This Month in the Civil War: Battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House Begin, Lincoln Buried

From the 2023 May American Battlefield Trust calendar.

MAY 1, 1863

**  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virgina, begins.

MAY 4, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1865

**  Battle of  the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864

**  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863

**  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia.

MAY 10, 1865

*  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Infantry: The Rest of the War

Lt. Nesbit no longer served in the 22nd Georgia after his wounds on the second day at Gettysburg.  But the regiment continued to see action.

1863

July 23:  Manassas Gap     The regiment suffered 50 casualties.

October:  Bristoe Campaign

November-December:  Mine Run Campaign

*********************************

1864

May 5-6:  Battle of Wilderness     Lt. JosephW. Alexander captured

May 8-21   Battle of Spotsylvania Court House    Lt. Harrison Broadwell of Company A killed.

May 23-26:  Battle of North Anna

June 1-3:  Battle of Cold Harbor

--Old Secesh

May Civil War Events: Chancellorsville, Lincoln Buried, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Stonewall Dies

From the May 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar. 

MAY 1, 1863

**  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, begins.

MAY4, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1864

**  Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864

**  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863

**  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia.

MAY 10, 1865

**  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

MAY 12, 1863

**  Battle of Raymond, Mississippi.

MAY 12, 1865

**  Battle of Palmito Ranch, Texas, begins.

--Old Secesh

Edward S. Bragg-- Part 7: Command of the Pennsylvania Bucktail Brigade

After the fighting on May 6, at the Wilderness, Bragg was placed in command of the division's 3rd Brigade which was made up of all Pennsylvania regiments, sometimes called the Pennsylvania Bucktail Brigade, by General Lysander Cutler, who had been Bragg's original commander of the 6th Wisconsin.  Lysander had become division commander with the death of General  James S. Wadsworth.

Bragg was replacing  the Bucktails' commander Colonel  Roy Stone who had reportedly been drunk during the battle on May 5 and 6.  On both days, his brigade had performed poorly, reportedly marching and firing in disorganized manner and scattering in the face of Confederate skirmishers.  They even had accidentally wounded members of their own unit.

Stone had been removed after his horse  fell on top of him on May 6.

Bragg led the brigade for  most of the remainder of the Overland Campaign.  His leadership stabilized the brigade and they performed admirably at Spotsylvania Court House,  North Ana, Totopotomoy Creek and Cold Harbor.  After Cold Harbor, Bragg turned command of the brigade over to Gettysburg hero Joshua  Chamberlain.

--Old Secesh

Edward S. Bragg-- Part 6: Re-enlisting and the Battle of the Wilderness

At the Battle of Gettysburg, the 6th Wisconsin had 340 effectives on the field and lost 30 killed,  116 wounded and 22 missing.  Most of them all were on the first day.

Colonel Bragg returned to the 6th Wisconsin about August 28, 1863,  During the Bristoe Campaign and the Battle of Mine Run, the Iron Brigade participated in a series of  maneuvers but weren't engaged in any serious fighting.

In January 1864, the 6th Wisconsin's enlistment was over.  Those who re-enlisted were given Veteran Status and they, along with Bragg traveled by train home on furlough and were feted in Milwaukee.

Returning to Virginia, the 6th was then involved in Gen. Grant's Overland Campaign, starting with the Battle of Wilderness on May 5, 1864, during which Edward S. Bragg was nearly captured trying to ascertain where other Union regiments were located.

On May 6, the Iron Brigade was involved in an attack on the Confederate left flank that was initially successful until Confederate reinforcements counterattacked and forced them to fall back.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in May: Battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House

 From the American Battlefield Trust May 2021 Calendar.

MAY 1, 1863:  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, begins.

MAY 4, 1865:  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1864:  Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864:  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863:  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia

MAY 10, 1865:  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

--Old Secesh

Two Old Soldiers Greet FDR at Antietam's 75th Anniversary in 1937-- Part 4: Bazel Lemley

Bazel Lemley, 95, was the Union veteran who was at the Battle of Antietam who met President Roosevelt at the 75th anniversary of the battle.  He was 19 when he enlisted in the 37th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment as a private on May 15, 1861.  He survived Antietam, but was slightly wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864.

According to a descendant, Mr. Lemley was "quite a celebrity around his home" and was quite active up until his death.

Like Robert E. Miles, Lemley lived to reach his 100th birthday and even at that age often walked two miles a day.  "He was consistently Greene County's best-dressed senior," another Pennsylvania newspaper noted.

On February 18, 1943, eight days after he celebrated his 101st birthday, Mr. Lemley died in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.  World War I veterans served as his pallbearers at his funeral.

"Mr. Lemley was a staunch Republican and among his fondest memories was shaking hands with President Lincoln at a military review and with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the dedication of the 'Eternal Light' memorial at Gettysburg, according to his obituary in the Waynesburg  (Pa.) Democrat Messenger.

--Old Secesh

14th Connecticut's Post Gettysburg Civil War Service-- Part 1

Despite being down to just 100 men after Gettysburg, there was no rest for the 14th Connecticut Nutmeg regiment.  It participated in all of the major battles of the Army of the Potomac during the course of the rest of the war.

From the Civil War in the East site.

These are some of the events:

1863

July 14:  Falling Waters

August 6:  First  reinforcement of recruits, conscripts and substitutes.

August 25:  Original regimental flag so damaged, it was replaced by the state.

September 18:  two deserters from the recent reinforcement of substitutes shot for desertion in the presence of the division.

October 9-22:  Bristoe Campaign.

1864

May 5-7:  Battle of the Wilderness

May 8-21:  Battle of Spottsylvania Court House

--Old Secesh

Amanda Matilda Colburn Felch-- Part 2: Went to War With Her brother

From the Vermont Civil War Org.

Growing up on a farm as she did made her a very strong woman, one who could endure all the deprivations of military life as well as long marches.  She married at age 23 and became Mrs. Farnham and after the war married M.P. Felch.  But her honors serving as a nurse came under the name Colburn.

When her brother Henry enlisted in the 3rd Vermont she left her child at her parents and followed him into service.  She enrolled with the the regiment July 5, 1861 and was appointed hospital matron.  In the winter 1861-1862, there was much sickness in the Army of the Potomac.

From that winter to the Battle of the Wilderness she went from regiment to regiment as she was needed.

--Old Secesh

Freeman Conner of the 44th New York-- Part 1

The next person our Ellsworth presenter mentioned was Freeman Conner, who he said was lieutenant colonel of the 44th New York eventually.  He was wounded twice during the war at the battles of Fredericksburg and the Wilderness.

He commanded a brigade in the valiant defense of the Little Round Top on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

At this point in the presentation, Doug Dammann was just showing pictures of these men and saying a few things.  I am doing a more involved research.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets March 25 in Crystal Lake

I am planning on being there.

The McHenry County Covil War Round Table discussion group will meet Saturday, March 25, 2017, at Panera Bread at 6000 Northwest Highway (US Highway 14) in Crystal lake, Illinois.

The topic will be Ulysses S. Grant Beyond Chattanooga.  All welcome to attend and add to the discussion or just listen.

I plan on mentioning the "Fistfight That Stopped a Battle" at Saunders Field during the Battle of the Wilderness and the sharpshooter who killed Gen. Sedgwick at the Battle of Spotsylvania.

Many think it might have been Charles D. Grace of the 4th Georgia from the town of LaGrange who killed Gen. Sedgwick.   This town also was home to the female militia unit known as the Nancy Harts, named after an American Revolution heroine.  I have written about them in this blog earlier this month.  I also have had quite a few blog entries on Nancy Hart in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

Maybe also find out if Spottsylvania is spelled with one or two ts?

See You There.  --Old Secesh

"On to Richmond": Mort Kunstler's 2015 Civil War Calendar for May

Painting of General Grant and Staff riding through Union lines on May 7, 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness with the men ecstatic and cheering him on.

GRANT IN THE WILDERNESS, MAY 7, 1864:  After two days of fighting the Battle of the Wilderness in dense woods, with forest fires raging everywhere, General Grant decided to march General Meade's Army of the Potomac south instead of north to retreat.  The men, realizing their fighting and suffering had not been in vain, cheered Grant in a spontaneous and unexpected show of support.

Colonel Porter recalled the scene 30 years later: "While moving close to Hancock's line, there occurred an unexpected demonstration on the part of the troops, which created one of the most memorable scenes of the campaign.  Notwithstanding the darkness of the night, the form of the commander was recognized and word was passed rapidly along that the chief who had led them through the mazes of the Wilderness was again moving forward with his horse's head pointed toward Richmond.

"Troops know but little about what is going on in a large army, except the occurrences which take place in their immediate vicinity; but this night ride of the general-in-chief told plainly of the story of success, and gave each man to understand the cry was to be 'On to Richmond!"

--Old Secesh