Jesse M. Williams
Encyclopedia
Jesse Milton Williams commanded a Louisiana
regiment in the American Civil War
. He briefly held brigade command at the Battle of Gettysburg
. Prior to the Civil War, Williams attended the University of Alabama and lived in Mansfield, Louisiana.
The 2nd Louisiana Infantry was organized in 1861, being mustered into the Confederate service on May 11 of that year. Jesse M. Williams was named captain of the Pelican Rifles, a company recruited in DeSoto Parish and Natchitoches Parish. The original officers of the 2nd Louisiana earned a reputation for drunkenness. Perhaps for this reason, the regiment was reorganized in May 1862 with J. T. Norwood as colonel and Williams as lieutenant colonel. By then the regiment, led by Col William Levy, had seen combat under the command of BG Howell Cobb
in the 1862 Battle of Yorktown
and the Battle of Seven Pines
in the division of MG John B. Magruder
.
When Col Norwood was mortally wounded at the Battle of Malvern Hill
during an assault by Magruder's division, Williams was named his successor. He led the regiment in the Army's Second Louisiana Brigade at the Battle of Cedar Mountain
, the Second Battle of Bull Run
and the Battle of Antietam
in the brigade of BG William E. Starke
in Stonewall Jackson
’s command. Williams was wounded in the chest at Antietam in the fighting along the Hagerstown Road. Col Williams did not return to his regiment in time for the Battle of Fredericksburg
. Williams returned to active duty in 1863. The regiment fought under BG Francis T. Nicholls
at the Battle of Chancellorsville
. When Nicholls was wounded on May 2, 1862, eventually losing a foot, Williams became acting brigade commander. The brigade served on the left flank of the Confederate line on May 3, eventually running low on ammunition.
Jesse Williams remained acting brigade commander in the Gettysburg Campaign
under MG Edward Johnson
. In that role, Williams led the attack on Stephenson’s Depot on June 15, 1863, cutting off the retreat of many of the federal troops of Gen Robert Milroy defeated in the Second Battle of Winchester. At Gettysburg on July 2, Williams’ brigade was involved in Johnson’s attack on Culp's Hill
. In his report, Williams complained that he was not supported on right right by the brigade of BG John M. Jones
.http://www.civilwarhome.com/williamsgettysburgor.htm That Louisiana brigade was involved in a renewed assault on July 3. The battle cost Williams 291 of 1,104 troops engaged. Williams later forwarded a petition of his officers asking to be permitted to refill their ranks or go onto garrison duty. This may have helped cost Williams any chance at promotion.
Command of the Second Louisiana Brigade was given to BG Alfred Iverson
for the Bristoe Campaign
, but it passed eventually to BG Leroy A. Stafford. Williams led his regiment through 1863 under these commanders and at the beginning of 1864 under Stafford. Williams led his regiment at the Battle of the Wilderness
, in which Gen Stafford lost his life. Col Zebulon York
was Stafford’s immediate successor, but Williams seems to have succeeded to command in time for the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Williams was killed at the on May 12, 1864, during the attack of the federal II Corps
on the Confederate lines. Ltc Ross E. Burke succeeded to command of the regiment.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
regiment in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He briefly held brigade command at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. Prior to the Civil War, Williams attended the University of Alabama and lived in Mansfield, Louisiana.
The 2nd Louisiana Infantry was organized in 1861, being mustered into the Confederate service on May 11 of that year. Jesse M. Williams was named captain of the Pelican Rifles, a company recruited in DeSoto Parish and Natchitoches Parish. The original officers of the 2nd Louisiana earned a reputation for drunkenness. Perhaps for this reason, the regiment was reorganized in May 1862 with J. T. Norwood as colonel and Williams as lieutenant colonel. By then the regiment, led by Col William Levy, had seen combat under the command of BG Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb was an American political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851...
in the 1862 Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown (1862)
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
and the Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
in the division of MG John B. Magruder
John B. Magruder
John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army...
.
When Col Norwood was mortally wounded at the Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
during an assault by Magruder's division, Williams was named his successor. He led the regiment in the Army's Second Louisiana Brigade at the Battle of Cedar Mountain
Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
, the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
and the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
in the brigade of BG William E. Starke
William E. Starke
William Edwin Starke was a wealthy Gulf Coast businessman and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
in Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
’s command. Williams was wounded in the chest at Antietam in the fighting along the Hagerstown Road. Col Williams did not return to his regiment in time for the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. Williams returned to active duty in 1863. The regiment fought under BG Francis T. Nicholls
Francis T. Nicholls
Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls was an American attorney, politician, judge, and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
. When Nicholls was wounded on May 2, 1862, eventually losing a foot, Williams became acting brigade commander. The brigade served on the left flank of the Confederate line on May 3, eventually running low on ammunition.
Jesse Williams remained acting brigade commander in the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
under MG Edward Johnson
Edward Johnson (general)
Edward Johnson , also known as Allegheny Johnson , was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. In that role, Williams led the attack on Stephenson’s Depot on June 15, 1863, cutting off the retreat of many of the federal troops of Gen Robert Milroy defeated in the Second Battle of Winchester. At Gettysburg on July 2, Williams’ brigade was involved in Johnson’s attack on Culp's Hill
Culp's Hill
Culps Hill is a Battle of Gettysburg landform south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a heavily wooded summit of . The east slope is to Rock Creek , 160 feet lower in elevation, and the west slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll with a summit lower than the Culps Hill summit...
. In his report, Williams complained that he was not supported on right right by the brigade of BG John M. Jones
John M. Jones
John Marshall Jones was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He fought at the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness.-Early life:...
.http://www.civilwarhome.com/williamsgettysburgor.htm That Louisiana brigade was involved in a renewed assault on July 3. The battle cost Williams 291 of 1,104 troops engaged. Williams later forwarded a petition of his officers asking to be permitted to refill their ranks or go onto garrison duty. This may have helped cost Williams any chance at promotion.
Command of the Second Louisiana Brigade was given to BG Alfred Iverson
Alfred Iverson, Jr.
Alfred Iverson, Jr. was a lawyer, an officer in the Mexican-American War, a U.S. Army cavalry officer, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served in the 1862–63 campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia as a regimental and later brigade commander...
for the Bristoe Campaign
Bristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
, but it passed eventually to BG Leroy A. Stafford. Williams led his regiment through 1863 under these commanders and at the beginning of 1864 under Stafford. Williams led his regiment at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, in which Gen Stafford lost his life. Col Zebulon York
Zebulon York
Zebulon York was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was among a small group of Northern-born Confederate generals.-Early life:York was a native of Avon, Maine...
was Stafford’s immediate successor, but Williams seems to have succeeded to command in time for the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Williams was killed at the on May 12, 1864, during the attack of the federal II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
on the Confederate lines. Ltc Ross E. Burke succeeded to command of the regiment.