Today in History for Sept. 19, 2015

Duke Snider in 1953.

Sept. 19, 1676 – Jamestown was burned to the ground by the forces of Nathaniel Bacon during Bacon's Rebellion.

Sept. 19, 1692 – Giles Corey was pressed to death, after two days under the weight, after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials.

Sept 19, 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, British forces won a tactically expensive victory over the Continental Army in the First Battle of Saratoga (also known as the Battle of Freeman’s Farm). During the early morning hours of the battle, British General John Burgoyne launched a three-column attack against General Horatio Gates and his American forces. During the five-hour battle, the Americans lost approximately 280 troops killed, while the British suffered a more severe loss of more than 550 killed.

Sept. 19, 1778 – The Continental Congress passed the first United States federal budget.

Sept. 19, 1796 – George Washington's Farewell Address was printed across America as an open letter to the public.

Sept 19, 1819 – John Keats, 24, wrote the ode “To Autumn,” which became one of the most anthologized poems in the English language.

Sept. 19, 1827 - After a duel turned into an all-out brawl on this day in 1827, Jim Bowie, who is said to have once lived in Monroe County, Ala., disemboweled a banker in Alexandria, La. with an early version of his famous Bowie knife.

Sept. 19, 1846 – Two French shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, experienced a Marian apparition on a mountaintop near La Salette, France, now known as Our Lady of La Salette.

Sept. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Barboursville, Ky.

Sept. 19, 1862 - Union troops under General William Rosecrans defeated a Confederate force commanded by General Sterling Price at the Battle of Iuka in northern Mississippi. The Battle of Iuka was part of a Confederate attempt to prevent General Ulysses S. Grant from reinforcing General Don Carlos Buell in central Tennessee. Confederate losses amounted to 1,500 while Yankee losses amounted to 790.

Sept. 19, 1863 - Union troops under Union General William Rosecrans collided with troops under Confederate General Braxton Bragg at the Battle of Chickamauga in northwestern, Ga. It was the bloodiest two-day battle of the Civil War and the only significant Confederate victory in the war’s Western Theater. The following day, the Confederates routed the Yankees and sent them in retreat to Chattanooga, Tenn.

The Conecuh Guards fought at the Battle of Chickamauga and four of the unit’s members lost their lives, including 2nd Sgt. George Downs, 1st Cpl. Thomas Briley, James Dubose and John D. Shaver. Frank Kirk, a former member of the Conecuh Guards, was also killed at Chickamauga while serving as a part of the 38th Alabama Regiment.

Members of the Conecuh Guards who were wounded at Chickamauga included 1st Sgt. Andrew J. Mosley, Gil R. Boulware (Color Sgt. of Fort Ala. Regiment, wounded in side and arm, and left arm was amputated at Chickamauga, survived war and returned to Conecuh County), Sgt. John Q. Dunham (died in Madison County, Fla. in 1878), W.B. Booker (wounded at Chickamauga and disabled for life, returned to Conecuh County) and John D. Hyde (also wounded at Gaines’s Farm and in 1864 skirmish near Richmond, Va., returned to Conecuh County after war).

Also at Chickamauga, Isadore Goldstein of the Conecuh Guards was taken prisoner and remained in prison until the end of the war. He moved to Pennsylvania after the war.

Also at Chickamauga was Lt. Newton E. Johnston, who was born at Brooklyn, Ala. He served with Co. E, 38th Alabama Infantry, Clayton’s Brigade, and died as a result of wounds sustained at Chickamauga on Sept. 19, 1863. He returned to Brooklyn and died shortly thereafter.

Lewis Lavon Peacock and his older brother, Noah Dallas Peacock, both fought at the Battle of Chickamauga. Lewis Lavon Peacock served with Hilliard’s Legion, which lost more than half its number in that battle. (The flag of the Second Battalion, for example, had 81 bullet holes.) Noah Dallas Peacock fought with Co. F, 15th Ala. Inf., which had been transferred from the Army of Northern Va. to the Army of Tennessee earlier that fall.

Sept. 19, 1864 - Union General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate troops under General Jubal Early at the Third Battle of Winchester (Opequon Creek), Va. With over 50,000 troops engaged it was the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley and was not only militarily decisive in that region of Virginia but also played a role in securing Abraham Lincoln's election in 1864.

Sept. 19, 1881 – U.S. President James A. Garfield died of wounds suffered in a July 2 shooting. Vice President Chester A. Arthur became President upon Garfield's death.

Sept. 19, 1892 - Author Jack Bethea was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1901 - All Major League Baseball games were canceled for the funeral of U.S. President William McKinley.

Sept. 19, 1911 – Author William Golding was born in St. Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. He is best known for his novel, “The Lord of the Flies.”

Sept. 19, 1915 – Paul Kardow, who would grow up to pitch for the Cleveland Indians and manage the Evergreen Greenies baseball team, was born in Humble, Texas.

Sept. 19, 1917 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Hillery H. Jernigan of Brewton, Ala. “died from disease.”

Sept. 1920 – Writer and editor Roger Angell was born in New York.

Sept. 19, 1926 – National Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Duke Snider was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He went on to play for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

Sept. 19, 1927 – Conecuh County, Ala. schools were scheduled to open for the 1927-28 school year on this Monday morning. M.A. Hanks was Conecuh County’s Superintendent of Education.

Sept. 19, 1928 - Adam West, who is best known for the title role in the 1960s ABC series “Batman” and its theatrical feature film, was born in Walla Walla, Wash.

Sept. 19, 1930 – Evergreen High School, under head coach E.L. McInnis, beat Conecuh County High School, 28-0, in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1939 – Dr. G.C. Watson of Monroeville, Ala. passed away at his home around 6 a.m. after a heart attack. A former dentist and prominent businessman, Watson was a native of Wilcox County, but had lived in Monroe County for 40 years. A 34-year resident of Monroeville, he practiced dentistry up until about 15 years prior to his death, but he had to give it up due to poor health. He’d been engaged in the mercantile business since that time.

Sept. 19, 1939 – The officers elected to serve Alabama Lodge No. 3 in Monroeville, Ala. were installed during an installation ceremony conducted by Joe Southall and George U. Potter of Mobile.

Sept. 19, 1940 – The public was invited to attend Monroe County High School’s football practice “under the lights” on this Thursday night in Monroeville, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1941 - Author James Haskins was born in Demopolis, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1943 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan was born in Bonham, Texas. He went on to play for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, the Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Oakland Athletics. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Sept. 19, 1947 – Evergreen High School, under head coach Wendell Hart, beat Repton High School, 30-0, in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1947 - Author Thomas H. Cook was born in Fort Payne, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1949 - Ralph Kiner of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first National League player to hit 50 home runs in two different seasons.

Sept. 19, 1950 – During the Korean War, Army 2LT Stewart M. Baker Jr. of Covington County, Ala. was killed in action.

Sept. 19, 1952 – Evergreen High School, under head coach Wendell Hart, beat Escambia County High School, 10-6, in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1953 - More than 30 years after it became law, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote, is ratified by the Alabama legislature. Although Alabama complied with the provisions of the amendment as soon as it went into effect in 1920, the 1953 legislature wanted "to record its approval of extending the right of suffrage to women."

Sept. 19, 1959 - In a surreal moment of the Cold War, Nikita Khruschev, the Soviet leader, exploded with anger after being told for security reasons he would not be allowed to visit Disneyland.

Sept. 19-20, 1961 – The Hill Abduction Incident, which was the first widely publicized modern report of alien abduction, was said to have occurred on this date in rural New Hampshire.

Sept. 19, 1967 – Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Abbott was born in Flint, Mich. Despite having been born without a right hand, he played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999.

Sept. 19, 1975 – Evergreen High School, under head coach Buddy Davis, beat Monroe County High School, 14-13, in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1976 – Two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II jets flew out to investigate an unidentified flying object when both independently lost instrumentation and communications as they approached, only to have them restored upon withdrawal.

Sept. 19, 1980 – Monroe County High School beat Evergreen High School, 6-0, in Monroeville, Ala.

Sept. 19, 1984 - Pete Rose reached the 100-hit plateau for the 22nd consecutive year. He also tied the National League record for doubles with 725.

Sept. 19, 1986 – Monroe County High School beat Evergreen High School, 40-7, in Monroeville, Ala. Willie Farish was Evergreen’s head coach.

Sept. 19, 1990 – Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt’s office announced in a press release that that Alabama Army National Guard units in Monroeville and Jackson, both in the 778th Maintenance Co., had been put on alert and were preparing in case they were called to active duty in the Persian Gulf. No deployment date had been announced as of this date.

Sept. 19, 1990 - Iraq began confiscating foreign assets of countries that were imposing sanctions against the Iraqi government.

Sept. 19, 1991 - The "Iceman" also known as Otsi, the mummy of an ancient human stone age wanderer, was found in a glacier in the Alps.

Sept. 19, 1995 - The Unabomber's 35,000-word manifesto was published by The Washington Post and the New York Times.

Sept. 19, 1997 - Mark McGwire became the first major league player to hit 20 or more home runs for two teams in the same season. It was his 54th home run of the year.

Sept. 19, 1998 – Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles ended his streak of consecutive games played at 2,632 games in a row by voluntarily removing himself from a game against the New York Yankees on this day. He had played in every game since May 30, 1982.

Sept. 19, 1999 - Sammy Sosa was became the first major league player to hit 60 home runs twice.

Sept. 19, 2011 – Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees surpassed Trevor Hoffman to become Major League Baseball's all time saves leader with 602.