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.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ August 27.

Click 👉Today in History (general History), Aug. 27. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Aug. 27.

1862: At the Second Battle of Manassas, Va., Lt. Gen. T.J. "Stonewall Jackson, Army of Northern Virginia, moved his army into position on the same battlefield as the First Battle of Manassas in 1861. The Confederates were placed along an unfinished railroad below Stony Ridge, and the heavily wooded area enabled the Southerners to conceal their position. Gen. Robert E. Lee, with Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps of the ANV, was rapidly approaching the battlefield and springing the planned trap on the befuddled Maj. Gen. John Pope's Federal Army of Virginia before Maj. Gen. G.B. McClelland's Army of the Potomac could reinforce him. It was a brilliant plan.

1863: In the Chickamauga Campaign in Georgia, Confederate Lt. Gen. Braxton Bragg was moving the Army of Tennessee, numbering about 52,000 men, and was maneuvering to set a trap for Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland, about 65,000 men, in northern Georgia and east of Chattanooga, Tenn. Rosecrans believed Bragg was in retreat into northern Georgia rather than maneuvering him into a trap, as was the actual case.

Also in 1863, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard gave this update on the Siege of Charleston, S.C.: The fire against Fort Sumter was limited on the 27th to 4 shots. In front of Battery Wagner, the enemy had advanced his trenches to within 300 yards of the work, while the number of the enemy's guns and the accuracy of his fire prevented the opening of the embrasures in Battery Wagner except at night. 

Lieutenant Colonel Warren Adams of Co. H,

1st South Carolina (Butler's) Infantry Regiment in uniform

He is probably wearing an S.C. Militia uniform in this image.

He was born in Richland Co., S.C. in 1838 and died in 1884

in Richland Co. Although designated as infantry, Butler's

1st S.C. actually served most of the war as artillery in defense of 

Charleston, S.C, and in Jan. 1865, infantry in the 

North Carolina Campaign.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1864: In the Atlanta Campaign, to break the Siege of Atlanta, Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman was planning to move six of his seven corps south of Atlanta to cut Gen. John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee's last railroad link to the city at Jonesborough and thus force him out of Atlanta. The Yankee XX Corps was covering a railroad bridge over the Chattahoochee River. The IV and XIV corps were moving south. The XXIII Corps remained at East Point. The Yankee cavalry was covering Sherman's north and south flanks. Hood was still oblivious to what was happening.

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 27.

Brigadier General Roger Weightman Hanson was born on this day in 1827 in Winchester, Kentucky. He gained military experience in the Mexican-American War when he served in the 4th Kentucky Regiment and took part in the Battle of Cerro Gordo, where he was cited for bravery. Afterward, Hanson was a lawyer, a member of the state legislature, served in the U.S. Congress, and was an elector from Kentucky in the 1860 Presidential Election. During the War for Southern Independence, he was the colonel of the 2nd Kentucky Infantry, which was part of the Confederate surrender at Fort Donelson. Hanson was exchanged and promoted to brigadier general in December 1862. He was mortally wounded on January 2, 1862, in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn. 

Brig. Gen. Roger W. Hanson

👱

Brigadier General James Alexander Walker was born on this day in 1832 at Mt. Sidney, Virginia. He was a student at the Virginia Military Institute in 1852 when he got into a famous dispute with his professor of natural history, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, and challenged the future "Stonewall Jackson" to a duel. The duel never happened, and Walker was expelled. Walker returned home and became a prominent lawyer in Pulaski County, Va. When war came in 1861, he became the lieutenant colonel of the 13th Virginia Infantry and was promoted to colonel in March 1862. He served under Stonewall Jackson, and the two patched up their past differences and developed a respect for each other. As a colonel, he acted as a temporary brigade commander in several battles, including Gaines' Mill, Sharpsburg (wounded), and Fredericksburg. Walker was promoted to brigadier general in May 1863. General Jackson, on his deathbed, recommended him to command the famous Stonewall Brigade. Walker led the brigade with distinction at Gettysburg, Mine Run, and the Wilderness, and was severely wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse. No longer able for a field command. After recovering enough, he commanded a division at Petersburg in 1864 and surrendered and was paroled at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Returning home, he rebuilt in law practice and became a prominent member of the U.S. Congress. Walker died Oct. 21, 1901, in Wytheville, Va., and was buried in the East End Cemetery there.

                                                    

                                                            Brig. Gen. James A. Walker

Click👉 The Fighting First Louisiana Infantry Regiment

In the Army of Northern Virginia

The 1st Louisiana Infantry Regiment was one of the hardest-fighting units of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the War for Southern Independence. This is its story. It fought at the Yorktown Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg,  Fredericksburg,Va., all in 1862, Chancellorsville, Va., 2nd  Winchester, VA, Stephenson's Depot, VA, Gettysburg, PA, Mine Run, Payne's Farm, all in 1863, the Wilderness, Shenandoah Valley, Fort Stevens, Cold Harbor, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg, Va. in 1864, and Petersburg and Appomattox, in 1865.

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

Click 👉 Today in History (general history) Aug. 26.

On This Day in Confederate History, Aug. 26.

1862: The Second Battle of Manassas is rapidly taking shape when Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's wing of the Army of Northern Virginia, now in the rear of Yankee Maj. Gen. John "My headquarters are in the saddle," Pope's much larger army, and captures Manassas Junction. The railroad junction has mountains of supplies for the Federal Army. The always hungry Confederates feasted on the Yankee rations and carried off everything they could use and burned the rest. The other wing of the ANV, with General Lee and General Longstreet, is rapidly approaching and will be on Pope's flank before the Northern general even knows it.

Unidentified soldier with musket and

"Victory or Death" sign.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1863: Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard gives an update on what happened in the Siege of Charleston, S.C. on this day: "On the 26th, 130 shots were fired at Sumter, Batteries Wagner and Gregg receiving the bulk of the fire. At 5 o'clock in the evening, the enemy concentrated his fire on our rifle pits in front of Battery Wagner. Between 7 and 8 p.m. the rifle pits in front of Battery Wagner. Between 7 and 8 p.m., the rifle-pits were carried by an overwhelming force, who also succeeded in capturing 76 out of 89 men of the Sixty-first North Carolina Volunteers, who formed the picket."

1864: North and South clash again in the Shenandoah Valley at the Battle of Smithfield Crossing, W. Va. between Aug. 25-29. Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's two infantry divisions crossed the Opequon Creek there when on the 29th forced back the Federal cavalry division of Maj. Gen. Westley Merritt. However, a federal infantry division stopped the Confederate advance on Charles Town. It is ranked as a tactical stalemate with about 300 casualties on both sides.

Confederate General Birthdays, Aug. 26.

Brigadier General Theodore Washington Brevard was born on this day in 1821 in Tuskegee, Alabama. A prewar lawyer in Florida, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives and served in 1858 and 59. He got military experience serving in the Florida Militia as an adjutant and inspector general. He resigned from that position to serve as a first lieutenant in the Florida Mounted Volunteers in the Seminole War in 1857. After he was promoted to major and promoted to the militia adjutant general again. In the War for Southern Independence, he started as a captain in the 2nd Florida Infantry, was appointed a major and commander of Brevard's Partisan Rangers and fought in the Battle of Olustee. Then, with Finegan's Brigade, Brevard was promoted to colonel of the 11th Florida Infantry in the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va., the Second Battle of Ream's Station, the Battle of Globe Tavern, the Battle of Hatcher's Run, and the Battle of Sailor's Creek and was made a brigadier general April 6, 1865, when he was captured. He may not have learned he was a brigadier general until after the war. He returned to his home in Tallahassee, Florida, and died there on June 20, 1882. Brevard was buried in St. John's Episcopal Church Cemetery. 

Brig. Gen. Theodore W. Brevard

👱

Brigadier General Danville Ledbetter was born on this day in 1811 in Leeds, Maine. He graduated from West Point in 1836 third in a class of 49 cadets. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he served until he resigned in 1857 and settled in Alabama. Ledbetter joined the Confederate Army on March 16, 1861, to oversee the construction of Mobile, Ala. defenses. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on Nov. 11, 1861, and to brigadier general on Feb. 27, 1862, and put in command of the 1st Brigade of the District of East Tennessee. He then became the Chief Engineer of the department and of the Army of Tennessee in 1863. Ledbetter oversaw the building of the defenses of Knoxville, Tenn. He next was put in command of the District of the Gulf where he ended the war. After the war, Ledbetter moved to Mexico and then Canada where he died in 1866. He was buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Ala.

Brig. Gen. Danville Ledbetter