Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, June 12.

Click 👉 Today in History (general history) June 12.

On This Day in Confederate History, June 12.

1862: Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, cavalry commander, began his "Ride around the Army of the Potomac" to gather intelligence for General Robert E. Lee. On the ride, he commanded about 1,200 gray-clad horse soldiers to gather intelligence and disrupt the Federate supply line, as well as enemy communications. It was a spectacular event that garnered much publicity. Only one of his men was killed by enemy action. Captain William Latané, 9th Virginia Cavalry, was given a Christian funeral, which was depicted in the famous painting, "The Burial of Latané" by a Virginia artist, William D. Washington.

Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart

Stuart's Ride Around McClelland's Army

(Library of Congress)

The Burial of Latané by William D. Washington, 1864

1863: Confederate Brigadier General John C. Vaughn filed his report on the previous day's activities on his part of the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. defense line: "The usual sharpshooting from the enemy yesterday, which was replied to by my command for the purpose of discharging the guns that were exposed to the rain during the previous day. Some cannonading during the morning resulted in the disabling of one 24-pounder siege gun. One killed in Sixty-second Tennessee Regiment; one wounded, Mississippi State troops."

At the Siege of Port Hudson, La., Col.  William R. Miles writes a report on this day's activities on his part of the Confederate defense line: "Last night the guns and mortars from the fleet, as well as the guns and mortars from the numerous batteries on shore, kept up a brisk fire upon us, resulting in no loss of life, or wound, even. During the day, their fire has slackened considerably and would fain hope tapering to its final end. Neither of the 24-pounder guns was yet mounted on my lines, and if no more attention shall be given in directing the labor of the large nightly details I am called on to furnish more than has been bestowed heretofore, it is a mere matter of conjecture when they will be put in position. No casualties were reported during the day. The 30-pounder Parrott gun at the extreme right has been dismounted today by the enemy's land batteries. I am, Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. R. MILES, Col."

1864: The Battle of Trevalian's Station reaches a conclusion this day. Confederate generals Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee, with 6,762 cavalrymen, repel seven assaults by 9,286 Federal cavalrymen under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. The Northern horse soldiers withdrew and were prevented from destroying the Virginia Central Railroad. The Federals lost 150  men killed, 738 wounded, and 624 captured or missing. The total Confederate casualties are 803. 

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. Raised largely in New Orleans from

 local militia units and the immigrant population in 1861,

 the Fighting First fought in the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days, 

Cedar Mountain, 2nd Manassas, Sharpsburg, and Fredericksburg

 in 1862; Chancellorsville, Winchester No. 2, Gettysburg,

 and Mine Run in 1863; the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, 

Cold Harbor, Monocacy, Winchester No. 3, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek in

 1864, Petersburg, Hatcher's Run, Fort Stedman, and Appomattox 

Courthouse in 1865. The men of the Fighting First fought

 with courage, gallantry, and self-sacrifice for the causes

 of Southern Independence, States Rights, and limited, 

constitutional government. This is their story.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 12.

General Samuel Cooper was born on this day in 1798 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  Cooper graduated from West Point in 1815, ranking 36th out of a class of 40 cadets. In his long U.S. Army career, his highest rank achieved was a colonel and Adjutant General in 1852. He was active in the Second Seminole War and the Mexican American War. Cooper sided with the South in 1861 and was made the highest-ranking Confederate general, adjutant general, and served directly under President Jefferson Davis. He is credited with bringing the organizational knowledge of creating an effective army for the Confederacy. Following the war, Cooper made his living farming on his plantation, called Cameron, near Alexandria, Va. He died December 3, 1876, at home and was buried in Christ Church Cemetery in Alexandria, Va.

General Samuel Cooper

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, June 11.

Click 👉 Today in History (general history) June 11.

On This Day in Confederate History, June 11.

1863: Because of the weather, the day before June 11 is relatively quiet in the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. In his daily report, Confederate Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn writes, "In consequence of the heavy rain yesterday, but little sharpshooting from the enemy. No artillery fire."  Vaughn's Brigade was stationed along the northern part of the Vicksburg defense line. The brigade consisted of the 60th Tennessee Infantry, Captain J.W. Bachman, Comdr..; 61st Tennessee Infantry, Lt. Col. James G. Rose, Cmdr..; and the 62nd Tennessee Infantry, Col. John A. Rowan, Cmdr.

Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton  Vicksburg  commander

At the Siege of Port Hudson, La., Confederate Colonel William R. Miles writes, "In addition to the casualties mentioned in my report of yesterday, I have to add four more who were not reported to me until after my report was sent in. None of the wounds were serious, however. Last night, on my extreme right, was Lieut.-Col. [Fred. B.] Brand commands, my picket was surprised, Lieut. [J. A.] Taylor, in command of it, was seriously wounded, 9 privates and 2 non-commissioned officers captured. Today, Capt. R. M. Boone (Boone's battery), while at his post directing his guns, was seriously wounded in the thigh. O­ne other man has been wounded today. The enemy has opened some additional guns on me today, placed in a new position between Troth's road and the river. He has kept up a tremendous fire during the day from all his guns and mortars, and the small number of casualties would seem to indicate that a special Providence is protecting us. I am, Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. R. MILES, Col."

Col. William R. Miles

1864: In the Battle of Trevilian Station, Va., Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. Willams Wickham, with 950 men, attacked Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's 1,000-man command picketing Marquis Road. The battle continues into the next day.

Brig. Gen. Williams C. Wickham

Confederate General Birthdays, June 11.

Major General James Lawson Kemper was born on this day in 1823 in Madison County, Virginia. A Virginia lawyer and politician, during the Mexican American War, he served as captain and quartermaster but saw no battle action. He then served as a brigadier general in the Virginia militia. Kemper was also the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. During the War for Southern Independence, he fought as the colonel of the 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment at the First Battle of Manassas. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 3, 1862, and then to major general on September 19, 1864. He was severely wounded in Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg and captured but recovered. After being exchanged, he was unable to serve in field command. Following the war, Kemper resumed his legal and political career and was elected governor of Virginia in 1873 and served from January 1, 1874, to January 1, 1878. He died in April 1895 in Orange County, Virginia, and was buried in a family cemetery.

Maj. Gen. James L. Kemper

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

 Click 👉Today in History (general history) June 10. 

Click👉General Mouton's Regiment

The 18th Louisiana Infantry

The 18th Louisiana Infantry was one of the hardest fight

 Louisiana regiments in the War for Southern Independence.

 The original commander of the regiment was Brig. Gen.

 Alfred Mouton, one of the most beloved and charismatic

 leaders in the Confederacy. The 18th Louisiana's

 battles included Shiloh and the Bayou Lafourche Campaign

 in 1862; the Bayou Teches Campaign and the Great

 Texas Overland Expedition in 1863, and the Red River

 Campaign in 1864. Perhaps their greatest battle victory

 of the war was the Battle of Mansfield, LA, on April 8, 1864,

 when they played a key role in crushing the Union center

 in that battle. The regiment was predominantly made up

 of the legendary French speaking Louisiana Cajuns. This

 is their story. The book contains photographs,

 maps, illustrations, bibliography and index.

On This Day in Confederate History, June 10.

1863: Confederate officer prisoners of war were transported to northern prison camps on the passenger steamship Maple Leaf, overpowered their 12 Federal soldier guards, and captured the ship. The prisoners then liberated themselves and escaped to Richmond, Va. There were 70 Confederate P.O.W.s who participated in the seizure and escape. Among them was Captain Oliver John Semmes of the 1st Confederate Battery (Semmes Battery). He was the son of Admiral Raphael Semmes. He was born on Aug. 29, 1839, at Norfolk Navy Yard, Va., and was a third-year student at West Point, N.Y., in 1861 when he resigned to join the Confederate Army. Semmes was appointed a second lieutenant of infantry but in February 1862 organized the 1st Confederate Regular Artillery Battery, better known as Semmes Battery, and served well at the Battle of Baton Rouge and was captured while commanding the CSS Diana in the Battle of Irish Bend, La., on April 14, 1863. After he escaped from the Maple Leaf, he was promoted to major and commanded artillery in the Trans-Mississippi Department. After the war, he became a judge in Mobile, Alabama, and married Amante Electra Gaines there in 1873. The couple was blessed with three children, Amante Electra, Oliver John, and Raphael Owen Semmes. His wife died in 1889, and he died on Jan. 18, 1918, and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Ala.

Major Oliver John Semmes

Escaped the Maple Leaf

Maple Leaf steamship

It was later sunk by a Confederate torpedo.

1864: The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, near Baldwyn, Miss. A Federal expedition from Memphis, Tenn., led by Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis, includes 4,800 infantry, 3,300 cavalry, and 22 artillery pieces, clashed with 3,500 Confederate cavalrymen under Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. The outnumbered Confederates routed the Federals, inflicting them with 223 killed, 394 wounded, 1,632 captured or missing, and captured 18 Federal artillery pieces. The Confederates suffered 96 killed and 396 wounded. The battle was a great victory for General Forrest and his men.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 10.

Brigadier General Thomas Fentress Toon was born on this day in 1840 in Columbus County, North Carolina. He was attending Wake Forest College when the war began in 1861 and left to join the Confederate Army. He was elected the first lieutenant of the 20th North Carolina Infantry and fought in nearly all the battles of the Army of Northern Virginia. He was wounded severely on March 25, 1865, at the Battle of Fort Stedman and was recuperating when the war ended. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1864. Following the war, Toon returned to North Carolina and in 1900 was elected superintendent of public education for North Carolina. Toon died at Raleigh, N.C. on Feb. 19, 1902, and was buried in Historic Oakwood Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Toon

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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) June 9. 

On This Day in Confederate History, June 9.

 1862: Maj. Gen. Thomas J "Stonewall" Jackson's Army of the Valley is victorious again at the Battle of Port Republic, one of the bloodiest battles of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. Jackson's victories at Cross Keys, on June 8, and the Port Republic, on June 9, give Confederates control of the Shenandoah Valley and enable Jackson to reinforce General Lee for the Seven Days Battles. Federal casualties amounted to 1,002, and 816 Confederate casualties. Casualties at the Cross Keys battle were 684, and for the Confederates, 287. Federal casualties are the Port Republic battle were 1,002, and Confederate, 816.

(La. Civil War Centennial Brochure)

The Tigers played a key role in capturing Yankee artillery in the battle.

CLICK👉The Tiger Rifles

The Making of a Louisiana Legend

A history of Company B, 1st Special Battalion (Wheat's) Louisiana Volunteers in the War Between the States. The Tiger Rifles, Company B, of Wheat's Battalion became famous because of their flashy Zouave uniforms, their famous battalion commander, Major Roberdeau Wheat, and their heroics at First Battle of Manassas. Their nickname, Tigers, became attached, first to the battalion, and then to all Louisiana troops serving in the Army of Northern Virginia. The book tries to separate fact from myth with regards to the Tigers. The men became so notorious for their antics in camp, they got blamed for a lot of things they didn't do, although they did plenty on their own to deserve their reputation. Also examined is the possible real identity of their company commander, Captain Alexander White. His name is an alias but as far as is known, his real identity has been a mystery. The book focuses tightly on the men of the Tiger Rifles and brings them to life as much as the limited resources allows.

1863: The Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle ever in America, occurs on this day. The battle involved 11,000 Federal troopers under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasanton versus 9,500 Confederate gray-clad cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. The Confederates were screening General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, which was camped around Culpepper, Va. Stuart's cavalry was caught by a surprise attack by Pleasonton's northerners. However, the Confederates counterattacked and brought victory for the Southerners. The Federals lost 907 men killed, 352 wounded, and 486 missing or captured. The Confederates suffered 51 killed, 250 wounded, and 132 missing or captured.

1864: The First Battle of Petersburg, Va., occurs when Federal Maj. Gen. Benjamin "Beast" Butler sent 4,500 bluecoats to attack the thin gray line then guarding Petersburg. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard and Maj. Gen. Henry Wise initially had only about 1,000 men in the fortifications, mostly old men and young boys, when the attack first occurred. Beauregard managed to bring in reinforcement from the Bermuda Hundred line, consisting of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry and the 7th Confederate States Cavalry, to shore up the Confederate line. Brig. Gen. Raleigh E. Colston also brought in artillery reinforcements, and the Federal attack was repulsed. The Federals had 40 total casualties, and the Confederates had 80.

Brig. Gen. Raliegh E. Colston

Helped save the day with artillery

reinforcements.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 9.

Brigadier General John Rogers Cooke was born on this day in 1833 at Jefferson Barracks, Maryland. He was wounded seven times in the war. The son of a career army officer and brother-in-law to J.E.B. Stuart, Cooke was working in railroad construction when he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1855 in the 8th Infantry Regiment. He followed J.E.B. Stuart into the Confederate Army in 1861, while his father, Philip St. George Cooke, stayed and became a federal general. He began the war as an aide to Brig. Gen. T.H. Holmes under whom he fought at the First Battle of Manassas, Va. Cooke worked his way up the ranks and was commissioned a brigadier general on Nov. 1, 1862. His other battles included Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg (severely wounded), Bristoe Station (seriously wounded), Spotsylvania Court House (another leg wound), and the Battle of Sutherland's Station at the end of the Siege of Petersburg. Following the war, Cooke made his living as a businessman in Richmond, Va., and helped found the Confederate Soldiers' Home there. He died on April 10, 1891, in Richmond and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. John Rogers Cooke

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

Click👉Today in History (general history) On This Day in Confederate History, June 8.

On This Day in Confederate History, June 8

1861: Tennessee voters ratified a decision by the state legislature to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. The vote was 104,914 to 47,238 for secession. During the war, Tennessee supplied 135,000 soldiers to the Confederacy and 51,000 to the Union Army. Major battles there included Fort Henry, Memphis, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Richmond, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Franklin, Nashville, and many small battles, skirmishes, and raids. It also produced one of the most famous Confederate cavalry generals in the war, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and many other outstanding generals.

1862: Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Valley scores another victory at the Battle of Cross Keys, Va., over the Federal forces under Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont with some 11,500 men. The blue coats were opposed by Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's 5,800-man division. Confederates suffered 42 killed, 230 wounded, and 15 missing. The Federals lost 114 killed, 443 wounded, and 127 missing. The last battle of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862 will be the next day.

Maj. Chatham R. Wheat's 1st Bn. La. Vols.

"Wheat's Tigers" performed impressively

during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. 

Click👉The Tiger Rifles

The Making of a Louisiana Legend

A history of Company B, 1st Special Battalion (Wheat's) Louisiana Volunteers in the War Between the States. The Tiger Rifles, Company B, of Wheat's Battalion became famous because of their flashy Zouave uniforms, their famous battalion commander, Major Roberdeau Wheat, and their heroics at First Battle of Manassas. Their nickname, Tigers, became attached, first to the battalion, and then to all Louisiana troops serving in the Army of Northern Virginia. The book tries to separate fact from myth with regards to the Tigers. The men became so notorious for their antics in camp, they got blamed for a lot of things they didn't do, although they did plenty on their own to deserve their reputation. Also examined is the possible real identity of their company commander, Captain Alexander White. His name is an alias but as far as is known, his real identity has been a mystery. The book focuses tightly on the men of the Tiger Rifles and brings them to life as much as the limited resources allows.

1863: Major Samuel Lockett, head of the Confederate engineers at Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., reports on the night of June 8 the Confederates in the Stockade Redan and Third Louisiana Redan stopped the Yankee sap-roller, which was a huge sugar cane bundle protecting the men digging the approach trench, by firing pieces of port-fire and cotton-balls steeped in turpentine into it from muskets.

At the Siege of Port Hudson, La., Col. William R. Miles reports, "ON THE FIELD, June 8, 1863. Late yesterday evening, after writing my report, I had 1 man killed by the enemy's sharpshooters. Between 1 and 2 o'clock this morning, the enemy in force made an advance on my left and center. He was handsomely repulsed and did not renew the attack. During the night, two pieces of artillery were placed in position near Hunt's house and have saluted us several times since. My scouts sent out in the woods between the Troth road and the river report a strong force of the enemy there and say they are engaged in digging rifle pits and throwing up earthworks. Should you desire to send any o­ne outside the lines for information, the two young men who acted for me, I think, would successfully accomplish the mission. The fleet shelled us, as usual, during the night. I am, Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. R. MILES, Col.

1864: Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan's Confederate cavalry at the Battle of Mount Sterling, Ky., attacks a Federal garrison there and captures the bluecoats and the town. Four Federals were killed and 10 were wounded. Morgan loses 8 men killed and 13 wounded. In addition, 380 prisoners are taken, and $59,000 from the Farmers' Bank there. The next day, a Federal force outnumbering the Confederates drove them off. 

Confederate General Birthdays, June 8.

Brigadier General William Montgomery Gardner was born on this day in 1824 in Augusta, Georgia. He was a 1846 graduate of West Point and served in the Mexican-American War. Wounded at the battles of Churubusco and Contreras, Gardner resigned from the U.S. Army on Jan. 19, 1861. Lt. Col. Gardner was wounded at the First Battle of Manassas, Va., with the 8th Georgia Infantry. And when the colonel of that regiment was killed, he became the colonel. However, his severe wound disabled him from further field service. He served in various staff positions. Following the war, Gardner lived in Georgia and Tennessee and died June 16, 1901, in Memphis. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn.

Brig. Gen. William M. Gardner

👱

Brigadier General Gideon Johnson Pillow was born on this day in 1806 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He was a prewar lawyer and politician who served as a brigadier general in the Mexican-American War and was wounded at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. After the war, he resumed his law and political careers and rose to senior major general in the Tennessee Militia. During the War for Southern Independence, he was appointed a brigadier general. His battles included Belmont, Fort Donelson, and Murfreesboro, after which he served in various staff jobs. Following the war, he went bankrupt but rebuilt his law practice in Memphis, Tennessee. He died Oct. 8, 1878, near Helena, Arkansas, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.

Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow

👋

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

Click👉Today in History, June 7

On This Day in Confederate History, June 7.

1862: Southern patriot William Bruce Mumford was ordered to be executed by hanging by Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. "Beast" Butler, the military dictator of New Orleans, for having removed a U.S. Flag from the Mint Building before the city had surrendered. The corrupt military dictator Butler, a Massachusetts Yankee, had already alienated most of the population of New Orleans with his tyrannical reputation for corruption. He was variously known as "Beast Butler" and "Spoons Butler." Mumford became a "cause célèbre" throughout the South and some foreign countries.

1863: The Battle of Milliken's Bend, La., takes place on this day when a brigade of Texas infantry under Brig. Gen. Henry McCullouch tries to take a Federal outpost on the Mississippi River to bring relief to the Confederate garrison of the besieged city of Vicksburg, Miss. McCullouch had about 1,500 against a Federal garrison of 1,100 bluecoats and the Federal Navy gunboats. The Texas brigade, part of Walker's Texas Infantry Division, better known as Walker's Greyhounds, was made up of the 16th, 17th, and 19th Texas infantry regiments. The Federal Army garrison included the 23rd Iowa Infantry, and the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 13th Louisiana Infantry Regiments (U.S. Colored Troops), and the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment (USCT). The Texans overran the Federals and were on the verge of victory when they were driven off by the gunboat U.S.S. Choctaw, which was later reinforced by the U.S.S. Lexington. The Texas brigade then withdrew. The Federal lost 119 men killed, 241 wounded, and 132 missing. The Confederates suffered 185 casualties killed, wounded, and missing.

Pvt. William M. Hogsett

Co. K, 19th Texas Infantry Regiment

"Walker's Greyhounds"

Fought at Milliken's Bend

(Civil War Talk)

Click👉Randal's Texas Brigade

Fights for Southern Independence

This is the history of one of the finest bodies of Confederate infantry in the War for Southern Independence. General Kirby Smith and Lieutenant General Richard Taylor considered Randal's Texas Brigade to be the best infantry brigade in the Trans-Mississippi West. The brigade was principally made up of the 11th Texas Infantry Regiment, 14th Texas Infantry Regiment, the 28th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted) and the 6th Battalion (Gould's) Texas Infantry. It fought in such major Trans-Mississippi Department battles, in all or part, as the battles of Bayou Bourbeau, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, all in Louisiana, and Jenkins' Ferry in Arkansas. The men of Randal's Texas Brigade played a major roll in keeping Texas largely free of the destruction wrought on other Southern states in the war.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 7.

None.

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

 Click 👉Today in History (general history)

On This Day in Confederate History, June 6.

1862: The First Battle of Memphis, Tenn., a naval battle, takes place on the Mississippi River. The Confederates have eight riverboats equipped with cotton bales for protection, small guns, and rams on the prow. The Federals have nine ships, including four powerful ironclads and five steamers equipped with rams. The Confederate boats are vastly outmatched and quickly overwhelmed. The South loses seven of its eight vessels, and 100 men were killed or wounded, and 150 were captured. The Federals have one of their steamer rams disabled and one man wounded. 

1863: Confederate Brigadier General John C. Vaughn in the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. defenses gives his report on June 6, 1863, of the happenings of his brigade on the previous day: "Everything unusually quiet on my line yesterday; but little sharpshooting, and no artillery fire until evening, when the enemy shelled my line for a short time. One killed in Major Stevens' command; one wounded in the Sixty-second  Tennessee Regiment."

CLICK👉The Vicksburg 28th Louisiana Infantry

Colonel William R. Miles, commanding the Confederate right in the defenses at the Siege of Port Hudson, reports this day: "The [Federal] batteries and fleet for some two hours this forenoon gave us a very heavy fire. The [Federal] battery heretofore stationed at the mouth of Troth's lane moved off this evening in the direction of the river below, and the battery near Hunt's house, with eight wagon-loads of stores, moved off also, but at the same hour and in the same direction. Unless these movements are a ruse, it is evident the enemy is moving off a large portion, if not all, of his forces. I have no casualties to report for the day."

Maj. Micajah Rodgers Wilson

8th Arkansas Infantry Battalion

(LOC has his unit as 1st Ark. Inf. Bn.)

Wounded & taken prisoner at Port Hudson

As P.O.W. "Immortal 600"

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1864: Confederate harassment of traffic on the Mississippi River resulted in the Battle of Lake Chicot, Arkansas (aka Battle of Old River Lake), which was fought on this day, the last battle of the war in Arkansas. In the battle, Major Joseph H. Pratt's 10th Texas Field Artillery and 600 Missouri Confederate cavalrymen under Major General  John S. Marmaduke in Ditch Bayou fight against 3,000 Federal troops under Brigadier General Joseph Mower. In the rain, the outnumbered Confederates fall back and destroy the only bridge over the ditch. Hidden Confederate artillery and sharpshooters then open fire on the Federals and pin them down. But a Federal flanking force crosses the ditch to the south, and the Confederates, running low on ammunition, withdraw. Four Confederates are killed and 33 wounded. The Federals lost 33 killed and 98 wounded. The Federals looted and burned in the area before withdrawing from the area on steamboats, leaving the Confederates still in control of the area.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 6.

Brigadier General James Edwin Slaughter was born on an unknown day in June 1827 at Cedar Mountain, Virginia. He attended the Virginia Military Institute for one year, 1845, and then accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen for the Mexican-American War. Slaughter took part in the Mexico City campaign. After that war, he continued to serve in the army with the U.S. 1st Artillery Regiment and was promoted to 1st Lt. in 1852. In May 1861, he resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederate Army, and mostly served as a staff officer. Slaughter served on the staff of Gen. Beauregard who recommended him for brigadier general, which occurred on March 8, 1862. He then became Gen. A.S. Johnston's inspector general and was at the Battle of Shiloh. Slaughter then joined the staff of Lt. Gen. Braxton Bragg, with whom he was present in the Kentucky Campaign. Next, he was given command of Mobile, Alabama. Slaughter was then assigned in April 1863 to serve as chief of artillery for Maj. Gen. J.B. Magruder in Galveston, Texas. His next assignment was to command the Second Division in the eastern sub-district of Texas, and then became the chief of staff. At the end of the war, Slaughter moved to Mexico, where he worked as a civil engineer for several years. He moved back to the U.S. and finally settled in New Orleans. Slaughter was on a visit to Mexico when he became sick and died of pneumonia on Jan. 1, 1901. His final resting place is in the Mexico City National Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. James E. Slaughter