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

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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

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

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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

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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) June 5. 

On This Day in Confederate History, June 5.

1863: At the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn writes a report on his brigade's activities of the previous day: "The usual sharpshooting, interspersed with artillery fire, was kept up by the enemy during the day. Major Stevens' command, near the mouth of Mint Spring Bayou, was ordered to keep up a heavy fire on the mound during the night, should any attempt be made by the enemy to throw up new works at that point which, I think, was successful, as no new works can be discovered at that point. One wounded, Sixtieth Tennessee; one wounded, Sixty-second Tennessee; one wounded, Third Battalion Mississippi State Troops."

Sgt. James B. White, Co. B, 60th Tenn. Inf.

Vaughn's Brigade at Vicksburg

(Library of Congress/Liljenquist Collection)

CLICK👉9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry

In the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Siege of Port Hudson

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.

1864: Atlanta Campaign: Captain Samuel T. Foster of the 24th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted), Granbury's brigade, writes in his diary what a day's march is like in the Atlanta Campaign in Georgia: "We started, but very slow, and Mud! Nearly the whole army had passed along, with all the Artillery, so the road was nearly knee-deep in mud and loblolly. Occasionally, a man would stumble and fall flat in the mud, get up, and go on again, the rain just pouring down, and the men all in good humor, passing their jokes as usual, as though it was noon instead of midnight and clear and dry instead of raining and muddy." [From One of Cleburne's Command, page 91, University of Texas Press, 1980.]

Confederate General Birthdays, June 5.

Brigadier General Beverly Holcombe Robertson was born on this day in 1827 in Amelia County, Virginia. He graduated from West Point in 1849, ranking 25th out of 43 cadets in his class. Robertson served at Carlisle Barracks, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah territories before resigning from the U.S. Army. In the Confederate  Army, he commanded the 4th Virginia Cavalry and was promoted to brigadier general on June 9, 1862. His battles and campaigns included Northern Virginia, Maryland, the Battle of Whitehall, Gettysburg, and the Carolinas at the end of the war. Following the war, Robertson made his living in the insurance business. He died Dec. 12, 1910, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in the Robertson Cemetery near Scott's Fork, Amelia County, Va.

Brig. Gen. Beverly H. Robertson

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Brigadier General Marcus Joseph Wright was born on this day in 1831 in Purdy, Tennessee. Before the war, he was a lawyer in Memphis, Tenn., clerk of the common law and chancery court, and a lieutenant colonel in the 154th Tennessee militia regiment. During the war, the regiment became the 154th Tennessee Senior Infantry and compiled a top-notch war record. Wright was promoted to brigadier general on Dec. 13, 1862. Among his battles and campaigns were the Tullahoma Campaign, the battles of Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge. Wright was also in command of the Atlanta district and was the Confederate governor of Kentucky. Following the war, Wright returned to his law practice, was sheriff of Shelby County, and purser for the U.S. Navy Yard in Memphis. He was also hired by the U.S. War Department to collect Confederate military records for inclusion in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. Wright died Dec. 27, 1922, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on the south side of the Confederate Memorial, one of two Confederate generals to be buried there. The other one was Gen. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler.

Brig. Gen. Marcus J. Wright

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, June 4.

Click 👉Today in history (general history) June 4. 

On This Day in Confederate History, June 4.

1862: Confederate Richmond is still threatened by the large Federal army of Maj. Gen. G.B. McClellan, but in reality, he has lost the initiative in the campaign, and General Robert E. Lee has seized it.

 1863:  At Vicksburg, Miss., the Confederates do everything they can to stop the Federal approach trenches, but on this day, they were within 150 yards of the Confederate defense line. The Federal Navy is also continuing to pour shells into the city and the Confederate batteries. Captain David Harris was the Confederate engineer who oversaw the placement of the river batteries at Vicksburg. The First Louisiana Heavy Artillery (Regulars) defended the South Fort area, the 8th Louisiana Heavy Artillery & the 22nd Louisiana Infantry (converted to heavy artillery) defended the riverfront of Vicksburg, and the 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery commanded the north part of the Vicksburg defenses at Fort Hill.

 

Pvt. John Weir, Co. E, 1st La. Heavy Artillery Regiment 

(Public Domain)

CLICK👉Thunder Guns of Vicksburg

The First Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment

This is the history of the First Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment in the War For Southern Independence. The regiments started the war by safeguarding the most populous city in the Confederacy, New Orleans. The big "Thunder Guns" then was assigned to the Confederate "Gibraltar" of the Confederacy, Vicksburg, Mississippi. It then finished the war at one of the South's last great cities and ports, Mobile, Alabama. In each case the First Louisiana Heavies were involved in some of the most critical and desperate fight for the Southerner's valiant struggle to establish their Southern Republic among the nations of the world.

Captain David B. Harris

Confederate Engineer

(Library of Congress)

Outside of Port Hudson, La., the Federals launch an expedition under Col. Benjamin Grierson to destroy the Confederate cavalry under Colonel John Logan between June 3-8, but fail miserably. Grierson is ambushed near Clinton, Louisiana, by the Mississippi cavalry of Colonel Thomas R. Stockdale, and is then outflanked by Colonel John Logan, and the bluecoats are badly cut up. Logan reports the Confederates had 20 killed and wounded, while the Federal losses are 30 killed, 50 wounded, and 40 prisoners taken. Grierson is forced to retreat.

1864: At the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va., trench warfare continues after the Federal disaster of June 3. Grant initially refuses to call for a truce to recover his wounded from the between lines and allows many of the bluecoats to die before he finally does call for one.

Confederate General History, June 4.

Brigadier General Alexander William Campbell was born on this day in 1828 in Nashville, Tennessee.  A prewar lawyer and mayor in Jackson, Tennessee, Campbell enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private but rose through the ranks and then colonel of the 33rd Tennessee Infantry and then brigadier general on March 1, 1865. He was severely wounded leading his regiment at the Battle of Shiloh, was appointed inspector general for Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, was captured in July 1863 at Lexington, Tennessee, and was exchanged in February 1865. He then commanded a brigade in Brig. Gen. W.H. Jackson's division in Lt. Gen. N.B. Forrest's Corps. Following the war, Campbell resumed his law practice in Jackson, Tennessee. He died June 13, 1893, at Jackson and was buried there in Riverside Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Alexander W. Campbell

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Brigadier General Gabriel James Rains was born on this day in 1803 in Craven County, North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1827 and served in the Seminole Wars, Mexican American War, and various frontier commands. Rains resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederate Army, and was commissioned a brigadier general. He was wounded in the Battle of Seven Pines. After recovering, Rains was assigned to the conscription bureau and torpedo bureau in Richmond, Va. He organized mines, then called torpedoes, to protect harbors in Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, as well as other port cities. He also invented a type of land mine. Following the war, Rains was employed as a chemist in Augusta, Georgia, and a civilian clerk for the U.S. Army in Charleston, S.C. He died on August 6, 1881, in Aiken, S.C., and was buried in St. Thaddeus Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Gabriel J. Rains

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Brigadier General Paul Jones Semmes was born on this day in 1815 in Wilkes County, Georgia. Gen. Semmes was mortally wounded in the wheat field on July 2, 1863, leading his command. He died July 10, 1863, of his wound at Martinsburg, Virginia. A prewar banker and planter in Wilkes County, Georgia, Semmes was active in the Georgia Militia. He was also the quartermaster general for the state militia and a brigadier general in the Knights of the Golden Circle. During the war, Semmes was appointed colonel of the 2nd Georgia Infantry and was promoted to brigadier general on March 11, 1862. His battles included South Mountain, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Salem Church, and Gettysburg, where he was mortally wounded in the Wheatfield and died July 10 in Martinsburg, [W.] Va. Semmes was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia.

Brig. Gen. Paul J. Semmes

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

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

On This Day in Confederate History, June 3.

1861: The Battle of Philippi, Va., took place on this day, the first land battle of the war. By later standards, it would only be considered a skirmish. A 3,000-man contingent of six Federal regiments overwhelmed 800 new Confederates in 5 battalions and regiments. The Confederates were caught by surprise while still sleeping, and after firing a few shots, they were routed. The Confederates lost 26 men killed and wounded, and the Federals suffered 4 killed or wounded.

1862: General Robert E. Lee plans his first great offensive of the war, which will be called the Seven Days Battles. Lee uses every source available to learn the strengths and positions of the enemy and relies heavily on Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry was to gather that information. Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Valley is also causing a big distraction for the Federals.

1863: Confederate garrisons in Vicksburg, Miss., and Port Hudson, La., continue to put up strong resistance to the Federals' efforts to dig approach trenches to the Confederate lines, dig tunnels for mines, and continue bombardments and sniping. At Vicksburg, the Federals are focusing on the Third Louisiana Redan and the Stockade Redan. The Third Louisiana Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Walker in New Orleans, La., on May 11, 1861. Its field officers were Col. Louis Hebert, Lt. Col. Samuel M. Hyams, and Maj. William F. Tunnard. The regiment's battles were Oak Hill (Wilson's Creek), Elk Horn Tavern (Pea Ridge), Corinth, Iuka, Corinth, & Vicksburg. Hebert was promoted to brigadier general and was in command of the Third Louisiana Redan at Vicksburg. The Stockade Redan was under the command of Brig. Gen. Francis A. Shoup and his Louisiana Brigade.

General Lee also starts his Army of Northern Virginia on a movement north from Fredericksburg, Va., that eventually results in the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa.

1864: General Lee wins one of his greatest victories at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va., and General Grant suffers possibly his worst defeat of the war. Grant has apparently still not learned his lesson about the futility of frontal assaults on Confederate trenches. Lee has proven to be a master of such fortifications. It has been estimated that as many as 7,000 blue coats were cut down within about 20 minutes. The two combatant armies continued the face-off along that line for nine more days, but there were no more such bloody, suicidal frontal attacks.

Confederate General Birthdays, June 3.

President Jefferson Davis, commander-in-chief of all the Confederate armies, was born on this day at Fairview, Kentucky, in 1808. He is the baby of the family is the last born of 10 children to Revolutionary War veteran Samuel Emory Davis and his wife Jane Cook. The family first moved to St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, in 1811 and then, in the same year, to Wilkinson County, Mississippi. He was a graduate of West Point, took part in the Black Hawk War, and Mexican-American War, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, U.S. Secretary of War, President of the Confederacy, and died Dec. 6, 1889, in New Orleans, La. and buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.

President Jefferson Davis

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Brigadier General Martin Edwin Green was born on this day in 1815 in Fauquier County, Virginia. Green was a county judge in Lewis Co., Mo., and a leading secessionist. During the War for Southern Independence, he helped form the 1st Northeast Missouri Cavalry and served as its lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to brigadier general on July 21, 1862. His battles included Athens, First Lexington, Elk Horn Tavern, Iuka, Second Corinth, Champion Hill, and the Siege of Vicksburg, where he was killed in action on June 27, 1863, and was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg.

Brig. Gen. Martin E. Green

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Brigadier General Otto French Strahl was born on this day in 1831 at McConnelsville, Ohio. He was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1862, at the Battle of Franklin, Tenn. He was a supporter of states' rights and moved to Tennessee, where he became a lawyer in Somerville. At the beginning of the war, he raised a company of infantry that became part of the 4th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. He rose through the ranks and was commissioned a brigadier general on July 28, 1863. His battles included Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Franklin, where he was killed in action on Nov. 30, 1863, and was buried in Old City Cemetery in Dyersburg, Tennessee.

Brig. Gen. Otto F. Strahl

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CLICK👉1st Louisiana Zouaves

This is the story of one of the most unique and famed Louisiana units in the War for Southern Independence, the 1st Louisiana Zouaves. Made up largely of foreigners from many countries, the men wore the gaudy French Zouave uniform and fought with a fierce determination for the new Southern Republic.