Former President of the United States John Tyler dies in Richmond at the age of 72. (He will later be buried with "elaborate services" in Hollywood Cemetery on the banks of the James River.
Confederacy - Government
The Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed, and consists of the southern half of the Union New Mexico Territory.
Union - Military
Kentucky
In the vicinity of Mill Springs and Somerset, Union forces under General George H. Thomas converged on the Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. George B. Crittenden, who, due to the inaction of his subordinate Brig GEn Felix Zollicoffer, is in a vulnerable position with his back to the Cumberland River.
General George H. Thomas at Wikipedia
George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816 – March 28, 1870) was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater.
Thomas served in the Mexican-American War and later chose to remain with the United States Army for the Civil War, despite his heritage as a Virginian. He won one of the first Union victories in the war, at Mill Springs in Kentucky, and served in important subordinate commands at Perryville and Stones River. His stout defense at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 saved the Union Army from being completely routed, earning him his most famous nickname, the "Rock of Chickamauga." He followed soon after with a dramatic breakthrough on Missionary Ridge in the Battle of Chattanooga. In the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864, he achieved one of the most decisive victories of the war, destroying the army of Confederate General John Bell Hood, at the Battle of Nashville.
Thomas had a successful record in the Civil War, but he failed to achieve the historical acclaim of some of his contemporaries, such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. He developed a reputation as a slow, deliberate general who shunned self-promotion and who turned down advancements in position when he did not think they were justified. After the war, he did not write memoirs to advance his legacy. He also had an uncomfortable personal relationship with Grant, which served him poorly as Grant advanced in rank and eventually to the presidency.
Brig. Gen. George B. Crittenden at Wikipedia
George Bibb Crittenden (March 20, 1812 – November 27, 1880) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Black Hawk War, the Army of the Republic of Texas, the Mexican-American War, and was a general in the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War.
Early life
Crittenden was born in Russellville, Kentucky, his father being the U.S. politician John J. Crittenden. His brother Thomas Leonidas Crittenden and cousin of Thomas Turpin Crittenden were both future generals for the Union Army. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1832 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry. He fought in the Black Hawk War of 1832 and resigned his commission the following year. He attended Transylvania University and became a lawyer. He moved to Texas in 1842 and joined the Army of the Republic of Texas. During the Mier Expedition of 1843, he was captured by the Mexican army and exchanged. He rejoined the U.S. Army in 1846 and fought with the Regiment of Mounted Rifles in the Mexican-American War. He was given a brevet promotion to Major (United States) for gallantry at Contreras and Churubusco in 1847 and a permanent promotion to major in the regular army in 1848. However, on August 19, 1848, he was cashiered from the Army, to be restored in March 1849. He eventually reached the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel in 1856.
Civil War
Just before the start of the Civil War, Crittenden accepted a commission as colonel in the Confederate States Army infantry on March 16, 1861, although he would not resign his U.S. Army commission until June 10. He was promoted to brigadier general on August 15, 1861, and served briefly as a brigade commander in the Confederate Army of the Potomac in Virginia. He was promoted to major general on November 9, 1861, and commanded the District of East Tennessee. On January 18, 1862, he and Confederate Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer were defeated by Union Army General George H. Thomas at the Battle of Mill Springs,[1] the first important Confederate defeat in the war, breaking the Southern hold on eastern Kentucky.
He briefly commanded the 2nd Division of the Army of Central Kentucky in 1862, but was relieved on March 31. He was arrested the next day for drunkenness by the order of Maj. Gen. William J. Hardee and restored on April 18. General Braxton Bragg ordered a court of inquiry in July and Crittenden resigned as a general officer, reverting to colonel in October 1862.
Postbellum career
Later in the war, Crittenden commanded the Trans-Allegheny Department. He served as the state librarian of Kentucky from 1867 to 1871. He died in Danville, Kentucky, and is buried in the State Cemetery, Frankfort, Kentucky.
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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971
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