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

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

On This Day in Confederate History, July 10.

1863: The Battle of Funkstown, Md. (Gettysburg Campaign) occurs when Brig. Gen. John Buford's Federal Cavalry attacked Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate Cavalry, which is the rear guard of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia which is still withdrawing from Gettysburg, Pa. Stuart's men have a crescent-shaped battle line at Funkstown when dismounted Federal cavalry attack at 8 o'clock in the morning. Buford is reinforced by Federal infantry but it is then challenged by Confederate infantry under Brig. Gen. George T. Anderson. Not making progress, the Federals withdraw that evening. The total casualties for both sides were 479.

1864: After his victory at the Battle of Monocacy, Md., which is only 40 miles away from Washington, D.C., Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's 14,000-man Confederate Army of the Valley pushes on toward the U.S. capital to threaten it, and force Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant to send reinforcements from his Petersburg, Va. campaign. On the outskirts of Washington, there are massive fortifications under the command of Maj. Gen. Christopher C. Augur with 31,000 troops and 1,000 artillery pieces in 160 fortifications, batteries, and trenches. The stage is set for one of the most dramatic confrontations of the war. 

Col. Mandeville Marigny, the original

colonel of the 10th La. Inf. Reg't., in his

French Cavalry uniform when he served

in the French Army in the 1830s. Marigny

resigned in 1862. The 10th La. was part of

Early's Raid on Washington. The French 

language was used in giving commands

early in the war. (La. State Library)

Confederate General History, July 10.

Brigadier General Lucius Eugene Polk was born on this day in 1833 in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was a nephew of Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk. Lucius Polk grew up in Middle Tennessee, attended the University of Virginia, and moved to Helena, Arkansas to farm. At the beginning of the war, Polk enlisted as a private in Captain Patrick Cleburne's Yell Rifles, which became part of the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. He rose through the ranks to second lieutenant, colonel of the 15th Arkansas, and then to brigadier general to date from Dec. 13, 1862. Polk's battles and campaigns included Shiloh, Richmond, Ky., Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Ringgold Gap, the Atlanta Campaign, and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Ga. Polk was wounded four times during the war, the last time at Kennesaw Mountain, which resulted in his honorable discharge. Following the war, he lived quietly on his farm near Columbia, Tennessee. He also served as a delegate in the 1884 Democratic National Convention. Polk was elected to the Tennessee Senate in 1887. He died Dec. 1, 1892, in Columbia and was buried in St. John's Church cemetery in Ashwood, Tennessee.

Brig. Gen. Lucius E. Polk

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Brigadier General John Stuart Williams was born on this day in 1818 in Sterling, Kentucky. He was a prewar lawyer practicing in Paris, Ky., and served in the Mexican-American War as a captain of an independent company attached to the 6th U.S. Infantry, and as colonel of the 4th Kentucky Volunteers. In the Battle of Cerro Gordo, Mexico, he earned the nickname of "Cerro Gordo William." In the War for Southern Independence, Williams became colonel of the 5th Kentucky Infantry in 1861 and in late 1862 was elevated to brigadier general. His battles included the Battle of Princeton Court House, Ky. in 1862, the Battle of Blue Springs, Tenn., and the Battle of Saltville, Va. He was also the commander of the Department of Southern Virginia. Following the war, Williams lived in Winchester, Ky., and was elected to the Kentucky Legislature in 1873 and 1875. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1879 for one term. Williams engaged in land development in Florida and co-founded Naples, Florida. He died on July 17, 1898, in Mount Sterling, Ky., and was buried in Winchester Cemetery in Winchester, Ky.

Brig. Gen. John S. Williams

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