Alan J. Pitts
Last battle of the war or last east of the Mississippi?
Mon Mar 19 11:39:38 2001


Girard was ONE of the last actions east of the Mississippi, but our friends on the Texas message board would dispute it as being the last. Handbook of Texas lists the last battle of the war as the action at Palmito Ranch, Texas, May 13, 1865. The Confederates won. A detailed description of this action from the handbook is located here:

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/PP/qfp1.html.

Probably the last Confederate officer killed in the Columbus area was Capt. Addison Harvey who led a company of Forrest's Scouts. Evidently Harvey arrived with his men after Wilson left the town and was killed attempting to stop the looting after the fall of the city. Here's the URL on Harvey's Company:

http://mississippiscv.org/UHHarveysScouts.htm

The last action on Alabama soil took place at Munford near Talladega when Croxton's column overran a small group of Confederates led by Col. Benjamin J. Hill of the 35th Tennessee on April 23, 1865. Here's on good site on that one: http://www.talladega.com/history21.htm

There are any number of good websites on Confederate Indians. Stand Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender, signing an agreement at Doaksville in the Indian Territory on June 23, 1865. I'm unaware of any battles and skirmishes that accompanied his surrender (or cease hostilities) agreement.

In December I exchanged notes with Homer Jones on the post commander at Columbus, Col. Leon Von Zinken. Alabama units involved involved in the defense would have been remnants of Abram Buford's command as well as what was left of Clanton's Brigade. There may have been others; I've not studied this action carefully. Perhaps other message board readers would care to respond.






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