A Controversial Death

Union Colonel Ulric Dahlgren was killed during a raid on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia on March 2^nd 1864.

Ulric Dahlgren was the son of Rear Admiral John A and Madeleine (Vinton) Dahlgren, and was born April 3^rd 1842 in Neshaminy, Buck County, Pennsylvania.  After graduating from school in 1858, he went to work as a civil engineer, surveying some lands in Mississippi.  In 1860 he began studying law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When the Civil War started, Dahlgren served on the military staffs of Franz Sigel, Ambrose E Burnside, Joseph Hooker and George G Meade.  He precipitated in reconnaissance during the Battle of Chancellorsville, and scouted Confederate lines throughout the Gettysburg Campaign.  On July 6^th 1863 while fighting as part of the cavalry in Union General H Judson Kilpatrick’s division Dahlgren was wounded and lost his foot.  He was back in the saddle with a promotion to Colonel by February 1864.  While on a cavalry raid near the King and Queen County Court House, Dahlgren was killed March 2^nd 1864, being shot in the side and back.  His body was hidden by Union sympathizers.  It was recovered by the family after the war and buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There were papers found on Dahlgren’s body that contained signed orders written on Union stationery, of which read, "The men must keep together and well in hand, and once in the city it must be destroyed and Jeff. Davis and Cabinet killed."  These papers were reprinted in European and American newspapers, causing a great deal of controversy.

A Medical Department

The Confederate Army Medical Department was created February 26^th 1861 by the provisional government.

The Confederacy moved faster than the Union in establishing a medical corps.  The Confederate Medical Department was created within the structure of the army on February 26^th 1861.  Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed David C DeLeon as the Surgeon General.  There was an error in the military regulation, which omitted the section for creating medical officers.  Many of the physicians who enlisted in the service did so as privates and were used as regimental surgeons.

DeLeon had a staff of 25, and they created the armies medical standards.  They developed field service shortly after the Battle of First Manassas.  The early field hospitals couldn’t handle the amount of wounded, and many had to be sent to southern cities for care.  Davis replaced Deleon with Samuel Preston Moore, who had more experience in medical administration.  He started by reviewing and replacing none qualified surgeons.  In August 1861 the Confederacy began building their own hospitals, and by 1862 they were providing regiments with medical supplies including surgical instruments and medicines.

If you’re interested in reading more about the Confederate Medical Department this is a good web site.

The Trout House

Confederate President Jefferson Davis spoke at the Trout House February 16^th 1861 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Trout House was one of three antebellum hotels located in Atlanta, Georgia.  The four story brick hotel was built by Jeremiah F Trout in 1849 on the corner of Decatur and Pryor Streets.

When Confederate President Jefferson Davis visited Atlanta, he spoke at the hotel on February 16^th 1861, while on his way to Montgomery, Alabama to take his of office as the first and only President of the Confederacy.  Jefferson did not spend the night there.

When Union General William T Sherman left Atlanta in 1864, the Trout House hotel was destroyed. 

The Provisional Constitution

The Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States of America was adopted and in force from February 8^th through March 11^th 1861.

At Montgomery, Alabama on February 4^th 1861 a convention made up of delegates from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina met to begin setting up a new government.  Before they could begin working, the Montgomery Convention needed a set of rules to follow.  Christopher Gustavus Memminger proposed a committee be created on February 5^th 1861 to draft a provisional constitution.  Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb of Georgia moved that the committee be made up of twelve, two members from state delegation.

Because of the necessity of having a constitution the committee worked fast.  On February 7^th 1861 they had copies made of their purposed constitution and distributed to the convention members.  There was very little debate, the main changes being an inclusion of the words “Invoking the favor of Almighty God” in the preamble, providing executive veto, and combining circuit and district courts into one state district.

The Provisional Constitution was ratified on February 8^th 1861.  All the members present signed the document at noon on the day of Jefferson Davis’ inauguration as the first and only President of the Confederacy on February 18^th 1861.  Fifty men signed the Provisional Constitution including the delegates from Texas who were admitted on March 2^nd 1861.

The Provisional Constitution was nullified on March 11^th 1861, when the permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America was ratified.

If you would like to read the Constitution for the Provisional Government you’ll find it here

He Gave All To The Confederacy

The brother of John Allen Wilcox, General Cadmus Wilcox

Mississippi and Texas politician John Allen Wilcox, the brother of Confederate General Cadmus Wilcox, died February 7^th 1864.

John Allen Wilcox was born April 18^th 1819 in Greene County, North Carolina, the son of Ruben and Sarah (Garland) Wilcox.  It appears that he was raised and received an education in Tipton County, Tennessee.  Wilcox was living in Mississippi when he started in politics.  During the Mexican American War he served in the 2^nd Mississippi Infantry as their Lieutenant Colonel.  Following the war he returned to his law practice in Aberdeen, Mississippi.  In 1850 Wilcox was elected to the United States Congress from Mississippi.  When he was defeated in his run for a second term, he moved in 1853 to San Antonio, Texas.

When Texas began talking of secession, Wilcox was selected as delegate to the Texas Secession Convention in 1861.  He was elected to the First Confederate Congress in November 1861.  He traveled to Richmond, Virginia where he was a strong supporter of President Jefferson Davis’ policies, and helped in getting the Texas Brigade organized.  After his term in Congress was over, Wilcox joined the army as an aide to Major General John B Magruder, and served at the Battle of Galveston.

Wilcox was elected from Texas to the Second Confederate Congress.  Before he could be seated, he died February 7^th 1864 in Richmond, Virginia of what is supposed to be apoplexy.  He is buried in the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.  Wilcox’s funeral was attended by the whole Confederate Congress.  As his entire estate was valued at only $275, his brother Confederate General Cadmus M Wilcox a lifelong bachelor provided a home for his wife and raised his two young children.

Exposed His Life

Thomas Saltus Lubbock a Texas Ranger and Confederate Colonel, died January 9^th 1862.

Thomas Saltus Lubbock was born November 29^th 1817 in Charleston, South Carolina the son of Henry T and Susan Ann (Saltus) Lubbock.  He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1835 to work in a cotton factory.  When the Texas revolution started Lubbock marched with a company raised by Captain William G Cooke to Nacogdoches, Texas, and took part in the siege of San Antonio de Bexar.  He took work on the upper Brazos River on a steamboat before joining the Santa Fe Expedition.  When captured with his company in New Mexico, he escaped and made his way back to Texas.  He was elected First Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers and was at the head of a company that drove the Mexicans back across the Rio Grande.

Lubbock was a firm secessionist.  At the beginning of the Civil War Lubbock traveled with Thomas J Goree, James Longstreet, Benjamin Franklin Terry and John A Wharton from Galveston, Texas to Richmond, Virginia, where he petitioned Confederate President Jefferson Davis for permission to raise a company.  While in Virginia Lubbock and Terry along with about 15 other Texans organized into a band of scouts to work for the Confederate Army.  He was still a civilian during the First Battle of Manassas where he "exposed his life in bearing messages during the contest."

Lubbock and Terry finally received authority to raise a regiment of cavalry, and they returned to Texas where they raised the 8^th Texas Cavalry known as “Terry’s Texas Rangers”.  Lubbock was made the Lieutenant Colonel of the 8^th.  Finding himself in failing health Lubbock traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to recover.  When Terry was killed at the Battle of Rowlett’s Station on December 17^th 1861, Lubbock was promoted to Colonel of the 8^th.  He never took command of the regiment however, as he died from typhoid fever in Nashville, Tennessee January 9^th 1862.  He is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

A New Commander

At the Battle of Seven Pines [also called the Battle of Fair Oaks], Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston was wounded, and the command of the Army of Northern Virginia was turned over the next day June 1^st 1862 to General Robert E Lee.

Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston was criticized by Confederate President Jefferson Davis for a lack of aggressiveness.  He was the senior commander at the First Battle of Manassas, and was defending the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia in 1862 against a superior number of Union troops commanded by Major General George B McClellan.  Facing greater numbers Johnson wanted to concentrate his force in fortifications around Richmond, but was overruled by Davis.  First he prepared for a siege at Yorktown, but then withdrew to Williamsburg where he fought a battle on May 5^th 1862.  On May 7^th 1862 Johnson’s men turned back an amphibious attack at Eltham’s Landing.  Each movement however placed Johnson’s army closer to Richmond, until he was only about six mile away.

A part of the Peninsula Campaign, at the Battle of Seven Pines Johnson was operating on the offensive.  Seeing that McClellan’s army was divided by the flooded Chickahominy River, he attacked on May 31^st 1862.  The battle was a tactical draw, but it halted McClellan’s advance.  Johnson was wounded about dusk, in the right shoulder and chest by an artillery shell.  He was evacuated to Richmond, Virginia.  That day, June 1^st 1862 the command of the Army of Northern Virginia was turned over to his West Point classmate Robert E Lee.

A Confederate Territory

The Arizona Territory was officially created through legislation by the Confederacy January 13^th 1862, and was accepted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in February of that year.

The New Mexico Territory was expanded in 1853 with the Gadsden Purchase.  There were several proposals looking at separating the land into two territories.  Most of the proposals were related to whether the government in Santa Fe, New Mexico could be effective in administering the southern portions of the large territory.  In January 1857 a bill was introduced to the United States House of Representatives, but it was defeated on the grounds that the population was still too small.  The real controversy was caused by the perception that the territory was controlled by southern sympathizers who were interested in expanding slavery.  New Mexico tried again in 1858 suggesting a north south border along the 109^th meridian.

When the Civil War started the territory was strongly in favor of the Confederacy.  It held Territorial secession conventions in Mesilla and Tucson in March 1861.  They adopted secession and set up a Provisional Confederate Territory of Arizona, and sent a petition to the Confederate Congress for admission.  They elected Granville H Oury as a delegate to the Confederate Congress, and he drafted the legislation which would organize the Territory of Arizona.  The legislation passed the Confederate Congress January 13^th 1862, and signed into law by Confederate President Jefferson Davis on February 14^th 1862.

Lowest Rate Of Mortality

Located in Richmond, Virginia, the Robertson Hospital treated wounded soldiers from the First Battle of Manassas until the last soldier was discharged June 13^th 1865.

The Robertson Hospital was a small private hospital located in Judge John Roberts donated home and was financially supported by the Confederate government.  The hospital was run by Captain Sally Louisa Tompkins; she was the only women to have a commission from the Confederate government.

Sally Louisa Tompkins was born November 9^th 1833 in Poplar Grove, Mathews County, Virginia the daughter of Christopher and Maria (Patterson) Tompkins.  She took an active role in restoring her neighborhood Episcopal Church, and nursed many locals, both black and white as a young woman.  After her father died, Tompkins and her mother moved to Richmond, Virginia.

After the First Battle of Manassas on July 21^st 1861 the Confederate capital wasn’t ready for the hundreds of wounded soldiers who arrived there.  Tompkins responded to this influx by opening the home of Judge John Robertson as a hospital.  Once the first rush of wounded had passed Confederate President Jefferson Davis had military hospitals set up, but the Robertson Hospital had done such a good job that Tompkins was given a military commission so she could continue to work.  The Hospital treated 1,333 wounded during the four years of the war with only 73 deaths reported.  It had the lowest mortality rate of any military hospital during the Civil War.  The last of these patients was discharged on June 13^th 1865.

Following the war Tompkins continued to serve in charitable work.  She never married and eventually she lived in the Richmond Home for Confederate Women in 1905.  She died July 26^th 1916 and was buried with full military honors at the Christ Church in Mathews County, Virginia.

A Great Man Of Texas

Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch of Texas was killed during the Battle of Pea Ridge March 7^th 1862.

Benjamin McCulloch was born in Rutherford County Tennessee the son of Alexander and Frances Fisher (LeNoir) McCulloch.  The family was part of old Virginia planter stock, but McCulloch’s father moved the family west often.  They settled finally in Dyersburg, Tennessee were McCulloch’s neighbor was David Crockett.  In 1835 when Crockett went to Texas, McCulloch and his brother Henry head for the state.  Because of Ben contracting measles the brothers had to hold up for a few weeks, and were saved from being in the Alamo when it fell.

McCulloch fought for Texas under Sam Houston as part of the artillery.  He received 960 acres of land for his service.  He took up land surveying for the Republic of Texas, before joining the Texas Rangers as a lieutenant under Captain John Coffee Hays.  In 1839 McCulloch was elected to the Texas House of Representatives.  By 1842 McCulloch was back fighting Indians and Mexican with the Texas Rangers.  During the Mexican American War he was appointed Chief of Scouts under United States General Zachary Taylor with the rank of Major.  When gold fever struck in 1849 McCulloch traveled to California, where he would become a sheriff in Sacramento.  He was back in Texas by 1852.

With the coming of the Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union on February 1^st 1861 and on the 14^th McCulloch received a commission from Confederate President Jefferson Davis to Colonel.  McCulloch met with Union General David E Twiggs on the morning to February 16^th 1861 and demanded his surrender.  McCulloch was promoted to Brigadier General.  He put together the Confederate Army of the West with men from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Indians from the Creek, Cherokee and Choctaw nations.  Their first action was at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10^th 1861, where they defeated Union General Nathaniel Lyon.

McCulloch was in command of the Confederate right wing at the Battle of Pea Ridge.  His troops, after much maneuvering over took a Union artillery battery on March 7^th 1862.  The fight continued through the morning and McCulloch who was riding out in front to scout positions was shot out of his saddle.  He died instantly.  He was buried on the field at Pea Ridge, but was later moved to the battle cemetery in Little Rock.  McCulloch’s remains would be moved finally to the State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

A Missouri Democrat

William Cecil Price was named United States Treasure on February 28^th 1860 by President James Buchanan.

William Cecil Price was born in 1816 in Russell County, Virginia.  He attended Knoxville College for a time, before returning to Missouri where he worked several jobs while reading for the law.  Price became the Green County Deputy Sheriff in 1840, before being admitted to the bar in 1844.  Price was an active member of the Missouri Democratic Party, and was among those who felt the Missouri Compromise should be repealed.  He supported Claiborne Fox Jackson, and wrote the “Jackson Resolutions” that were read at the Missouri General Assembly in 1848.  The Resolutions stated people in any state or territory of the United States had the right to determine if they would permit slavery, and that any act of Congress against this would allow the slaveholding states to band together.  It was at this time that Price met Judah P Benjamin and Jefferson Davis.  In 1854 Price was elected to the Missouri State Senate, and in 1859 he represented Missouri at the United States General Land Office.

United States President James Buchanan appointed Price the Treasurer of the United States on February 28^th 1860.  When the Civil War started Price resigned his office on March 21^st 1861 and joined the Confederate brigade commanded by his cousin General Sterling Price.  At the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862 Price was taken prisoner and spent eight months as a POW at Alton, Illinois.  He was re-assigned by Confederate President Jefferson Davis to recruiting duty in Missouri and promoted to Major.  In 1864 Price resigned his commission.

He moved to Arkansas where he tried farming.  When the war ended Price returned to Missouri and the law.  As the years past Price who was lifelong member of the Methodist Church became intensely interested in theology, and was described as a religious zealous.  He died in 1901.

Another web site to look at for more information is Kansas Bogus Legislature

The Offical Seal

The date February 22^nd 1862 is found on the Great Seal of the Confederate States of America.

The Great Seal of the Confederate States of America was the official stamp of the Confederate government.  It had eleven stars to represent the eleven states that voted to secede from the Union.  In the center is the figure of George Washington as he is found on the statue of him in Richmond, Virginia.  There is a wreath made up of corn, cotton, rice, sugar cane, tobacco, and wheat.  The seal included the words “The Confederate States of America”, the motto “Deo Vindice” [ “With God as Champion”] and the date 22 February 1862.  The date on the seal stands for Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ inauguration as well as George Washington’s birth date.

The design was finished on April 30^th 1863 and the dies were ordered from British engraver Joseph S Wyon.  The dies were crafted out of silver. They were given to James Mason a Confederate agent in England.  Mason gave them to Confederate Naval Lieutenant R T Chapman, and after running the naval blockade eventually they made it to Richmond, Virginia.  When the Confederate government fell in Richmond, Virginia in April 1865 the wife of William J Bromwell smuggled the seal out of the city.

A good place to look for more information is The Great Seal of the Confederacy

A Critic of Jefferson Davis

The Confederate Senator from Mississippi, Henry Stuart Foote condemned Jefferson Davis’ military policies on December 8^th 1863.

Henry Stuart Foote was born February 28^th 1804 in Fauquier County, Virginia.  He entered Washington College in 1819, but didn’t graduate.  After which Foote study law and was admitted to the bar in 1823.  He set up a practice in Tuscumbia, Alabama, where he also started a newspaper, library and the LaGrange College.  Foote moved to Mississippi where he was elected to the United State Senate.  He served in the Senate from 1847 to 1852, when he left to become the Governor of Mississippi.  Foote defeated Jefferson Davis in 1851 running on the Unionist platform.  Following his term as Governor Foote moved to California in 1854.  He returned to Mississippi and then in 1859 to Nashville, Tennessee.

Foote was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives when the war started.  He was critical of  Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ war policies in a speech December 8^th 1863.  In January 1865, Foote tried to cross Union lines to travel to Washington, DC, but Confederate authorities arrested him before he could.  He finally made it to Washington, DC, where he tried to have a meeting with President Abraham Lincoln.  Arrested by the Union Foote was given the choice of leaving the county or being sent back to the Confederacy.  Foote moved to Canada.

After the Civil War ended Foote moved back to Washington, DC where he opened another law practice.  He wrote several books, and was appointed as Superintendent of the New Orleans Mint by President Rutherford B Hayes.  Foote died in Nashville, Tennessee May 20^th 1880 and is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.  His grave is not marked.

The War Secretary

James Alexander Seddon was appointed the Secretary of War for the Confederacy November 21^st 1862 by Jefferson Davis.

James Alexander Seddon was born in Falmouth, Stafford, Virginia July 13^th 1815.  His health was never good and because of this he was educated at home.  When he turned twenty-one Seddon entered the University of Virginia where he studied the law.  After graduating in 1835 he settled in Richmond, Virginia where he had a successful law practice.  Seddon was elected to Congress in 1845 as a Democrat.  After serving two non-consecutive terms, his health caused him to leave politics.  Seddon retired to his estate on the James River.

The Peace Convention; an attempt to prevent the coming war, was held in Washington, DC in 1861, and Seddon attended.  When the Peace Convention fell through, Seddon attended the Confederate Provisional Congress.  Confederate President Jefferson Davis named Seddon the Secretary of War November 21^st 1862; he would hold the post until January 1^st 1865.

After the war was over Seddon returned to his estate and retired from political life.  He died August 19^th 1880.

A Letter Of Resignation

Following the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, General Robert E Lee sent a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis on August 8th 1863.


Robert E Lee wrote the letter of resignation just a little over a month after his armies retreat from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia saw 23,000 casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg, about a third of its force. The southern press began to conjecture on Lee’s leadership ability. Lee also considered the loss at Gettysburg to be his personal failure. He wrote in his letter to Davis, “I have been prompted by these reflections more than once since my return from Pennsylvania to propose to Your Excellency the propriety of selecting another commander for this army.” Davis refused to except the resignation, stating that he could find no other man “more fit to command, or who would possess more of the confidence of the army.”

A Confederate Yankee

Confederate General Richard Griffith was mortally wounded at the Battle of Savage’s Station June 29th 1862 and died the same day.


Richard Griffith was born January 11th 1814 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and after graduating he moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Griffith served with the 1st Mississippi Rifles during the Mexican-American War, and it was then that he became friends with Jefferson Davis. Following the Mexican-American War he became a United States Marshal, and continued to be a member of the Mississippi state militia where he attained the rank of Brigadier General.

At the beginning of the Civil War Griffith became the Colonel of the 12th Mississippi Infantry. He received a promotion to Brigadier General in November 1861, and took command of a Mississippi brigade, a part Confederate Major General John B Magruder’s division in early 1862. It was during a part of the Seven Days Battles on June 29th 1862 that Griffith was mortally wounded. His men were chasing retreating Union soldiers on the Nine Mile road when they ran into some of Major General Edwin Vose Summer’s Union II Corps. Sumner’s men were guarding the Union retreat near Savage’s Station. Griffith was wounded in the thigh during artillery fire by a shell fragment. It is reported that upon being told that his wound was fatal, Griffith said, "If only I could have led my brigade through this battle, I would have died satisfied."

Griffith was moved to Richmond, Virginia where he died of his wounds June 29th 1862. He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Last House Of The Confederacy

The Burt - Stark Mansion in Abbeville, South Carolina was the site on May 2nd 1865 of the last Confederate Council of War meeting.


The original owner of the Burt - Stark Mansion was David Lesley. He hired an English landscaper to design the property. When Lesley died in 1855, the property was purchased by a Presbyterian minister, Thomas A Hoyt. Hoyt sold it to Andrew Simonds a banker from Charleston, South Carolina, who in turn sold the home to Armistead Burt. Jefferson Davis’ wife Varina had met Burt when her husband was first in the United States Congress in 1845. At the beginning of the Civil War the first reading of the South Carolinia secession papers happened in the Burt - Stark Mansion. When Richmond, Virginia became un-safe Varina Davis and her children were invited by Burt to his home on April 17th 1865. After Richmond fell Jefferson Davis went to the house.

In the early evening of May 2nd 1865 Jefferson Davis held his final war council in the Burt - Stark Mansion. Among those who were in attendance were the Secretary of War John C Breckinridge and Braxton Bragg. Davis argued to continue fighting using the Confederate forces located west of the Mississippi River, but he was only one in favor. After some seething Davis excepted the decision, effectively bring an end to the Confederate States of America.

The Big Surrender

Confederate General Joseph E Johnston was on his second day of negotiating the surrender of his army April 18th 1865.


After Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered on April 9th 1865 at Appomattox Court House, General Joseph E Johnston agreed to meet with Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. They met at the Bennett Place, a small farm located between their lines near Durham, North Carolina. The negotiations began on April 17th which was when Johnston first learned of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and continued again on April 18th 1865. After two days peace terms were settled on. The terms of this peace were rejected by officials in Washington, DC, as they were looking to punish the south. However, on April 26th 1865 another agreement was worked out and Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee, and all active Confederate forces in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Sherman had 10 days of rations issued to the Confederate soldiers. Johnston would be paroled May 2nd 1865. Confederate President Jefferson Davis accused Johnston of having committed an act of treachery in having surrendered his 89,000 soldiers without having been defeated.

A good web site to look at if you like more information about this surrender is The Carolinas Campaign Johnston's Surrender
at Bennett Place on Hillsboro Road

Let Them Eat Bread

Because of the high cost and limited amount of food in Richmond, Virginia, April 2nd 1863 saw the Southern Bread Riots.

The Southern Bread Riots were caused by the foraging of the Union and Confederate armies, high inflation, and a drought in 1862, all of which made food hard to come by and expensive in southern cities. In the first three years of the war the cost of wheat had tripled, and milk and butter had gone up four times its original amount.

Women in the Confederacy began to protest the high cost of bread April 2nd 1863. The women believed speculators and an uncaring government were to blame for the shortages and high costs. As the protests grew they became violent. Rioters attacked stores, broke into warehouses, and tore apart dry goods stores. In Richmond, Virginia several women met in a church and marched on Capitol Square, where they demanded relief from Governor John Letcher. When no help was offered, thousands of mostly women broke into stores stealing clothes, food, and other items. The women shouted “Bread! Bread! Bread!” Jefferson Davis addressed the rioters from the back of wagon, asking them to break up and go home, he even took money out his own pocket and threw it at the mob. The women didn't break up until militia was call in, and the threat was made to fire on them.

His Heart Gave Out

Career United States Army officer and Confederate General John Henry Winder died February 21st 1865.


John Henry Winder was born February 7th 1800 at his families plantation “Rewston” in Somerset County, Maryland, the son of Brigadier General William H and Gertrude [Polk] Winder. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point graduating 11th in a class of 30 in 1820. After 4 years of military service Winder resigned to run the family plantation. Do to some family deaths and economic hardships Winder was forced to rejoin the army. He was promoted to First Lieutenant November 30th 1833 and given the job of teaching tactic at West Point, where one of his students was Jefferson Davis. Winder saw service during the Mexican - American war including the Battles of Contreras, Churubusco and Mexico City. Following the war Winder held the rank of Major in the United Army, receiving this promotion on November 22nd 1860.

Winder resigned his United State commission on April 27th 1860 and became a Colonel in the Confederate Army. He was made the Assistant Inspector General of Camps on June 21st 1861 with the rank of Brigadier General. Winder’s duties included prisons, handling deserters, setting prices for commodities and command of Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. It was Winder who appointed Captain Henry Wirz in April 1864 to command the Confederate Prison camp in Georgia known as Andersonville Prison. On November 21st 1864 Winder was placed in charge of the Confederate Bureau of Prison Camps a post he held until his death.

Winder was on duty in Florence, South Carolina when he had a heart attack and died February 7th 1865. He is buried in the Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.