A French Louisianian Confederate

Confederate General Jean Jacques Alfred Alexandre Mouton was killed leading a charge April 8^th 1864 during the Battle of Mansfield.

Jean Jacques Alfred Alexandre Mouton was born February 10^th 1829 in Opelousas, Louisiana, the son of Alexandre Mouton, a former Governor of Louisiana.  He attended St Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, and following his graduation, received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.  His trip north would be the first time Mouton was exposed langue and customs other than French.  He was an average student and struggled with English, but graduated from the Military Academy in 1850, ranking 38 out 44.  Shortly after graduating Mouton resigned his commission and took a post as an assistant engineer for the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad.  In 1853 Mouton left this position to become a grower of sugar cane in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.  He was also at that time a Brigadier General in Louisiana State Militia.

When the Civil War started Mouton organized a company from Lafayette Parish, and was elected the Captain of the company which would become part of the 18^th Louisiana Infantry.  He would be elected Colonel of the 18^th, and set to making them a disciplined regiment.  One of his soldiers said of Mouton, "As a drillmaster, he had few, if any, equals. I have seen him drill the regiment for an hour in a square, the sides of which were equal to the length of his line of battle, without once throwing a company outside or recalling a command when given. He was a strict disciplinarian and allowed no deviation from orders either by officers or soldiers."  The first action for Mouton and the 18^th was at the Battle of Shiloh, where they took on Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops and where Mouton was wounded.  Back in Louisiana, Mouton and 18^th took part in the Battle of Labadieville.  Mouton’s Louisiana brigade was part of Confederate force that kept the Union out of the Bayou Teche area of Louisiana.

At the Battle of Mansfield Mouton’s men were the lead unit in the Confederate attack.  It was while in the lead that Mouton was shot and killed on April 8^th 1864.  He was buried on the battlefield, but in 1874 Mouton’s body was moved to St John’s Cemetery in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Headquarter And Escort Duty

Anderson Troop, a regiment of cavalry, sometimes identified at the 15^th Pennsylvania Cavalry was discharged from Union service on March 24^th 1863.

Organized in Carlisle, Pennsylvania as an independent cavalry company, the Anderson Troop was mustered into union service November 30^th 1861.  The men were recruited for three years’ service under the special authority of the United States Secretary of War.  It was placed under the command of Captain William Jackson Palmer, and was designated for headquarter and escort duty with Union General Robert Anderson in Kentucky.

The men moved to Louisville, Kentucky in December 1861.  They would be at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  The Troop took part General Don Carlos Buell’s Campaign in Alabama and Tennessee from June through August 1862 in connection with the 4^th United States Cavalry.  They spent their time scouting the flanks of the Confederate troop and skirmishing with Confederate Cavalry.  The men would also be involved in Battles of Perryville, Wilkinson’s Cross Roads and Stones River.  During the Battle of Perryville three member of the Troop were captured carrying dispatches between Generals Alexander M McCook and Buell, but managed to destroy the messages before they fell into enemy hands.

The Troop was discharged from Union duty March 24^th 1863.  Union General William S Rosecrans who ordered their discharge said of the Troop, "I part with you with as much regret as you yourselves may feel. You are young, and your behavior since I have been in command, gives promise of a career of usefulness and honor, whether in the service of your country, or in private life; may you realize your hopes, and the wishes of your friends."  During their service they had one 1 office killed; Lieutenant Evan W Grubb, and 5 men who died from disease.

A Horse Breeder

Sanders Dewees Bruce an expert on horse breeding was made the Colonel of the Union 20^th Kentucky Infantry January 6^th 1862.

Sanders Dewees Bruce was born in Lexington, Kentucky August 18^th 1825, the son of John Bruce.  He graduated in 1846 from Transylvania University and went in the mercantile business.  He served in the Kentucky State Militia as a Captain of the Lexington Chasseurs.

When the Civil War started Bruce decided to fight for the Union, despite other family member choosing to side with the Confederacy [his sister Rebeca was married to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan].  Bruce started his service as the Union Inspector General of the Kentucky Militia.  When the 20^th Kentucky Infantry; which he helped recruit, was raised, he was mustered in as their Colonel on January 6^th 1862.  In February of 1862 Bruce was in command of a Brigade in Union General William Bull Nelson’s Division of the Army of the Ohio.  Bruce led his Brigade when Nelson was ordered to reinforce Union General Ulysses S Grant at Pittsburg Landing during the Battle of Shiloh.  He would serve as post commander in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee.  When he resigned from Union service June 24^th 1864, due to a stroke, he was serving as the Provost Marshal of Lexington, Kentucky.

After the war ended Bruce moved to New York City.  He published “The Turf, Field and Farm” a magazine where he used his knowledge of horse breeding.  He became a member of the Coney Island Jockey Club, and wrote the “American Stud Book” and “The Horsebreed’s Guide and Handbook”.  Bruce died January 31^st 1902 in New York City; and is buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

If I Had A Thousand Lives

Sam Davis known as the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy” was executed on November 27^th 1863.

Sam Davis was born October 6^th 1842 in Rutherford County, Tennessee, the son of Charles Lewis and Jane (Simmons) Davis.  He attended local schools, before going to the West Military Institute in Nashville, Tennessee in 1860-61, where his headmaster was the future Confederate General Bushrod Johnson.

At the beginning of the Civil War Davis enlisted as a private in the Confederate 1^st Tennessee Infantry.  He would see his first action at Cheat Mountain in the Shenandoah Valley.  Davis was wound at the Battle of Shiloh and again at the Battle of Perryville.  The Perryville wound was serious, and after recovering he became a courier for Coleman’s Scouts.

It was while doing service with Coleman’s Scouts that Davis was captured on November 20^th 1863 near Minor Hill, Tennessee.  He was wearing a partial Confederate uniform, had a pass from Confederate General Braxton Bragg and was in possession of Union papers detailing troop movements and private papers belong to Union General Grenville M Dodge.  Davis was arrested as a spy, and sentenced by a military court to be executed by hanging.  He was given an out, if he would name his Union contact, to which Davis was supposed to have said, "If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all rather than betray a friend or the confidence of my informer.”  Just before the execution Davis wrote a letter home to his family, "Dear mother. O how painful it is to write you! I have got to die to-morrow --- to be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me. I must bid you good-bye forevermore. Mother, I do not fear to die. Give my love to all.  Father, you can send after my remains if you want to do so. They will be at Pulaski, Tenn. I will leave some things with the hotel keeper for you."  He was hung November 27^th 1863 at Pulaski, Tennessee.

Indiana Men

The Union 44^th Indiana Infantry was organized October 24^th 1861 at Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A Fort Wayne, Indiana druggist, Hugh B Reed was made the Colonel of the 44^th Indiana when it was organized October 22^nd 1861.  The 44^th was made up of volunteers mostly from Indiana’s Tenth Congressional District in the northeastern part of the state.  They left for Henderson, Kentucky in December 1861 and went into camp at Calhoun, Kentucky.  In February 1862 they were moved to the Fort Henry area and then onto Fort Donelson, Tennessee, where the 44^th took heavy casualties during the siege of the fort.  Following this action they moved onto the Battle of Shiloh taking 210 casualties.  The men of the 44^th would also take part in the Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, and the Battles of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Stones River.  They finished up their duty on provost guard duty at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The 44^th was mustered out of Union service September 14^th 1865.  During their service the 44^th lost 80 killed and 229 who died from disease.

Shot Off His Horse

Union Brigadier General Charles Garrison Harker was killed June 27^th 1864 during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

Charles Garrison Harker was born December 2^nd 1835 in Swedesboro, New Jersey.  As a young man, he worked in a store owned by United State Congressman Nathan T Stratton.  Stratton worked to get Harker an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point.  He graduated in 1858 and joined the 2^nd United States Infantry on garrison duty at Governor’s Island in New York Harbor.  He would go on to see service in the Oregon and Washington Territories.

When the Civil War started he assigned to train new recruits in Ohio.  With a couple of promotion he was by October 24^th 1861 the Captain of the 15^th United State Regulars.  He would then move onto the 65^th Ohio Infantry and become their Colonel on November 11^th 1861.  Harker and the 65^th would be in the Battles of Shiloh and Corinth.  He would move up to command a brigade in the Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Cumberland.  For his actions during the Battle of Chickamauga on Snodgrass House Hill, Harker received a promotion to Brigadier General on September 20^th 1863.

As the Atlanta Campaign got rolling in 1864, Harker was commanding a brigade in Union Major General Oliver Otis Howard Corps.  Union General William Tecumseh Sherman made an attempted to push Confederate troops out from behind their lines on Kennesaw Mountain.  During the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain while leading his men on June 27^th 1864, Harker was shot off his horse, receiving a mortal wound.  He died the same day.  Harker is buried in the Trinity Episcopal Church Cemetery in Swedesboro, New Jersey.

The Senior Tennessee Regiment

The 154^th Tennessee Infantry; a Confederate, unit surrendered and was paroled May 2^nd 1865 at Greensboro, North Carolina.

The organization of the 154^th Tennessee Militia dated back to 1842.  When the old militia system was dropped in Tennessee in 1859, the officers and men of the 154^th took out a charter and were incorporated by an act of the Tennessee Legislature March 22^nd 1860.

When the Civil War started the regiment was organized at Randolph, Shelby, Tennessee, and it retained its old number.  It was given permission to add “Senior” to its regimental number to indicate that it came before regiments which had a lower number.  They mustered into Confederate service at New Madrid, Missouri on August 13^th 1861.  In September the 154^th became part of Brigadier General Benjamin F Cheatham’s Brigade.  They were in action during the Battle of Belmont on November 7^th 1861.  They were at the Battle of Shiloh, entering the battle with about 650 men, the 154^th lost 199 in killed, wounded and missing.  After this the 154^th became part of Confederate Brigadier General Preston Smith’s Brigade.  They were in heavy fighting at the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky August 30^th 1862.  After fighting at the Battle of Murfreesboro, where the 154^th lost 100 men, they were consolidated with the 13^th Tennessee.

When Confederate General Joseph E Johnston’s Army was reorganized for the last time on April 9^th 1865, the 154^th made up a part of the 2^nd Consolidated Tennessee Infantry.  Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George W Pease the Consolidated Tennessee was made up of what remained of the 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, 29^th, 47^th, 50^th, 51^st, 52^nd and 154^th Tennessee Infantries.  They surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina May 2^nd 1865, and were paroled the same day.

A Governor Killed In Battle

Confederate Governor George Washington Johnson died April 8^th 1862 from wounds received while fighting at the Battle of Shiloh.

George Washington Johnson was born May 27^th 1811 near Georgetown, Scott, Kentucky the son of William and Betsey (Payne) Johnson.  His father died shortly after his birth and he was raised by his stepfather John Allen.  Johnson was sent to Transylvania University where he graduated in 1833 with three degrees.  He practiced law in Georgetown, before deciding he liked farming better.  He owned two plantations one near Georgetown and one in Arkansas.  In 1838 Johnson was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives.  He headed the Committee of Sixty in August 1845 that seized the printing press belonging to abolitionist Cassius M Clay.

As the Confederate States of America were forming, Johnson advocated for Kentucky to join the Confederacy, he thought the two sides would be evenly matched and that a trade agreement could be negotiated.  When the Union took control of Kentucky Johnson fled with other Southern sympathizers, traveling to Tennessee he volunteered as an aid to Confederate General Simon B Buckner.   On November 18^th 1861 at Russellville, Kentucky 116 men representing 68 Kentucky counties met to establish a Confederate government.  They unanimously chose Johnson to be the Governor of the new Confederate state.  Kentucky was admitted on December 10^th 1861.  When Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston withdrew from Bowling Green, Kentucky in February 1862, Johnson moved the government to Tennessee.

When General Johnston attacked the Union army at Shiloh, Tennessee Johnson served as an aide to General Breckinridge.  He had his horse shot out from under him, and then insisted on being sworn in as a Private in Company E of the 4^th Kentucky Infantry.  In the fight the next day Johnson was wounded in the abdomen and right thigh, he was left on the battlefield overnight.  The next day Union General Alexander M McCook recognized him and had Johnson taken aboard a Union hospital ship where despite medical care he died April 8^th 1862.

Members of the Union army had Johnson’s body shipped to Georgetown, Kentucky for burial, in the Georgetown Cemetery.

The Yankees Are Sending Babes

John Lincoln Clem a Union drummer boy, who was only 9 years old when he tried to join the army, became a paid member of the 22^nd Michigan January 5^th 1863.

John Lincoln Clem was born John Joseph Klem, August 13^th 1851 in Newark, Ohio the son of Roman and Magdalene (Weber) Klem.  Following his mother’s death when he was 9, he ran away to become a drummer boy in Union army.  Clem’s first attempt to join up in May 1861 was rejected by the 3^rd Ohio Infantry because he was so small and young.  From here he moved onto the 22^nd Michigan.  They also turned him down, but this time he just “joined” them.  The men of the 22^nd adopted the boy as their mascot and he became their drummer boy.  The officers of the 22^nd chipped in to pay Clem a soldier’s wage.

The legend around Clem is that he precipitated in the Battle of Shiloh, where his drum was said to have been smashed by an artillery round. On January 5^th 1863 he officially became enlisted in Company C of the 22^nd.  Clem became famous during the Battle of Chickamauga.  He was seen riding an artillery caisson and on the front line shooting a musket which had been remade to fit his small size.  During a retreat of the Union, Clem refused to surrender to a Confederate Colonel and shot him instead.  Following the battle he was promoted to Sergeant, the youngest ever non commissioned officer in Union service.  Clem was captured October 1863 in Georgia by Confederate cavalry.  He was exchanged in a short time, but the Confederate newspapers reported on Clem’s young age to show "what sore straits the Yankees are driven, when they have to send their babes out to fight us."  After serving with the Army of the Cumberland and being wounded twice, Clem was discharged in September 1864 at the age of 13.

After the war Clem finished his early education.  He served as the Captain of the “Washington Rifles” a militia unit in the District of Columbia in 1871.  After an attempt to enter the United States Military Academy failed, Clem with the help of President Ulysses S Grant became a Second Lieutenant in the 24^th United States Infantry December 18^th 1871.  He would become a First Lieutenant in 1874.  Clem would continue with Army serving in the Spanish American War and rising in rank and becoming the Chief Quartermaster at Fort Sam Houston by 1906 in Texas as a Colonel.  He retired at the mandatory age of 64 in 1915, with the retirement rank of Major General.  He was the last Civil War veteran to be on active military duty.  Clem died in San Antonio, Texas May 13^th 1937.  He is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

A Laywer And A Soldier

Confederate Brigadier General John Carpenter Carter died December 10^th 1864 from wounds received at the Battle of Franklin.

John Carpenter Carter was born December 19^th 1837 in Waynesboro, Georgia.  He attended the University of Virginia in 1854, for two years before leaving to study law at Cumberland University under Judge Abram Carruthers.  Carter would stay at the Lebanon, Tennessee school after graduating as an instructor, and he would marry the Judge’s daughter.  He opened his own law practice in Memphis, Tennessee.

When the war started Carter became a Captain in the 38^th Tennessee, and quickly moved up to become their Colonel.  He saw action at the Battles of Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga and the Atlanta Campaign.  During the Battle of Jonesboro on September 1^st 1864 Carter had temporary command of a division.  He was promoted to Brigadier General on July 7^th 1864.  At the Battle of Franklin on November 30^th 1864 while leading his brigade, Cater received a mortal wound, which caused his death on December 10^th 1864.  He is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Columbia, Tennessee.

The First Dragoons Form

The Prattville Dragoons were organized December 8^th 1860 in Autauga County, Alabama.

The original idea for forming a company was made by Samuel D Oliver of Robinson Springs, Alabama.  The Prattville Dragoons were organized December 8^th 1860 in the parlor of George L Smith at Prattville, Alabama.  Each member of the company was presented with a cavalry uniform, made of black broadcloth with gold trim.  Their first Captain, as voted by the men was Jesse Cox of Mobile, Alabama.  There were 18 officers, 82 privates and 2 black cooks.  The men formed for their send off at the Prattville Academy, where they were presented with a silk flag, hand sown by the ladies of the town.

The Dragoons moved to camp in Pensacola, Florida were they were placed under Confederate General Braxton Bragg.  The men were issued arms and became a mounted unit, Company I of the 7^th Alabama Infantry.  They took part in the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.  In June 1862 most of the men reenlisted, becoming part of Company H of the 3^rd Alabama Cavalry.  They saw action throughout the rest of war particularly at Barmlet’s Station and the Battle of Perryville.

The regiment reduced by heavy losses surrendered in North Carolina on April 26^th 1865, as a part of Confederate General Joseph E Johnston army.

A Kentucky Unionist

Union Brigadier General James Streshly Jackson, a United State Representative from Kentucky was killed October 8^th 1862 during the Battle of Perryville.

James Streshly Jackson was born in Fayette County, Kentucky September 27^th 1823.  He attended Center College at Danville, Kentucky before graduating in 1844 from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.  He would also study law at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, practicing law afterwards in Greenup County, Kentucky.  When the Mexican American war started Jackson enlisted as a private in the 1^st Kentucky Cavalry, but after participating in a duel with a fellow soldier, he was sure he’d be court martialed and so resigned in 1846.  In 1859 Jackson ran for Congress, he was elected to the Thirty-seventh Congress serving until December 13^th 1861 when he entered the Union Army.

Jackson raised a company of cavalry that became the Union 3^rd Kentucky Cavalry.  He was elected their Colonel on December 13^th 1861.  He led the 3^rd in the Battles of Shiloh and Corinth.  He received a promotion to Brigadier General of Volunteers July 16^th 1862 and was placed in commanding a Brigade in the Union Army of the Ohio.

Jackson was shot in the chest and killed during the Battle of Perryville October 8^th 1862.  He was buried originally in the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, but his body was moved and reburied March 24^th 1863 in the Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

The President's Brother-In-Law

Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin Hardin Helm was killed during the Battle of Chickamauga  September 21^st 1863; he was the brother-in-law of President Abraham Lincoln.

Benjamin Hardin Helm was born June 2^nd 1831 in Bardstown, Kentucky, the son of John L and Lucinda (Barbour) Hardin.  In 1846 he enrolled in the Kentucky Military Institute at the age of 15, just three month later he left for the United State Military Academy at West Point.  Helm graduated 9^th out of a class of 42 in 1851.  He served at the cavalry school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and at Fort Lincoln, Texas before being discharge do to being diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis.  Helm went on to study the law at the Universities of Louisville and Harvard; graduating in 1853 he began practicing law with his father in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.  He was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives and served as Hardin County State’s Attorney.  In 1856 Helm married Mary Todd Lincoln’s half-sister Emilie.

In 1861 with Kentucky remaining neutral President Abraham Lincoln offered Helm the job of Union Army Paymaster.  Helm turned the job down and raised the Confederate 1^st Kentucky Cavalry.  He was commissioned their Colonel October 19^th 1861, and they marched south under Confederate Brigadier General Simon Bolivar Buckner.  On March 14^th 1862 Helm received the assignment to raise the 3^rd Kentucky Brigade and was promoted to Brigadier General.  They saw action at the Battle of Shiloh, guarding the flanks.  In January 1863 Helm was placed in command of the First Kentucky Brigade, known as the “Orphan Brigade” and was assigned to the Confederate Army of Tennessee.  With the Orphan Brigade Helm saw action at the Battles of Chickamauga and Vicksburg.

The Orphan Brigade was a part of Confederate fight against Union Major General William Rosecrans’ offensive during the Battle of Chattanooga on September 20^th 1863.  Striking near the center of the Union line and moving against heavy fire the men under Helm made it to within 40 yards of the Union line.  In less than an hour the Orphan Brigade lost a third of its men.  Helm, on horseback was shot in the chest by a member of the Union 15^th Kentucky Infantry.  Helm fell from his saddle and was carried to the rear, where it was determined his wound was mortal.  He died September 21^st 1862.  Confederate General John Cabell Breckinridge wrote to Helm’s wife, saying "Your husband commanded them [the men of the Orphan brigade] like a thorough soldier. He loved them, they loved him, and he died at their head, a patriot and a hero."

The Youngest General

Confederate Brigadier General John Herbert Kelly, the youngest Confederate general to die during the war, died September 4^th 1864 at the age of 24.

John Herbert Kelly was born March 31^st 1840 in Pineapple, Pickens, Alabama, the son of Isham and Elizabeth (Herbert) Kelly.  As both of his parents died before he was seven, Kelly was raised by his Grandmother Harriet Herbert Hawthorne.  He received an appointment to the United State Military Academy at West Point with the help of an Uncle who was a Congressman.  After South Carolina seceded he left without graduating on December 29^th 1860.

Kelly joined the Confederate Army in Montgomery, Alabama with the rank of Second Lieutenant and was assigned to Fort Morgan at the mouth of Mobile Bay through the fall of 1861.  In late 1861 he joined the staff of Confederate Brigadier General William Joseph Hardee in Missouri.  In April 1862 he received at appointment to Major of the 9^th Arkansas Battalion and led them in the Battle of Shiloh.  May 5^th 1862 Kelly became the Colonel of the 8^th Arkansas Infantry.  He was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Murfreesboro, and commanded a brigade at the Battle of Chickamauga, where he had his horse shot out from under him.  On November 16^th 1863 Kelly received his promotion to Brigadier General, while only 23 years old.

While leading Cavalry on a raid to disrupt Union communication, near Franklin, Tennessee on September 2^nd 1864, Kelly was shot in the chest by a Union Sharpshooter.  He was carried from the field in a blanket to the Harrison House to be seen by a doctor.  To badly hurt to be moved he died there September 4^th 1864.  He was buried first in the garden of the Harrison House, but was moved in 1866 to the Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

Will Be Publicly Shot To Death

Union Major General Stephen Gano Burbridge in command of Kentucky issued order Number 59, "Whenever an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prison and publicly shot to death at the most convenient place near the scene of the outrages," on July 16^th 1864.

Stephen Gano Burbridge was born August 19^th 1831 in Georgetown, Kentucky.  He attended Georgetown College and the Kentucky Military Institute.  After graduating Burbridge became a lawyer.

When the Civil War started Burbridge joined the Union army, forming a regiment; the 26^th Kentucky, which he was the Colonel of.  He was promoted to Brigadier General on June 9^th 1862.  He saw action at several battles including Shiloh, and the Vicksburg Campaign.  In June of 1864 he succeeded Union General Jeremiah T Boyle in command of the District of Kentucky which had a problem with Confederate guerrilla fighting.  He was given a brevet to Major General after repulsing Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s raid on Kentucky on July 4^th 1864.  One July 16^th 1864 Burbridge issued Order Number 59, which said, "Whenever an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prison and publicly shot to death at the most convenient place near the scene of the outrages."  Do to the outrage of the population and civil authorities of Kentucky, Burbridge was relieved of his command in January 1865.

After the war Burbridge moved to Brooklyn, New York where he died December 2^nd 1894.  He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

For more information about Burbridge’s Order # 59, I recommend Four Confederate Soldiers Martyred at Pleasureville

I Shut My Eyes

Union General John Basil Turchin looked the other way on May 2^nd 1862, when his troops had their way with Athens, Alabama.

John Basil Turchin was born with the name Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov on December 24^th 1821 in Russia.  He attended the Imperial Military School in St Petersburg, Russia.  Turchin served with the Russian Guards and saw action as a Colonel in the Crimean War.  He and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1856.  He settled in Chicago, Illinois and went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad.

When the Civil War started Turchin joined the 19^th Illinois Infantry, and became their Colonel.  His unit was place under the command of Union Major General Don Carlos Buell in the Army of the Ohio.  Turchin’s was soon commanding a brigade that was part of the Third Division under Brigadier General Ormsby McNight Mitchel.  Buell moved to support Union General Ulysses S Grant at Shiloh, and sent Mitchel south to Huntsville, Alabama to cut the rail line there.  This move over extended the Union line, and Turchin’s men were badly handled, with the locals firing on them from their windows while trying to hold the town of Athens, Alabama.  Turchin’s men finally occupied the town of Athens on May 2^nd 1862.  He brought his men together and told them, "I shut my eyes for two hours. I see nothing."  What followed has been called the “Rape of Athens”, with Turchin leaving his men to loot the town.

When Buell heard about the incidence he court-martialed Turchin.  The proceedings became the focus of the nation.  The debate surrounded on the how the conciliatory policy to Southerns were causing Union casualties to grow.  Before the court-martial was finished Turchin received a promotion to Brigadier General.  Turchin continued to serve, distinguishing himself at Chickamauga and Chattanooga.

Turchin suffered heatstroke and resigned his command October 1864.  He returned to Chicago, where he worked as a civil engineer, and invested in real estate.  He developed dementia which was attributed to the heatstroke he suffered while in the army.  Turchin died June 18^th 1901 in Anna, Illinois.

Confederates In California

The only California unit to serve the Confederacy, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was formed March 17^th 1861.

The Los Angeles Mounted Rifles were formed as a part of a call by California Governor John G Downey for militia companies at the beginning of the Civil War.  Enrollment filled quickly in the Mounted Rifles and an organizational meeting was held with 85 men at the Los Angeles County Courthouse March 17^th 1861.  The name of the company the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles was chosen, and the company mustered into service under Captain Alonzo Ridley and First Lieutenant Joseph Cattick.  The rolls showed 8 officers and 64 privates.  From the Rifles inception they were known as pro-Confederacy.

Once the news reached the west coast that Fort Sumter had fallen, Ridley decided to take Rifles to Texas.  They were joined by former United States Officers Albert Sidney Johnston and Lewis Addison Armistead, who had resigned their commissions.

After making a long journey across the desert the Rifles were disbanded as a unit the second week of August 1861.  Most of the members of the Rifles joined Texas units and served throughout the war.  Captain Alonzo Ridley stayed with Albert Sidney Johnston through the Battle of Shiloh.

A web site for more information about this subject is California's Confederate Militia: The Los Angeles Mounted Rifles

Home At The End

Confederate General John King Jackson was born February 2nd 1828.

John King Jackson was born February 2nd 1828 in Augusta, Georgia. He started school at Richmond Academy in Georgia. Jackson completed his education; graduating with honors, at the University of South Carolina. He was admitted to the bar in 1848, and had a law practice in Augusta, Georgia until 1861. Jackson was active in the Georgia State Militia, and by 1861 he was a Lieutenant Colonel.

In April 1861 Jackson joined the Confederate Army. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in the 5th Georgia Infantry, and quickly moved up in rank to Colonel. Jackson first saw action in the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Santa Rosa Island in Florida. He received a promotion to Brigadier General and the command of a brigade on January 14th 1862. On March 29th 1862 he was moved to command a brigade in the Army of Mississippi, which he led during the Battle of Shiloh. Next would be the Battle of Stones River. Jackson and his men fought with distention at the Battle of Chickamauga September 20th 1863, where one his regiments lost 61% of its men. He and his brigade were involved in the Atlanta Campaign. Jackson ended the war in his home town of Augusta, Georgia where he was serving by setting up military depots. He was paroled May 17th 1865.

Following the war Jackson returned to his law practice. He developed pneumonia while traveling in Milledgevill, Baldwin, Georgia. Jackson died February 27th 1866 and is buried in Augusta, Georgia.

Old Reliable Resigns

Confederate General William Joseph Hardee resigned his United State Army commission on January 31st 1861.

William Joseph Hardee the son of Major John and Sarah [Ellis] Hardee, he was born October 12th 1815 at his families home in Camden County, Georgia. He attended the United State Military Academy at West Point, graduating 26 out of a class of 45 in 1838. Hardee was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 2nd United States Dragoons. The Army sent him to France in 1840 to study military tactics. During the Mexican - American War Hardee was serving under General Zachary Taylor when he was captured at Carricitos Ranch, Texas. After being exchanged on May 11th 1846 he served under General Winfield Scott and was wounded at La Rosia, Mexico in 1847. He wrote “Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics” [known as “Hardee’s Tactics”] in 1855. Hardee returned to West Point where he taught tactics and served from 1856 to 1860 as commandant of cadets.

When Georgia seceded from the United States, Hardee resigned his commission on January 31st 1861. He became at Colonel in the Confederate States Army on March 7th 1861, with command of Fort Morgan in Alabama. Hardee was made a Lieutenant General October 10th 1862. His assignment was to organize an Arkansas regiment. Do to his seeing that his men were well supplied, they nicked named him “Old Reliable”. Hardee was a Corps commander in General Albert Sidney Johnston’s Army of Mississippi during the Battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded. His Corps was defeated by Union Major General George Henry Thomas during their assault on Missionary Ridge as part of the Battle of Chickamauga. Hardee was in the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865, where his only son 16 year old William was mortally wounded. Hardee surrendered to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman at Durham Station April 26th 1865.

Following the war Hardee went back to his wife’s plantation in Alabama. He latter moved to Selma, Alabama where Hardee worked in insurance and warehousing. He would become the president of the Selma and Meridian railroad, and co-author the book “The Irish in America” in 1868. Hardee took sick while with his family on vacation in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and died November 6th 1873 in Wytherville, Virginia. He is buried in the Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Alabama.

Three Year Cavalry

The Union 5th Regiment of the Ohio Cavalry was mustered out on October 30th 1865.


Raised in seven southwestern Ohio counties the 5th Regiment Ohio Cavalry saw most its duty in the western theater with the Army of the Tennessee. The 5th Cavalry was a three year regiment formed under Colonel William H H Taylor. It was organized near Cincinnati Ohio at Camp Dick Corwin as the 2nd Ohio Cavalry between October 23rd and November 14th 1861. It became the 5th Ohio Cavalry in late November 1861. The 5th was sent to by boat down the Tennessee River in February 1862, and they took part in the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Corinth. In 1863 the 5th served as guard for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in support of Ulysses S Grant during the Siege of Vicksburg.

The 5th was attached to Major General Judson Kilpatrick’s command in 1864 and took part in Sherman’s March to the Sea. In early 1865 they were part of the campaigning in North and South Carolina. After the end of the Civil War the 5th remained on duty doing picket duty in North Carolina. The 5th was mustered out of service on October 30th 1865. During the war the regiment had 170 casualties.