Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 10.

 Click 👉 TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 11.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 11.

1863: In Richmond, Va., Confederate War Department clerk John B. Jones writes in his diary about the damage speculators are doing to the Confederate economy. He writes, "I have written Custis Lee, the President's aide, that but one alternative remains: for the President, or someone else, to assume all power, temporarily, and crush the speculators."

John B. Jones is seen in this 1851-52 painting seated at left,

in George Caleb Bingham's "Canvassing for Votes." Jones

and Bingham were friends in Missouri before the war.

1864: In the Battle of Bull's Gap, in East Tenn., Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge led 3,000 Confederates from Virginia and pushed back 2,500 Federals under Maj. Gen. Alvan Cullem Gillem near Knoxville by Nov. 14. Federal casualties totaled 324, and Confederates lost 100 men.

Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge

Major Bolinn R. Chinn

Commander of the  9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry

(Restored & colorized by AI)

Click👉9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry

This is the history of the 9th Battalion, Louisiana Infantry, which fought at the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana in the War for Southern Independence. The unit took part in the famous charge of Allen's Brigade at Baton Rouge. The men of the unit were fighting in defense of their own home area since most were from East Baton Rouge and nearby parishes.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 11.

Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch, in 1811 in Rutherford County, Tennessee. He was a legend in his own time, having come to Texas from Tennessee in 1835 to fight in the War for Texas' Independence from Mexico. He met Col. David Crockett in Nacogdoches and planned to go to San Antonio with him, but measles laid him up for several weeks, but saved him from being killed at the Alamo with Crockett. He served under General Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto. He also served as a Texas Ranger and in the war with Mexico. In the War for Southern Independence, McCulloch led a brigade in the Battle of Oak Hill, Mo., commanded the Confederate right wing at the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, Ark, and was killed in action in that battle on March 7, 1862. His remains are now at rest in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. McCulloch County, Texas, is named in his honor.

Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch

He was wearing a black suit and

black Wellington boots when he

was killed at Elk Horn Tavern.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 9.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history), Nov. 9 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 9

1862: At Fredericksburg, Va.,  Federal cavalry under Federal Col. Ulric Dahlgren raided and captured 34 Confederates, and the bluecoat troopers lost one man. Gen. Robert E. Lee conducted a court of inquiry about the incident, but no charges were filed.

1863: Confederate and Federal cavalry clashed at Bayou Sara, La. (also called the skirmish at Tunica Bend) on this day, with the Southerners driving off the blue coats. Bayou Sara is a riverboat town. "Col. Henry Maury, Fifteenth [Confederate] Cavalry Regiment: We dashed in yesterday above Bayou Sara on a plundering party of Yankees, 300 strong; drove them to their ironclads, with great slaughter. We brought off their wagon train and 25 prisoners from under the broadsides of their gunboats. Only 3 of ours [were] wounded." [O.R., Series I, Vol. 26, Part I, p.452.]

Col. Henry Maury, 15th Confederate Cavalry

He was a cousin of Maj. Gen. Dabney Maury.

(Printerest/warbetweenthestates.com catalog)

John Wilkes Booth performs in "The Marble Heart" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., with Lincoln in the audience. Booth played the villain and reportedly delivered several threatening lines while looking directly at Lincoln. However, Lincoln was said to be very impressed with Booth's acting.

 

John Wilkes Booth

(Library of Congress)

 1864: At Kingston, Ga., Sherman plans his "March to the Sea" while Hood's Army of Tennessee hopes to draw Sherman into Tennessee. Hood is also waiting for Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest arrived with reinforcements and took command of all the cavalry of the Army of Tennessee.

CONFEDERATE GENERALS BORN ON THIS DAY, Nov. 9

Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill was born on this day in 1825 at Culpeper, Virginia. Hill was an 1847 graduate of West Point and was 15th in a class of 38 graduating cadets. Hill served in the Mexican-American War with the U.S. Cavalry but was in no major battles. He resigned from the U.S. Army on March 1, 1861, and initially served as colonel of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He rose rapidly in the ranks and led what became famous as A.P. Hill's Light Division of the Second Corps. He then commanded the Third Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. His battles included First Manassas, the Peninsula Campaign, Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, the Wilderness, North Anna, Cold Harbor the third battle of the siege of Petersburg. Hill was killed in action on April 2, 1865, at the Third Battle of Petersburg. He is buried underneath a magnificent monument and statue of him in Richmond, Va. But as of this writing, Richmond authorities announced Hill's statue and grave there would be moved?

Lt. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill

👱

Brigadier General William Henry Forney, in 1823, Lincolnton, North Carolina. He served in the Army of Northern Virginia and was wounded a number of times but survived the war. Post-war he served in the U.S. Congress and the Gettysburg Battlefield Commission. He died on Jan. 16, 1894, in Jacksonville, Alabama, and was buried in the City Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. William H. Forney

👋

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 8.

 Click 👉 TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 8

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 8

1861: THE TRENT AFFAIR: James Mason and John Slidell, Confederate commissioners to Great Britain, were illegally seized from a British merchant ship, the Trent, by the U.S.S. San Jacinto, sparking an international dispute between the US and the UK.

First Assistant Engineer William Ahern of the Confederate States Navy in Uniform (1860-1865). He served on: CSS Jamestown, CSS Georgia, CSS Palmetto State, CSS Drewry, and CSS Florida.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

(Restored and colorized by AI)

1862: The CSS Alabama, under Captain Raphael Semmes, captured and burned the merchant ship T.B. Wales in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda on this day. The Confederate cruiser's motto was "Aide Toi, Et Dieu T'Aidera" (God helps those who help themselves). The commerce raider displaces 1,050 tons and measures 220 ft. in length, with a 31 ft. 8 in. beam and a 17 ft. 8 in. draft. It is propelled by both steam engines, auxiliary sails, and a single screw propeller. Alabama could do 13 knots (15 mph). It is manned by 145 officers and men, and its armament includes 6 32-pounders, 1 110-pounder gun, and a 68-pounder gun.\

Lt. Arthur Sinclair IV and Lt. Richard F. Armstrong at one of

the CSS Alabama's 32-pounders.

1863: The aftermath of the Bristoe Campaign saw Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's much larger Army of the Potomac are digging in and starting to plan for their next actions. Major engagements included the Battle of Bristoe Station on Oct. 14, the Battle of Buckland Mills, and the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station. The Army of Northern Virginia settled in at Orange County, and the Federal Army at the Brandy Station area. Meade began planning his next campaign in the Mine Run area.

1864: Following his highly successful raid into Western Tennessee with his victory at the Battle of Johnsonville, Tenn., Gen. Forrest slowly receded back to northern Mississippi. General P.G.T. Beauregard, theater commander, laid plans to attach Forrest to Hood's Army of Tennessee and put him in command of all the cavalry with the AOT.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 8.

Brigadier General Claudius Wistar Sears, 1817, Peru, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1837 from West Point and served in the Seminole War before resigning in 1842 and settling in Holly Springs, Mississippi, to teach at St. Thomas Hall. Sears then became a professor at the University of Louisiana in New Orleans. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and was made a brigadier general on March 1, 1864. His campaigns included the Peninsula Campaign and Maryland Campaign in 1862, the Vicksburg Campaign in 1863, and the Atlanta and Franklin-Nashville campaigns in 1864. Following the war, Sears taught mathematics at the University of Mississippi. He died Feb. 15, 1881, in Oxford, Miss. at age 63 and was buried in Saint Peter's Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. Claudius W. Sears

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 7.

Click 👉Today in History (general history) Nov. 7. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY

1861: Battle of Belmont, Missouri, Confederate victory. In the battle, Brig. Gen. U.S. Grant with 3,114 blue coats fought against 5,000 Confederates under Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk. Grant's force attacked Polk's small outpost at Belmont. General Polk reacted by sending reinforcements and heavy artillery support from across the Mississippi River, counterattacked, and caught Grant by surprise when they were en route back to the river with 106 prisoners. Grant got most of his troops back across the river. The blue-coat general lost his horse, saddle, mess chest, and gold pen. The Federals lost 120 men killed, 383 wounded, and 104 captured or missing. The Confederates suffered 105 killed, 419 wounded, and 117 captured or missing. Historians generally rate Grant a great general and Polk a mediocre one. But when the two met in battle, Polk defeated Grant, and that is a historical fact.

CLICK👉The 20th Louisiana Infantry Regiment

This is the story of one of the most unique infantry units in the Confederate Army, the 20th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. It was made up largely are recent immigrants to New Orleans from the cities and farms of Germany and Ireland. Raised by Colonel Augustus Reichard, a naturalized citizen of the U.S. born in Germany who was very prominent in the New Orleans German community, and the consul for several German states. He and other Germans had been active in the Louisiana State Militia and were eager to prove themselves loyal Confederates once the state seceded. They saw plenty of action during the war in such notable battles as Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Ezra Church, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville, and Spanish Fort. The book has footnotes, images, maps, a bibliography, an index, and an annotated roster of over 1,000 soldiers who served in the regiment.

1863: The Battle of Rappahannock Station, Va., took place on this day. In the battle, the Confederates were safeguarding a crossing of the Rappahannock River on the enemy side in advance of the main Confederate defenses on the other side. Both sides had about 2,000 men in combat. Brig. Gen. Henry Hays' Louisiana Tigers Brigade was occupying a position with backup from Capt. Charles A. Green's Louisiana Guards battery of four field pieces. They were also reinforced in the battle by a brigade of 3 North Carolina regiments. They were being attacked by Federal forces under Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick. The bluecoats penetrated the Confederate defenses at several points and managed to capture the bulk of Hays' men. Hays himself was not present when the battle occurred. The Confederates lost 1,670 men, 1600 of whom were captured. The Federal casualties were 419 men in all.

A well-equipped Louisiana infantryman.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

(Colorized by AI)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 7

NONE

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

Click 👉 THIS DAY IN HISTORY (General History)

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 6.

1861 -- President 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, 1808, in Fairview, Kentucky, Davis' father was a Revolutionary War veteran. His family moved to Louisiana and then to 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 was then elected the first president of the new independent Southern Republic on this day in 1861.

Sarah Knox Taylor Davis

(Wikimedia Commons)

1863: The Battle of  Droop Mountain, [West] Virginia. Gen. William Averell led 3,855 Federal troops against 1,700 Confederate troops under Gen. John Echols. Confederate losses were 33 killed, 121  wounded, and 122 missing. Federal casualties were 45 killed, 98 wounded, and 2 captured. The Federals set a trap for the Confederates, and the battle is considered a Federal victory.

Brig. Gen. John Echols

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. 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 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, two 12-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.

NONE

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

 Click 👉Today in History (general history), Nov. 5.

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 from General Bragg to move his corps to seize Knoxville, Tenn. He had with him the two divisions he brought with him from the Army of Northern Virginia, and was later reinforced by a 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,

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)

(Colorized by AI)

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.

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 Birthday, November 4.

 Click 👉Today in History (general history) Nov. 4.

On This Day in Confederate History, Nov. 4:

In 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 occupied 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)

In 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

👱

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

👱

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 worked 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

👱

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

👋