Category: This Day in Battle

Battles of January 19 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

Song of the day:

Quentin Burns variation 1

Quentin Burns variation 2

1. Battle of Mill Springs

Date: January 19, 1862

War: American Civil War

Cause: This battle was precipitated by the Confederate need to defend the Cumberland Gap and the Union Army’s drive to push the Confederate defense line out of Eastern Kentucky. Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer, against orders, moved his troops across the Cumberland River to the north bank, placing them in a precarious position with the river at their back. Union General George H. Thomas moved to attack this exposed force.

Result: The battle was a decisive Union victory. It broke the Confederate defensive line in Eastern Kentucky and led to the death of General Zollicoffer (the first Confederate general to die in the Western Theater). The victory boosted Northern morale and opened the path for the Union into Tennessee.

Paintings & Art

• Painting: Battle of Mill Spring, K.Y. Jan. 19th 1862
  • Artist: Currier & Ives (Lithograph)
  • Year: c. 1862

Museums & Artifacts

• Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (Nancy, Kentucky, USA): The Visitor Center and Museum houses a comprehensive collection of artifacts recovered from the battlefield, including weapons, uniforms, and personal items of soldiers. It also features interpretive exhibits on the battle’s strategy.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C., USA): Holds various Civil War lithographs, including works by Currier & Ives similar to the Mill Springs prints.

Location

• General: Nancy, Kentucky (historically Logan’s Crossroads).
• Coordinates: 37.0544° N, 84.7397° W

Recommended Book

• The Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky by Stuart W. Sanders.

2. Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo

Date: Stormed on January 19, 1812 (January 7-20, 1812)

War: The Peninsular War (Napoleonic Wars)

Cause: Following victories in Portugal, the Duke of Wellington needed to secure the key border fortresses to open the invasion route into French-held Spain. Ciudad Rodrigo controlled the northern corridor. Wellington launched a rapid siege to capture the city before French Marshal Marmont could bring a relief army.

Result: The British captured the fortress after a bloody storming of the breaches on the evening of January 19. The victory secured the frontier and allowed Wellington to advance toward Badajoz and eventually Madrid. However, the discipline of the British troops collapsed after the victory, leading to a brutal sack of the city.

Paintings & Art

• Painting: The Storming of Ciudad Rodrigo (Aquatint/Engraving)
  • Artist: Thomas Sutherland (after William Heath)
  • Year: 1815
• Artifact: The Wellington Service Ice Pails (Depicting the storming)
  • Artist: Designed by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith II
  • Year: c. 1814–1817

Museums & Artifacts

• National Army Museum (London, UK): Holds extensive collections relating to the Peninsular War, including maps, letters from Wellington, and prints depicting the siege.
• Apsley House (The Wellington Museum) (London, UK): The former home of the Duke of Wellington houses the famous Portuguese Service (silver) and the Ice Pails which depict the battle scenes, along with captured French imperial eagles.
• British Museum (London, UK): Holds the original prints and etchings of the storming by Sutherland and Heath.

Location

• General: Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Spain.
• Coordinates: 40.5982° N, 6.5305° W

Recommended Book

• The Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo 1810 and 1812 by Tim Saunders.

3. Battle of St. Quentin

Date: January 19, 1871

War: Franco-Prussian War

Cause: As the Prussians besieged Paris, the French Army of the North, commanded by General Faidherbe, attempted to disrupt the Prussian supply lines and relieve the capital. The Prussian First Army, under General Goeben, moved to intercept the French forces near the town of Saint-Quentin to prevent this relief effort.

Result: The Prussians won a clear victory, forcing the French Army of the North to retreat in disorder. This defeat effectively ended any hope of relieving Paris from the north, and the city surrendered shortly thereafter, leading to the end of the war and the unification of Germany.

Paintings & Art

• Painting: Battle of St. Quentin, 19 January 1871 (Lithograph)
  • Artist: Richard Knötel
  • Year: c. Late 19th Century (from Uniformenkunde)
• Painting: Charge of the German Cavalry at St. Quentin
  • Artist: Amling Franz
  • Year: c. 1875

Museums & Artifacts

• Musée de l’Armée (Invalides) (Paris, France): Contains one of the world’s largest collections of military history, including uniforms, weaponry, and paintings from the Franco-Prussian War (War of 1870).
• Deutsches Historisches Museum (Berlin, Germany): Holds artifacts and documents relating to the wars of German unification, including the Battle of St. Quentin.
• Town of Saint-Quentin (Aisne, France): The town itself features the Monument de 1870 commemorating the defense of the city.

Location

• General: Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France.
• Coordinates: 49.8454° N, 3.2864° E

Recommended Book

• The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France 1870–1871 by Michael Howard.

4. Battle of Braddock Down

Date: January 19, 1643

War: First English Civil War

Cause: Royalist forces in Cornwall, led by Sir Bevil Grenville and Sir Ralph Hopton, were attempting to secure the county for King Charles I. They were intercepted by a Parliamentarian army under Colonel Ruthin, who had invaded Cornwall and was camped at Braddock Down, waiting for reinforcements.

Result: The Royalists launched a surprise attack. After an exchange of musket fire, a Royalist charge broke the Parliamentarian line. The Parliamentarians fled, and the Royalists secured Cornwall, capturing substantial arms and prisoners.

Paintings & Art

• Painting: Sir Bevil Grenville (Portrait associated with the era/commander)
  • Artist: Unknown (School of Van Dyck)
  • Year: c. 1640s
• Illustration: The Battle of Braddock Down
  • Artist: Harry Fisher (Historical Illustrator)
  • Year: 20th Century (Modern historical reconstruction)

Museums & Artifacts

• Royal Cornwall Museum (Truro, UK): Contains exhibits on the Civil War in Cornwall, including artifacts related to Sir Bevil Grenville and the Royalist campaigns.
• National Civil War Centre (Newark, UK): The dedicated museum for this conflict, housing armor, pamphlets, and weaponry used during battles like Braddock Down.

Location

• General: Boconnoc / Braddock, Cornwall, United Kingdom.
• Coordinates: 50.4160° N, 4.5660° W

Recommended Book

• The Civil War in the South-West by John Barratt.

Books for sale

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