Click 👉Today in History (general history) May 29.
On This Day in Confederate History, May 29.
1862: Corinth, Miss. Evacuation: General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered his Army of the Mississippi to evacuate Corinth, Miss. to avoid being besieged by Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck's 100,000. Beauregard had about 50,000 effectives. He so cleverly made the withdrawal, that Beauregard relocated the Army of the Mississippi without the enemy even discovering it was completely gone until the next day. Their new headquarters was at Tupelo, Miss.
1863: At the Siege of Vicksburg, Miss. Chief Engineer Major Samuel Lockett reports that a new battery was made in the rear of the line left of Hall's Ferry Road. The new battery in the rear of General [S.D.] Lee was improved, and "Whistling Dick" (an 18-pounder rifled piece) was put in position, and a new battery was started in the rear of General Moore's center, but the working party was driven off by Yankee sharpshooters, and the work stopped.
At the Siege of Port Hudson, La., Maj. Gen. Franklin Gardner assigns engineers to command specific sectors of the defense line to facilitate quick repairs. Gardner assigns Lt. Stork command of the river defenses and extreme right; Lt. James Freret to the center fortifications and Lt. Fred Y. Dabney to the left wing. Also, the 10-inch Columbiad gun the Confederates called "The Lady Davis," which was damaged by enemy fire is repaired and put back into service on the 29th. The bluecoats were so troubled by this big gun that they gave it the nickname "The Demoralizer."
1864: In the Atlanta Campaign, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston bombarded the Federals at New Hope Church, Ga., and Dallas, Ga. but with little damage. There was also skirmishing and sharpshooting throughout the day.
Confederate General Birthdays, May 29.
Major General Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox was born on this day in 1826 in Wayne County, North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1846 ranking 54th out of 56 cadets. During the Mexican-American War, he was an aid to Maj. Gen. John A. Quitman was in the battles of Veracruz, Cerro Gordo, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. Wilcox received a brevet promotion to the first lieutenant. In 1861, his resignation from the U.S. Army was accepted on Jun 8. He was promoted to colonel on July 9, 1861, to brigadier general on October 21, 1861, and to major general on August 3, 1863. His battles included First Manassas, Williamsburg, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, Second Manassas, Salem Church, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, Petersburg, and Appomattox. Following the war, he was appointed by President Cleveland as chief of the railroad division in Washington, D.C. Wilcox died Dec. 2, 1890, and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Brigadier General Reuben Lindsay Walker on May 29, 1827, in Albemarle County, Virginia. He was an 1845 graduate of Virginia Military Institute and became a civil engineer. During the War for Southern, Independence Walker commanded the Purcell Artillery early in the war. In the course of the war, he served in increasingly important artillery commands and was in 63 battles and engagements, including First Manassas, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign. He was finally promoted to brigadier general on Feb. 18, 1865. Following the war, Walker settled in Selma, Alabama where he ran the Marine & Selma Railroad. He also was in charge of the construction of the Virginia State Penitentiary and the Texas State Capitol building. Walker died June 7, 1890, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.
No comments:
Post a Comment