Dabney Herndon Maury, Jr

Other Events and Attributes:

• _MILT: 1860, Virginia

Notes:

Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama. L. Grahm & Son. New Orleans. 1899:

Dabney H. Maury had a remarkable military career. When the battle of Elkhorn was fought, in March, 1862, he was simply a staff officer of General van Dorn, but when the last battles around Mobile were fought, which ended the war between the States, he was Major General, and in command of the Department of the Gulf. During these four eventful years, thousands had started in the race for promotion, and but few succeeded. Some failed for want of physical courage (but the number was small, for this is a very common quality), many more failed, not for want of bravery, but they were so nervous and excitable that they could not think in a moment of danger, and of course were unfit for commanders; and a much larger number failed because they had no military knowledge. This is indispensable for an important command. I knew but one man who was a born soldier. He was endowed with an estimate of the value of time (equal to Napoleon's), and if he committed blunders, his enemy was so dazed by the celerity of his movements, that he failed to perceive them (Forrest).

As my space is small, I will only notice the beginning and close of his military career. At Elkhorn, the plan of battle was for the wing under the command of Generals McCulloch and McDonald to attack the enemy in front, and General Price's wing on the flank. The battle had but fairly begun, "when a staff officer, Colonel Dillon, galloped up, with disaster on his face. Riding close up to van Dorn, he said, in a low tone, 'McCulloch is killed. McIntosh is killed, Herbert is killed, and the attack on the front has ceased.'" These fatalities imposed a heavy burden on van Dorn's staff. How Colonel Maury performed his part in this sudden emergency, can be seen by the report of the commanding General: "Colonel Maury was of invaluable service to me, both in preparing for, and during, the battle. Here, and on other fields, where I have served with him, he proved to be a zealous patriot and true soldier--cool and calm under all circumstances, he was always ready, either with his sword or pen."--Southern Historical Papers.

Preparations to reduce Mobile were commenced soon after the battle of Nashville, and the command of the Department of the Gulf was entrusted to Dabney H. Maury, now Major General. General Canby had 60,000 men, and the fleet of Farragut, (which had recovered from the consternation produced by the audacious attack of the ram--Tennessee). To oppose these, there were, of all arms, only 9,000 Confederates. Of these, there was a brigade of Alabama "boy reserves," under General Thomas. It has been remembered, for two thousand years, that the women of Carthage gave their tresses for bow-strings, in a great emergency; but the women of Alabama did more, for they gave their tender beloved sons, "the dew of their youth," for the rough service and perils of the camp. The base of the enemy was at the mouth of Fish river, twenty miles distant from Spanish Fort. General Maury had erected defensive works here, and at Blakely. The enemy, in marching the twenty miles before them, consumed nine days, and entrenched every night. What a compliment to General Maury and his bold little army! He offered battle to them on the way, with his small force, reduced by a garrison of 300 men left in Mobile, but they declined, and sat down before Spanish Fort for a regular siege by parallel approaches. General Maury had used every resource known to science to meet the impending blow. He had plenty of heavy guns.

Federal historians say that he had Parrott guns. The General, himself, in his account of the siege (Southern Historical Papers) says "the only Parrott gun we had, at that time, was the 'Lady Washington, ' captured by my division at Corinth. But we had cannon better than any Parrott ever made. These guns were cast at Selma, of the iron about Briarfield, in North Alabama. It must be the best gun metal in the world. Some of our Brooke guns were subjected to extraordinarily severe tests, yet not one of them burst, or was in any degree injured during the fourteen days siege, at the same time they outranged the enemy's best and heaviest Parrotts, which not unfrequently burst by overcharging and over elevation." General Maury also used torpedoes. He says "every avenue of approach was guarded by submarine torpedoes. No vessels drawing three feet water could get within effective cannon range of any part of our defenses. Had we understood their power in the beginning of the war, as at the end, we could effectually have defended every harbor, channel, or river, in the Confederate States, against all sorts of naval attacks. During the siege a number of armed vessels and transports were sunk. But the obstinacy of the defense was of no avail. The last gun in the war between the States was fired in this siege, on the Eastern shore. The Federals lost 7000 in killed and wounded here. On the fall of Mobile, General Maury marched its garrison to Meridian, where, hearing of the surrender of General Lee, and the capture of President Davis, he surrendered his forces. He is now U. S. Minister to Columbia, South America (1888).

In his Report of the defense of Mobile he says that the last gun of the war was fired on the eastern shore of the bay on the 12th of April, 1865. But from a number of letters I have received since that statement was published, I am satisfied that the General was mistaken, and that the last conflict of the civil war was a bloody affair, which occurred at West Point, Ga., under the leadership of Gen. R. C. Tyler.

Dabney married Anna "Nannie" Rose Mason on 10 Mar 1852 in Stafford County, Virginia, USA. Anna was born on 4 Sep 1829 in USA; died on 21 Feb 1876 in USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
yellow fever

John married Elizabeth "Eliza" Herndon Maury on 3 Apr 1817 in Washington City, Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Elizabeth was born on 26 Aug 1793 in Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA; died on 25 Jan 1872. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Emigrated to Tennessee with the children of his Uncle Abraham Maury.

Richard married Diana Minor on 18 Jan 1792 in Louisa, Virginia, USA. Diana was born on 18 Aug 1768 in Topping Castle, Spotsylvania County, VA; died on 27 Jul 1843 in Franklin, Williamson, Tennessee, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]