Frank Crawford Armstrong: The General Who Fought For Both Sides

Brigadier General Frank Crawford Armstrong

       Many soldiers fought for both sides during the war, but you hardly ever think of a general officer as having done so. You'd be wrong. Frank Crawford Armstrong was born in 1835 in Choctaw Territory in what is today known as Oklahoma. His father Francis W. Armstrong was an American army officer posted there at the time. Unfortunately, Frank would not remember his father because he died three months before Frank's birth. Frank's widowed mother soon married Mexican War General Persifor F. Smith. At age 19, Frank accompanied his step-father into New Mexico to fight Native Americans. His performance there earned him a commission in the United States Army as a lieutenant without him having to attend West Point. 

       After this campaign into New Mexico, Armstrong attended Holy Cross College and got his degree. He retained his commission in the army and served under Albert Sidney Johnston during the Mormon Campaign in what was labeled the Utah War. When the Civil War began, Armstrong was made a captain in the Federal Army and led a company of cavalry at the Battle of Manassas. On August 10th, just two weeks after the embarrassing Federal defeat at that battle, Armstrong resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Army. He served on both the staffs of Ben McCulloch and James M. McIntosh, both generals being killed at Pea Ridge. Armstrong was actually just feet from his commander Ben McCulloch when that officer was killed. He was then commissioned colonel of a Louisiana regiment before taking command of Sterling Price's cavalry. He soon received a promotion to brigadier general.

       At the Battle of Chickamauga, Armstrong served under Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was soon given a brigade of Mississippi cavalry under Stephen D. Lee and served in Mississippi before joining the Army of Tennessee during the Atlanta Campaign. He served under Forrest during Hood's invasion of Tennessee and helped Forrest cover the retreat of the army into Alabama. He was captured fighting under Forrest in defense of Selma, Alabama. His military career was over. 

       Following the war, he served in the mail service in Texas, became an Indian inspector, and eventually became Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs. He died in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1909 at his daughter's house. I actually wrote to the local city historian in Bar Harbor a few years ago and asked her about the address where Armstrong died. She knew of the address, but almost called me a liar when I stated a Confederate general died in her town. Having resigned his U.S. Army commission on August 10, 1861 and joining the Confederate Army, his resignation wasn't accepted until August 13th. This means that Frank Crawford Armstrong served three days in both armies during the war. Frank Armstrong was 73 years old when he died and rests today in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C. 

Another wartime image of Frank Crawford. (He is ranked colonel in this image). 

Daniel Frost: The Confederate General Who Deserted

Brigadier General Daniel Marsh Frost

       There were only a couple of the 426 commissioned Confederate generals who were ever accused of cowardice. Daniel Marsh Frost was not one of them, however he is remembered today as the only Confederate general who deserted his cause. General Frost was born in Duanesburg, New York in 1823. He graduated from West Point ranked 4th in the class of 1844. Dan Frost saw action in the Mexican War and was brevetted for gallantry at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. Following the Mexican War, he almost lost an eye in a skirmish with Native Americans in Texas. In 1853, Frost resigned from the U.S. Army and began a career in business that involved both lumber and fur trading. By 1854, he was elected a senator in the Missouri State Legislature. He left the Missouri legislature in 1858 but became a brigadier general in the Missouri State Militia. 

       When the Civil War began, Frost was a supporter of the Southern states and raised Missouri troops for the Confederate cause. He and his recruits were surrounded by Federal troops near St. Louis, his men were marched through the city streets as prisoners and a riot broke out. After being exchanged he was commissioned brigadier general in the Confederate Army on March 3, 1862. He served briefly as a staff officer on Confederate General Braxton Bragg's staff before being reassigned to the Trans-Mississippi Department to serve under Major General Thomas C. Hindman. There he led a division in the Battle of Prairie Grove. In the spring of 1863, Hindman was relieved of duty in Little Rock, Arkansas (mostly for ruling the region with an iron fist) and Frost took command. 

       About five months after he took command of Confederate forces in Arkansas, Federal officials removed his family from their home in St. Louis, Missouri and exported them to Canada. Frost very quickly made a decision to desert the Confederate Army and rejoin his family in Canada. He didn't ask for permission to leave and was listed as a deserter from the Confederate Army (the only Confederate general out of the 426 to ever do so). He wouldn't return to Missouri until late 1865. 

       He spent the remainder of his life attempting to convince pro-Union people that he had not done anything wrong when he joined Confederate forces and at the same time he attempted to convince Southern supporters that he never really deserted. He wrote many articles attempting to explain what happened to him, but when he finally wrote his memoirs, he hardly even mentioned the greatest conflict of the time. 

       He died in 1900 on the outskirts of St. Louis and rests in that city today in Calvary Cemetery. He was 77 years old. No matter how you spin the story, he will always remain one of the most controversial generals of the war. 

Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost in a post-war view

William Henry Carroll: Fired Before He Got Started Good

William Henry Carroll

       There is no known photograph of Confederate Brigadier General William Henry Carroll. The above drawing is the only known image of the general in existence. Even the birth date of the general is in question. It is believed that he was born in 1810. Carroll's father served as governor of Tennessee six times. His father was also close friends with President Andrew Jackson. 

       His first occupation was as a planter in Mississippi and then later became postmaster of Memphis in 1848. When the war began, Carroll was appointed colonel of the 37th Tennessee Infantry. Tennessee General Leonidas Polk sent Carroll to east Tennessee to raise more troops. Carroll was very successful in this endeavor. He raised three regiments of infantry. He was then promoted to brigadier general on October 26, 1861. 

       In Chattanooga, General Carroll was observed by Alabama Colonel Sterling A.M. Wood who noted that Carroll had been drunk for five years. Wood went on to call Carroll stupid and easily manipulated. 

       Commanding 5,000 men in Knoxville, Carroll was plagued by a shortage of arms. In January of 1862, Carroll was ordered to join Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer in eastern Kentucky. He served under Major General George Crittenden and Zollicoffer at the Battle of Mill Springs. Crittenden in overall command praised Carroll following the defeat. There were rumors circulating that both Crittenden and Carroll had been intoxicated there. 

       When Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard began to gather the army in Corinth, Carroll was in command of a brigade of Tennessee infantry in Iuka a little over twenty miles east of Corinth. Major General William Hardee went there to investigate reports of incompetence by both Crittenden and Carroll. Both men were arrested for being intoxicated on duty. Under pressure from General Bragg and others, Carroll finally resigned his commission. 

       Carroll's family had moved to Canada following the fall of Memphis and Carroll soon joined them there. He never returned to the United States alive. He died in Montreal in 1868 at about the age of 58. Originally buried in Montreal, he was exhumed in 1869 and reburied in Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee. 

Me at the grave of William H. Carroll

(Note the incorrect birth and death dates)

Thomas Muldrop Logan: Sherman's Youngest Confederate General

Thomas Muldrop Logan

       Thomas Muldrop Logan was a long lanky Confederate Brigadier General by the end of the war. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1840. He graduated first in the South Carolina College in 1860 and began the war as a private. Following the bombardment of Fort Sumter, he was elected 1st lieutenant in the Hampton Legion. He saw his second serious action at the Battle of Manassas on Henry Hill. He action there won him a promotion to captain. 

       During the Seven Days battles, he was severely wounded at Gaines Mill and put out of action a few months. Though not quite healed yet, he returned in time to fight at Second Manassas. The Hampton Legion overran an artillery battery there and he won even more praise for his performance. At Sharpsburg (Antietam) he won even more praise for his distinguished bravery. 

The Boyish Looking Thomas Logan

       Following that battle, he transferred to Micah Jenkins South Carolina Brigade as a lieutenant colonel. He was praised in that capacity as well. Along with the rest of Micah Jenkins men, he missed the Battle of Gettysburg. At the Battle of Chickamauga, he was placed in charge of all the sharpshooters in John Bell Hood's division. He continued in that capacity to the Battle of Knoxville where Longstreet praised him for his courage and skill.

       Logan was then sent to Drewry's Bluff where he served Beauregard as a staff officer. Following an engagement there, he won promotion to colonel and was given command of the famous Hampton Legion. There were two Hampton Legion's at this time, one of infantry and one of cavalry. Logan commanded the cavalry regiment. He saw action at Riddell's Shop where he suffered another serious wound. 

       After he recovered, he was assigned to command Butler's South Carolina Cavalry Brigade. Fitz Lee recommended he be promoted to brigadier general and permanently assigned to that command. His promotion to brigadier general ranked from February 15, 1865. At the time, he was the youngest general in the Confederate Army. He saw action at Bentonville as a general and the war came to a close. 

One of only three photographs of Logan in uniform

       During the surrender ceremonies, Sherman met Thomas Logan and could hardly believe that such a "slight, fair haired boy" was a general. He imagined that Logan must be the youngest general in the war. He of course was wrong, that distinction belonged to Union Brigadier General Galusha Pennypacker who was four years younger than Logan. (Legend sometimes has it that Pennypacker was promoted by Lincoln because he thought his last name sounded comical.) 

       General Logan asked Sherman if he could take the train home to Charleston, South Carolina. Sherman surprised him by offering him a seat on the train about to leave for Raleigh. Logan was surprised by the kindness of Sherman, but replied that he wasn't ready to leave just yet. He wanted to say goodbye to his men. Sherman told him to just find General Kilpatrick when he was ready to go and he would direct him to Sherman who would ensure he had a seat on a train. Logan thanked Sherman for his kindness. 

Kate Virginia Cox

       Following the war, Thomas Logan borrowed five dollars and married Kate Virginia Cox of Virginia. He studied law in Richmond and soon became a railroad tycoon. He was one of the lucky ex-Confederates that didn't struggle to make a living. He was often associated with John D. Rockefeller. He died in New York City in 1914 and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery, the "Arlington of the Confederacy" in Richmond, Virginia. 

A post-war photograph of Thomas M. Logan

       

My buddy Jerry (right) and I at the grave of Thomas M. Logan

Major General Franklin Gardner

Major General Franklin Gardner

       Frank Gardner was born in 1823 in New York City. His father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and his mother was from a wealthy Louisiana family. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1838 and graduated 17th out of 39 cadets in the Class of 1843. His one note of distinction was his ranking of first in his class in drawing which was considered an important subject at the time because of the need to draw fortifications and maps in wartime. 

       Like his father, Frank married into a wealthy Louisiana family. He married Marie Celeste Mathilde Mouton, the sister of future Confederate Brigadier General Jean Jacques Alfred Alexander Mouton (see my blog http://trrcobb.blogspot.com/2010/12/general-with-long-name-jean-jacques.html). Her father Alexander Mouton would also become the governor of Louisiana. 

       Following graduation from West Point, he entered military service in the infantry. He would see at least four major battles in the Mexican War and was distinguished twice for gallantry. He served under Albert Sidney Johnston during the Morman Expedition with the rank of captain. When the South seceded from the Union, he never bothered to resign, but simply departed his post in Utah for Louisiana. 

       He spent the early part of the Civil War bouncing from post to post. He served as a lieutenant colonel of infantry, a staff officer under Jubal Early, commanded a brigade of cavalry, and even saw action at Shiloh. When Beauregard became commander of the Army of Mississippi, he was promoted to brigadier general commanding all the cavalry of the army. Gardner would see action at Perryville in this capacity. Following Perryville, he promoted to major general and sent to the position he would become most famous for holding: Port Hudson. 

       Although John C. Pemberton and Vicksburg have gained more attention, Port Hudson was just as important as Vicksburg as a fort defending the Mississippi River. While Vicksburg held the northern part of a 200 mile section of the Mississippi, Port Hudson held the southern point. While Pemberton's 33,000 man army was withstanding a siege by Ulysses Grant and his army of 77,000, Frank Gardner was fighting longer odds. His 7,500 men were facing between thirty and forty thousand under Nathaniel Banks. 

A Confederate Columbiad at Port Hudson

       At Port Hudson, Frank Gardner placed his engineering skills to good work. He strengthened the fort and prepared the defenders for hard fighting. When Banks army arrived, Gardner withstood 47 days of siege and inflicted 5,000 casualties on his enemy. Another 5,000 Union soldiers became casualties to disease during this same period. Gardner's total casualties amounted to almost one thousand men. 

        He refused to surrender until July 9, 1863 after he was certain that Vicksburg had fallen and that Joseph Johnston wasn't coming to his aide with reinforcements. His men were half starved, been exposed to constant artillery fire for over forty days, had no medical supplies, and were utterly exhausted. He had accomplished far more than most men would have in the same situation. 

       He remained a prisoner of war until August of 1864 when he was exchanged. Gardner was then sent to command the District of Mississippi and East Louisiana under Richard Taylor. He would see minimal action for the remainder of the war. Following the war, he made a living farming in Lafayette, Louisiana. He would only survive the war by eight years. He died at age fifty of unknown causes. His tombstone lists his middle name as Kitchell, although there are few other sources that show him having a middle name. 

Frank Gardner's grave

       He rests today in Saint John's Cemetery in Lafayette, Louisiana. His wife Mary would outlive him by almost 42 years. He rests in the same cemetery as his brother-in-law Brigadier General Jean Jacques Alfred Alexander Mouton who was killed at the Battle of Mansfield in 1864. 

An image said to be Franklin Gardner, some people believe this is actually a photograph of Confederate Brigadier General Richard Brooke Garnett

(See my blog http://trrcobb.blogspot.com/2011/01/who-is-richard-brooke-garnett.html?showComment=1434653687876#c3561612509051448284)

Robert Doak Lilley: The only Confederate General I ever cursed

Brigadier General Robert Doak Lilley

       For anyone that has any doubt, my personal hero's are Confederate Generals, Colonels, and Soldiers, not necessarily in that order. I would never speak evil of any of these guys, but a man has his limits, so to speak. I was pushed beyond my feeble limit with my red haired temper and poor General Lilley paid the price. 

       Robert Doak Lilley was born in Greenville, Virginia in 1836. He graduated from what is today Washington and Lee University. He then became a salesman of surveying instruments of his father's design. He just happened to be in Charleston, South Carolina when the Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in 1861. He returned to Virginia where he recruited a company in the 25th Virginia Infantry and became its captain.

       The above photograph was once considered the only wartime photographed image of General Lilley, like his grave, this too is now false. Part of his regiment was captured in the battle's in the Rich Mountain Campaign. Lilley managed to escape with part of his company. They would be a part of Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. At the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9, 1862, Lilley saw the regiment break from a Federal assault. He personally took the regimental colors and helped solidify the Confederate line. He was commended for bravery at Second Manassas. He also led his troops, exhibiting great courage at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and Fredericksburg.

       He was promoted to Major just after new years of 1863. His regiment was sent back to the Shenandoah Valley during the Chancellorsville Campaign. They would rejoin Lee's Army for the invasion of Pennsylvania. He would fight under John Marshall "Rum" Jones at Gettysburg and be promoted to lieutenant colonel following that battle. 

       His next major battle would be at the Wilderness in the spring of 1864. He would fight at Spotsylvania and be promoted to colonel of the 25th Virginia Infantry. He was promoted to brigadier general following Spotsylvania. They joined Early in the invasion of Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. 

       On July 20, 1864, while attempting to rally his broken lines at Stephenson's Depot, Lilley was hit three times and captured. Federal surgeons removed one of his arms that day. When the Federal army retreated from Winchester, they left the wounded brigadier behind. He was soon recovered by Confederate forces in the area. Once he was ready to take the field again, he commanded forces in the Shenandoah Valley. He held this command until the end of the war.

       

Another photograph of Lilley

       He spent his years after the war devoted to Washington and Lee College and his church. He would die in Richmond, Virginia in 1886 and be buried in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, Virginia or so they say. This is where we come to the part about me cursing a Confederate General for the first time in my life. My buddy Jerry Smith and our wives entered this cemetery in search of General Lilley and General Echols. General Echols was quickly found. General Lilley as my buddy Jerry likes to say (not so much). 

Robert Doak Lilley is fourth from left, standing just over Robert E. Lee's left shoulder

       We spread out and combed this cemetery for about two hours. There was not a sign of the tombstone you see below. I asked the locals and they claimed to have seen it before, but they couldn't locate the marker. My buddy Jerry found something on his phone that said that Lilley was buried near Jedediah Hotchkiss who was a map maker on Stonewall Jackson's staff. We found Jedediah's grave, and combed the area around it up to 100 yards, still no General Lilley. We left a message with a lady that oversee's the cemetery. She returned our call and told us that she could take us right to his grave, but we were almost to Richmond, Virginia by this time. 

       It was a hot afternoon (I don't do heat, it gives me a migraine, and this day was no exception), we had searched the cemetery several times, I was frustrated, had little sleep the night before and I may have cursed General Lilley under my breath a time or two that afternoon. I truly wasn't cursing him, but the fact that there was no way to find such a great man's grave. It only means I will have to return to the cemetery when I visit Gettysburg later this year. 

The possible resting place of General Robert D. Lilley, but I'm not betting my paycheck on him being there

The Other Roll Tide General

William Henry Forney

       I wrote a blog over a year ago about the Confederacy's Roll Tide General. The story was about Brigadier General John Caldwell Calhoun Sanders who was attending the University of Alabama when the Civil War began. He fought in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and was killed at the Battle of the Weldon Railroad south of Petersburg.

       For some reason I had forgotten about William Henry Forney, who also attended the University of Alabama and graduated there in 1844. Since we are just days away from my favorite team kicking off the football season against the Michigan Wolverines, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a blog about this Crimson Tide Confederate General. 

       Forney was born in North Carolina in 1823, but moved to Alabama with his family at the ripe old age of eight. He fought in the Mexican War and then returned to Alabama where he practiced law. He also served as a Trustee of the University of Alabama from 1851 until 1860. In 1859 he was elected to the state legislature. 

       When the war began, he became captain of Company G, 10th Alabama Infantry. His brother John Horace Forney commanded the regiment. William would be shot in the shin at his first engagement at Dranesville. He was wounded and captured at the Battle of Williamsburg, being shot in the right arm near the shoulder, his arm was broken. Following his exchange, he was promoted to colonel of the 10th. His brother Henry had been promoted to brigadier general. 

       He commanded the regiment at Salem Church, one of the battles in the Chancellorsville Campaign. Again, he was wounded, but only slightly in the leg. At Gettysburg, he led the regiment in the assault on Sickles's line near the Peach Orchard. He was wounded twice, but continued to remain with his men when a third bullet broke his right arm again. Still, he pressed on with his men until a bullet took away his left heel. The wound was severely painful and again, he was left behind and captured by the Federals. 

   

The only know photographs are post-war sittings.

       Upon exchange, Forney was promoted to brigadier general and took command of Wilcox's brigade. Wilcox had been promoted to major general and given command of a division. He joined his brigade in the trenches at Petersburg. He served in command of the brigade during the Petersburg campaign and surrendered with his men at Appomattox. 

       Following the war he returned to practicing law and eventually served in the United States Congress. He died in 1894 and was buried in the City Cemetery, Jacksonville, Alabama. His brother Major General John Forney and Major John Pelham are both buried in this cemetery. 

       Major General Cadmus Wilcox said Forney was "intelligent, energetic, and gallant in commanding, directing, and leading his men." 

       General Robert E. Lee said of Forney, "An excellent officer and worthy of promotion," and he is "an officer of intelligence, energy and bravery and of long and faithful service."

Forney's Grave Site

       William's brother John was not a Roll Tide General because John who was six years younger than William obtained an appointment to West Point. This also explains why his younger brother was ranked above William throughout the war. I was having a conversation the other day with the Tuscumbia City Historian John McWilliams. He asked me if I knew why southerners loved football so much. I knew he was about to drop something good on me, so I took the bait and asked why. He said "It's because those damned Yankee's can only put eleven men on the field unlike the Civil War. So just five days from kickoff, all I have to say is "Roll Tide" General Forney!

Alfred Holt Colquitt: A man of many talents

Alfred Holt Colquitt before his 1862 promotion

       Alfred Holt Colquitt became many things during his sixty-nine years on this earth. He was born in Georgia in 1824, the son of a United States Senator. Young Alfred graduated from Princeton and became a lawyer. He served in the United States Army during the Mexican War being commissioned a major. Returning from the Mexican War, Colquitt began to dabble in politics becoming a United States Congressman and serving in the Georgia State Legislature.

       When the Civil War began, Colquitt became a captain in the 6th Georgia Infantry. By the time the regiment saw action at Seven Pines, Colquitt had become colonel. He led the regiment throughout the Seven Days and was promoted to brigadier general before Lee's army invaded Maryland. He would command a brigade at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. His brigade was so under-strength following the latter battle that General Lee sent Colquitt and his men back to Georgia to recruit. 

       

Colquitt sometime after his promotion in 1862

       Colquitt and his brigade would next see action in Florida. They were sent there and placed under the command of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan. They were sent there to stop and invasion of 5,000 men under Federal Brigadier General Truman Seymour. Against orders, the Federal general began his invasion meeting Colquitt and Finegan at the Battle of Olustee. Both forces were about equal, but the Federal army lost over 2000 men, while the Confederate's lost less than a thousand. It was one of Colquitt's best days as a commander. Not only had they stopped the invasion, but had defeated the famed 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry.

       During the Siege of Petersburg, Colquitt's brigade would again be sent to Virginia to serve under General Lee. Despite having seen some of the war's fiercest fighting, especially at Antietam, Colquitt came through the war without a scratch. He returned to Georgia and eventually became governor of the state for two terms and was elected to two terms in the United States Senate. He would die while serving there. 

Colquitt in his later years

       During the Civil War, he was called a competent and inspiring commander. He suffered a stroke in 1893 and was paralyzed on one side of his body for the last six months of his life. Unable to speak, he suffered another stroke on March 26, 1894 and died. He rests today in Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Georgia. He'd accomplished a lot in his life, fighting in two wars, serving in both houses of congress, the Georgia legislature, a lawyer, governor and at one point in his life he became a preacher. 

Colquitt's grave

Confederate General Killed by D.U.I.?

Brigadier General William Edwin Baldwin

Confederate Brigadier General William Edwin Baldwin was born in 1827 in South Carolina. He moved with his family at an early age to Columbus, Mississippi and that is where he would call home. As an adult, Baldwin owned a book store and served in a local militia company. He served as an officer in that company for twelve years. 

When the Civil War began, he was made captain and the company became a part of the 14th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. The regiment was assigned to Pensacola, Florida where Baldwin became colonel commanding the regiment. He would soon be sent to Cumberland Gap and placed in charge of a brigade. 

From there he was sent to Fort Donelson, Tennessee where he was placed in command of a brigade of Tennessee and Mississippi Infantry. His brigade led the breakout attempt there and he was commended for his courageous leadership. He was surrendered there with the rest of the fort and held prisoner of war for six months. 

After being exchanged, Baldwin was promoted to brigadier general and sent to Mississippi. His brigade fought at the Battle of Port Gibson. During the siege of Vicksburg, Baldwin was wounded, but was soon back in command of his men. When Pemberton approached all his officers looking for support in surrendering his command, he received approval from all but one man. That man was William Baldwin who voted to hold out to the last man. 

Baldwin was exchanged and sent to Mobile where he took command of a garrison of sixteen-hundred men. It was here that Baldwin would meet an early death. Although, many disagree as to what happened, we know that he died from a fall from his horse. It was reported that a stirrup broke and the fall resulted in his death. 

As with all of history things are a little murky. Rumors were soon being spread that Baldwin had been intoxicated and riding his horse at high speed when he fell from the saddle. Many believe the story was changed to a broken stirrup in an attempt to save the man’s reputation. 

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, William Edwin Baldwin was a brave officer and hero of the Civil War. Everyone makes mistakes and this should have no impact on the man’s war record. 

William Edwin Baldwin was 36 years old. Initially buried in Mobile, he would be re-interred in Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Mississippi where he rests today. 

Resting place of General Baldwin