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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 29.

1861: The Maryland State Legislature votes against seceding from the Union. The legislature met in a special session in the strongly pro-Union town of Frederick. The vote was 53-13 against secession.

1862: Admiral D.G. Farragut lands in New Orleans with 250 Marines from the USS Hartford marches to City Hall and removes the Louisiana state flag. City officials had refused to lower their state flag and were still defiant. The flag was adopted by Louisiana in February 1861 to represent the state's new independent status after seceding on January 26, 1861.

Louisiana State Flag of the style removed at

New Orleans, La. City Hall.

1863: The Battle of Grand Gulf takes place south of Vicksburg. The Federal Gunboats of Admiral D.D. Porter begins bombarding the Confederate forts protecting Grand Gulf. While one of the forts is knocked out, Fort Wade and Fort Coburn fight on, and the Federals decide to not try an amphibious landing there. Federal casualties were 18 killed and 57 wounded. The Confederates lost three dead and 19 wounded. The USS Tuscumbia is knocked out of action. The Federals will have to find another place to cross the river.

1865: President Jefferson Davis's party making its way to the Trans-Mississippi Department, reaches Yorkville, South Carolina. The president had hopes of continuing the struggle for Southern Independence in Texas as the base. There was still a large Confederate Army there and in Louisiana that had not yet surrendered. However, the army there was rapidly breaking up.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL HISTORY, April 29.

Brigadier General Henry Watkins Allen was born on this day in 1820 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Prior to the war, he became a lawyer in Mississippi. Allen also gained some military experience serving as a volunteer in the Texas Army in 1842 as captain of the Mississippi Guards. He spent the summer on the western frontier in Texas fighting Mexicans and Indians. His term of service was up in October 1842 and he went back to Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi Legislature, studied law at Harvard University, and in 1852 became co-owner of a plantation in Louisiana. He was elected to the Louisiana Legislature in 1853. In the War for Southern Independence, Allen served as colonel of the 4th Louisiana Infantry and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. He then led a brigade at the Battle of Baton Rouge on Aug. 5, 1862, and was wounded in both legs. While recuperating, he served as a military judge in Mississippi. Allen was also a major general in the Louisiana Militia and was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate Army on Aug. 19, 1863. Elected governor of Louisiana, Dr. Douglas Southall Freeman called him the best administrator in the Confederacy. Allen personally led a brigade of state militia in the Red River Campaign in 1864. After the war, his property having been destroyed by the enemy, he moved to Mexico City and died there on April 22, 1866. His body was reinterred in New Orleans 10 years later, then moved again years later and reburied on the grounds of the Louisiana State Capital in Baton Rouge.

Brig. Gen. Henry W. Allen

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 28.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 28.

1862: Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River about 70 miles South of New Orleans surrendered on this day to Admiral Farragut's Northern fleet, after a siege and bombardment of 12 days. Brig. Gen. Johnson K. Duncan was the Confederate commander commanding the heavy artillery in the forts. The two forts had about 177 guns. The Federals suffered 229 casualties and the Confederates 782, mostly captured.

Confederate National Flag captured at Fort Jackson, La.

(Jud McCranie, Wikipedia Commons)

1863: Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant with three army corps supported by Admiral D.D. Porter's gunboats plan to cross from the Louisiana side to the Mississippi side of the Mississippi River at Grand Gulf, Miss. Maj. Gen. John S. Bowen is in command of 4,200 men in the Confederate fortress. The Northern invaders had a fleet of 7 ironclad warships and 10,000 troops on transports. The primary fortresses for the Confederates were Fort Cobun and Fort Wade.

Brig. Gen. John S. Bowen

1864: Red River Campaign: On this day Maj. Gen. Camille Polignac's division of Louisiana and Texas infantry brigades crossed Monett's Ferry and moved toward Alexandria, La. on Bayou Cotile. The division was part of Mouton's Charge at the Battle of Mansfield on April 8, 1864, and was one of the best in Confederate service.

At Fort Sumter, S.C., the Confederate fortress is bombarded by Federal batteries. The bombardment would last for a week.

A 42-pounder heavy artillery gun at Port Hudson

State Historic site. It is similar to what they had at

Fort Sumter, S.C. The gun is a U.S. Navy model 1816 on a 

barbette carriage. It weighs 7,870 pounds and is 121 inches in length.

(Photo by M.D. Jones)

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 28.

Today in History (general history)/ On This Day in Confederate History/ Confederate General Birthdays, April 27.

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 27.

1861: Virginia offers its state capital, Richmond, as the permanent home of the capital of the Confederacy. Richmond with its strategic geographic location, industrial capacity, and history, it is the logical choice for the capital of the Confederacy. 

Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland and parts of the Mid-West, which gives him the power to arrest those who oppose his war policies, such as newspaper editors and publishers.

1862: MUTINY AT FORT JACKSON, La. Four Confederate forts near New Orleans surrendered due to the passage of the Federal fleet. The garrison of Fort Jackson mutiny and many of the men escaped capture and imprisonment. Brigadier General Benjamin Butler and his army of occupation arrive at Fort St. Phillip below New Orleans.

1863: CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN: The Federal Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker begins its movement in Richmond, Va. by crossing the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers. Hooker has 133,868 men for the Chancellorsville campaign. Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia has 60,298 men present for duty. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet with two of his divisions of the First Corps are absent in the Suffolk, Va. area staging a siege there and gathering supplies for the ANV and missing the campaign.

1st Sgt. Wm. A. Hightower,

Co. E, 23rd Va. Inf. was among

the mortally wounded at Chancellorsville.

1864: CAMDEN EXPEDITION: Federal Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele is in the process of retreating back to Little Rock, Arkansas while Lt. Gen. Kirby Smith's Confederates are in rapid pursuit. Steele has 12,000 men to Smith's 10,000. But Steele's supplies have been seriously depleted by Confederate cavalry raids and Smith has the initiative. Part of Smith's command is made up of veterans of the recent victories in Louisiana, including Walker's Texas Infantry Division.

1865: The steam-powered riverboat Sultana suddenly explodes killing 1,238 Federal soldiers, mostly returning from Southern prisoner-of-war camps. The accidental explosion is the most catastrophic accident on the Mississippi River.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL HISTORY, April 27.

NONE.

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 26.

1862: New Orleans Defiant: At New Orleans, Federal warships, with the guns of the fleet intimidating the helpless citizens of the city, are still waiting for surrender from the local authorities. Captain Henry W. Morris orders Marines from the USS Pensacola to go ashore and raise the U.S. flag over the former U.S. Mint building in the city. The Marines carry out the orders to the disgust of local citizens. But William Bruce Mumford and six other men take it down and raise the Louisiana State Flag over the building.

The Louisiana Republic Flag of the type lowered

by the Northern invaders in New Orleans to the jeers

of the public. (M.D. Jones Collection)

Angry citizens of New Orleans watch as a Northern invader

lowers the Louisiana Republic Flag from City Hall.

Confederate Fort Macon, North Carolina surrendered to the Federals after a month-long siege. The small garrison, under Colonel Moses White, suffered 8 killed, 16 wounded, and 400 captured. The Federals lost 2 killed, wounded, and 8 captured. 

1863: Confederate raiders under Brig. Gen. John Marmaduke fights the Battle of Cape Girardeau, Mo. against the Federal garrison under Brig. Gen. John McNeil. The Confederates attack the strong fortifications there, but each attack is driven back. Confederate casualties total 325 when the Federals have 12.

1864: Red River Campaign: The Federal fleet on the Red River in Louisiana suffers several setbacks on this day. Unable to free the grounded USS Eastport, a powerful gunboat, the Federals blow it up. The Confederates forces then ambushed vessels involved in the failed salvage attempt, the gunboat Cricket, the steam pump boat Champion No. 5, and two transport vessels. The Confederate forces included a four-gun battery commanded by Captain Florian Cornay supported by 200 infantrymen of the 28th Louisiana Infantry of Mouton's brigade. Set up near the mouth of the Cane River, the Confederates opened fire and shelled and riddled the Cricket being hit 38 times. But it makes it by the ambush safely. However, Champion No. 5. and two transports are sunk. Tragically, on Champion No. 5, 175 African American laborers died when its boiler exploded. The Federals also lost about 100 crewmen killed on the various vessels and about as many captured. The Confederates lost only one man, Captain Cornay, who was killed in action.

1865: General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee surrendered to Sherman in North Carolina. The Confederates still have other armies in the field further west.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 26.

Major General Ambrose Ransom Wright was born on this day in 1826 in Louisville, Georgia. A prewar lawyer and politician, Wright failed in runs for the Georgia legislature and U.S. Congress. However, he was successful at becoming a presidential elector for Millard Fillmore in 1856. Wright was a supporter of the Bell-Everett ticket in the 1860 presidential election. In the War for Southern Independence, he served as colonel of the 3rd Georgia Infantry and was promoted to brigadier general. He received his promotion to major general on Nov. 26, 1862. His battles included South Mills, Seven Pines, the Seven Days Battles, Sharpsburg (wounded), Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. When he was promoted to major general he was given a command in Georgia. Following the war, he became a newspaper publisher and was defeated in a run for the U.S. Senate. However, Wright was elected to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but died before he could be seated. Wright died Dec. 21, 1872, and was buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Augusta, Ga.

Maj. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 25.

1862: New Orleans Defiant: Confederate Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell with a garrison of 4,000, in New Orleans, realizes that his position is no longer tenable with the passage of the Federal fleet at Forts Jackson and St. Phillip. He withdraws his forces to Camp Moore about 80 miles to the north. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut arrived with his powerful fleet to demand the surrender of the city. Naval Captain Theodorus Bailey and Lieutenant George Perkins were sent into the city to make the demand of the New Orleans mayor. In spite of being surrounded by protesting, but mostly peaceful citizens, they arrived safely at city hall. They demanded that Mayor John Monroe surrender the city and raise the U.S. flag over city hall and the former U.S. mint and customhouse. Monroe refused and noted that he had no such authority to do so. The Federal officers then made it safely back to their ship. 

The people were defiant when Northern sailors

arrived in New Orleans on April 25, 1862, to

demand the city surrender.

Capt. Theodorus Bailey and

Lt. George H. Perkins who were harassed,

but not harmed by angry citizens.

1863: Jones-Imboden Raid: Brig. Gens. William E. "Grumble" Jones and John D. Imboden staged a raid into western Virginia to disrupt the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and to stop a growing separatist movement in the area. Their forces include infantry, cavalry, and artillery totaling about 7,000 men. Federal defenders in the area included the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts, reinforced by Brig. Robert C. Schenck with between 1,500 and 4,000 men. The first battle, the Battle of Greenland Gap occurs on this day with the 23rd Illinois Infantry. They lasted about four hours before the bluecoats surrendered, and the Confederates under Jones went on their way.

1864: Red River Campaign: Defeated Federals in the Red River Campaign begin arriving at their supply base at Alexandria. But with the river level so low, the fleet remains trapped for the time being. Meanwhile, the Confederates have additional traps set for the fleet on the river.

1865: Generals Sherman and Johnston, after their peace agreement is rejected by the Northern government, agree to meet again to arrange the surrender of the Army of Tennessee. Other Confederate armies still in the field are the Army of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana, and the Army of the Trans-Mississippi.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 25.

Brigadier General James Dearing was born on this day in Campbell County, Virginia. Dearing was a student at West Point in 1861 when he resigned on April 22, 1861, after Virginia seceded. He joined the Virginia Militia and then accepted a commission as second lieutenant to the Washington Artillery of New Orleans and fought in the First Battle of Manassas, Va. He rose rapidly in rank in the Virginia artillery. By 1864 he was given a promotion to colonel of cavalry and to brigadier general (not confirmed of cavalry).  His other battles and campaigns included the Peninsular Campaign, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Siege of Suffolk, Gettysburg, Bermuda Hundred Campaign, Plymouth, Petersburg Campaign, Boydton Plank Road, and the Appomattox Campaign. After a brilliant combat record throughout the war, he was mortally wounded in one of the last battles, the Battle of High Bridge on April 6, 1865, and died April 22, 1865, at Lynchburg, Va. Dearing was buried at Springhill Cemetery.

                                                                 Brig. Gen. James Dearing 

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 24.

1862: Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip: Confederate Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River south of New Orleans fiercely defend against the Federal fleet, but it slips by them and encounters the Confederate River fleet led by the ironclad ram CSS Manassas. The Manassas rammed the USS Mississippi and USS Brooklyn, but neither was disabled. The Confederate ironclad eventually went aground and was mercilessly bombarded but the crew escaped. The vessel broke loose and drifted but exploded and sank. The Federals continued on toward New Orleans.

The nighttime Battle of Forts Jackson and Philips was

intense and deadly, as well as spectacular visually.

(Library of Congress)

CSS MANASSAS

(Naval History & Heritage Command)

1865: President Davis gives his approval of the peace agreement worked out by Sherman and Johnston. However, Grant brings word to Sherman that the Lincoln government doesn't accept it and tells Sherman he exceeded his authority. Sherman notifies Johnston the truce will end within 48 hours.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL BIRTHDAYS, April 24.

Brigadier General James Edward Harrison was born on this day in 1815 in Greenville District, South Carolina. Harrison moved to near Waco, Texas in 1857 and in 1861, became a commissioner to Texas Indian tribes to persuade them into joining the Confederacy. He then became a member of the Texas secession convention. During the War for Southern Independence, Harrison served in the 15th Texas Infantry regiment and fought in the Bayou Teche Campaign in Louisiana and operations against the Federals along the Atchafalaya River in 1863. Harrison also was promoted to colonel in 1864 and served in the Red River Campaign. He was promoted to brigadier general by President Davis to take effect as of December 22, 1864, and commanded a brigade in the last days of the war. Following the war, he returned to Waco and became a trustee for Baylor University. Harrison died on Feb. 23, 1875, in Waco and was buried there in the First Street Cemetery.

Brig. Gen. James E. Harrison

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Brigadier General Robert Brank Vance was born on this day in 1828 in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The brother of North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance, he was a Whig politician and merchant in Ashville before the war. In the war, he was elected colonel of the 29th North Carolina Infantry and fought in the Kentucky Campaign of 1862 and the Battle of Murfreesboro, from Dec. 31, 1862, to Jan. 4, 1863. After surviving a bout with typhoid fever, Vance was promoted to brigadier general on March 4, 1863. He was captured and incarcerated at Fort Delaware. Vance received special parole to buy clothing for Confederate P.O.W.s, on the stipulation he would not participate further in the war. Following the war, Vance became a U.S. Congressman and assistant commissioner of patents. He also served a term in the North Carolina legislature. Vance died Nov. 28, 1899, near Ashville and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Ashville.

Brig. Gen. Robert B. Vance

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

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ON THIS DAY IN CONFEDERATE HISTORY, April 23.

1862: Battle of Forts Jackson & St. Philip, La.: Confederate-held Forts Jackson and St. Phillip under Brig. Gen. Johnson K. Duncan is intensely bombarded by Commander David D. Porter's 21 mortar schooners under the overall command of Admiral David G. Farragut south of New Orleans. The city was the Confederacy's largest and one of the great ports in the world. It was in the process of becoming and wartime industrial powerhouse for the C.S.A. A fierce artillery duel developed between the Southern forts and the Nothern steam warships, which had the advantage of speed and maneuverability.

Confederate cannoneer

(6th Plate Ambrotype, M.D. Jones Collection)

One of Porter's mortar schooners shows what

a 13-inch mortar looked like. 

(click on image for enlargement)

(Library of Congress)

1864: Red River Campaign: The Battle of Monett's Ferry, La. occurred on this day in the Red River Campaign. About 2,500 to 3,000 Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. Hamilton Bee holds back 25,000 to 30,000 Federals under Maj. Gen. N.P. Banks. But the Federals eventually outflank Bee's force causing him to order a retreat. Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor, commander of the Army of Western Louisiana, blamed Bee and removed him from command. Taylor kept up the pressure on the Federals.

Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee

(DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

1865: Fighting between blue and gray continues at Henderson, North Carolina, and at Munford, Alabama. Johnston's Army of Tennessee has not yet surrendered.

CONFEDERATE GENERAL HISTORY, April 23.

None.