Future CSA officer's first encounter with secessionists.

Robin Lesjovitch

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Joined
Dec 16, 2018
R E Lee was not present at San Antonio when his superior David Twiggs ordered the evacuation of Texas by U S Army personnel (16 Feb 1861). Some hours later, Lee arrived to find he needed to leave Texas quickly. Texas forces controlled San Antonio and Lee was not allowed to collect his personal property. Lee enlisted the help of Charles Anderson (Robert Anderson's brother) who lived in San Antonio, and was able to get his things together and leave by land route to DC, where he had been ordered to report. On this long trip, Lee wore the uniform of Lt. Col. of the 2nd US Cavalry. There is no report of problems on the trip.
Once home, Lee heard stories about how he had not raised a finger to prevent the secessionists from taking control in Texas. Those stories were literally true but it was also true Lee could do nothing about what had happened. Lee had not been happy about what had happened.
 
Julius A DeLagnel was a US Army officer appointed from New Jersey. In April,1861, he found himself the senior officer at the Fayetteville NC Federal arsenal. Soon he found himself faced by several hundred troops ordered by NC Gov, Ellis to take control of that arsenal. NC had not seceded, but Gov. Ellis thought it best to remove any potential point of conflict.
DeLagnel did not have the means to defend the arsenal, and capitulated. This action was not a point of controversey in NC, although several of the state troops went home after someone had raised a "Confederate" flag over the facility. NC's course was not firmly set in the minds of many in the state.
The Federal garrison was shipped 'North". For reasons lost in history, DeLagnel soon offered his services to the Confederacy.
.He had an adventure in Western VA, being declared KIA, before becoming an artillery/ordnance officer. He commanded at Fayetteville again for a while. He refused promotion to general. He was a Civil War mystery.
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Richard Kidder Meade, USMA class of '57, was an engineer officer serving with Robert Anderson at Charleston in 1860. He had been of considerable help moving Anderson's garrison to Ft. Sumter, including having an unpleasant encounter with James Johnston Pettigrew.
After being sent 'North" with the rest of Anderson's garrison, Meade left for VA, his home state. He became a Confederate army engineer.
R E Lee knew Meade's family. RK Meade I had been one of George Washington's aides-de-camp. RK II was a prominent VA politician.
Lee found lots of work for Meade.
"
Magruder's Confusion.


On the night following the battle of Malvern Hill, General Magruder, known as Prince John, having been unfortunate in the attack made that day, on account of misunderstanding his orders, rode up to General Lee, and, saluting him, said that he had come to ask permission to storm the heights at daybreak with his division. "If you give me permission," continued Magruder, anxious to redeem himself, "I'll promise to carry the heights at the point of the bayonet." "I have no doubt that you would carry them," replied General Lee, " but I have one objection." "Name it," said Magruder, seeing honor and glory before him, and expecting to be able to remove the objection. "I am afraid," said General Lee, with a quiet smile, "that you might hurt my little friend Major Kidder Meade, of the engineering corps, who is over there reconnoitering, the enemy, having left about an hour ago."
"
https://books.google.com/books?pg=P...Xg&id=Vl93AAAAMAAJ&ots=chFjHtqeUI&output=text

Kidder Meade died of some infectious disease shortly after the Seven Days.
 
James Reilly was born in Ireland about 1822. He served in the British Army but deserted to come to the US. He enlisted in the US Army as an artilleryman, serving in the Mexican War and Western Frontier.
In 1861, he was an ordnance sergeant in charge of Ft. Johnston on the Cape Fear river. On 9 Jan. a self appointed citizen's committee demanded the fort from him. Being there alone with no means to resist, he complied, requiring a receipt for everything. NC Governor Ellis immediately sent militia to return the fort to Reilly.
Later, in April, Gov, Ellis sent militia again, this time to secure the fort for the State of NC. For the second time, Reilly surrendered Fort Johnston, and for a second time deserted. This was unusual, as very few enlisted men in the US Army left when hostilities began. Officers going "South" advised them of their obligations of enlistment.
Reilly became a well known battery commander in the Army of Northern VA. Later he was Major Reilly who achieved a double trifecta.
in 1865, Reilly was at Fort Fisher, which guarded the waterway to Wilmington NC, the last significant port open to the Confederacy. Federal army and naval forces made a second, and successful assault on the fort in January. Reilly had the distinction of being the senior CSA officer standing, and it was his sword that was offered in surrender. in 43 years Reilly had served in 3 armies and surrendered three forts He lived another three decades in the area he had surrendered those forts.
 
Albert Sidney Johnston needs no introduction to anybody.
As relates to this thread, Johnston was commander of the (US) Dept of the Pacific, headquartered in the San Francisco area at the beginning of the secessionist era. He was not impressed with the local secessionists, however:

"I have heard foolish talk about an attempt to seize the strongholds of government under my charge. Knowing this, I have prepared for emergencies, and will defend the property of the United States with every resource at my command, and with the last drop of blood in my body. Tell that to our Southern friends!"
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/civil-war-at-alcatraz.htm

After hearing of Texas' secession, Johnston resigned his US commission. However his replacement was already on the way. It seems some in Washington did not entirely trust Johnston. It cannot be known what Johnston intended after leaving Federal service. It was clear to Johnston that as a senior US officer (Brvt. Brig, Gen) he would be called to field service, but he did not wish to fight against Texas.
He went to live with his sister at his brother-in-law's ranch near Los Angeles.
But Johnston was under constant observation by Federal officials. He eventually joined the Confederate Los Angeles Mounted Rifles as a private, and began a journey east to get into the war. That trip would make a great motion picture.
So Johnston, who would serve as a general in 3 different armies, began his CSA service as a private.

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Rich Mountain does not get much press. DeLagnel was commanding on top, was wounded, played possum, and spent some time escaping Federal soldiers.

"But what further of Captain DeLagnel, the Confederate bat-
tle commander, reported killed at Rich Mountain? We last
noted McClellan, Williams and others viewing his dead body on
the roadside near the battlefield on the summit of Rich Mountain.
By his former United States Army and his Confederate acquaint-
ances his death was alike deplored. He had fought, in the first
three months of the war, creditably on the Union and Confederate
sides. Soon the report of his death reached the then much
excited Southern people. By common consent in thousands of
churches South, regardless of denominational belief, the Catho-
lic Church not excepted, funeral and memorial services were
held. He was spoken of as a first great, heroic, patriotic sacri-
fice to the cause of the new-born nation — to the liberty and bless-
ings of the human family which it stood to secure, etc. What po-
tentate; or man of fame, has been more honored Or more univer-
sally mourned? ...................
The Captain was inclined, on examination, to let the man
pass without further molestation. But the keen sense of a pri-
vate: soldier, detected, and told his Captain, that the man could
not be a mountaineer, first, because he naturally used good English
language — was a scholar ; second, because he had high-priced
sewed boots, etc. The Captain told the stranger to go with him
to camp for further examination. He protested, but on finding
the Captain obdurate and the order final, he threw up his hands
and declared he would not go in disguise, or pretending to be
what he was not; and he further announced that he knew Gen-
eral Joseph J. Reynolds, our Commander at Camp Elk Water,
and that he was a former officer in the United States Army, but
that he was then an officer in the Confederate service— late com-
mander of the Confederates in the battle of Rich Mountain— that
his name was Julius A. DeLagnel. His tongue, attuned to edu-
cation and learning, had betrayed him..................."

https://archive.org/stream/battleofrichmoun00keif/battleofrichmoun00keif_djvu.txt
 
On 5 January, 1861 , Sec of the Navy Toucey ordered marines to garrison Fort Washington south of Washington City on the Potomac. About 50 marines under the command of Brvt Major George Terrett secured Ft. Washington until army units could take charge.
Three days later, Toucey ordered more marines to occupy Ft. McHenry in Baltimore. About 40 marines under 1st Lt, Andrew Hays garrisoned Ft McHenry shortly thereafter.
Both actions were taken to defend from secessionists who might attempt to capture the outer defenses of Washington City.
By spring, both Terrett and Hays were in Confederate service. Funny war.
 
Late on 18 April, 1861, two companies of the 4th US Artillery led by Major John C Pemberton detrain at Calvert Station in Baltimore, along with 4 companies of PA militia.
Large numbers of unwelcoming people populate the nearby streets. Baltimore police are deployed at the ready for what might come.
Pemberton and several hundred men begin marching down Baltimore streets. A few hours later the Pratt Street Riots begin, but by that time Pemberton's men are in Fort McHenry, and the PA militia at the next train station.
Seemingly, the anti-war and pro-secession mobs did not care about what were obviously regular US troops. They were waiting for the "Northern" militia that was invading Maryland.
Within two weeks, the Philadelphia born Pemberton was an officer in Virginia service. He would become CSA Lt General John C Pemberton who surrendered Vicksburg and later Lt Colonel Pemberton, of the CSA artillery.
 
In late January, 1861, Lt. Armistead Long, USA, was posted in Georgia at the Augusta Arsenal. He and the rest of the Federal garrison were forced to surrender the facility to the Governor of Georgia. For a period afterwards, he was aide to his Father-in-law, Col. Edwin Vose. Sumner; that ended when Sumner was ordered to California to relieve Sidney Johnston. Long resigned his US commission, went home to Virginia, eventually becoming R E Lee's military secretary. Later he became head of the artillery, II Corps, ANV..
After the war he wrote Memoirs of Robert E Lee, an influential military biography of the general.
See next post
 
The officer who surrendered the Augusta Arsenal was Capt. Arnold Elzey, USA. Outnumbered at least 5 to 1, he had no choice.
He and his garrison were "repatriated" to Washington,DC. Eventually, the Marylander Elzey "went South".
Elzey was commanding a brigade when he received a head wound during the Seven days. He was reduced to a posting with the Richmond defenses for some time. In the last months of the war, as a Major General, he commanded artillery in Georgia, including some time at Augusta.
 
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