Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 20.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 21. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 21.

1863: The Battle of Vaught's Hill, TN, took place on this day when a Federal brigade of 1300 infantry and artillery commanded by Col. Albert S. Hall was on a reconaissance mission to find Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan's 3500 man Confederate Cavalry Division in Rutherford County, TN. The two clashed at Vaught's Hill when Morgan's men, who outnumbered the bluecoats, began deploying and shelling the Federals. However, the Northerners were deployed in a strong rocky position. After several assaults over a several hour period, Morgan decided to withdraw to continue a planned raid on the North. The Federals had between 48 and 62 casualties. The Confederates suffered between 180 and 373 casualties.

1864:   The Battle of Henderson Hill, Louisiana, occurred on this day during the Red River Campaign when part of the 2nd Louisiana Cavalry and Edgar's Battery, 1st Texas Light Artillery, were surprised and captured by the 35th Iowa Infantry and 33rd Missouri Infantry upriver from Alexandria, Louisiana. The Federals made their approach during wretched weather with rain and hail helping mask their approach, after dark, guided by deserters and jayhawkers. The two Federal regiments pushed forward toward the camp of the 2nd Louisiana Cavalry, commanded by Colonel William Vincent. At about 10:30 p.m., the guards at eight Confederate picket posts were surprised and captured without a shot being fired. Then at about midnight, the bluecoats found the main Confederate camp, and the 35th Iowa surrounded and captured some of the Southerners in a house and a section of Edgar's Battery before their presence had been discovered. The Confederate guns were ready with horses hitched and two of the pieces loaded with canisters, but obviously, the men were not ready. The two Federal regiments then fixed bayonets and moved in on the rest of the camp, captured another section of the artillery, and then the cavalrymen, some of whom were mounting their horses. Only a few shots were fired in resistance. While Colonel Vincent escaped, 16 officers and 206 men were captured, along with horses, cavalry equipment, and artillery pieces, and the encampment was completely destroyed. Confederate General Richard Taylor lost most of the available cavalry he had at that time.

1st Lt. William B. Champlin, Co.D & F, 2nd La. Cav. 

He was captured on Nov. 30, 1863, near the Salt

Works near New Iberia, La., and exchanged Dec.

31, 1863. (Printerest, quarter plate ambrotype)

A Confederate cavalryman,

as indicated by the "C" for

 cavalry buttons on his shell jacket.

(Possibly one of Morgan's men?)

(CDV, M.D. Jones Collection)

1865: On the last day of the Battle of Bentonville, N.C., there is heavy fighting on the Confederate left at the Mill Creek bridge, which was on the Confederate line of retreat. General Joseph Johnston's forces can halt the Federal advance. On the first day of the battle, March 19, 1865, the Confederates made several unsuccessful attacks on the Federals, and they dug in and went on the defensive. On the second day of fighting, both combatants engaged in skirmishing. Johnston successfully withdrew his army on the night of March 21. The battle cost the Confederates 239 killed, 1,694 wounded, and 673 missing. Federal losses were 194 killed, 1,112 wounded, and 221 missing. Sherman continued toward Petersburg, Va.

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 21.

NONE.

Today in History (general History)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 19.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY

1861-Northern President Lincoln sent Gustavus Vasa Fox to Charleston, SC, to evaluate the situation with Forts Sumter, which had become the focus of the tension between the two nations. It was under the command of Major Robert Anderson. Fox reached Charleston, SC, and met with Gov. Francis Pickens and Gen. PGT Beauregard and was given permission to meet with Anderson at Fort Sumter. While meeting with Anderson, he hinted that Lincoln would send reinforcements. 

1862-At New Orleans, the Confederacy's largest and most industrialized city, while the Confederate Army and Navy and Louisiana's State Militia are busy building up their forts and river fleet, Cmdr. D.D. Porter arrived with his mortar ships to reinforce Rear Admiral David Farragut's West Gulf Blockade Squadron in preparation for their attack of Forts St.Philip and Jackson. The forts had protected New Orleans from the British fleet in 1815, and the Confederates were gambling they could do the same in  1863. However, Gen. Beauregard had warned authorities they probably could not do it this time. The Confederates were also gambling on two powerful ironclads they were building to back up the forts, but would they be ready in time?

1863-The CSS Georgiana, built in Scotland to be a power cruiser with an iron hull steam propeller, was on its maiden voyage when it was approached by a Federal Navy blockader. It was supposed to be fitted out with its guns and receive its full crew in Charleston. Rather than be captured, the captain of the ship scuttled her. The wreck was found in 1965 in shallow water just outside the harbor.

1864-The Battle of Laredo, Texas, took place on this day on the Texas-Mexico border when a contingent of Federal infantry, cavalry, and artillery, totaling 200 men, tried to capture a Confederate stockpile of cotton guarded by Colonel Santos Benavidas's command of cavalry and local militia, totaling 72 men. Although outnumbered, the Confederates put up a determined defense, and the Federals withdrew. The victory secured 5,000 bales of cotton, which were shipped through Mexico. The only casualties were 2 Federals killed.

Col. Santos Benavidas

33rd Texas Cavalry

Cofederate officers of the 33rd Texas Cavalry,

Refugio Benavides, left, Atanacio Vidaurri, Cristobal 

Benavides and John Z. Leyendecker. 

(University of Texas at San Antonio Library)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS

Brigadier General Johnson Duncan was born on this day in Chanceford, York County, PA, in 1827. He was appointed to West Point on July 1, 1845, and graduated in June 1849 was ranking 5th in a class of 43 cadets. Duncan was brevetted a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery and promoted to second lieutenant on Oct. 31, 1849. He saw action in the Seminole War in Florida. He was assigned to Fort Sullivan, Maine and received a promotion to first lieutenant in 1853. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1855. He moved to New Orleans, where he was employed as an engineer on the staff of Major P.G. Beauregard, who was then the head of the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as being appointed the Chief Engineer for Louisiana. He married a local girl and started a family. Duncan also became involved in local politics. He was also active with the State Militia and was appointed by the governor to be a captain in the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery, which manned the various forts around the city. Promoted to colonel in the Confederate Army, he was put in command of all the forts with headquarters at Fort Jackson. He was promoted to brigadier general on January 7, 1862. While he commanded with distinction, during the Battle of New Orleans, in April, 1862, he had to surrender when the Federal Navy got past the forts and many of the men at Fort Jackson mutinied. After being exchanged, he was assigned to be chief of staff for General Braxton Bragg. But on Dec. 18, 1862, he died of malaria and was buried at McGavock Cemetery on Carnton Plantation, in Franklin, Tennessee. His son, who was named in his honor, later wrote a history of the New Orleans Campaign of 1862 that was published in the Battles and Leaders series for Century Magazine,

Brig. Gen. Johnson Kelly Duncan

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 18.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 18.

1861: The Arkansas secession convention voted 39-35 against seceding from the Union. The Arkansas convention was led by unionists and held a unionist majority from the beginning. It does provide for a vote of the people on the issue later in the summer.

1862: President Jefferson Davis moved Judah Benjamin from his Secretary of War position to Secretary of State. Benjamin was much more able in his new cabinet post.

1863: Major General Franklin Gardner at Port Hudson, La. has his Confederates gather an enormous number of supplies and equipment from the retreating Northern Army of the Gulf. The riches are reportedly 15 wagon loads of supplies and livestock as well. The below picture of Pvt. Louis Cormier depicts the typical Confederate uniform issued to troops at Port Hudson and Vicksburg in 1863. A group picture of the Port Hudson shows most of those soldiers in the picture are wearing this type of uniform.

Pvt. Louis Cormier, Boone's La. Battery Light Artillery

Port Hudson Confederate garrison.

(Port Hudson State Historic Site)

1864: Major General Richard Taylor on this day in the Red River Campaign keeps his Army of Western Louisiana stationary at a position 50 miles from Natchitoches while waiting for reinforcements. He especially needs cavalry to keep an eye on Federal forces which were gathering forces and supplies at Alexandria, Louisiana in the central part of the state.

1865: The Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Joseph E. Johnston at Bentonville, North Carolina gets ready to try to block Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman's Federal juggernaut of 60,000 bummers who have been burning and looting their way across the Carolinas. Johnston has only about 21,000 Southern soldiers.

At Mobile, Alabama: Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Dabney Maury with just 6,000 men, prepares for an attack by a Federal Army under Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby with 45,000 men. Major fortifications around the city include Fort Blakely under Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell and Spanish Fort under Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 18.

Brigadier General William Robertson Boggs was born on this day in 1829 in Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from West Point in 1853 and ranked fourth in his class of 47 cadets. He got a choice assignment as a brevet second lieutenant in the Topographical Bureau. Despite his promising career, he only reached the rank of first lieutenant by 1861. He resigned from the U.S. Army when Georgia seceded and became a staff officer for General Braxton Bragg. Boggs was appointed Chief Engineer for Georgia in 1862, and in 1863 was promoted to brigadier general and became chief of staff for General E. Kirby Smith in the Trans-Mississippi Department. He resigned as chief of staff after quarreling with Smith and was temporarily commander of the District of Louisiana. He was awaiting orders in Houston when the war ended and he was paroled on June 9, 1865. Following the war, he was a railroad construction engineer, and a professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and died in Winston-Salem, N.C. Sept. 11, 1911, and was buried in Salem Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. William R. Boggs

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 17.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 17. 

Among the most famous Irish-Texas heroes of the 19th Century was Lt./Maj. Richard W. Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard, officially known as Company F, 1st Texas Heavy Artillery, Confederate States of America. They fought in the Battle of Galveston, Texas against the blockaders of the Texas coast and at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass. Being a native of Ireland, Dowling was also an active Fenian who believed in independence for Ireland and was the Fenian commander in Texas after the war and raised money for the Fenian cause. This is the story of Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard. Click below for more information. 

         CLICK👉Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 17.

1863: At the Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia, 800 Confederate cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee engaged with 2,1000 Federal cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell. When the Federals try to cross Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock River but 60 Confederate sharpshooters drive them back. The 1st R.I. Cavalry eventually force the crossing Gen. Fitzhugh Lee then leads his 800 gray cavalrymen against the Federals. But, outnumbered more than two to one, the Confederates had to withdraw to a Woodline. Averell then decides to withdraw his force back across the river. The Federals lost 6 killed, 50 wounded, and 22 missing. The Confederates suffered 11 dead, 88 wounded and 34 captured. 

1864: Red River Campaign: Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton's brigade marched 20 miles on this day in Northwest Louisiana. The Confederates settle in 50 miles from Natchitoches and wait for the arrival of Vincent's Louisiana Cavalry, and Walker's Texas Infantry Division. Many of Vincent's men are recent conscripts. Also coming is Brig. General Camille Polignac's Texas Infantry Brigade to form a powerful new infantry division with Mouton's brigade, which Mouton will command. Brig. Gen. Thomas Green's Texas Cavalry is coming from Texas to help defeat the Federal advance up the Red River.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 17.

Brig. Gen. Sterling Alexander Martin Wood is born on this day in 1823 in Florence, Alabama. He was a pre-war lawyer, state legislator, and newspaper editor. He was elected on May 18, 1861, colonel of the 7th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Wood was promoted to brigadier general on Jan. 7, 1862, and commanded a brigade at the battles of Shiloh (wounded), Perryville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma, and Chickamauga. Wood resigned from his commission on October 17, 1863, and resumed his law practice. Following the war, he received a pardon on November 1865. He was elected to the Alabama legislature. He died on Jan. 26, 1891, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. S.A.M. Wood

Brig. Gen. S.A.M Wood and staff, from l-r,

seated, Lt. Henry Class Wood, aide-de-camp, and Gen.

Wood; standing, Surgeon Major William Cordwell Cross, Rev. Alexander Lockett

Hamilton, and possibly asst. Q.M. Martin Walt. 

                                       (Ala. Photographs & Pictures Collection, Ala. Dept. of Archives and History.)   

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 16.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 16.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 16.

1861: Confederate Arizona holds a secession convention at Mesilla and delegates vote to secede from the U.S. Arizona will eventually become a Confederate territory.

1863: In the Port Hudson, La. vicinity, the 9th Battalion Louisiana Partisan Rangers skirmished with the retreating Federal Army of the Gulf and gathered discarded enemy equipment. The members of the unit were largely from the Baton Rouge area and were literally defending their homes and families.

1864: Red River Campaign: Nine Federal gunboats arrived in Alexandria, La. on this day. Also, Federal troops occupy this strategically important river port on the Red River. Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana is making its way deeper into the northwest part of the state.

1865: Confederate and Federal forces clash in the Battle of Averasborough, North Carolina. Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee is in command of 7,000 Confederates trying to block Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum's  12,000 Federals. The Confederates repulse two Federal assaults but reinforcements arrive and the Confederates are overwhelmed and withdraw. The Confederates suffered 500 casualties and the Federals 700.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 16.

Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born on this day in Ovens, County Cork, Ireland.  He got some early military experience serving in the 41st Regiment of Foot in the British Army in Ireland. Cleburne immigrated to the U.S. with his two brothers and sister. He settled in about 1850 in Helena, Arkansas, and worked as a pharmacist, businessman, lawyer, and newspaper publisher. He became captain of the Yell Rifles which became a company in the 1st Arkansas Infantry in the state militia. He soon became colonel of the regiment, which became the 15th Arkansas Infantry. Cleburne's military bearing and leadership qualities impressed his superiors, and he was promoted to brigadier general on March 4, 1862. He led a brigade at the Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., then a division at Corinth, Miss., the Battle of Richmond, Ky., where he was wounded, and at the Battle of Perryville, Ky. He was then promoted to major general on Dec. 13, 1862, and led his division at the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn. In 1863, his battles included Murfreesboro, on Jan. 2, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold Gap. In 1864, he fought in the Atlanta Campaign. Cleburne was killed in action at the Battle of Franklin, Tenn. on November 30, 1864. He is now buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Helena, Arkansas.

Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 15

CLICK 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 15. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 15.

1863: BATTLE OF KELLY'S FORD, VA: This battle was called non-conclusive by the North because their cavalry was not routed by the Confederate cavalry as usual. Nevertheless, the bluecoat troopers had to retreat and leave the field to the gray coat troopers. It certainly helped them to do better than the Federals usually did, but they outnumbered the Confederates by more than 2-to-1. The Northern cavalry consisted of the division of Maj. Gen. William Averell numbering 2,100 men. The Confederate troopers numbered 800 men under Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. The bluecoats gained an initial advantage by pushing back a small number of Confederates, some 60 men. But Lee rushed in the rest of his brigade at a strategic location which stopped the Federals and eventually caused them to a retreat. Northern casualties amounted to 6 killed, 50 wounded, and 22 missing. The Southerners suffered 11 killed, 88 wounded, and 34 captured. The Confederate dead included "The Gallant" Major John Pelham who was killed by a small piece of shrapnel which hit him in the head from a shell burst over him fired by enemy artillery. He died soon afterwards  Pelham was one of bravest and talented artillerist in Army of Northern Virginia.

Maj. John Pelham

Killed at Kelly's Ford

(Library of Congress)

1864: In the  Red River Campaign, as Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana continued to retreat, and the Federal fleet under Admiral Porter reached Alexandria, Louisiana on the Red River. The invaders quickly turned the river port city into a major supply depot for their invasion and cotton-stealing expedition. However, Taylor had carefully seen to it that all public property was evacuated before the Federals arrived. The Confederate Army also continued to consolidate and receive reinforcements.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 15.

Brigadier General Edward Aylesworth Perry was born on this day in 1831 in Richmond, Massachusetts. He moved to Greenville, Alabama in 1853 to teach and study the law. In 1857 Perry moved to Pensacola, Florida where he served as a county judge. With the advent of war in 1861, Perry enlisted in the 2nd Florida Infantry and was elected captain of Company A. He was elected colonel of the regiment and then appointed brigadier general on August 28, 1862. Perry was wounded at the Battle of Glendale in June 1862 but later fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville, missing the Gettysburg campaign because of typhoid fever. He was able to return to his command for the Bristoe campaign in the Fall of 1863 but was severely wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864. Perry tried to return to active duty for the Siege of Petersburg but had to be put on duty in the Confederate Invalid Corps for the rest of the war. Following the war, Perry became an active opponent of Reconstruction, was elected governor of Florida, and took office on Jan. 7, 1885. He died on Oct. 18, 1889, of a stroke while visiting Kerrville, Texas. He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola.

Brig. Gen. Edward A. Perry

Today in History/ (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 14.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 14. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 14.

1862: The Battle of New Berne, N.C. takes place between the Federal Coast Division of Brig. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, 11,000 men and 14 gunboats of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, versus Brig. Gen. Lawrence's 4,000 troops in the First North Carolina Division. The Federal assault penetrated the central Confederate entrenchments and drove the North Carolinians out of the city. The Confederates lost 64 men killed, 101 wounded, and 413 captured or missing. Federal casualties numbered 90 killed, 380 wounded, and one missing. 

1863: The Northern invaders launch their land and river  Battle of Port Hudson, La. Confederate bastion on a high bluff of the Mississippi River fails when only two of Admiral David G. Farragut's fleet of seven warships get by heavy Confederate artillery fire. Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford, and the gunboat USS Albatross are the two that succeeded in running the deadly gauntlet of big guns on the bluff. On the landside, with the failure of the Federal Navy, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Prentiss with 17,000 men calls off the assault on the well-manned Confederate trenches of Maj. Gen. Franklin Gardner's 16,000 Confederates, and retreated back to Baton Rouge. All of Farragut's ships were damaged and the USS Mississippi was destroyed. Total navy casualties were 297, including 64 sailors killed or missing. Banks failed to report the army casualties. The Confederates lost three men killed and 22 wounded. Most of the casualties occurred when an enemy shell exploded over the 30th Tennessee Infantry while marching to their trenches. There were three killed and three wounded in the blast. None of the Confederate big guns were knocked out. 

The Battle of Port Hudson, March 14, 1863.

Col. John L. Logan, Cmdr. of

Confederate cavalry around 

Port Hudson, La.

1864: At the Battle of Fort DeRussy, the fortress falls to the Federals and is the first battle of the Red River Campaign. The Federals under Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith has 10,000 men versus the Confederate garrison of about 350 infantry and artillery under Lt. Col. William Byrd of the 14th Texas Infantry. An assault by the bluecoats overwhelmed the gray jacket defenders giving the victory to the Federals. The Northerners lost 48 men killed and wounded with two missing. The Southern casualties total two killed, five wounded, and 317 captured. The rest of Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana begins a long retreat into northwest Louisiana while Taylor gathers reinforcements to make a stand before Shreveport.

Lt. Col. William Harrison Byrd

14th Texas Infantry Regiment

(Find-A-Grave)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 14.

Major General John Sappington Marmaduke was born on this day in 1833 at Arrow Rock, Missouri. He graduated from West Point in 1857 ranking 30th in a class of 38 cadets. Marmaduke served as a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Mounted Riflemen and the 1st U.S. Cavalry. He participated in the Utah War and was stationed in Utah and New Mexico Territory. Marmaduke resigned in April 1861 and served as colonel of the 1st Regiment of Rifles in the Missouri State Guard. He resigned from the MSG in June 1861 and was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Arkansas Battalion of the Confederate Army. He was promoted to brigadier general in November 1862 and to major general in March 1865. His battles included Boonville, Shiloh (wounded), Prairie Grove, Second Springfield, Hartville, Cape Girardeau, Helena, Reed's Bridge, Bayou Fourche, Pine Bluff, Poison Spring, and Mine Creek where he was captured. Following the war, he worked in insurance, was Missouri Railroad Commissioner, and was elected the governor of Missouri. He died Dec. 28, 1887, while still governor in Jefferson City and was buried in Woodland Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke

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Brigadier General Montgomery Dent Corse was born on this day in 1816 in Alexandria, District of Columbia. Corse worked in the family business and then joined the 1st Virginia Regiment in the Mexican-American War. After that, he participated in the California Gold Rush. After moving back to Virginia, he organized a home guard militia unit in Alexandria in 1860. In 1861 he was appointed a major in the 6th Battalion Virginia Infantry, then colonel of the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general on Nov. 1, 1862. His battles included First Manassas, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Gettysburg, Drewry's Bluff, Cold Harbor, and Sayler's Creek where he was captured. He wasn't released until July 24, 1865, when he resumed his banking career in Alexandria, Va. Corse was a charter member of R.E. Lee Camp, United Confederate Veterans. He died Feb. 11, 1895, in Alexandria and was buried in that town's Episcopal Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Montgomery D. Corse

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Brigadier General Roswell Sabine Ripley was born on this day in 1823 in Worthington, Ohio. He graduated from West Point in 1843 ranking 7th in a class of 39 cadets. During the Mexican-American War, Ripley fought in the battles of Monterey, Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molina Del Rey, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. He was brevetted a captain during that war. Subsequently, he participated in the Second Seminole War in 1849 and resigned from the U.S. Army in 1853. He settled in Charleston, S.C., and was active in the S.C. militia. In 1861 he took part in the bombardment of Fort Sumter and was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate Army in Aug. 1861. His battles included Fort Sumter, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, South Mountain, Sharpsburg (wounded severely), Fredericksburg, Charleston Harbor, and Bentonville. Following the war, he resided in England and New York City where he died on March 29, 1887, and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C.

Brig. Gen. Roswell S. Ripley

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Brigadier General Jerome Bonaparte Robertson was born on this day in 1815 in Woodford County, Kentucky. He became a medical doctor in 1835 and in 1836 joined a company of Kentucky volunteers for the Texas Revolution. They didn't get to Texas until September 1836 but he was still commissioned as a captain in the Army of the Republic of Texas. Robertson resigned in 1837, moved back to Kentucky, married, and returned to Texas by December of that year where he practiced medicine. He was a delegate to the Texas Secession Convention, raised a company of infantry for the 5th Texas Infantry, and served as a lieutenant colonel and colonel of the regiment. He was promoted to brigadier on Nov. 1, 1862. His campaigns included the Peninsula Campaign, the Northern Virginia Campaign, the Maryland Campaign, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Gettysburg Campaign, and the Battle of Chickamauga. He finished the war as commander of the state reserve forces in Texas. Following the war, Robertson resumed his medical practice, served as superintendent of the Texas Bureau of Immigration, promoted railroad construction, and was an organizer of Hood's Texas Brigade Association. He died on January 7, 1890, and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, Texas.

Brig. Gen. Jerome B. Robertson

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