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

Click 👉 TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) April 9.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 9.

1864: The Battle of Pleasant Hill, bout 15 miles south of Mansfield is engaged by the reinforced armies of Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor and Maj. Gen. N.B. Banks' Federals. Both sides have about 12,000 men each engaged. Banks' brigades are poorly placed in the rough terrain of the battlefield, consisting of thickets, ravines, and woods. The Confederate right under Maj. Gen. T.J. Churchill is sent to outflank the federals on the Confederate right but attacks in the short of the flank. Walker's Texas Infantry Division strikes in the center, and Green's cavalry on the Confederate left. Mouton's Infantry Division, now under Maj. Gen. C.J. Polignac, is held in reserve. The fighting in the dense woods is fierce, confusing, and back and forth throughout the day and into the night. After dark, Green's cavalry remains on the battlefield while Taylor has the rest of the army pull back to the nearest source of water. After midnight, Banks has the Federal Army begin retreating all the way back to Grand Ecore on Red River and the safety of the gunboats. He leaves his wounded soldiers behind. The Federals lost 150 killed, 844 wounded and 375 missing for a total of 1,369. Confederates suffered 1,200 killed and wounded, and 426 were captured.

Capt. Elijah Petty of the

17th Texas Infantry was 

killed in the battle.

(Mansfield State Historic Site)

Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Churchill

1865: Battle of Appomattox Court House: General Robert E. Lee ordered one last attempt to break out of the trap they were now in, and the Confederates drove off the Yankee cavalry that was in their front. But then they are confronted by heavy ranks of Federal infantry. Seeing the situation was hopeless, Lee surrendered the depleted and surrounded Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant, at Appomattox Court House, Va. Lee still had 28,231 men who were formally paroled at Appomattox. The Confederates were quickly paroled and told to go home. The parole passes gave them legal protection from arrest. The surrender of Lee's Army demoralized the other Confederate armies still in the field and by June 3, 1865, the last army, the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, officially surrendered and lowered the last official Confederate flag at Shreveport, La. But the tumultuous Reconstruction Era was just beginning.

Gen. Robert E. Lee

Also on this day in 1865 was the Battle of Fort Blakeley, Ala. pitting 4,000 Confederates against 45,000 Confederates. St. John R. Liddell was the commander of the fort on Mobile Bay and Maj. Gen. Edward Canby commanded the Northern invaders. It is considered the final major battle of the war by historians. The Northerners breached the fort's defenses by sheer weight of numbers. Casualties were 75 Confederates killed and some 2,900 captured. The Federals lost 150 men killed and 650 wounded which shows the Southerners put up a good fight. The city of Mobile was evacuated on April 12.

Assault on Fort Blakeley.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 9.

NONE.