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

Click 👉Today in History (general history) August 2.

On This Day in Confederate History, August 2.

1861: Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory, is evacuated by the Federals and is occupied by Lt. Col. John Baylor's 300-man 2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (aka 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles). Baylor was also the first governor of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. He was also promoted to colonel. Here is an overview of the regiment from the National Park Service: Battle Unit Details: "2nd Cavalry Regiment, about 1,200 strong, was organized in May 1861, under the designation of the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles. It was reorganized in April 1862 as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The men were recruited in San Antonio, Houston, Marshall, and Beeville, and the counties of Anderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, and Cherokee. Serving in the Trans-Mississippi Department, it was active in various conflicts in the New Mexico Territory and Louisiana then saw action in the defense of Galveston. In November 1862, the unit totaled 752 effective, had 19 officers and 167 men in July 1864, and about 150 present in April 1865. Although it was included in the surrender on June 2, it had previously disbanded. The field officers were Colonels John S. Ford and Charles L. Pyron; Lieutenant Colonels John R. Baylor and James Walker; and Majors John Donelson, Matthew Nolan, William A. Spencer, and Edward Waller, Jr."

Unidentified soldier in Western-style Confederate uniform with, Hardee hat & musket.

(Liljenquist Collection, Library of Congress)

Col. John Baylor

1862: Confederate and Federal cavalry skirmish at Orange Court House, Va. , during a reconnaissance in force from Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks' II Corps. The 17th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, was picketing the area when overwhelmed by the Federals. The 7th Virginia Cavalry, under Col., later Brig. Gen. William "Grumble" Jones came as reinforcements. Jones' men charged, and the Yankees countercharged, and the Virginians were again overwhelmed. When Jones was surrounded by Yankees, the cantankerous Confederate hacked his way out with his sword. The Confederates retreated to a plantation south of the town. There are widely conflicting estimates of casualties on both sides.

Col. William "Grumble" Jones

Confederate General Birthdays, August 2.

None.

CLICK👉The Battle of Calcasieu Pass

And the Great Naval Raid 

on Lake Charles, Louisiana

The Battle of Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana, 6 May 1864, was a small but sharp battle between two Union gunboats, the U.S.S. Wave and the U.S.S. Granite City, and about 350 Confederates with four small cannons. The Confederates included a diverse group of Texas Germans, Mexicans, and Anglo-Celts. The battle was a complete victory for the Confederates. The book includes photos, maps, footnotes, bibliography, and index.

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

 Click 👉Today in History (general history) August 1. 

On This Day in Confederate History, August 1.

1861: At Mesilla, New Mexico, Confederate Lt. Col. John Baylor proclaims the Confederate Territory of Arizona and New Mexico south of the 34th parallel. This follows the rout of the Federal forces from Fort Fillmore at the First Battle of Mesilla on July 25, 1861, and the defeat of the 500 Federals by Baylor's 300 Confederates on July 27. Mesilla was also declared the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. The Federals burned Fort Fillmore and retreated to Fort Stanton.

1864: Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Confederate Army of the Shenandoah Valley, which has defeated two Federal armies in the Valley, is now confronted by Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's much larger army. Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant tasked Sheridan with executing a "scorched earth" policy against Early's army and Valley residents.

In the Atlanta Campaign before the city of Atlanta, the Federals heavily bombarded both Confederate defenses as well as the city, which became a daily routine. Both the Federals and Confederates continue to extend their lines.

Confederate General Birthdays, August 1.

Brigadier General Maxcy Gregg was born in 1814 in Columbia, South Carolina. Gregg was a lawyer before the War for Southern Independence, but got some military experience in the Mexican-American War, serving as a major in the 12th U.S. Infantry. He was also a scholar dabbling in such fields as astronomy, botany, ornithology, and foreign languages. In politics, he was a strong advocate and secessionist for South Carolina. A man of action, Gregg organized the 1st South Carolina Volunteers when South Carolina seceded and was its first colonel. With the organization of the Confederacy, he became a brigadier general. His battles included Fort Sumter, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (wounded), and Fredericksburg, mortally wounded. His mortal wound came in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., while commanding a brigade in A.P. Hill's "Light Division," and he died on Dec. 15, 1862, in a field hospital. On his deathbed, he was reported to have said, "I yield my life cheerfully, fighting for the independence of South Carolina." Gregg was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.

Brig. Gen. Maxcy Gregg

👱

Brigadier General William Yarnel Slack was born on this day in 1816 in Mason County, Kentucky. His family moved to Boone County, Missouri when he was 3-years-old. During the Mexican-American War, Slack served as a captain in the 2nd Missouri Volunteers. Afterward, he served in the Missouri General Assembly. In 1861, Slack was appointed a brigadier general in the Missouri State Guard. His battles included Carthage, Springfield, and Oak Hill (Wilson's Creek). General Slack was commanding a division of Confederates when he was mortally wounded in the Battle of Elk Horn Tavern (Pea Ridge), Arkansas, and died on March 21, 1862. He was posthumously commissioned a brigadier general on April 12, 1862. In 1880 his remains were transferred to the Fayetteville Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Brig. Gen. William Y. Slack

👋

CLICK👉Fighting for Southern Independence

History of the 11th Texas Infantry Regiment

This is the story of a regiment of Southern patriots fighting in defense of their homes and families in the War for Southern Independence. Most of them were ordinary East Texas farmers who performed great feats of physical endurance, fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, and became one of the premier fighting regiments of the legendary Walker's Texas Division of the Confederate Army. These Texans helped turn back major Federal Army invasions in Louisiana at the Battle of Bayou Bourbeau, the Battle of Mansfield, the Battle of Pleasant Hill, and the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, thus saving their home state of Texas from the kind of death and destruction visited on so many other Southern states.