering from chronic health problems, Bryan resigned on Sept. 20, 1864, and went back home to Georgia. Following the war, he never regained his health and lived in Augusta, Georgia, and helped establish the Confederate Survivors Association. Bryan died on August 16, 1885, in Augusta and was buried there in Magnolia Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Goode Bryan

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate/ Confederate General Birthday, August 30.

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Aug. 30. 

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 30.

1862: On the third day of the Second Battle of Manassas, Va., Gen. Pope doesn't believe reports that Longstreet's wing of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is on his flank, and orders an attack that morning on Stonewall Jackson's front. His attacks fail, and the Second Louisiana Brigade gains fame by throwing rocks at the Yankees after running out of ammunition. That afternoon, Longstreet launched his devastating flank attack, rolling up the Federal Army of the Potomac and sending them reeling back to the safety of Washington, D.C.'s fortifications. General Lee has won another signal victory. Pope is relieved and sent to a secondary job and General McClellan is put back in command by Lincoln.

Starke's Louisianians resorted to throwing rocks when

they ran out of ammunition at Second Manassas.

(Library of Congress)

CLICK👉Confederate States Rangers

Of The 10th Louisiana Infantry

This is the history of Company K, Confederate States Rangers, and the regiment to which it belonged, the 10th Louisiana Infantry. It fought in nearly every major engagement of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, including the Yorktown Peninsula of 1862, the Seven Days, Cedar Run, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, Petersburg and Appomattox. The book features photographs, illustrations, maps, a bibliography and an Index.

Pvt. Isaac Reeves & Brother Sgt. James Reeves,

Co. K, Confederate States Rangers.

10th Louisiana  Infantry Regiment.

(From an original full plate tintype)

1863: Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard reported on the Siege of Charleston, S.C. the following: "During the night, the enemy's guns were silent in front of Battery Wagner, but they renewed the bombardment of Fort Sumter before daylight on the morning of the 30th, and during the day threw 634 shots against it. They were also busily engaged in completing their advanced works, though greatly disturbed by the fire from Wagner and our James Island batteries, which compelled them to desist from the work of advancing a sap on the left of Battery Wagner. In the evening, the enemy opened a brisk fire on Wagner with both mortars and Parrott guns. No serious damage was done to the work, but several casualties occurred. During the night, Battery Wagner kept up a steady and effective fire on the enemy's advanced works."

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 30.

Lieutenant General Alexander Peter Stewart was born on this day in 1821 in Rogersville, Tennessee. He graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1842 and served in the U.S. Army in the 3rd U.S. Artillery until resigning on May 31, 1845. He then became a college professor. During the war, he worked his way up from a major of artillery to a lieutenant general and one of the most competent commanders in the Army of Tennessee, which he was commanding at the end of the war. His battles included Belmont, Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Ezra Church, Second Franklin, and Nashville. Stewart was wounded in the head at Ezra Church. Following the war, Stewart became an insurance executive, chancellor of the University of Mississippi, and of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. He died Aug. 30, 1908, in Biloxi, Miss., and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.

Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart

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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Aug. 29. 

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 29.

1862: The second day of the Second Battle of Manassas, Va., brought more heavy fighting as Stonewall Jackson sets his wing of the Army of Northern Virginia in a good defensive position along an unfinished railroad grade. Maj. Gen. John Pope's Federals attacked the Confederates in a series of bloody frontal assaults in desperate fighting. General Robert E. Lee arrived with General Longstreet's wing of the army on Jackson's right flank in a perfect position to launch a massive flank attack on Pope's left flank. Jackson says in his report of this day's fighting: "For a short time Gregg's brigade, on the extreme left, was isolated from the main body of the command; but the Fourteenth South Carolina Regiment, then in reserve with the Forty-ninth Georgia, left of Colonel Thomas, attacked the exultant enemy with vigor, and drove them back across the railroad track with great slaughter." Also, the First Louisiana Tiger Brigade slammed into Grover's Federal Brigade and steadily drove them back. Meanwhile, Pope is oblivious to the arrival of Longstreet's 25,000 men on his left flank.

Lt. Col./Col. Daniel A. Leadbetter, 1st S.C.

(Orr's Rifles) Inf., Gregg's Brig., 

A.P. Hill's Div.Jackson's Corps. 

He was mortally wounded on Aug. 29, 

1862, & died  Sept. 1, 1862.  Col. J. Foster

Marshall of the same regiment was also

killed in the battle on Aug. 29, 1862, making

Ledbetter the colonel until he died.

(Liljenquista Collection, Library of Congress)(AI restoration)

CLICK👉Lt. Col. King Bryan of Hood's Texas Brigade

Freedom Fight for Texas and Southern Independence

This is the story of Lieutenant Colonel Kindallis "King" Bryan, original commander of Company F (Invincibles No. 1), 5th Texas Infantry Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade. Bryan, a native of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, moved to Texas as a 16-year-old and then fought in the War for Texas Independence of 1835-36. He was a farmer and rancher in Liberty County, Texas, a county sheriff, and state legislator before the War for Southern Independence. During the war, he led the company, and later his regiment, in some of the most famous battles of the war, including Gaines' Mill, Second Manassas, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. Wounded three times, he commanded Hood's Texas Brigade for about three months in the winter of 1863-64. Bryan was one of the most aggressive and respected regimental officers in the brigade, but also respected and admired by his men, who appreciated a leader who took the same or greater risks than they did in battle.

1863: Siege of Charleston, S.C.: Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard reported on this day: "The enemy did not fire at Fort Sumter during the 29th but worked industriously at his fortifications on Morris Island. His advanced works were shelled throughout the day by Battery Wagner, Fort Moultrie, and James Island batteries." Also on this day, Lt. John A. Payne, commander of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, made a fatal mistake when he accidentally stepped on the diving lever while cruising on the surface. The submarine then dives with the hatches open. Only Payne and one other man escape, and five crewmen drown.

C.S.S. H.L. Hunley, painting by Conrad Wise Chapman

1864: Price's Missouri Campaign: At Camden, Arkansas, Maj. Gen. Sterling Price began a major expedition through Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas to drive the enemy out of Missouri. Price's Army of Missouri consisted of 12,000 men and 14 artillery pieces. He had three Confederate cavalry divisions, including those of Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan, Maj. Gen. John S. Marmaduke, and Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby. However, the infantry he had planned to take was sent elsewhere. Price was opposed by the Federal Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and his Army of the Border, which consisted of about 35,000 men of all arms.

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 29.

None.

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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Aug. 28.

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 28.

CLICK👉Lee's Second Louisiana Infantry Brigade

In the Army of Northern Virginia

This is the history of one of the hardest-fighting brigades in Gen. Robert E. Lee's legendary Army of Northern Virginia, the Second Louisiana Infantry Brigade. It was one of Lee's most reliable infantry brigades, often used in some of his most dangerous situations, and it never let him down. The brigade included the 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th, 14th, and 15th infantry regiments, and the 1st Battalion Louisiana Zouaves. The brigade was commanded over the course of the war by outstanding brigadiers, including Brig. Gen. William E. Starke, Brig. Gen. Francis T. Nicholls, and Brig. Gen. Leroy Stafford. The brigade fought in such epic battles as Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Petersburg, and many other smaller battles and skirmishes. The men of the brigade were representative of the diverse population of Louisiana of the time, including typical Southern farm boys, ruffians from the New Orleans waterfront, as well as refined gentlemen from some of Louisiana's finest families. There was also a virtual Babylon of foreign languages spoken in the brigade. This is their story, from secession to Appomattox.

AI version of that cover photo

of Sgt. Joseph C. LeBleu

Co. K., 10th La. Inf. Regt.

Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform with 

secession badge with pistol and musket

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1862: The Second Battle of Manassas, Va., got underway on this day when major fighting erupted at Brawner's Farm (Groveton). The Confederate Brig. Gen. William Starke (commanding Taliaferro's Division) and the Second Louisiana Brigade, under the supervision of Stonewall Jackson, had a stand-up fight with Federal Brig. Gen. John Gibbon's Mid-Western Brigade lasted for hours. The Federal artillery drove off the Confederate artillery. Both sides were reinforced, and the volley of fire continued until 9 o'clock P.M. Two division commanders, Major Generals William Taliaferro and Richard S. Ewell, were both severely wounded. The Confederates were left in charge of the field when the Federals withdrew.

Maj. Gen. William Taliaferro was 

severely wounded early in the battle

and replaced by Brig. Gen. William Starke

of the 2nd La. Brigade.

1863: In the Siege of Charleston, S.C., Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard reports: "On the 28th, the enemy was extremely quiet, firing only 6 shots at Sumter; but his approaches toward Battery Wagner advanced rapidly, notwithstanding the fire directed upon him from Gregg, the James Island batteries, and the sharpshooters in Battery Wagner.

1864: Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Army of the Valley has been reduced by hard fighting and campaigning to about 8,500 infantry, 2,900 cavalrymen, and three battalions of artillery to defend the valley. Federals under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan built up their forces to over 30,000 for the coming fall campaign.

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 28.

None.