Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 24.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 24.

1863: Confederate forces foil General Grant's efforts to bypass Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant ordered Sherman to cease Steele's Bayou Expedition on this day. This was a Confederate victory in the Vicksburg Campaign.

1864: Red River Campaign: In Louisiana, while Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor is still waiting for reinforcements from Texas and Arkansas, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks arrives in Alexandria and orders his still-gathering forces to begin their advance on Shreveport, the Confederate headquarters for the Trans-Mississippi Dept. Banks, however, is faced with the low water level of the Red River and orders to return Major Gen. A.J. Smith's 10,000 troops borrowed from Vicksburg, by April 15.

Col. Henry Gray

He commanded Mouton's Brigade in

the Red River Campaign. He was promoted to

brigadier general before the end of the war.

(Library of Congress)

1865: General Robert E. Lee plans to cut the Federal supply line and force Grant to constrict the Yankee siege line by launching an offensive at Fort Stedman, Petersburg, Va. The desperate assault will be launched by Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordon the next day.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 24.

Brig. Gen. William Henry Wallace was born on this day in 1827 in Laurens District, South Carolina. He was a pre-war planter, newspaperman, and politician who supported secession. During the war, he rose from private in the 18th South Carolina Infantry, to lieutenant, captain, lieutenant colonel, and then to brigadier general in 1864. His battles included the Second Battle of Manassas, Sharpsburg, the defense of Charleston, S.C., and the Siege of Petersburg, Va. He was disabled by the mine explosion there on July 30, 1864, called the Battle of the Crater. He finished the war with General Lee at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Following the war, Wallace practiced law in South Carolina and returned to farming, and again served in the state legislature and as a circuit judge. He died March 21, 1901, at Union, S.C., and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. William H. Wallace

Today in History/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 22.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 22.

1862: Gen. Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign received orders from Gen. Joseph E. Johnston that he was to not let Gen. Nathaniel Banks' Federals leave the valley. Jackson's army marches 22 miles on this day to catch the retreating Yankees. Jackson's cavalry, under Col. Turner Ashby, fights a skirmish with the Federals under Maj. Gen. James Shields, who is wounded in the engagement.

Lt. Gen. T.J. "Stonewall Jackson

(Click on the image to enlarge)

1863: More fighting continues in the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tenn. between the blue and the gray. In Kentucky, Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan and Brig. Gen. John Pegram both continue their raids in Kentucky. 

1865: Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been dispatched to stop the Federal cavalry raid of Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, which began on this day with 13,480 troopers. But the Confederates only had some 5,000 men poorly equipped and widely scattered to stop them.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 22.

General Braxton Bragg was born on this day in 1817 in Warrenton, North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1837 ranking fifth out of 50 graduates in the class. In his U.S. Army career, he served in the Seminole War and the Mexican War where he performed brilliantly commanding an artillery battery. Bragg resigned from the army effective Jan. 3, 1855, and became a sugar cane planter in southeast Louisiana. He was also active politically and a major general in the Louisiana militia. On orders from the governor, he led 500 state militia in a non-violent takeover of the U.S. Arsenal in Baton Rouge on Jan. 11, 1861. With the formation of the Confederacy, he became a brigadier general in the Confederate and was quickly promoted to major general and led a corps in the Battle of Shiloh. He took command of what would be renamed the Army of Tennessee. His abrasive personality and martinet treatment of the men alienated many of his subordinate generals and enlisted men. He led the army in the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge, after which he resigned his command. At the end of the war, he again led troops in defeats at Second Fort Fisher, Wyse Fork, and Bentonville. He had a wide range of jobs after the war and finally moved to Texas and died there in Galveston on Sept. 27, 1876, and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

Gen. Braxton Bragg

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Major General William Henry Chase Whiting was born on this day in Biloxi, Mississippi. He graduated first in his class at West Point in 1845. He had a variety of assignments as an engineer in the army but missed service in the Mexican-American War. Whiting resigned from the U.S. Army on Feb. 20, 1861, joined the Confederate Army engineer serving under General Beauregard at Charleston, S.C. improving defenses there, and was promoted to brigadier general. He also served as the chief engineer on the staffs of other generals and was assigned to command a division in the Peninsula Campaign and was made a wing commander at Seven Pines on May 31, June 1, 1862. Whiting led his division at Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, and was given command of the District of Wilmington, North Carolina. Whiting was wounded in the thigh and captured at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C. He died a prisoner of war on March 10, 1865, of dysentery at Fort Columbus on Governors Island, New York. 

Maj. Gen. William H.C. Whiting

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Brigadier General William Wirt Adams was born on this day in 1819 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Prior to the war, he gained a little military experience when he joined the army in 1839 in the Republic of Texas as a private. He was promoted captain and adjutant of a regiment and took part in a campaign against Indians in northeast Texas. Adams moved back to Mississippi and became a banker and was elected to two terms in the Mississippi legislature. In the War For Southern Independence, he became a brigadier general and led a cavalry brigade. His battles included Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, Hatchie's Bridge, Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and Meridian. He was paroled at Gainesville, Alabama, on May 12, 1865. Following the war, he had a variety of jobs in Mississippi, including as a revenue agent, and postmaster. He was killed May 1, 1888, in Jackson, Miss. in a gun battle with a newspaper editor who had criticized him, and he also killed the editor. Adams was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.

Brig. Gen. William W. Adams

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Brigadier General Francis Asbury Shoup was born on this day in 1834 in Laurel, Indiana. He graduated from West Point in 1855, fifteenth in his class of 34 cadets. He served in the Seminole War and resigned from the army on Jan. 10, 1860, and settled in Indianapolis, Ind. where he was a lawyer and commanded the Indianapolis Zouave militia. He moved to St, Augustine, Florida in 1860 to continue his legal career. With the coming of the war, his Southern sympathies led him into the Confederate Army and he served as chief of artillery under Maj. Gen. William J. Hardee at the Battle of Shiloh. Shoup was promoted to brigadier general on Sept. 12, 1862, and he commanded a division at the Battle of Prairie Grove. Shoup commanded a Louisiana brigade at the Siege of Vicksburg, being captured along with the garrison at the end. After being exchanged, he served in the Battle of Atlanta and became the chief of staff for General John Bell Hood in the Army of Tennessee. Following the war, Shoup was a professor at the University of Mississippi and the University of the South. Shoup also became an Episcopal rector. He died Sept. 4, 1896, in Columbia, Tenn., and was buried at the University of the South.

Brig. Gen. Francis A. Shoup

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 21.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 21.

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.

(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 are able to halt the Federal advance. On the first day of the battle, March 19, 1865, the Confederates made several unsuccessful attacks on the Federal, 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, March 19.

1863: Confederate Brigadier General [John S.] Bowen reported that morning the sloop-of-war U.S.S. Hartford, with Adm. David G. Farragut on board, and the gunboat U.S.S. Albatross engaged the batteries at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The two warships were the only two that successfully passed the big guns of Port Hudson, La. on March 14 and they were on their way to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Bowen wrote, "Colonel [William] Wade, commanding the Parrott battery, reserved his fire, as directed until the vessels were nearly opposite his guns. The Hartford kept between the shore and the gunboat. As soon as he opened, the latter made the best possible time around the point, and all the fire was directed against the sloop of war. The firing was accurate, and almost every shot struck the mark, but with what effect could not be perceived. They answered with heavy guns but harmed nothing except a battery flagstaff."

1864: Red River Campaign: While the Confederates continue to concentrate 50 miles from Natchitoches, La., the Federals do the same at Alexandria. On this day the Federal cavalry under Brig. Gen. Albert L. Lee arrived. neither Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, commander of the Army of the Gulf, nor Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith has yet to arrive at Alexandria, which continues to delay the campaign and give the Confederates time to concentrate.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 19.

Brigadier General Johnson Kelly Duncan was born on this day in 1827 in York, Pennsylvania. He graduated from West Point in 1849 ranking 5th in his class of 43 cadets. Duncan was breveted a second lieutenant and assigned to the 2nd U.S. Artillery. He was soon promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to the 3rd U.S. Artillery. After seeing some action in the Seminole War in Florida, he served at various posts around the country. Duncan was promoted to 1st Lt. in 1853 and resigned in 1855. In private life, he moved to New Orleans where he became Superintendent of Construction and Repairs and worked closely with Maj. P.G.T. Beauregard of the Army Corps of Engineers on the U.S. Customs House and area forts. Before the war, he served as a captain in the Louisiana State Militia on Gov. T.O. Moore's staff. After Louisiana's secession, he delivered the governor's demand for surrender to the U.S. Arsenal in Baton Rouge. Duncan sided with the South in the war and was made the lieutenant colonel of the 1st Louisiana Regular Artillery Regiment (Regulars), was promoted to colonel in the Confederate Army (regulars) and then to brigadier general on January 7, 1862. Duncan commanded Forts Jackson and St. Philip south of New Orleans on the Mississippi River and other fortifications in the district. He was taken captive on April 28, 1862, and when exchanged, became chief of staff for Gen. Braxton Bragg. Johnson died of malaria on Dec. 18, 1862, at Knoxville, Tenn., and was buried at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tenn.

Brig. Gen. Johnson K. Duncan

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 20.

1862: In the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson and his army advance from Strasburg, Va. as the Federal forces retreat. Some light skirmishing occurs.

1863: The Battle of Vaught's Hill, Tenn. occurs between Brig. Gen. John Hunt's Morgan's Confederate Cavalry Division, numbering 3,500 men, and Colonel Albert S. Hall's Federal brigade of 1,300. Hall managed to repel Morgan's attacks and bombardment. Morgan retires after receiving word those enemy reinforcements are on the way from Murfreesboro. The Confederates lost 373 men while the Federals lost 62.

1864: In the Red River Campaign, Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor dispatched Col. William G. Vincent's 2nd Louisiana Cavalry and Edgar's Texas Battery to Bayou Rapides, 20 miles from occupied Alexandria, La., and they began skirmishing with Federals sent out by Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith's forces were there to find the Confederates.

Confederate cavalryman

Painting by William L. Sheppard

1865: Carolinas Campaign: Confederate forces of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, 21,900 men, at Bentonville, North Carolina face Federals in Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum's corps, whose advance was halted the previous day. As the Federals received reinforcements from Sherman's main army, only light skirmishing occurred on this day.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 20.

Maj. Gen. George Bibb Crittenden was born this day in 1812 in Russellville, Kentucky. He was an 1832 graduate of West Point and fought in the Black Hawk War of that year as a second lieutenant. He resigned in 1833, became a lawyer, and in 1842 moved to the Republic of Texas and joined the army there. Crittenden took part in the Mier Expedition in 1843 to Mexico and was captured but exchanged. He also took part in the Mexican-American War in 1846 with the U.S. Army and was promoted to major for gallantry at the battles of Churubusco and Contreras. In the war for Southern Independence, Crittenden became a colonel in the Confederate Army on March 16, 1861, and was promoted to brigadier general on Aug. 15, 1861, and to major general on Nov. 9, 1861. His only battle was the Battle of Mill Springs on Jan. 19, 1862, and defeated. Crittenden resigned as a general when faced with a charge of drunkenness and reverted to colonel and served various posts for the rest of the war. Following the war, Crittenden was the state librarian in Kentucky from 1867 to 1871. He died Nov. 27, 1880, and was buried in the State Cemetery in Frankfort, Ky.

Maj. Gen. George B. Crittenden

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Brig. Gen. William Nelson Rector Beall was born on this day in 1825 in Bardstown, Kentucky. He graduated 30th in his West Point Class of 1848 participated in various Indian wars and achieved the rank of captain. He resigned in 1861 and joined the Confederate Army. Beall was appointed a brigadier general on April 11,1862 and commanded a brigade at the Siege of Port Hudson, La. in 1863. He surrendered with the Port Hudson garrison on July 9, 1863. In 1864 Beall was appointed by the Confederate government, with Federal approval, to be an agent selling cotton in New York City to supply Confederate P.O.W.s with uniforms and supplies. The Federals suspended his parole and incarcerated him at Fort Warren in New York Harbor. He wasn't released until August 2, 1865. In the post-war period, Beall lived in St. Louis, Mo., and worked as a general commission merchant. He died July 25, 1883, in McMinnville, Tenn., and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tenn.

Brig. Gen. William. R.B. Beall

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Brig. Gen. John Echols was born on this day in 1823 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He spent one year, 1841-42, at the Virginia Military Institute but resigned and later attended Washington College and Harvard College and became a lawyer and Virginia politician. In 1861, he first joined the Virginia state forces as a lieutenant colonel and then a colonel of the 27th Virginia Infantry. Echols fought at the First Battle of Manassas, and the First Battle of Kernstown, where he was severely wounded and promoted to brigadier general on April 16, 1862. His other battles included the Battle of Droop Mountain, the Battle of New Market, and the Siege of Petersburg. After Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Echols led two brigades south to join Johnston's Army of Tennessee and subsequently accompanied President Jefferson Davis to Augusta, Ga. Following the war Echols practiced law in Staunton, Va., was reelected to the Virginia House of Delegates and served as president of the Staunton National Valley Bank. Late in life he moved to Kentucky where he died May 24, 1896, and was buried in Staunton in Thornrose Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. John Echols

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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.

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Among the most famous 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 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

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         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.

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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.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 15.

1863: Federal gunboats tried to reduce Fort Pemberton (March 11-17, 1863) guarding the northern approach to Vicksburg, Miss., at the Tallahatchie and the Yazoo rivers, north of Vicksburg, Miss., but the fortress proved too much for them and they withdrew March 17. The fort's artillerymen had a highly accurate eight-inch rifle which proved to be too much for them.

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.

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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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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 13.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 13.

1861: Confederate peace commissioners in Washington are refused a meeting with Secretary of State Seward on orders from Lincoln.

1862: General Robert E. Lee is made a staff member of President Davis and is authorized to oversee Confederate armies.

General Robert Edward Lee

(CDV, M.D. Jones collection)

1863: A Confederate munitions plant in Richmond, Virginia blows up due to the carelessness of a worker. Sixty-nine of the workers, mostly women, were killed or wounded in the explosion.

Confederates at Port Hudson, La. prepare for an attack by the Federal River fleet on the Mississippi River and the Federal Army of the Gulf closing in on the landside.

1864: About 300 Confederates garrisoning Fort DeRussy on Red River in Louisiana prepare for an assault by 10,000 Yankees led by Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith. The Federals were on loan from Sherman's army in Vicksburg and were responsible for many attacks on civilians with scorched earth tactics.

1865: Confederate President Jefferson Davis signed a law authorizing the enlistment of African-Americans into the Confederate Army. General Robert E. Lee supported the law and additionally recommended that enlistees be given their freedom.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 13.

Brigadier General Louis Hébert (Pronounced A-Bear in Louisiana French) was born on this day in 1820 in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. He graduated third in the Class of 1845 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He resigned in 1846 due to a family hardship at home, but in 1847 he became active in the Louisiana State Militia. At one point he was appointed the state engineer. Hébert was commissioned colonel of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment on May 11, 1861. His battles include Oak Hills in 1861, and Elk Horn Tavern, where he was wounded and captured. He was exchanged on May 20, 1862, and appointed brigadier general on May 26, 1862. He fought his brigade at Iuka, and Corinth, all in 1862; Vicksburg where he commanded the Third Louisiana Redan; and Fort Caswell, N.C. where he finished the war. Following the war, he became an editor and publisher of the Iberville South newspaper in St. Martin Parish, La., and was also a teacher. Hébert died on Jan. 7, 1901, and is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery in Cecilia, Louisiana.

Brig. Gen. Louis Hébert

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 12.

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 12. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 12.

1863: The Confederate bastion at Port Hudson, Louisiana is reconnoitered by the 53rd Massachusetts Infantry of the Army of the Gulf. The Massachusetts men drive in Confederate pickets, steal some cattle, and report back to General Banks, who reviewed the rest of his troops that day. Also on that day, two Federal transport ships escorted by the U.S.S. Albatross land troops on the east bank of the Mississippi 5 miles above Baton Rouge.

Albert F. Aucoin, Co. F, 9th Bn. La. Inf.

Elected Jr. 2nd Lt. from 2nd Cpl. Aug.

27, 1862, promoted to 2nd Lt. Sept. 13,

1862. "Killed in Action in the Siege of

Port Hudson." (Port Hudson State Historic Site)

1864: Confederate troops of Scurry's Brigade of Walker's Texas Infantry Division are the first Confederates that have to deal with Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith's 10,000-man detachment from Vicksburg. The Yankees disembarked from the transports at Simmesport, La., and already started looting local farmers and burning dwellings on March 11. Walker's whole division numbered only about 3,800 effective men. It was the infantry division that was all from one state.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 12.

Brigadier General John Robert Jones was born on this day in 1827 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and became the principal of a military school in Urbana, Maryland. In 1861, Jones became captain of Company I, 33rd Virginia Infantry, was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August of that year, then colonel, and brigadier general. His battles were First Manassas, Valley Campaign of 1862, Seven Days White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill (and wounded), Sharpsburg, and Chancellorsville. He was captured in Smithburg, Va. July 1863 and spent the rest of the war a P.O.W. Following the war, he became an agricultural merchant, and a probate official in Harrisonburg, Va. Jones died April 1, 1901, in Harrisonburg and was buried in Woodbine Cemetery there.

Brig. Gen. John R. Jones

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Brigadier General William Felix Brantley was born on this day in 1830 in Greene County, Alabama. He practiced law in Mississippi before the war. In 1861, he was a captain in the Mississippi State Militia and was elected captain of Co. D, 15th Miss. Inf. in the Confederate Army May 21, 1861. In 1862 he became a captain in the 29th Mississippi Infantry. Brantley was successively promoted to lieutenant colonel, colonel, and brigadier general on July 26, 1864. His battles included Shiloh (wounded), Murfreesboro (wounded), Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Atlanta, Franklin, and the Carolina Campaign at the end of the war. Following the war, he practiced law in Mississippi. Brantley was shot to death as the result of a feud on Nov. 2, 1870, at Winona, Miss. and was buried in a church cemetery in Greensboro, Miss. No one was ever arrested for the crime.

Brig. Gen. William F. Brantley

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Brigadier General William Flank Perry was born on this day in 1823 in Jackson County, Georgia. Prior to the war, he was a teacher and served three terms as the Alabama Superintendent, then president of the East Alabama Female College. During the War for Southern Independence, Perry enlisted as a private in the 44th Ala. Inf. May 6, 1862, and then was appointed major of the regiment on May 16, 1862.  He was promoted to lieutenant colonel, colonel, and then brigadier general. His battles included Sharpsburg, Gettysburg (wounded), Cold Harbor, Second Deep Bottom, and Petersburg, and was paroled at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Following the war, he farmed in Alabama and resumed his teaching career. He moved to Bowling Green, Ky where he taught at Ogden College there. Perry died Dec. 18, 1901, at Bowling Green and was buried in Fairview Cemetery there.

Brig. General William F. Perry

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Brigadier General William Richard Terry was born on this day in 1827 in Bedford County, Virginia. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1850, ranking 15th in his class of 17 cadets. Terry also attended the University of Virginia. Prior to the war he was a merchant, promoted a railroad, owned a steam mill, served as a justice of the peace, and promoted education. During the war, Terry raised a company of the 2nd Va. Cav. and served as its captain. Later he became the colonel of the 24th Va. Inf. and was promoted to brigadier general on May 31, 1864. His battles included First Manassas, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Dinwiddie Court House. Terry was wounded seven times during the war. Following the war, he was re-elected to the Virginia Senate and served as superintendent of the state penitentiary. Terry was also the commander of the Robert E. Lee UCV Camp of the Confederate Soldier's Home in Richmond, Va. between 1886 and 1893. He died in Chesterfield County, Va. March 28, 1897.

Brig. General William R. Terry

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Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, March 11.

Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) March 11. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, March 11.

1861: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted on this day in Montgomery, Alabama. It is the supreme law of the new Southern Republic. The document is basically a reform of and improvement of the United States Constitution. The Confederate Constitution recognizes each state is sovereign and independent in character and specifically invokes the favor and guidance of "Almighty God."

1862: President Jefferson Davis refuses to accept the reports of generals Gideon Pillow and John Floyd, who abandoned Fort Donelson and left the surrender to General Simon B. Buckner. Both Pillow and Floyd are removed from their commands.

1863: Vicksburg Campaign: After six days of bombardment, Federal forces under Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant fails to take Fort Pemberton on the Yalobusha River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Confederate Maj. Gen. W.W. Loring is in command of the fort. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, March 11.

Brigadier General William Ruffin Cox was born on this day in 1832 in Halifax County, North Carolina. His family moved to Nashville, Tenn. when he was 4 where he was raised. Cox practiced law in Tennessee until 1857 and moved back to North Carolina where owned a plantation. In 1861 he raised and outfitted the Ellis Artillery Company and became a major in the 2nd N.C. Inf. Reg't. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1862, to colonel in 1862, and to brigadier general in 1864. Cox was distinguished in the battle for his personal valor and survived 11 wounds during the war. His battles included Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Monocacy, Valley Campaign of 1865, Siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaign. Following the war, he resumed practicing the law in Raleigh, was involved in politics, served as a Superior Court Judge and three terms in the U.S. Congress, and later the Secretary of the U.S. Senate, an appointed position. Cox retired to his plantation in Edgecomb County where he died on Dec. 26, 1919, and was buried in Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

Brig. Gen. William R. Cox

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Brigadier General Allison Nelson was born on this day in 1822 in Fulton County, Georgia. Prior to the war he served as mayor of Atlanta Georgia and then moved to Meridian, Texas, served in the Mexican-American War, then as a brigadier general in the filibuster expedition of General Narciso Lopez in Cuba in the 1850s. Nelson was elected to the Texas state legislature in 1860. During the War for Southern Independence, Nelson organized the 10th Texas Infantry Regiment as a colonel and was promoted to brigadier general. But he contracted typhus and died October 7, 1862, at Camp Nelson, Arkansas. Nelson was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Brig. Gen. Allison Nelson

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Brigadier General John Wilkins Whitfield was born on this day in 1818 in Franklin, Tennessee. Before the war, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the Mexican-American War represented the Territory of Kansas in the U.S. Congress from 1854 to 1856, and was involved in controversies related to Kansas. During the War for Southern Independence, he served as a captain in the 27th Texas Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to colonel, then a brigadier general, and led Whitfield's Brigade.  His battles included Elk Horn Tavern, Iuka, where he was severely wounded, and the Vicksburg Campaign. Following the war, he was a rancher and farmer in Lavaca County, Texas, and was a state representative. Whitfield died Oct. 27, 1879, in Hallettsville, Texas, and was buried there in the city cemetery.

Brig. Gen. John W. Whitfield.

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