Leading His Brigade When Killed

Union Colonel Sylvester Gardner Hill was killed in action December 15^th 1864 during the Battle of Nashville.

Sylvester Gardner Hill was born June 10^th 1820 in North Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island.  He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1840’s working in the lumber business.  When gold was found in California, Hill caught the fever and traveled there, but finding no profit hunting for gold, he moved back east to Muscatine, Iowa.

When the Civil War started, Hill helped to raise the 35^th Iowa Infantry.  He was appointed Colonel of the regiment on September 18^th 1862.  They started out doing garrison duty in Illinois and Kentucky before joining the Union Army of the Tennessee at Vicksburg.  As the Union forces put Vicksburg under siege, Hill was placed in command of the 3^rd Brigade of the 1^st Division in the XVI Corps.  Hill was wounded at the Battles of Pleasant Hill and Yellow Bayou, but was back in command at the Battle of Tupelo.

At the Battle of Nashville on December 15^th 1864, Hill was leading his Brigade against Confederates holding Montgomery Hill.  He was shot in the head and died instantly.  His body was taken home to Muscatin, Iowa where he is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery.

Killed In Mexico Unrepentant

Confederate Officer Mosby Monroe Parson received his commission to Brigadier General November 5^th 1862.

Mosby Monroe Parson was born May 21^st 1822 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the oldest child of Gustavus Adolphus and Patience Monroe (Bishop) Parson.  His family moved to Cooper County, Missouri when he was thirteen, finally settling in Jefferson City, Missouri.  He worked in his father’s brickyard, to pay tuition at St Charles College.  Parson read for the law with Judge James W Morrow and passed the bar, becoming a lawyer in 1846.  When the Mexican American War started he served with the rank of Captain with the Cole County Dragoons and was cited for gallantry at the Battle of Sacramento.  He returned to Missouri after the war and served as the United States District Attorney for western Missouri as well as in the Missouri State Legislature.

When the Civil War started Parson took an appointment to lead the Sixth Division of the Missouri State Guard.  He led his men in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek.  After this action, Parson went to Richmond, Virginia to try to get an appointment in the Confederate Army.  He received a commission on November 5^th 1862 to Brigadier General, and one month latter was leading men at the Battle of Prairie Grove.  He would see action at Helena, Arkansas, and in putting down Union Major General Nathaniel Bank’s Red River Campaign, the Battle of Pleasant Hill, and the Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry among others.  He finished the war in the Trans Mississippi Department under Confederate General Kirby Smith, as the commander of the District of Arkansas.

After the Civil War was over Parson didn’t return to Missouri, but went to Mexico, planning to join up with Confederate General Joseph O Shelby.  While in Mexico, he along with former Confederate Congressman Aaron H Conrow and Parson’s brother-in-law Confederate Captain Austin M Standish were taken captive by Mexican Juaristas cavalry, and executed on August 15^th 1865 near Chino, Mexico.  Their bodies were thrown into the San Juan River.  There is a marker for Parson in the Maplewood Cemetery in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Retreat On The River

As Union Major General Nathaniel P Banks made his retreat at the end of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Yellow Bayou was fought on May 18^th 1864.

Following the Battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, Union Major General Nathaniel P Banks’ retreat reached the Atchafalaya River on May 17^th 1864.  If he could get across the river his force would be protected from Confederate harassment, but he had to wait for the engineers to build a bridge.

On May 18^th 1864 Confederate Major General Richard Taylor neared Yellow Bayou.  Banks order Union Brigadier General AJ Smith to meet and stop them, he ordered Brigadier General Joseph A Mower to make the movement.  The fight commenced with first one side then the other pushing forward or giving up ground for several hours.  Finally the ground over which they were fighting caught fire and both sides were forced to retire.

This battle ended Banks’ Red River Expedition.  The Union troops sustained 360 casualties, while the Confederates lost 500.

Because Of An Oath Of Allegiance

Edward Clark became the Governor of Texas on March 18^th 1861, when Sam Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.

Edward Clark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana April 1^st 1815 the son of Elijah Clark Jr.  He spent his childhood in Georgia and Alabama.  He moved to Marshall, Texas in 1842 where he opened a law practice.  Clark served at the Texas Annexation Convention and two terms as a Texas State Representative.  He fought during the Mexican American War, and when that was over he was Secretary of State to Texas Governor Elisha M Pease and Lieutenant Governor to Sam Houston.

In 1861 Texas voted to secede, but then Governor Sam Houston refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.  Clark was made the Governor of Texas March 18^th 1861.  Once in office Clark moved quickly to raise militia, and stabilize Texas’ finances.  When the next election for Governor took place in the autumn of 1861, Clark lost the race by 124 votes to Francis Richard Lubbock.  Clark joined the 14^th Texas Infantry as their Colonel.  He was wounded while leading an attack at the Battle of Pleasant Hill, and ended the war as a Brigadier General.

When the Civil War came to an end Clark fled to Mexico.  He would return to his home in Marshall, Texas, where he died May 4^th 1880.  Clark is buried in the Marshall City Cemetery.