05/06, May 6th In Civil War History

Jimklag

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This date in Civil War history
Compiled by Mitchell Werksman and Jim Klag

May 6, 1861 - Arkansas secedes from the Union.

May 6, 1861 - Tennessee votes to put the question of secession before the people in a popular referendum.

May 6, 1861 - Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Frost, Missouri State Militia, establishes a camp of instructions near Saint Louis, by the direction of the Governor of Missouri.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish on White River, AR.

May 6, 1862 - Williamsburg, VA, is occupied by the Union forces, as the Chocura, Sebago, and the USS Wachusett sail up the York River toward West Point, VA.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish near Harrisonburg, VA, as Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson, CSA, moving from Conrad's Store, VA, forces Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, USA, to withdraw toward Strasburg, VA, as Jackson turns his attention to the Union forces at McDowell, WV.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish at Camp McDonald and Arnoldsburg, WV.

May 6, 1863 - Federal scout between the White and St. Francis Rivers, AR. (May 6-15)

May 6, 1863 - Confederate scout from Creek Agency, the Indian Territory, to Jasper County, MO, with skirmishes at Martin's House, Centre Creek, and Sherman, MO, killing about 30 Federal white and black soldiers. The Federals returned the next day and burned the town of Sherwood, MO. (May 6-19)

May 6, 1863 - Federal expedition from Bowling Green, KY, to the Tennessee State Line.

May 6, 1863 - The US Navy, under Admiral Porter, takes possession of Alexandria, LA.

May 6, 1863 - Maj. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill, CSA, is assigned to the command of the 2nd Army Corps, the Army of Northern Virginia, replacing the mortally wounded Lieut. Gen. Stonewall Jackson, now at Guiney's Station, VA.

May 6, 1863 - Skirmish at Warrenton, VA.

May 6, 1863 - Skirmish at West Union, WV, with Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones, CSA.

May 6, 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness - donnybrook in the dense undergrowth around the Chancellorsville area at Saunders Field and along Brock Road.

May 6, 1864 - The following are appointed Confederate Brigadier Generals:
John Bratton, CSA
Samuel Jameson Gholson, CSA
Stand Watie, CSA

May 6, 1864 - James Samuel Wadsworth, U.S.A., is appointed Maj. Gen.

May 6, 1864 - Henry Livermore Abbott Brig. Gen., USA dies from wounds in battle.

May 6, 1864 - Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins, CSA, dies from the battle wound to his brain he received the day before at the Battle of the Wilderness, VA, receiving his wound near the same spot where Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA, was killed a year earlier at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Va.

May 6, 1864 - Maj. Gen. James Samuel Wadsworth, USA, is mortally wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, VA, receiving his death wound with a Confederate minie ball lodging in his brain, while he rode atop his horse and leading his men against a Confederate charge.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish with Indians near Boynton's Prairie, CA, after which 15 Indians went to the Federals and surrendered.

May 6, 1864 - Affair at Tampa, FL, where a Federal expeditionary force from Key West temporarily occupies Tampa.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish near Morganfield, KY.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmishes at Bayou Lamourie, LA, Red River, the Red River (LA) Campaign. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Boyce's Plantation, LA, the Red River (LA) Campaign.

May 6, 1864 - Confederate operations in the Calcasieu Pass, LA, where the Rebels capture the Union gunboats, Granite City and Wave. Federals report 174 killed, wounded and missing while the Rebels lose 21. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Confederate raid on Napoleonville, LA, where the Rebels ransack the stores there.

My 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Well's Plantation, LA, the Red River (LA) Campaign.

May 6, 1864 - Federal scout from Bloomfield, MO, after guerrillas.

May 6, 1864 - Federal scout from Patterson, MO, and skirmish (May 8) at Cherokee Bay, AR, where the Rebels attack but soon after skedaddle, leaving 12 dead behind. (May 6-11)

May 6, 1864 - Encounter on the James River, near City Point, with the Union ironclad gunboat, the Commodore Jones, destroyed by a Confederate electronic torpedo, while Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Union army fails to take the city of Petersburg, VA, which is defended by Maj. Gen. George Pickett, CSA.

May 6, 1864 - The Engagement at Port Walthall Junction and Chester Station, VA, with Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, USA, and the Army of the James. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Princeton, WV, with Brig. Gen. William W. Averell, USA, and his movements on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.

May 6, 1864 - In the first engagement of the Atlanta Campaign, a division from the Army of the Cumberland strikes a Confederate regiment at Tunnel Hill and easily overpowers the outnumbered Rebels.

May 6, 1865 - Shouting "Hurrah for Jeff Davis..." Philip Henry Mulkey was arrested in Eugene, Oregon. A pro-Union mob broke down the jail door but Mulkey escaped harm.

May 6, 1865 - James Harrison Wilson, U.S.A., is appointed Maj. Gen.

May 6, 1865 - Federal scout with the 79th US Colored Infantry, from Little Rock, aboard the steamer, Rose Hamilton, to Bayou Meto and Little Bayou, AR. (May 6-11)

May 6, 1865 - Federal expedition from Richmond to Staunton and Charlottesville, VA, including the surrender of Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, CSA, Cavalry at Lexington. (May 6-14)

May 6, 1865 - Maj. Gen. David Hunter, USA, is appointed to head the commission which will try those accused of assassinating President Abraham Lincoln, Washington, DC.

May 6, 1959 - California ratifies the 14th Amendment
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This date in Civil War history
Compiled by Mitchell Werksman and Jim Klag

May 6, 1861 - Arkansas secedes from the Union.

May 6, 1861 - Tennessee votes to put the question of secession before the people in a popular referendum.

May 6, 1861 - Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Frost, Missouri State Militia, establishes a camp of instructions near Saint Louis, by the direction of the Governor of Missouri.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish on White River, AR.

May 6, 1862 - Williamsburg, VA, is occupied by the Union forces, as the Chocura, Sebago, and the USS Wachusett sail up the York River toward West Point, VA.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish near Harrisonburg, VA, as Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson, CSA, moving from Conrad's Store, VA, forces Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, USA, to withdraw toward Strasburg, VA, as Jackson turns his attention to the Union forces at McDowell, WV.

May 6, 1862 - Skirmish at Camp McDonald and Arnoldsburg, WV.

May 6, 1863 - Federal scout between the White and St. Francis Rivers, AR. (May 6-15)

May 6, 1863 - Confederate scout from Creek Agency, the Indian Territory, to Jasper County, MO, with skirmishes at Martin's House, Centre Creek, and Sherman, MO, killing about 30 Federal white and black soldiers. The Federals returned the next day and burned the town of Sherwood, MO. (May 6-19)

May 6, 1863 - Federal expedition from Bowling Green, KY, to the Tennessee State Line.

May 6, 1863 - The US Navy, under Admiral Porter, takes possession of Alexandria, LA.

May 6, 1863 - Maj. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill, CSA, is assigned to the command of the 2nd Army Corps, the Army of Northern Virginia, replacing the mortally wounded Lieut. Gen. Stonewall Jackson, now at Guiney's Station, VA.

May 6, 1863 - Skirmish at Warrenton, VA.

May 6, 1863 - Skirmish at West Union, WV, with Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones, CSA.

May 6, 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness - donnybrook in the dense undergrowth around the Chancellorsville area at Saunders Field and along Brock Road.

May 6, 1864 - The following are appointed Confederate Brigadier Generals:
John Bratton, CSA
Samuel Jameson Gholson, CSA
Stand Watie, CSA

May 6, 1864 - James Samuel Wadsworth, U.S.A., is appointed Maj. Gen.

May 6, 1864 - Henry Livermore Abbott Brig. Gen., USA dies from wounds in battle.

May 6, 1864 - Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins, CSA, dies from the battle wound to his brain he received the day before at the Battle of the Wilderness, VA, receiving his wound near the same spot where Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA, was killed a year earlier at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Va.

May 6, 1864 - Maj. Gen. James Samuel Wadsworth, USA, is mortally wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, VA, receiving his death wound with a Confederate minie ball lodging in his brain, while he rode atop his horse and leading his men against a Confederate charge.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish with Indians near Boynton's Prairie, CA, after which 15 Indians went to the Federals and surrendered.

May 6, 1864 - Affair at Tampa, FL, where a Federal expeditionary force from Key West temporarily occupies Tampa.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish near Morganfield, KY.

May 6, 1864 - Skirmishes at Bayou Lamourie, LA, Red River, the Red River (LA) Campaign. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Boyce's Plantation, LA, the Red River (LA) Campaign.

May 6, 1864 - Confederate operations in the Calcasieu Pass, LA, where the Rebels capture the Union gunboats, Granite City and Wave. Federals report 174 killed, wounded and missing while the Rebels lose 21. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Confederate raid on Napoleonville, LA, where the Rebels ransack the stores there.

My 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Well's Plantation, LA, the Red River (LA) Campaign.

May 6, 1864 - Federal scout from Bloomfield, MO, after guerrillas.

May 6, 1864 - Federal scout from Patterson, MO, and skirmish (May 8) at Cherokee Bay, AR, where the Rebels attack but soon after skedaddle, leaving 12 dead behind. (May 6-11)

May 6, 1864 - Encounter on the James River, near City Point, with the Union ironclad gunboat, the Commodore Jones, destroyed by a Confederate electronic torpedo, while Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Union army fails to take the city of Petersburg, VA, which is defended by Maj. Gen. George Pickett, CSA.

May 6, 1864 - The Engagement at Port Walthall Junction and Chester Station, VA, with Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, USA, and the Army of the James. (May 6-7)

May 6, 1864 - Skirmish at Princeton, WV, with Brig. Gen. William W. Averell, USA, and his movements on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.

May 6, 1864 - In the first engagement of the Atlanta Campaign, a division from the Army of the Cumberland strikes a Confederate regiment at Tunnel Hill and easily overpowers the outnumbered Rebels.

May 6, 1865 - Shouting "Hurrah for Jeff Davis..." Philip Henry Mulkey was arrested in Eugene, Oregon. A pro-Union mob broke down the jail door but Mulkey escaped harm.

May 6, 1865 - James Harrison Wilson, U.S.A., is appointed Maj. Gen.

May 6, 1865 - Federal scout with the 79th US Colored Infantry, from Little Rock, aboard the steamer, Rose Hamilton, to Bayou Meto and Little Bayou, AR. (May 6-11)

May 6, 1865 - Federal expedition from Richmond to Staunton and Charlottesville, VA, including the surrender of Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, CSA, Cavalry at Lexington. (May 6-14)

May 6, 1865 - Maj. Gen. David Hunter, USA, is appointed to head the commission which will try those accused of assassinating President Abraham Lincoln, Washington, DC.

May 6, 1959 - California ratifies the 14th Amendment
Good job jim.
 
May 6, 1864 - Brig. Gen. Micah Jenkins, CSA, dies from the battle wound to his brain he received the day before at the Battle of the Wilderness, VA, receiving his wound near the same spot where Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA, was killed a year earlier at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Va.
Actually Micah Jenkins was mortally wounded and died on this day in the same friendly fire that wounded Longstreet. They were riding along the Orange Plank Road and were fired on by Mahone's Brigade.

His friend Colonel Asbury Coward of the 5th South Carolina wrote of his death:

After we had marched in line about 100 yards through brush and woods, we came upon a line of men, about two small regiments, lying down or kneeling directly in the path of our march. I had to halt my men and on inquiry found it was General Mahone's Brigade, who had just halted there. Seeing at the time a flag passing along the tunpike, I ran toward it through the intermediate thicket to inquire what troops they were. It was the Second South Carolina, one of the regiments of Jenkins' Brigade. I could not understand why they were marching in columns of fours, while I was marching in line of battle.

As I turned, I saw that Mahone's men had commenced, on the right, to fire by file. Thinking only of the danger to the Second Regiment, I rushed back to stop the firing by voice and gesture. But not until I reached the line was the firing stopped. At that moment Mahone walked up and enquired why the firing had stopped. I explained why I had stopped it. He then asked me who had started it. I told him the firing had begun in his right company. I went on to say that they might be able to explain how it started there. He went off in the direction of his right company in a very agitated state.

The incident had just taken place when Major R. M. Sims came to me and said: "That firing has wounded both General Longstreet and General Jenkins, one in the throat and the other in the temple... and I fear both are fatally wounded." I ran toward the group of trees that he indicated and found men lifting General Longstreet, litter and all, into an ambulance. Jenkins had just been placed on a litter. General Kershaw, who had remounted his horse, was urging haste; for the enemy's cannon was throwing shells at the cluster of trees. Fortunately, the shots were passing high but were nevertheless dangerous.

I knelt by the friend of my life since I entered The Citadel, my alter ego. Taking his hand in mine, I said "Jenkins... Mike, do you know me?" I felt a convulsive pressure of my hand. Then I noticed that his features, in fact his whole body, was convulsed. The haste urged by General Kershaw prevented any further stay at his side. He was lifted into an ambulance and carried to the rear. Dazed, I returned to my regiment.

(The South Carolinians: Colonel Asbury Coward's Memoirs.
ed. and comp. by Natalie Jenkins Bond and Osmun Latrobe Coward. New York: Vantage Press, 1968)

May 6, 1864 - The following are appointed Confederate Brigadier Generals:
John Bratton, CSA
John Bratton was promoted to brigadier general in Jenkins' place.
 
Actually Micah Jenkins was mortally wounded and died on this day in the same friendly fire that wounded Longstreet. They were riding along the Orange Plank Road and were fired on by Mahone's Brigade.

His friend Colonel Asbury Coward of the 5th South Carolina wrote of his death:

After we had marched in line about 100 yards through brush and woods, we came upon a line of men, about two small regiments, lying down or kneeling directly in the path of our march. I had to halt my men and on inquiry found it was General Mahone's Brigade, who had just halted there. Seeing at the time a flag passing along the tunpike, I ran toward it through the intermediate thicket to inquire what troops they were. It was the Second South Carolina, one of the regiments of Jenkins' Brigade. I could not understand why they were marching in columns of fours, while I was marching in line of battle.

As I turned, I saw that Mahone's men had commenced, on the right, to fire by file. Thinking only of the danger to the Second Regiment, I rushed back to stop the firing by voice and gesture. But not until I reached the line was the firing stopped. At that moment Mahone walked up and enquired why the firing had stopped. I explained why I had stopped it. He then asked me who had started it. I told him the firing had begun in his right company. I went on to say that they might be able to explain how it started there. He went off in the direction of his right company in a very agitated state.

The incident had just taken place when Major R. M. Sims came to me and said: "That firing has wounded both General Longstreet and General Jenkins, one in the throat and the other in the temple... and I fear both are fatally wounded." I ran toward the group of trees that he indicated and found men lifting General Longstreet, litter and all, into an ambulance. Jenkins had just been placed on a litter. General Kershaw, who had remounted his horse, was urging haste; for the enemy's cannon was throwing shells at the cluster of trees. Fortunately, the shots were passing high but were nevertheless dangerous.

I knelt by the friend of my life since I entered The Citadel, my alter ego. Taking his hand in mine, I said "Jenkins... Mike, do you know me?" I felt a convulsive pressure of my hand. Then I noticed that his features, in fact his whole body, was convulsed. The haste urged by General Kershaw prevented any further stay at his side. He was lifted into an ambulance and carried to the rear. Dazed, I returned to my regiment.

(The South Carolinians: Colonel Asbury Coward's Memoirs.
Ed. and comp. by Natalie Jenkins Bond and Osmun Latrobe Coward. New York: Vantage Press, 1968)


John Bratton was promoted to brigadier general in Jenkins' place.
Thanks, @AUG351 .
 
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Today marks the start of the 157th Anniversary of the Battle of Port Walthall Junction Virginia. This will be a two day battle fought on May 6th - 7th. This was a Union Victory with the Union Commander being Major General Benjamin Butler. Butler will have a force of 8,000. The Confederate commander will be Brig. General Johnson Hagood from South Carolina with a force of 2,600.

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This week May 5th - 7th marks the 157th Anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness Virginia. The result of this battle is looked as Inconclusive. The Confederate Commander will be General Robert E. Lee with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia with a force of 61,025 of that force 1,447 killed, 7,866 wounded and 1,690 captured or missing. the Union Army will be commanded by Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant/Major George G. Meade commanding the Union Army of the Potomac and IX Army Corps the force will consist of 101,895 of that force 2,246 will be killed with 12,037 wounded and 3,383 captured/missing.

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I believe I have read a source that descripted the event as a Confederate ambush of a Louisiana Jayhawker operation of a long term activity of selling cotton to the Yankee Blockading forces. The cotton grabbed by the Jayhawker in raids upon Confederate plantation owners and maybe a smaller portion of just acting as middle men for friendly planters selling cotton to Yankee. They were making a lot of money. The landing was in Jayhawker controlled territory as they had most of southwest Louisiana in their grip. Think of it as a Confederate invasion of Jayhawker territory. The Confederate force was very strong compared to the usual Jayhawker unit of at most a 100 riders and usually less. It appears the Jayhawkers fled and the Yankees were unaware of the ambush setup.
 
Some cotton may have been involved, but the account by Michael Jones of the Lake Charles American Press states the Union boats were sent to buy 250 head of cattle and 200 horses stolen by Jayhawkers from area farms. At any rate, it was an interesting fight.
 
Thank You Sir! Now that you posted this I better recall that the items involved were the next most valuables: cattle and horses. The greatest point involved is the power of the Jayhawkers to be running such an operation under the very nose of the Confederacy and it taking a strong strike force to attack the stronghold. The Jayhawkers could setup operations again in the location of their choice in the many waterways of Louisiana Gulf coast. Have you read the source whereas the Jayhawkers were stealing slaves in raid on Louisiana Confederate plantations and would take them to Houston, Texas and then selling them back to Texas Confederate planters????? This appears to had the protection secret cover of Houston Confederate high command. The Jayhawkers also accepted some slaves as gunmen in their squads. How they decided which ones to enroll and which ones to sell back in slavery is an unknown to me. I suppose it would be who could handle a weapon and have horse riding skills.
 
Indeed, SW Louisiana was very much an underdeveloped and lawless area since the late 1700's and early 1800's right through the Adams-Onis Treaty between the USA and Spain in 1819, settling the boundary. It did furnish some companies to the Confederate Army, but it was also a haven for Jayhawkers, plain deserters, and some Unionists. After the war, in the late 1800's the Railroad pushed through East to West, and attracted Midwest down-on-their luck Unionist farmers with free land offers to develop a profitable agricultural base. Thus, SW Louisiana has always had a different cultural mix from the remainder of Louisiana.
 
Battle of Port Walthall Junction:
Today marks the start of the two – day 158th​ anniversary of the Battle of Port Walthall Junction. This battle took place on May 6th​ and 7th​, 1864. Location of the battle was Chesterfield County, Virginia.



Result of Battle: Union Victory :us34stars:



Union Army Commander:
Major General Benjamin F. Butler (Massachusetts) 1818 – 1893

Union Army Strength:
- (around 8,000)



Confederate Army Commander:
Brig. General Johnson Hagood (South Carolina) 1829 – 1898

Confederate Army Strength: - (around 2,600)



Combined Casualties and losses:
around 550
 
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