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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Dec. 4.

1861: 

Trent Affair:  In Great Britain, Queen Victoria, during the Trent Crisis, banned exports to the United States, including armaments. Diplomacy had been paused, and military actions were being put in place. The British reinforced Canada's defenses.

 

A British Sergeant of the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment

of Foot. The 47th was one of the regiments sent to Canada in 1861.

He appears to be holding a two-band P 1856 sergeant's model Enfield rifled musket.

(CDV, M.D. Jones Collection)

Confederate General John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky is expelled from the U.S. Senate for joining the Confederate Army. Breckinridge had some military experience in the Mexican-American War, and he proved a be a competent battlefield commander, initially leading a brigade of Kentucky infantry that gained fame as the "Orphan Brigade."

Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge

 

 

Major Rice Evans Graves of Graves Battery

which supported the Orphan Brigade.

(Wikipedia)

In St. Louis, Missouri, Federal General Henry Halleck authorized the arrest of anyone speaking in support of secession. This is one of many actions curtailing civil rights in the North by the Lincoln administration during the war. 

1862: Clashes near Fredericksburg, Virginia, between Confederates and Federals occur along the Rappahannock River, Stone's River near Stewart's Ferry.

Also, on this day in 1862, Nathan Bedford Forrest was appointed a major general. With no prewar military training or experience, he bewildered and amazed his Northern opponents and revolutionized cavalry tactics.

1864: Confederate Cavalry and Federal Cavalry clashed near Waynesborough, Georgia. Other clashes with Sherman's bummers occurred along the Georgia Central Railroad at Statesboro and Lumpkin Station, as well as on the Ogeechee River.

In Tennessee, Confederate cavalry hit Federal outposts around Nashville at Whites Station and Bell's Mills.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Dec. 4.

Major General William Wing Loring was born on this day in 1818 in Wilmington, North Carolina. He gained military experience as a teenager in the Florida Militia during the Seminole Wars. In the Mexican-American War, he served as a major with two brevets to colonel. He was wounded three times and lost an arm. In the War for Southern Independence, he served as a major general in the Confederate Army. His battles included the Western Virginia Campaign, the Vicksburg Campaign, Champion Hill, Ezra Church, Franklin, Nashville, and the Carolina Campaign. Following the war, Loring continued his military career in the Egyptian War and was in the Battle of Gura. He returned to the United States after nine years he wrote two books, lived in New York City, where he died on Dec. 30, 1886, and was buried in Loring Park in St. Augustine, Florida, but his ashes were moved to Craig Funeral Home Memorial Park on Aug. 24, 2020.

Maj. Gen. William W. Loring

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Dec. 3.

1861: NEW ORLEANS CAMPAIGN 1861-62: Federal forces arrive at Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi, in preparation for the invasion of Confederate Louisiana. Louisiana was building up its military, but the Louisiana regiments were being quickly ordered to the active fighting fronts like Virginia, Pensacola, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. New Orleans had several old forts in the vicinity, as well as the old defenses at Chalmette, where the Battle of New Orleans was fought in 1815.

Louisiana Confederate soldier

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1862: Confederates raid a Federal outpost on the Hardin Pike at Nashville, Tennessee. A Federal army numbering some 20,000 men occupied Grenada, Mississippi.

1863: KNOXVILE, TENN. CAMPAIGN: General Longstreet moves his army away from Knoxville, Tennessee to winter quarters at Greenville, Tennessee. However, part of Sherman's Federal Army was sent to confront Longstreet.

1864: CAVALRY SHIRMISH AT THOMAS' STATION, GA.: Confederates delay Sherman's bummers' "March to the Sea" at Thomas Station, Georgia. Then, Kilpatrick's Federal Cavalry reached Thomas Station on this day and began destroying the railroad tracks. Wheeler's Confederate Cavalry arrived that night and sharply skirmished with the Yankees. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Dec. 3.

Brigadier General Henry Alexander Wise was born in 1806 in Accomack, Virginia. Before the war, he had a long and prominent career in politics, including serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Governor of Virginia, and as the U.S. Minister to Brazil. He was also the governor of Virginia during the trial of John Brown in 1859. Wise was a supporter of secession. During the war, Wise was made a brigadier general and took part in the Peninsula Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign. Wise died Sept. 12, 1876, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.

Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, December 2.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Dec. 2.

1861: Naval battle off Newport News, Virginia, between the C.S.S. Patrick Henry and four Federal gunboats. The Patrick Henry is heavily damaged.

1863: General Braxton Bragg resigns and turns over command of the Army of Tennessee to Lieutenant General William Hardee. After the disaster at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, both the officers and men of the Army of Tennessee had largely lost confidence in Bragg.

1864: Confederate cavalry and infantry stages raids on Federal railroads and defense lines around Nashville, Tennessee.

Also, on this day Brig. Gen. Archibald Gracie III was killed in action during the Petersburg Campaign in Virginia. Gracie had just turned 32 years old the day before and was observing Federal lines through a telescope when he was struck and instantly killed by Federal artillery fire. His daughter, Adeline, was born the day before he was killed. His son, Archibald Gracie IV, would gain some fame as a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Dec. 2.

Brigadier General Rufus Clay Barringer was born on this day in 1821, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. He was a prewar lawyer and politician who served in the N.C. House of Commons. He led the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, and then a North Carolina cavalry brigade when he was made a brigadier general in 1864. His battles and campaigns included the Peninsula Campaign, Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Maryland Campaign, Gettysburg Campaign, Battle of Brandy Station, and the Battle of Namozine Church., where he was captured on June 6, 1864. Following the war, Barringer resumed his practice of law and engaged in Republican politics and wrote a history of the 9th N.C. Cavalry. He died Feb. 3, 1895, and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, N.C.

Brigadier General Rufus Barringer

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, December 1.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Dec. 1.

1862: There was skirmishing between North and South on this day in Hudsonville, Oxford, and near Mitchell's Cross-Roads, Miss. Also, there was fighting on this day were Nolensville, Tenn., and at Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Virginia.

1863: General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia retired into its prepared fortifications behind Mine Run, Virginia, and awaits any further attacks by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac. Meade planned to have Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren's II Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's VI Corps to attack the Confederate defenses. But when Meade saw for himself how strong Lee's defenses are, he calls off the attack and withdraws back into his own fortifications that night and went into winter quarters, thus ending the Mine Run Campaign.

1864: Nashville-Franklin Campaign: General Hood's Army of Tennessee arrives at a position southeast of Nashville, Tennessee, and begins digging in. Hood hoped to get reinforcements from the Trans-Mississippi and planned a defensive strategy. In spite of being greatly outnumbered, Hood felt his army could defeat any attacks from his fortifications.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Dec. 1.

Major General William Mahone was born in 1826, in Southampton, Virginia. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1847, became a civil engineer, a teacher at the Rappahannock Academy, did engineer work on railroads, and in the War for Southern Independence became a major general in the Confederate Army. His battles included the Peninsula Campaign, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the Crater, and the Appomattox Campaign. Following the war, Mahone worked on railroads, was active in politics as a Republican, and died on Oct. 8, 1895, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Va.

Major General William Mahone

👦

Brigadier General Archibald Gracie Jr. was born in 1832, in New York City, New York. He graduated from West Point in 1854, resigned from the army in 1857, and settled in Mobile, Ala. He became active in the Alabama State Militia as a captain in the Washington Light Infantry. During the War for Southern Independence, he became a brigadier general. His battles included Yorktown, Perryville, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Bean's Station. He was killed in action during the Siege of Petersburg, Va. on Dec. 2, 1864. Gracie was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City, N.Y.

Brig. Gen. Archibald Gracie

👦

Brigadier General Micah Jenkins was born in 1835, on Edisto, Island, South Carolina. He graduated from the South Carolina Military Academy in 1854 and organized the King's Mount Military School where he taught from 1855 to 1861. Jenkins was elected colonel of the 5th South Carolina Infantry on April 13, 1861, and was promoted to brigadier general on July 22, 1862. His battles include First Manassas, Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Chickamauga, and Knoxville. He was killed in action on May 6, 1864, at the Wilderness, Virginia by friendly fire. He was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C.

Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins

👋

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 30.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 30.

1862: Near the Leeward Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the CSS Alabama under the legendary Captain Raphael Semmes masterfully evades the Federal warship USS Vanderbilt and then captures the 136-ton Boston bark Parker Cook with a cargo that included butter, cheese, pork, dried fruit, and ship's bread.

1863: Fighting continued in the Mine Run Campaign in Virginia on this day with skirmishes between North and South at Licking Run Bridge, along Mine Run, and near Raccoon Ford.

Fort Esperanza, on the northeastern tip of Matagorda Island in Texas, was attacked by a strong Federal force under Maj. General C.C. Washburn from the XIII Army Corps. The fort was garrisoned by 500 men of the 8th Texas Infantry Regiment and the 5th Texas Militia under Col. W.R. Bradfute with 7 24-pounders, and one 128-pounder Columbiad on a pivot mounting. The Yankee invaders had six regiments of infantry and two artillery companies. After holding out against the overwhelming force of bluecoats for four days, the Confederates evacuated the fort and retreated. The Federals then occupied the fort. The Federalists lost 1 killed and 10 wounded. The Confederates suffered 1 killed and 10 captured.

Private J.E. Mayfield

8th (aka 12th) Texas Infantry Regiment

(Lawrence T. Jones Collection, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

(Image colorized, orange blotches are discoloration)

CLICK:👉Randal's Texas Brigade: Fighting 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 composed of the 11th Texas Infantry Regiment, the 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 role in keeping Texas largely free of the destruction wrought on other Southern states in the war.

1864: Gen. John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee and Maj. Gen. John Schofield's XXIII Corps and the XIV Corps, both numbering about 27,000 men each, fought the extremely bloody BATTLE OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE. The Federals were strongly entrenched, and the Confederates would have to make a frontal assault over an open field. Hood's generals advised against a frontal assault, but the commanding general was determined to make the attack. The fighting was close, and the Confederates gallantly gave it their all, but the fortifications were too strong and too well-manned for a frontal attack to succeed. Schofield began withdrawing his army at 11 o'clock that night, and by the next morning, the Confederates found empty entrenchments. The casualties were staggering for the Confederates, with five generals killed, including Patrick Cleburne, John Adams, Hiram B. Granbury, States Rights Gist, and Otto Strahl, and John C. Carter mortally wounded. Hood reported a total of 4,500 men killed, wounded, and missing or captured. The Federalists lost 189 killed, 1,033 wounded, and 1,104 missing or captured for a total of 2,326 casualties.

Brig. Gen. Hiram B. Granbury

Killed in action at the Battle of Franklin, Tenn.

Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 30.

Major General Gustavus Woodson Smith was born on this day in 1821 in Georgetown, Kentucky. He graduated from West Point in 1842, served in the Mexican-American War, and was brevetted a first lieutenant and captain for service at the Battle of Contreras. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1854 and became the Commissioner of Streets in New York City from 1858 to 1861. Smith joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned a major general. At the Battle of Seven Pines, Va., on May 31, 1862, he became temporary commander of the Army of the Potomac (soon to be renamed Army of Northern Virginia) when Gen. J.E. Johnston was wounded. Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of the army on June 1, 1862, and Smith went on sick leave. In August 1862, he returned to duty in August 1862 and was assigned to command the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia, and in November became the interim Confederate Secretary of War. He resigned from the army on Feb. 17, 1863, and subsequently served as a volunteer aid to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, as superintendent of the Edowah Iron Works, and as a major general in the Georgia Militia. Following the war, Smith served as the Kentucky Insurance Commissioner and wrote several books on the War for Southern Independence and the Mexican War. He died on June 24, 1896, in New York City, N.Y., and was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London, Connecticut.

Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 29.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 29.

1863, General Longstreet's Confederate assault Nov. 29 on Federal Fort Sanders is the climax of the partial Siege of Knoxville, Tenn. Confederate Gen. James Longstreet decided Fort Sanders was the key to victory at Knoxville. The fort consisted of a line of earthworks with a ditch 12 ft. wide and 8 ft. deep. It was manned by 440 Federals of the 79th New York Infantry with 12 artillery pieces. Longstreet tasked 3,000 men in three brigades led by Brig. Gen. Benjamin G. Humphreys, Brig. Gen. Goode Bryan and Col. Solon Z. Ruff (Wofford's Brigade) with the assault. Longstreet planned a surprise attack at dawn with no bombardment. The men faced extensive obstacles before they could even reach the fort. The assault was a bloody failure for the Confederates.  Confederate losses were 129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 captured for a total of 813. The Federals lost 8 men killed and 5 wounded. Among the Confederate dead was Colonel Ruff, leading Wofford's Brigade.

 

Sgt. William A. Smith

12th Va. Inf.

(Library of Congress)

Col. Solon Z. Ruff

18th Ga. Inf.

Killed leading Wofford's Brigade

In 1864, Federal General Scofield's Federal Army was in danger of being cut off from its destination of Nashville, Tenn., on this day by General John Bell Hood's Confederate Army of Tennessee at Springhill, Tenn., Confederate Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne's Division was moving toward Springhill Road but was blocked by Gen. George D. Wagner's Federal Division. That night, incredibly, with the Confederates bivouacked within eyesight of the road, five Federal divisions marched right past Hood's army without a challenge. It would go down in history as one of the great mysteries and lost opportunities of the war for the Confederates. 

Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 29.

None.

TODAY IN HISTORY (GENERAL HISTORY/ ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY/ CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, November 28

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 28

1861: The State of Missouri is admitted to the Confederate States of America as the 13th state. Missouri Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson was solid with the South. He died in exile on Dec. 6, 1862, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1862: In the BATTLE OF CANE HILL, ARKANSAS, 2000 Confederates under General John Marmaduke held off 5000 Federals under General James G. Blunt for 15 hours in a rearguard action. The Southrons then made a successful withdrawal to Van Buren, Arkansas, ending the Federal pursuit.

 

Capt. Dan Turrentine, 

12th Arkansas Infantry

(Library of Congress)

CLICK:👉Randal's Texas Brigade: Fighting 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.

1864: Battle of Columbia, Tenn: Confederate General Stephen D. Lee's Corps of the Army of Tennessee demonstrates before the Federals dug in at the Duck River in Columbia, Tennessee, while General Hood takes the rest of the army outflanks the Yankees' army in an attempt to cut off its retreat at Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

Two Tennessee Confederates

(Library of Congress)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 2

Brigadier General Lawrence O'Brien Branch was born in 1828 in Enfield, North Carolina. Before the war, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 34th, 35th, and 36th Congresses. In 1859, he challenged Rep. Galusha Grow to a duel after an argument on the House floor. However, both men were arrested before the duel could take place. Branch joined the Confederate Army in May 1861 and, in September, was elected colonel of the 33rd North Carolina Infantry. The North Carolinian was appointed brigadier general and led this brigade at the Battle of Hanover Courthouse, the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Chantilly, and Harper's Ferry. At the Battle of Sharpsburg, Md., Sept. 17, 1863, he and his brigade arrived with A.P. Hill's Division in time to stop a Federal breakthrough. After the fighting stopped, while talking with other Confederate generals, he was hit in the head by a bullet from a Federal sharpshooter, which killed him instantly and mortally wounded Brig. Gen. Maxcy Gregg. Branch was buried in Raleigh, North Carolina at Old City Cemetery. 

Brig. Gen. Lawrence O. Branch

Ω

Today in History (general history)/ On this Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays.

 Click 👉 THIS DAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 27

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY.

In 1861, the "TRENT AFFAIR" became more serious as the illegal seizure of the two Confederate commissioners became a cause célèbre in England, as it was characterized as an insult to the British flag.

• A photograph of an illustration depicts the Trent Affair, an incident 
• where the U.S. Navy captured two Confederate diplomats from a 
• British ship. Confederate diplomats James Murray Mason and 
• John Slidell is shown aboard a vessel. On the left is England's 
• Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell, standing on land with one 
• foot on the back of a lion and ripping a piece of paper titled 
• "Right of Search". On the right stands President Lincoln's 
• Secretary of State, William S. Seward, with the Confederate President 
• Jefferson Davis in the background. (Library of Congress)

• The bronze Confederate Private Monument, depicting an ordinary 
• soldier, thought to be Sam Davis, who fought for the southern 
• Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s stands, or perhaps 
• stood in Centennial Park in Nashville, the capital city of Tennessee 
• (Library of Congress)

In 1863, Confederate scout and "Boy Hero" Sam Davis became a martyr to the cause of Southern Independence when he was hanged as a spy at Pulaski, Tennessee by the Yankees because he wouldn't betray his friends. Private Davis wrote on the eve of  his execution, “I have got to die tomorrow morning — to be hung by the federals.” 

Pvt. Sam Davis, Confederate 

1st Tenn. Inf./Coleman's Scouts

(Wikipedia Commons)

Federal General Meade's Mine Run offensive is stopped at the Battle of Payne's Farm (also known as the Battle of Mine Run) by Confederate General Edward Johnson's division. The Federal strength was 81,000 and the Confederates fielded 48,000 in the Mine Run Campaign, but far fewer actually fought at Payne's Farm. The battle was fought by Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's Division of Ewell's Second Corps, ANV.  It was a meeting engagement where they just bumped into each other rather than a planned battle. Johnson launched an attack, not knowing the whole strength of the enemy, on the part of Maj. Gen. William H. French's III Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's VI Corps, the two combined corps numbered about 32,000. The Confederate attack failed, but it did slow down the Federal advance and save the Army of Northern Virginia. Gen. Robert E. Lee now had the time to withdraw and build powerful fortifications that spoiled the Federal company of Maj. Gen. George Meade. Federal casualties numbered 1,653, with a total of 629 casualties for the Confederates.

CLICK👉Confederate States Rangers

This is the history of Company K, Confederate States Rangers, 

and the regiment to which it belonged, the 10th Louisiana Infantry. 

It fought in nearly every major engagement of General Robert E. 

Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, including the Yorktown Peninsula 

of 1862, the Seven Days, Cedar Run, Second Manassas, 

Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, 

Gettysburg, Mine Run, Payne's Farm, The Wilderness, 

Spotsylvania Court House, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign 

of 1864, Petersburg and Appomattox. The book features 

photographs, illustrations, maps, a bibliography, and an Index.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS.

Brigadier General Hugh Weedon Mercer, in 1808, Fredericksburg, Virginia. He graduated from West Point in 1828. He resigned in 1835 and became a bank cashier in Savannah, Georgia. However, he was active in the Georgia Militia. In 1861, Mercer joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned a colonel of the 1st Georgia Infantry and was promoted to brigadier general in  November. He served as district commander in Savannah until 1864. He led a brigade in the Atlanta Campaign and fought at Dalton, Marietta, and  Kennesaw Mountain, where his son was wounded. Due to physical debility, Mercer was assigned to command of the 10th Battalion, Georgia Infantry in defense of Savannah. He resumed his business career in Savannah, Baltimore, and died in 1877 in Baden Baden, Germany, where he was being treated for health problems. He was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.

Brig. Gen. Hugh W. Mercer

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 26.

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On This Day in Confederate History, Nov. 26.

1861: Western Virginia, holding a Pro-Union Secession Convention, voted to secede from Virginia without the rest of the state having a say in it. But while the Lincoln administration denies there is a right to secession, it ironically accepts this secession, and the state of West Virginia is created.

1862: Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk takes command of a corps of the Army of Tennessee. The Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana is well thought of by his men and by President Davis. Polk had tried to retire back to his spiritual flock in Louisiana, but President Davis felt he was still needed for the nation's army.

Private W.R. Clack of Co. B, 43rd Tennessee 

Infantry Regiment, with saber, pistol, and small book.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

1863: Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne's Division of the Army of Tennessee continues to perform the critical role of rear-guard for the retreating Southern army following the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tenn. Cleburne's men clash with pursuing Federals at Chickamauga Station and Pea Valley in the state of Tennessee.

Flag of the 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment

Cleburne's Division, Army of Tennessee

(The Returned Battle Blags)

1864: The 4th Tennessee Cavalry clashed with seven regiments of Sherman's Federal Army at Sandersville, Ga. Nov. 25-26 as the destructive scorched early policy of the Lincoln administration continues to be carried out in Georgia. The courthouse and jail there are burned as well as the railroad depot of neighboring Tennille, Ga.

Confederate General Birthdays, Nov. 26.

Major General William Henry Talbot Walker was born on this day in 1816 in Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from West Point in 1832, served Seminole War (severely wounded) and the Mexican-American War (wounded), and resigned from the U.S. Army on Dec. 20, 1860. He transferred to the Confederate Army as a colonel, then had promotions to brigadier general and major general. His battles included Chickamauga, Walker was appointed a colonel in the Georgia Militia and then a major general.  His battles included Kennesaw Mountain and Atlanta. General Walker was wounded a number of times and then was killed in action on July 22, 1864, when shot off his horse during the Battle of Atlanta, Ga. He was buried in Walker Cemetery at the University of Augusta, Ga

Maj. Gen. William H.T. Walker

👱

Brigadier General Alfred Moore Scales was born on this day in Reidsville, North Carolina. Prewar,  he was a teacher, and lawyer and was elected to the North Carolina Legislature and then the U.S Congress. During the war, Scales rose from private to brigadier general. His battles included the Peninsula Campaign, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Overland Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg. Following the war, Scales resumed the practice of law, was elected governor of North Carolina, served as a bank president, and died on Feb. 9, 1892, in Greensboro, N.C., and was buried there at Green Hill Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. Alfred M. Scales

👋

Today in History (general history)/ On This day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 25.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 25.

1861: The first Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia, was created by the Confederate Naval Department in Norfolk, Virginia, out of the hull of the seized USS Merrimac. Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes of the CSS Sumter seizes a Yankee ship.

1863: The BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE, Tennessee, was fought on this day and the Confederate line was broken by a strong Federal assault. Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne's Division held long enough for most of the Confederate Army of Tennessee to successfully retreat. Gen. Braxton Bragg had greatly weakened his defense line by sending Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's two divisions and Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson's Division to liberate Knoxville, Tenn. Johnson's Division would subsequently become part of the Army of Northern Virginia for the last year of the war. Federal losses were 753 killed, 4,722 wounded, and 349 captured or missing for a total of 5,824. Confederate losses were 361 killed, 2,160 wounded, and 4,146 men captured or missing for a total of 6,667. They also lost 40 artillery pieces.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne

The photograph shows one identified prisoner on the far left with one prisoner directly in front of him, possibly identified as Private Claudius Buchanan, and six unidentified prisoners, all of the 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, who were captured at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. [NPS]

1864: Sherman's March to the Sea: Confederate cavalry under General "Fighting Joe" Wheeler battles Sherman's bummers near Sandersville, Georgia, during Sherman's March to the Sea, bringing destruction to Southern civilians.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 25.

None.

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

 Click 👉TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 24. 

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 24

1863: Sparsely defended by Confederates, LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN is overrun by thousands of Yankees. The Federals overran the mountain with 12,000 troops against 8,726 defending Confederates. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker commanded the blue coats and Maj. Gen. Carter L. Stevens, the Confederates. Federal casualties were 89 killed, 471 wounded, and 11 captured or missing for a total of 671. Confederate casualties were about 200.

On this day in the partial SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE, TENN., Confederates repulse a charge by the 2nd Michigan Infantry, with artillery support from Fort Sanders, on their rifle pits near the railroad bed some 600 yards north of the fort. Casualties of the Michigan regiment are said to be about 50 percent. Over at Clinton Road, the Confederates withdrew to their line of the day before, after a strong attack by the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 21st Michigan Infantry.

1864: Franklin-Nashville, TN Campaign: General Forrest's Confederate cavalry is driven out of Columbia, Tennessee, by retreating Federals under Schofield. The Yankees dig in along the Duck River. 

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 24.

Brig. Gen. James Heyward Trapier, in 1815, Georgetown, South Carolina. An 1834 graduate of West Point, graduating third in a class of 45 cadets, Trapier served in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Mexican-American War, after which he resigned and returned to his plantation in South Carolina. But Trapier continued his military pursuits in the South Carolina Militia and his efforts helped the state in being prepared for war in 1861 by keeping the state militia well-armed. Trapier rose quickly to the rank of brigadier general by October 1861 and commanded a brigade in the Western Theater, was active in the long siege of Charleston, S.C. under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard. He died after the war in Georgetown, S.C. on Dec. 21, 1865. He was buried at Prince George Winyah Cemetery, Georgetown, S.C.

Brig. Gen. James H. Trapier

Today in History (general birthdays)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 23.

Click 👉 TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 23.

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 23.

1863: The BATTLE OF ORCHARD KNOB, Tenn., was the first Federal attack on Missionary Ridge in the Chattanooga campaign. There were only 634 Confederates defending the position in rifle pits versus 14,000 Federals under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. The 28th Alabama Infantry, defending the hill, lost 172 men killed, wounded, and missing or captured when attacked by a Yankee division. The Federal casualties were about 1,100 in taking the hill. The position became an important Federal observation post.

Capt. John Henry Turpin, Co. B, 28th Ala. Inf.

In the partial SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE, TENN., on this day in 1863, with Confederates under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet sealing off the approaches to the city, but he couldn't make a complete siege because of not having enough manpower. Confederates pushed back Federal skirmishers in front of the U.S. 9th Army Corps whose soldiers burned many homes, machine shops, and a railroad depot roundhouse while retreating back into their lines.

CLICK👉Fighting for Southern Independence

A History of the 13th Louisiana Infantry

This is the story of one of the most heroic and hardest-fighting regiments in the Confederate Army, the 13th Louisiana Infantry. The men of this regiment were largely from the New Orleans area and fought in such famous battles as Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Atlanta (Campaign), Franklin, Nashville, and Mobile in the main Confederate Army of the Western Theater of operations. They served under such great Confederate generals as P.G.T. Beauregard, Braxton Bragg, Joseph Johnston, and John Bell Hood.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov 23.

None.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, November 22.

Click 👉 TODAY IN HISTORY (general history) Nov. 22

ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, Nov. 22

1861: Pensacola Campaign: An artillery duel erupted between Federal batteries in Fort Pickens and Confederate guns in Fort McCrae in Florida. The Yankee batteries are backed up by the USS Richmond and the USS Niagara, but the duel ends in a stalemate.

Pvt. Walter Miles Parker

1st Florida Cavalry

(Library of Congress)

 (colorized, the color of the shoulder tabs should be yellow for cavalry)

1862: Battle of Fredericksburg, Prelude: Town officials in Fredericksburg, Virginia, agree to "no hostile demonstrations" in exchange for the Federals not bombarding the city. 

1863: Missionary Ridge Prelude: At Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Federals make a demonstration before Confederate lines before the planned main assault on Nov. 24.

1864: Battle of Griswoldville, Ga., was between the Maj. Gen. "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's Confederate cavalry and 1st Division Georgia Militia under Brig. Gen. Pleasant J. Philips versus Sherman's Federals on the rampage against Georgia civilians in their March Through Georgia. On the previous day, Federal cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick struck the town and burned 13 carloads of military supplies and burned the railroad station, and other buildings. In the battle, the Federals had 3,000 men in the battle and the Confederates 2,300. Wheeler's cavalry opened the battle by attacking the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, but the Pennsylvanians and the 5th Kentucky Cavalry (U.S.), counterattacked and drove the Confederates back into their earthworks. Federal infantry then advanced and drove the Georgia Militia back through the town. The three brigades of Georgia Militia then counterattacked with seven charges but were repulsed by the Federals with heavy losses. Federal Brig. Gen. Charles C. Walcutt was wounded. The Confederate forces withdrew after dark. The Confederates and Georgians lost 51 killed and 472 wounded. The Federal casualties were 13 killed, 79 wounded, and two captured. The battle was the only major engagement of the March Through Georgia. The town was never rebuilt.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, Nov. 22.

Major General Samuel Gibbs French was born on this day in 1818, in Gloucester County, New Jersey. He graduated from West Point in 1843 and was wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War in 1847. He resigned from the army in 1856 and became a plantation owner in Mississippi. During the War for Southern Independence, French attained the rank of major general, and his battles included Suffolk, Kennesaw Mountain, Nashville, Atlanta, Franklin, and 35 engagements in all. Following the war, French worked his plantation, served as a Mississippi levee commissioner, worked for a railroad company in New Jersey, and invested in an Orange Grove in Florida. He wrote his memoirs in "Two Wars," which was published in 1901. French died on April 20, 1910, and was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola, Fla.

Maj. Gen. Samuel G. French

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Major General Benjamin Huger was born on this day in 1805 in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1825, was a veteran in the Mexican American War, and commanded several arsenals after that war. Huger resigned in 1861 as a major. In the Confederate Army, he attained the rank of major general, commanded at Norfolk, V, led troops in the Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Seven Pines, in the Seven Days Campaign, and then in various administration positions in the Trans-Mississippi Department. Following the war, Huger farmed in North Carolina and Virginia then retired to Charleston, S.C. He died on Dec. 7, 1877, in Charleston and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Md.

Major General Benjamin Huger

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Brigadier General Frank Crawford Armstrong was born on this day in 1835 in Choctaw Agency, Indian Territory. His father had been an army officer there. He gained the rank of lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons for gallantry in the Battle of Eagle Springs in 1855 and following his graduation from college. He also served in the Utah War. He fought in the U.S. Army as a captain of cavalry in the First Battle of Manassas, Va. but resigned from the Union army on Aug. 10, 1861 and joined the Confederate Army as a staff officer and took part in the Battle of Elk Horn Tavern, Ark. Armstrong was elected colonel of the 3rd Louisiana Cavalry in 1863 and commanded the cavalry in Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Army and promoted to brigadier general a short time later. He also commanded a cavalry division under Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Battle of Chickamauga, Ga. In 1864, Armstrong led his cavalry in the Atlanta Campaign, the Battle of Nashville, Tenn. and the Battle of Selma, Ala. and was captured April 2, 1865. During the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, Armstrong saved Elms Springs, Columbia, Tenn. from being burned by the burned by the Yankees. Elm Springs is now the National Headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the location of the National Confederate Museum. Following the war, Armstrong was employed by the Overland Mail Service, served as a U.S. Indian Inspector, and as Asst. Commissioner of Indian Affairs. He died on Sept. 8, 1909, in Bar Harbor, Maine. He was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Brig. Gen. Frank C. Armstrong

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