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Farragut captured Mobile Bay and put paid to the rebellion's use of Mobile as a port but the city itself was captured late in the war by General Canby after a siege and some hard fighting.
At Blakely outside the city are some very well preserved defensive fortifications and Federal siegeworks.
You are correct. But, he did physically capture New Orleans by sailing up the Mississippi and threatening to reduce the place to rubble if they didn't surrender. With the fleet anchored just off Jackson Square, that was a hard demand for the rebels to turn down.
President Nixon's great-grandfather was killed at the battle of Gettysburg, and is buried in the cemetery where Lincoln gave his address. He was wounded on the battlefield, in front of Union lines, and the soldier who rescued him was awarded the Medal of Honor. Nixon later died of his wounds.
Speaking of Medal of Honors, Capt Thomas Custer was awarded 2 medal of honors for actionsnduring the Civil War. He died with his brother George and other family members at the Little Big Horn in 1876.
Oh, and George Custer was not the only 'boy' general.
President Nixon's great-grandfather was killed at the battle of Gettysburg, and is buried in the cemetery where Lincoln gave his address. He was wounded on the battlefield, in front of Union lines, and the soldier who rescued him was awarded the Medal of Honor. Nixon later died of his wounds.
Speaking of Medal of Honors, Capt Thomas Custer was awarded 2 medal of honors for actionsnduring the Civil War. He died with his brother George and other family members at the Little Big Horn in 1876.
Oh, and George Custer was not the only 'boy' general.
George never got a CMOH, not even in death.
He referred to his brothers medals as, "Tom's baubles."
Sedgwick continued to walk around in the open and was quoted as saying, "What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Although ashamed, his men continued to flinch and he repeated, "I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Unfortunately, for Sedgewick, he was proven wrong. Those were the last words he spoke as he was shot dead within seconds of saying that...showing, that yes, an elephant COULD not only be hit, but killed at that distance.
Sedgwick's death would rank as the most dramatic of the war were it not topped by the demise of General Leonidas "Bishop" Polk.
In June of 1864, Johnston's Army of Tennessee had taken a defensive position on Pine Mountain near Marietta, Georgia. There was a spur of the mountain which jutted far forward, and wasn't part of the defensive position, but was ideal for observation of Sherman's army as it dug in at the base of the high ground. Johnston and his corps commanders, Hardee and Polk, went forward with their staffs and ascended the spur to have a look.
At the same time, General Sherman was inspecting his lines. When he arrived at a point opposite the spur, he spotted the Confederate officers at the top having their casual review. "How saucy they are" Sherman declared. Offended by their audacity in coming so close, Sherman ordered General Howard to have his nearest artillery battery chase them away. He of course had no way of knowing that this was the enemy high command.
The order was obeyed and the first two shots directed at the Confederate gathering were misses, but near enough to start a rush to safety by all save Polk. Refusing to allow his dignity to be stampeded, Polk clasped his hands together behind his back, and slowly strolled after the others. The thrid shot fired pierced him through his left arm, left rib cage and exited out the right rib cage and through his right arm. He was killed instantly. Shelby Foote described it as a "cannon sniping."
Sherman later learned the identity of that "saucy" officer and in his dispatch to Washington, he economically wrote "We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and are making good progress."
I always thought it was odd there was a Civil War battle (or was it a skirmish?) way out in New Mexico.
It is referred to at times as the Gettysburg of the West, though it was no where near as large in scale. There isn't a whole lot to see there.
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