Today in History for March 14, 2015

CSA General Lawrence O. Branch

March 14, 1776 - Alexander Hamilton received his commission as captain of a New York artillery company. Throughout the rest of 1776, Captain Hamilton established himself as a great military leader as he directed his artillery company in several battles in and around New York City. In March 1777, Hamilton’s performance came to the attention of General George Washington, and he was commissioned lieutenant colonel and personal aide to General Washington in the Continental Army.

March 14, 1780 – During the American Revolution, Fort Conde (also called Fort Charlotte) in Mobile, Ala. was captured by Spanish Forces under Gen. Bernardo de Galvez. In February 1780, Galvez, who was aiding the Americans, laid siege to the fort, which was called Fort Charlotte by the British. After only a day of resistance, the British commander at Fort Charlotte surrendered to Galvez. At the time, the fort was the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans in Spanish Louisiaiana. Mobile remained under Spanish control until the War of 1812 when the United States took it over, adding it to the Mississippi Territory.

March 14, 1794 - Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin.

March 14, 1826 – William D. Clark of the Conecuh Guards was born in the township of Freedom in Cadaraugus County, New York. He first entered Confederate service as a private on Aug. 31, 1861 at Dunfrees, Va. in Co. E of the 4th Ala. Inf. and served with the unit through the end of the war. He was elected Second Sgt. before the close of the war.

March 14, 1862 – At the Battle of New Bern, Union General Ambrose Burnside captured New Bern, which was North Carolina’s second largest city, and closed another port through which the Confederates could slip supplies. New Bern was defended by 4,000 Confederate troops, commanded by CSA General Lawrence O. Branch.

March 14, 1864 - Union troops led by General A.J. Smith captured Fort Derussy, which was located about four miles north of Marksville, La. The fort was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, defending the lower Red River Valley in Louisiana.

March 14, 1865 - The Battle of Newton took place in Newton, Ala. during the final days of the U.S. Civil War. It was fought between local Home Guard troops and elements of the 1st Florida Cavalry (US), who had invaded the Wiregrass region of Alabama in violation of a directive given by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, commanding Union forces in Pensacola, Fla.

March 14, 1879 – Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany.

March 14, 1887 – Bookseller and publisher Sylvia Beach was born in Baltimore, Md. She opened a bookstore and lending library on the Left Bank of Paris called Shakespeare and Company, which stocked English-language books. Shakespeare and Company became known as “the unofficial living room” of expatriate artists living in Paris, writers like Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce.

May 14, 1888 – The Birmingham News newspaper was established.

May 14, 1916 – Playwright Horton Foote was born in Wharton, Texas.

March 14, 1919 – Humorist Max Shulman was born in St. Paul, Minn.

March 14, 1919 - Max Brand, perhaps the most prolific writer of western stories, published his first novel, “The Untamed.”

March 14, 1923 – Photographer Diane Arbus was born in New York City.

March 14, 1923 - President Warren G. Harding became the first U.S. President to file an income tax report.

March 14, 1926 – “Red Dice,” a movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Iron Chalice,” was released.

March 14, 1929 – 8.70 inches of rain fell in Evergreen during “Flood of 1929”

March 14, 1939 – John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” was published.

March 14, 1949 – James “Big Jim” Folsom’s son, Jim Folsom Jr., was born in Montgomery, Ala. He would go on to serve two terms as Alabama’s lieutenant governor. He became Alabama’s 50th governor in 1993 when Guy Hunt was convicted of state ethics law violations.

newspaper was established.

March 14, 1960 – Baseball Hall of Fame centerfielder Kirby Puckett was born in Chicago, Ill. He would go on to play his entire career for the Minnesota Twins. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

March 14, 1963 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Lyeffion High School, under head coach Shirley Frazier, had completed the first week of spring football practice. Rising seniors on the team included Ronnie Golson, Allen Cook, Larry Hardee, John Grimes, Patton Brown and Harold Wilson.

March 14, 1963 – The Evergreen Courant reported that James A. Findley, 54, of Brooklyn, Ala. had been crushed to death between two trucks at the Taiami Trail Tours Inc. terminal in Tampa, Fla. Findley was attempted to couple two truck units when one lurched forward and crushed him. He was pronounced dead at Tampa General Hospital.

March 14, 1963 – The Evergreen Courant reported that James Finley had been appointed the new president of the Evergreen Civitan Club, filling the vacancy left when Murray Johnson moved to Atmore, Ala.

March 14, 1964 - A Dallas jury found Jack Ruby guilty of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy.

March 14, 1965 – Major League Baseball pitcher Kevin Brown was born in Milledgeville, Ga. He would go on to play for the Texas Rangers, the Baltimore Orioles, the Florida Marlins, the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

March 14, 1967 – The body of U.S. President John F. Kennedy was moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.

March 14, 1967 - The AFL and the NFL held the first common draft. The two leagues merged in 1970. The first player chosen was Bubba Smith, a defensive lineman from Michigan State.

March 14, 1968 - The final episode of "Batman" aired on ABC.

March 14, 1980 – Castleberry, Ala. mayor appointed Allen McGraw as Castleberry’s first volunteer fire chief.

March 14, 1984 – 415 marijuana plants were confiscated near Travis Bridge by Conecuh County Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Lambert.

March 14, 2001 - Author Anne George died in Birmingham, Ala.

March 14, 2003 - The first Montevallo Literary Festival opened.

March 14, 2005 - Major League Baseball gave a congressional committee about 400 pages of documents related to drug testing. It was also reported that Bud Selig would be willing to testify in hearings planned for March 17.

March 14, 2006 – After receiving numerous calls about possible leprechaun sittings and reports of crowds gathering in Crichton, NBC affiliate WPMI dispatched reporter Brian Johnson to investigate what is now known as the “Crichton Leprechaun Incident.”