CSA Brig Gen Montgomery D Corse

[shenandoah]

Brig Gen Montgomery Dent Corse (b.1816, d.1895) He was born on March 14, 1816 in Alexandria, Virginia. During the 1830s, Corse helped organize the militia in Alexandria. He became Captain of Company B, 1st Regiment Virginia Volunteers during the Mexico War. After the war, he traveled to California and was part of the Gold Rush in 1849. Corse would later become Captain of the Sutter Rifles from Sacramento. In 1856, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brother. Corse organized the Old Dominion Rifles in 1860 and later that year became major of the local militia battalion. He remained in Alexandria until its evacuation in May 1861. The battalion was then assigned to the 17th Virginia Regiment and Corse was promoted to Colonel of the regiment. On July 18, Corse was under the command of Brig Gen James Longstreet. The 17th VA defended Blackburn’s Ford and repelled the Union advance by Brig Gen Daniel Tyler. Remaining at the Ford during the battle of Bull Run, Corse was not engaged in the main fighting. During Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, he was at the siege of Yorktown and was under the command of Longstreet at the battles of Williamsburg, Seven Pines and Seven Days. Corse was later given command of Brig. Gen. James L. Kemper’s Brigade after Kemper was made temporary division commander of Gen George Pickett’s Division while he was recovering from a wound. At the battle of 2nd Bull Run, Corse and Kemper’s Brigade would lead Longstreet’s attack on the second day of fighting where he was wounded. Corse would lead his regiment through the battle of South Mountain where he was wounded again. The battle of Antietam would be a test of courage for Corse and the 17th Reg. The 17th was attached to Kemper’s brigade placed near Burnside’s bridge. With the Union’s initial success, Corse was wounded and his position overrun. He lay within the enemy’s line for awhile until Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill arrived with his division and counterattacked forcing the Union back. Hill’s advance had recovered Corse and revealed the fight’s results. Of the 56 men of the 17th Reg. only seven remained along with two captured Union battle flags. He was promoted to Brig. Gen. on Nov. 1. He was given a brigade to command within Pickett’s division at Fredericksburg. Being held in reserve, the brigade was not engaged in the Union assaults. In the spring of 1863, Corse was with Longstreet’s Corps in southeast Virginia. During Gettysburg, Corse’s brigade was at Hanover, Pennsylvania and was not part of the fighting at Gettysburg. In late 1863, the brigade was sent with Longstreet to East Tennessee where Corse took part in the siege of Knoxville and the battle of Dandridge in Jan. 1864. He was then sent to North Carolina to join in the battle for New Bern. Later in May, he would help defeat the Union at Drewry’s Bluff. He was then part of the siege at Petersburg. In April 1865, he fought at the battle of Five Forks and at Sayler’s Creek where he was captured. He was sent to Fort Warren in Massachusetts. Upon his release in July, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brothers. On February 11, 1895, he died in Alexandria and was buried in St. Paul Cemetery.


Next on my list is George Blake Cosby if he still needs to be done. I seem to be a slow bio writer, but if there is a general for a scenario that needs to be done with no quick time limit, I can also give that one a try.

I have more free time right now until autumn arrives. Autumn is photo time and road trips!

Andy

[Gil R.]

Thanks for the latest. G.B. Crosby's still assigned to you. And don't worry about taking time -- I certainly have enough other bios to get to.

Where are you thinking of heading for photos season? Are you venturing out of the valley?

[shenandoah]

Autumn will be interesting this year. We have been having a bad drought this year and people are saying there will not be much color in the Valley. I am an optimist when it comes to autumn. Every tree is affected differently by rain amounts so there will still be some good color.

Autumn usually happens on the top of the mountains in West VA the first week of Oct. The 2nd - 3rd week it happens on the tops of VA mtns. Then it happens in the Valley 3rd-4th week. A couple times I have followed autumn from WV to VA mtns then to the valley. Roaming around wherever it goes. But as a stay at home dad, I don't have time right now to do that.

I will point out, to my girl 3yrs old, the color on the mtns that we can see from our house. And she says, "Daddy, let's go get it!" So we take days trips around the Valley and go up to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. Living near Strasburg, I am centerally located for lots of great nature photography.

So this year will be just day trips until she gets older when we will do some serious camping.

[Gil R.]

Sounds fun.

Years ago, someone told me about Blackwater Falls State Park in WVa, calling it an amazing, somewhat remote place. Have you been there? Ever since that conversation, it's been on my mental list of places to get to one of these years.

[Gil R.]

Here’s Corse, who seems to have had uncanny luck at missing the worst fighting, though he more than made up for it at Antietam and 2nd Manassas. The bit about casualties at Antietam must be wrong, since no regiment could have 56 men. Anyone have a good book on Antietam to consult?

By the way, while Googling the 17th Virginia I found this nifty video of their reenactors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMGXSdXriA8


Brig. Gen. Montgomery Dent Corse (b. 1816, d. 1895). Corse was born on March 14, 1816 in Alexandria, Virginia. During the 1830’s, Corse helped organize the militia in Alexandria. He became Captain of Company B, 1st Regiment Virginia Volunteers during the Mexico War. After the war, he traveled to California and took part in the Gold Rush in 1849. Corse would later become Captain of the Sutter Rifles from Sacramento. In 1856, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brother. Corse organized the Old Dominion Rifles in 1860 and later that year became major of the local militia battalion. He remained in Alexandria until its evacuation in May 1861, soon after the start of the Civil War. The battalion was assigned to the 17th Virginia Infantry and Corse became its colonel. On July 18, serving in Gen. James Longstreet’s brigade, the regiment defended Blackburn’s Ford and repelled the Union advance by Gen. Daniel Tyler, in the first engagement of the Manassas Campaign. Guarding the ford during the battle three days later, Corse’s men were not engaged in the main fighting, since the Union army crossed the Bull Run creek further north. During Gen. George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign of March-July 1862, Corse’s regiment continued to serve under Longstreet, who by then was commanding a division. Corse and his men were present for the Siege of Yorktown and fought in the battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines and for the Seven Days’ Battles. Corse was later given command of Gen. James L. Kemper’s brigade after Kemper was made temporary commander of Gen. George Pickett’s division while Pickett was recovering from a wound received at Gaines’ Mill. At the Battle of 2nd Manassas, Corse and Kemper’s Brigade would lead Longstreet’s major attack on the Union left on August 30, during which Corse was wounded. Corse would lead his regiment through the Battle of South Mountain two weeks later, again receiving a wound. The Battle of Antietam on September 17 would be a test of courage for Corse and the 17th Regiment, which was attached to Kemper’s brigade and stationed near the stone bridge later known as “Burnside’s Bridge” after Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside subjected his men to intense fire while pushing across the Antietam Creek. Wounded as his position overrun, Corse lay within the enemy’s line for awhile, until Gen. A.P. Hill’s division arrived and smashed into Burnside’s flank, forcing the Union back. Hill’s advance had rescued Corse and revealed the fight’s results: of the 56 (THIS NUMBER CAN’T BE RIGHT) men of the 17th Virginia only seven remained, along with two captured Union battle flags. Corse was promoted to brigadier general on November 1 and given a brigade in Pickett’s division in time for the Fredericksburg Campaign, though the brigade was held in reserve during the battle. In the spring of 1863, Corse was with Longstreet’s Corps in southeast Virginia and missed the Battle of Chancellorsville; during the Battle of Gettysburg, Corse’s brigade was guarding a railroad junction missed this battle too, including the fate of participating in Pickett’s Charge; and, in late 1863 the division went west with Longstreet, but was detached from the corps and thus missed the Battle of Chickamauga. Instead, Corse took part in the siege of Knoxville and the Battle of Dandridge in January 1864. He was then sent to North Carolina to join in the battle for New Bern. That May he would help defeat the Union at Drewry’s Bluff, but was then among those besieged at Petersburg. In April 1865, just before the war’s end, Corse fought in the Battle of Five Forks and at Sayler’s Creek, where he was captured and sent to Fort Warren in Massachusetts. Upon his release in July, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brothers. On February 11, 1895, Corse died in Alexandria and was buried in St. Paul Cemetery. (Bio by Andrew Thayer)

Leadership: 4
Tactics: 4
Initiative: 4
Command: 4
Cavalry:

Teaches: Resilient (23), Shooters (10)

Start date: 44

[shenandoah]

I found 2 sources. The 56 men and seven survivors came from a bio I found the says their source was Confederate Military History, Volumn III, 1899. The second source is Corse's own battle report which I found both on google. His numbers are a little different. But you can decide how to write it up. I imagine that the regiment was depleted from the battles of South Mountain and Second Manassas, not to mention I have read else where that up to a third of the army deserted for awhile because they wanted to defend Virginia, not invade Maryland. So there probably was many factors that would deplete a regiment at the end of a campaign/battle year with winter approaching.

Battle Report
About 4 p. m. the enemy was reported to be advancing. We moved forward with the First and Eleventh Regiments (the Seventh and Twenty-fourth being detached to operate on some other part of the field) of the brigade to the top of the hill to a fence, and immediately engaged the enemy at a distance of 50 or 60 yards, at the same time under fire from their batteries on the hills beyond. My regiment, being the extreme right on the line there engaging the enemy, came directly opposite the colors of the regiment to which it was opposed, consequently being overlapped by them, as far as I could judge, at least 100 yards. Regardless of the great odds against them, the men courageously stood their ground until, overwhelmed by superior numbers, they were forced to retire.

I have to state here, general, that we put into the fight but 46 enlisted men and 9 officers. Out of this number, 7 officers and 24 men were killed and wounded and 10 taken prisoners.

It was here that Captain J. T. Burke and Lieutenant Littleton fell-two of the bravest and most valuable officers of my command. Color-Corporal Harper also fell, fighting heroically, at his post. These brave men, I think, deserve particular mention.

I received a wound in the foot, which prevented me from retiring with our line, and was left in the hands of the enemy for a short time, but was soon rescued by General Toombs' brigade and a portion of yours, which drove the enemy back beyond the line we had occupied in the morning.

I saw Major Herbert come up with a portion of the men of the First, Eleventh, and Seventeenth Regiments of your brigade, on the left of General Toombs' line, cheering the men on with his accustomed cool and determined valor.

Lieutenant W. W. Athey, Company C, captured a regimental color of the One hundred and third New York Regiment, presented to them by the city council of New York City, which I herewith forward to you.

[Gil R.]

Thanks for the response. That's true about the regiment already being depleted -- 56 wouldn't have been the number in the regiment, just the number ready for battle. So, I've made a change, and adopted Corse's numbers. Bio's ready to go!

Brig. Gen. Montgomery Dent Corse (b. 1816, d. 1895). Corse was born on March 14, 1816 in Alexandria, Virginia. During the 1830’s, Corse helped organize the militia in Alexandria. He became Captain of Company B, 1st Regiment Virginia Volunteers during the Mexico War. After the war, he traveled to California and took part in the Gold Rush in 1849. Corse would later become Captain of the Sutter Rifles from Sacramento. In 1856, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brother. Corse organized the Old Dominion Rifles in 1860 and later that year became major of the local militia battalion. He remained in Alexandria until its evacuation in May 1861, soon after the start of the Civil War. The battalion was assigned to the 17th Virginia Infantry and Corse became its colonel. On July 18, serving in Gen. James Longstreet’s brigade, the regiment defended Blackburn’s Ford and repelled the Union advance by Gen. Daniel Tyler, in the first engagement of the Manassas Campaign. Guarding the ford during the battle three days later, Corse’s men were not engaged in the main fighting, since the Union army crossed the Bull Run creek further north. During Gen. George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign of March-July 1862, Corse’s regiment continued to serve under Longstreet, who by then was commanding a division. Corse and his men were present for the Siege of Yorktown and fought in the battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines and for the Seven Days’ Battles. Corse was later given command of Gen. James L. Kemper’s brigade after Kemper was made temporary commander of Gen. George Pickett’s division while Pickett was recovering from a wound received at Gaines’ Mill. At the Battle of 2nd Manassas, Corse and Kemper’s Brigade would lead Longstreet’s major attack on the Union left on August 30, during which Corse was wounded. Corse would lead his regiment through the Battle of South Mountain two weeks later, again receiving a wound. The Battle of Antietam on September 17 would be a test of courage for Corse and the 17th Regiment, which was attached to Kemper’s brigade and stationed near the stone bridge later known as “Burnside’s Bridge” after Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside subjected his men to intense fire while pushing across the Antietam Creek. Wounded as his position overrun, Corse lay within the enemy’s line for awhile, until Gen. A.P. Hill’s division arrived and smashed into Burnside’s flank, forcing the Union back. Hill’s advance had rescued Corse and revealed the fight’s results: of the fifty-five men from the regiment sent into battle, only fourteen remained, along with two captured Union battle flags. Corse was promoted to brigadier general on November 1 and given a brigade in Pickett’s division in time for the Fredericksburg Campaign, though the brigade was held in reserve during the battle. In the spring of 1863, Corse was with Longstreet’s Corps in southeast Virginia and missed the Battle of Chancellorsville; during the Battle of Gettysburg, Corse’s brigade was guarding a railroad junction missed this battle too, including the fate of participating in Pickett’s Charge; and, in late 1863 the division went west with Longstreet, but was detached from the corps and thus missed the Battle of Chickamauga. Instead, Corse took part in the siege of Knoxville and the Battle of Dandridge in January 1864. He was then sent to North Carolina to join in the battle for New Bern. That May he would help defeat the Union at Drewry’s Bluff, but was then among those besieged at Petersburg. In April 1865, just before the war’s end, Corse fought in the Battle of Five Forks and at Sayler’s Creek, where he was captured and sent to Fort Warren in Massachusetts. Upon his release in July, he returned to Alexandria and went into banking with his brothers. On February 11, 1895, Corse died in Alexandria and was buried in St. Paul Cemetery. (Bio by Andrew Thayer)