Confederate
General Micah Jenkins died from a wound May 6th 1864, received during
the Battle of the Wilderness.
Micah
Jenkins was born December 1st 1835 on Edisto Island, South Carolina,
the son of John and Elizabeth Jenkins.
He graduated in 1854 from the South Carolina Military Academy [the
Citadel], first in his class. Jenkins
was a member of the Yorkville Episcopal Church.
He worked to organize, and founded along with Asbury Coward in 1855, the
King’s Mountain Military Academy.
As the Civil
War got started Jenkins recruited and became the Colonel of the 5th
South Carolina. They were present for
the First Battle of Manassas. During the
Battle of Seven Pines, Jenkins took command of Richard Anderson brigade after Anderson
was wounded, leading it with distinction until he wounded in the knee. He was promoted to Brigadier General July 22nd
1862. Jenkins was wound again at the
Second Battle of Manassas in the abdomen and chest, which kept him out of the
Battle of Antietam. He was back with the
army in time for the Battle of Fredericksburg, serving in Confederate Major
General George Pickett’s division, but wasn't engaged. Jenkins brigade went with Confederate
Lieutenant General James Longstreet to Tennessee, taking part in the second day
of the Battle of Chickamauga on September 20th 1863. On January 16th 1864, he led his
men in a victory against Union cavalry at the Battle of Kimbrough’s Crossroads.
At the
Battle of the Wilderness on May 6th 1864, Jenkins was riding with Longstreet
and some other staff officers at about 1pm when they were hit with friendly
fire coming from the 12th Virginia.
It occurred very near the place where Confederate General Thomas J
Jackson was struck down a year before.
Jenkins was hit in forehead, with the ball entering his brain. He remained semiconscious, but unknowing,
dying of his wounds six hours later. He was
buried first in Summerville, South Carolina, but in 1881 was moved to the
Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina.
No comments:
Post a Comment