Today in History for July 13, 2014

Barbara Ann Allen Rainey

July 13, 1861 - Union General George B. McClellan distinguished himself by routing Confederates under General Robert Garnett at Corrick's Ford in western Virginia. The battle ensured Yankee control of the region, secured the Union's east-west railroad connections and set in motion the events that would lead to the creation of West Virginia.

July 13, 1863 - A nine-day Federal military operation began in and about Huntsville, Ala.

July 13, 1864 – Skirmishes occurred near Greenpoint, Ten Islands and near the Coosa River at Stone’s Ferry, Ala.

July 13, 1969 - Former Alabama Governor George Wallace criticized President Richard Nixon for his handling of the Vietnam war and said he favored an all-out military victory if the Paris talks failed to produce peace soon. Wallace had run unsuccessfully against Nixon as a third party candidate in the 1968 presidential election.

July 13, 1980 – Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported a high temperature of 102 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

July 13, 1982 – Barbara Ann Allen Rainey, the first female pilot in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces, was killed in a plane crash at Middleton Field in Evergreen, Ala.

July 13, 2010 - George Steinbrenner, the larger-than-life, longtime owner of the New York Yankees, who re-established the team as one of baseball’s most successful franchises, died of a heart attack at age 80 in Tampa, Florida.