On This Day: Battles of the Civil War

27 February 1861
President Davis in Montgomery named three Confederate commissioners to Washington, DC to attempt negotiations with the Federals. He chose Martin J. Crawford, John Forsyth and A.B. Roman. In Washington, DC the Peace Convention sent the results of its deliberations to Congress. Six constitutional amendments were proposed. First amendment - that involintary servitude be prohibited north of 360 30'; that in land south of the line slavery could exist while such area was a territory and Congress could not hinder it; that upon admittance as a state it could come in with or without slavery as its state constitution provided. Second Amendment - no further territory would be acquired except through treaty and by consent of four fifths of the Senate. Third Amendment - that Congress could not regulate, abolish or control slavery in the states or territories. Fourth Amendment - fugitive slave provisions of the Constitution should be enforced and Congress should not interfere. Fifth Amendment - that the foreign slave trade be prohibited. Sixth Amendment - there should be compensation for loss of fugitives from labor in certain cases. There was much dissatisfaction with the results and they never stood a chance in Congress. The Peace Convention had not even been too peaceful, with much bickering and dissatisfaction among its members.

From Charleston Governor Pickens wrote President Davis;

We feel that our honor and safety require that Fort Sumter should be in our possession at the very earliest moment.

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In Washington Lincoln was listening not only to politicians about appointments, but to others such as Senator Douglas and border-state men, pleading for conciliation or compromise. In the House proposal after proposal was voted down. A plan for a constitutional convention lost; the Crittenden proposal finally lost; an amendment not to interfere with slavery lost but was reconsidered the next day.

27 February 1862
The Confederate Congress gave President Davis the power to suspend the privilege of habeas corpus, which was sparingly used. President Davis ordered martial law for the threatened cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, VA in the wake of the launching of the USS 'Monitor'.

27 February 1863
President Davis called for a day of fasting and prayer on March 27. Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price was ordered to the Trans-Mississippi Department. There was a skirmish near Bloomington on the Hatchie River in TENN., a Federal expedition from Fort Pillow, TENN; and a 2 day scout from Centreville to Falmouth, VA.

27 February 1864
Near Americus, GA Federal prisoners of war began arriving at an unfinished prison camp, officially Camp Sumter, but known to history as Andersonville. Insufficient food, shelter, clothing and accommodations made the prison notorious.

The Demonstration by Federals on Dalton, GA ended with a skirmish at the Stone Church near Catoosa Platform or Station. Skirmishing took place in the Sequatchie Valley, TENN; at Madisonville and Sharon, MISS; near Poplar Bluff, MO; and at Pinos Altos, Arizona Territory. Federals destroyed large Confederate salt works on Goose Creek near St. Marks, FLA.

27 February 1865
The Shenandoah valley was coming alive again. Sheridan's force of some 10,000 Calvary under immediate command of Wesley Merritt left Winchester, VA., heading south. Sheridan had orders from Grant to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad and James River Canal, take Lynchburg and then either join Sherman or return to Winchester. Early, in front of him, had only e weakened brigades and a few pieces of artillery, his other troops being employed elsewhere. In the Carolina campaign, minor skirmishing flared near Mount Elon and Cloud's House, SC. The only other actions were near Sturgeon, MO. and Spring Place, GA.

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February 27, 1860 - Lincoln's Speech at Cooper Institute. Abraham Lincoln addresses gathering at the Cooper Institute in New York, attacking slavery and insisting that the Federal government has "the power of restraining the extension of the institution."


February 28, 1861 - Territory of Colorado Organized. The Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 had brought large numbers of settlers to the Denver area, although the population collapsed following an initial mining boom. The Colorado Territory was organized as a United States territory on February 28, 1861 and Colorado attained statehood in 1876 (earning it the monicker the "Centennial State").

February 18-April 21, 1862 - 1st Session of the First Confederate Congress. The provisional Confederate Congress, which had met for four sessions between February 4, 1861 and February 17, 1862, was replaced by a permanent legislature on February 18, 1862. Elections for the First Confederate Congress were held on November 6, 1861 and held it first (of four) sessions in Richmond, Virginia, from February 18 to April 21, 1862

[not sure if Im supposed to report on battles....please clarify Adler, but here goes for the moment]

February 28-April 8, 1862 - The Battle of New Madrid and Island Number Ten. Confederate forces under Brig. Gen. Gideon Pillow started construction of these two positions in April 1861, to block Federal navigation of the Mississippi. When Leonidas Polk withdrew from Columbus, Ky., during the period February 29-March 2, 1862, in the preliminary moves of the Shiloh campaign, he sent the 5,000-man division of John P. McCown to reinforce the 2,000 then occupying these two river positions. On a peninsula 10 miles long by three miles wide the defenses consisted of a two-regiment redoubt at New Madrid, and land batteries on a floating battery at Island No. 10. The latter was covered by land batteries on the Tennessee shore. Federal forces had to reduce these forts in connection with their general offensive down the Mississippi (the Henry-Donelson and Shiloh campaigns). Gen. Henry W. Halleck had sent some of John Pope's force in central Missouri to reinforce Ulysses S. Grant's attack on Donelson; he also told Pope to organize a corps from the remaining troops in Missouri and to capture New Madrid. Pope realized that the 50 heavy guns and the small fleet of gunboats the Confederates had in and near the position necessitated a regular siege operation. He sent for siege artillery and started a bombardment and the construction of approaches on March 13. On this same date McCown ordered the evacuation of New Madrid and moved the garrison across the river to the peninsula in order to avoid being isolated. For this action he was relieved of command and succeeded by William Mackall. Pope now decided to cross the river south of New Madrid and turn the defense of Island No. 10. Since his supporting naval transports were upstream, he had a canal cut through the swamps so that boats could by-pass the defenses of Island No. 10. The canal was finished on April 4. Two Federal gunboats ran the Confederate batteries to support the river crossing, and on April 7 four regiments were ferried across the Mississippi to cut the Confederate line of retreat at Tiptonville. Mackall surrendered 3,500 men (over 1,500 of whom were sick) and 500 escaped through the swamps. The defeat of the Confederates opened the river for the capture of Memphis, Tennessee two months later in the Battle of Memphis. Pope's victory opened the Mississippi to Fort Pillow, and gave him a reputation which led to his being selected by Lincoln two months later to command the Army of Virginia (Second Bull Run Campaign). (Island Number Ten has since disappeared as a result of erosion from the Mississippi River).

Feb, 27, 1862.
U.S.S. Monitor attempts to leave the New York Navy yard by way of the East river. The Commanding Officer, Lt. Worden informs the Navy Department that, "She steered so very badly that I deemed it advisible not to proceed further with her." He anchors off the Navy yard to await Mr. Ericsons repairs and adjustments.
Feb, 27 1863.
The C.S.S. Alabama captures the merchantman "Washington" of New York, off the coast of Brazil, after a short chase.
Being that she carried a cargo from a neutral to a neutral, Capt. Semmes released her under "Ransom-Bond" and transfered the prisoners he had on board the Alabama to her.

1 March 1861 - Texas was accepted as a state by the provisional government of the Confederate States of America. Texas' secession from the Union was not official until the next day.

The U. S. Congress rejects the Washington Peace Conference proposals

The washington Peace Conference

The "old gentlemen's convention" was the last ditch effort to end the growing conflict peaceably. Although 22 states did send representatives, the states of the Deep South, which were meeting at the Convention of Seceding States, refused to send delegates to the Convention.

As the Deep South was in the process of seceding from the Union, Virginia call for a "peace convention"

Proceedings were held in secret. The meeting used the Crittenden Plan as its starting point for finding common ground, but failed.


1 March 1864 - Union General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick arrived at the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. Colonel Ulrich Dahlgren was killed while trying to rejoin Kilpatrick. (Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid). The raiders intended to free Union prisoners of War held in Gaols in the centre of Richmond. Unknown to the attackers, the Confederates were fully aware of their arrival and had raised scratch forces to meet them.

Custis Lee, son of Robert E. Lee, led the Confederate scratch forcees that turned back Dahlgrens 500 strong force of cavalry, 2 miles west of Richmond.

1 March 1864 - U.S. President Lincoln nominated Ulysses S. Grant for the newly revived rank of lieutenant general.

1 March 1865 - General Thomas Rosser set fire to a bridge along the middle fork of the Shenandoah River. General George Custer's troops charged across the burning span and extinguished the fire before the bridge was destroyed.

2 March 1861 Colonel Richard Anderson, a Kentucky born regular army soldier and commander of Fort Sumter, issues a message to Washington that he would soon either need reinforcements, or would need to evacuate. The message arrives in 3 march, and is a prime consideration for Lincoln even whilst being sworn in as 16th president.

Fort Sumter was located at the mouth of Charleston Harbour and was a source of great irritation to the secessionists. Lincolns predecessor, James Buchanan, was an easy going and slow to take action kind of leader, but when approached with demands to evacuate the fort, is said to have quoted his overarching responsibility to preserve the Union . With the advice of his aged commanding general, Winfield Scott, supplies and a reionforcement of 250 men were sent to the fort. on the merchant sailing vessel, Star Of The West.

The ship arived off the Charleston Bar around midnight 8 January 1861. As she negotiated the navigational hazards, signal rockets could be see being fired on the shoreline. Confederate gunners were rushing to man the rebel batteries that had been set up at their Fort Moultrie. Poorly trained, their shooting was very poor, and did little damage to the ship, apart from a single grazing shot to the forepeak of the ship.

Anderson forbade his men to give covering fire for the re-suply ship. He said he was determined not to fire the shot that began the civil war. Next day he sent a protest to the South Carolina Governor, who replied that ther arrival of such a ship was considered a hostile act. The situation continued to smoulder, but outright war had been averted for the moment.

After being sworn into office of President of the Confederacy 18 Feb 1861, Davis's first move was to attempt to remove Sumter by negotiation. He sent emissaries to Washington for this purpose. meanwhile on 1 March he appointed PGT Beuregard as the local military commander. The situation was developing an ominous tone very rapidly.

March 1, 1862.
U.S.S. Mount Vernon captures blocade runner British Queen, off Wilmington N.C.

3 March 1861
President-elect Lincoln had a full day in Washington, giving a dinner for his new Cabinet, visiting the Senate and conferring on appointments. Army commander Gen. Winfield Scott wrote William H. Seward that he believed it impracticable to relieve Fort Sumter. Meanwhile, the Army went ahead with preparations to protect the inaugural ceremonies set for March 4. At Charleston, Brig. Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard assumed command of Confederate troops around Charleston Harbor.

3 March 1862
On the Mississippi, Federals under Pope began the siege of New Madrid, MO. Other Federals occupied evacuated Columbus, KY., to the north. There was a skirmish at Martinsburg, western VA as Federals occupied that town; Confederates evacuated Amelia Island, FLA.; Cubero, N.Mex. Territory was taken by the Southerners; an action occurred at Comanche Pass, N.Mex. Territory and there were several days of Federal operations around Berryville, ARK. In Richmond, President Davis recalled Gen. Lee from Charleston and South Carolina to be a military adviser in Virginia.

In Washington, President Lincoln approved a lengthy list of officers for appointment as major and brigadier generals. Gen. Halleck in St. Louis was authorized by Washington to place Brig. Gen. C. F. Smith in command of the expedition from Fort Henry up the Tennessee, after Halleck accused Grant of not reporting properly at the time of Fort Donelson and other misconduct.

3 March 1863
FEDERAL DRAFT ACT APPROVED: President Lincoln signed "An Act for enrolling and calling out the National Forces, and for other purposes." Thus, the first effective Federal draft, imposed liability on all male citizens between 20 and 45 with the exception of the physically or mentally unfit, men with certain types of dependents, those convicted of a felony and various high Federal and state officials. Draft quotas for each district would be set by the President on the basis of population and the number of men already in the service from each district. A drafted man could hire another as a substitute or purchase his way out for $300. Despite its many defects, the measure increased volunteering. For the entire war only 162,535 men, or about 6 per cent, were raised by the draft. Of these 46,347 were held to personal service and 116,188 furnished substitutes. An additional 86,724 paid commutation.

Other acts approved by the President as Congress neared the end of a session were: an act to prevent and punish frauds on revenue; an act to turn over to the Treasury in trust all captured and abandoned cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco in states in insurrection; a loan to the government authorizing $300,000,000 for 1863, and $600,000,000 for 1864; an act fixing the number of Supreme Court justices at ten; authorization for the President to suspend the privilege of writ of habeas corpus on any necessary case during the war; issuance of not more than $50,000,000 in fractional currency to replace postage stamp currency; a measure making Idaho a territory; and one naming Jay Cooke as government agent to direct the campaign to popularize the sale of U.S. bonds.

Still another Federal naval attack on Fort McAllister below Savannah,GA., failed despite eight hours of bombardment. Confederates raided Granby, MO and there was skirmishing near Bear Creek, TENN. Federal expeditions operated for 6 days each from Murfreesboro to Woodbury, TENN., and from Belle Plain to Coan River and Machodoc Creek, VA. Still another Union expedition of 4 days was from Concord Church to Chapel Hill, TENN.

3 March 1864
In a day of minor fighting, skirmishes occurred at Liverpool and Brownsville, MISS.,Petersburg, W.VA.; at Jackson and near Baton Rouge, LA. The Federal Treasury was authorized by Congress to issue $200,000,000 in ten-year bonds. Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant was ordered to Washington to receive his commission as lieutenant general.

3 March 1865
The 38th Congress of the United States held its last regular session, finally adjourning about 8am March 4. President Lincoln and Cabinet members went to the Capital in the evening to consider a flurry of last minute bills. Most important was an act establishing a Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees. The Freedmen's Bureau would supervise and manage all abandoned lands and have "control of all subjects relating to refugees and freedmen from rebel states." It would provide temporary subsistence, clothing and fuel and also would assign land. Another act set up the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company. Other measures dealt with Indian tribes, freedom for wives and children of Negro soldiers, railroad expansion, appropriations and soldiers' affairs.

Federal troops entered Cheraw, SC after skirmishes at Thompson's Creek and Big Black Creek as well as near Hornsborough and Blakeny's, SC. The Confederates pulled back across the Pee Dee River and burned the bridges. Large amounts of ammunition and supplies were taken at Cheraw. Otherwise there was skirmishing near Tunnel Hill, GA and at Decatur, ALA. A Union reconnaissance March 3-5 probed from Cumberland Gap toward Jonesville, VA. Federal expeditions operated from Memphis into northern Mississippi until March 11 and until March 7 from Bloomfield into Dunklin County, MO. Union operations against raiders about Warrenton, Bealeton Station, Sulphur Springs, Salem and Centreville, VA., lasted until about March 8. The Northern escort convoying prisoners from Waynesboro northward in the Shendoah Valley was attacked several times until March 7. Meanwhile Sheridan's unopposed troops occupied Charlottesville, VA as they headed in the general direction of Petersburg.

President Davis wrote a Confederate congressman;

"On spite of the timidity and faithlessness of many who should give tone to the popular feeling and hope to the popular heart, I am satisfied that it is in the power of the good man and true patriots of the country to reanimate the wearied spirit of out people...I expect the hour of deliverance."

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Lincoln wrote a message, signed by Stanton, directing Grant;

"...to have no conference with General Lee unless it be for the capitulation of General Lee's army....you are not to decide, discuss, or confer upon any political question. Such questions the President holds in his own hands; and will submit them to no military conferences or conventions. Meantime you are to press to the utmost, your military advantages."

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This signal order laid the policy for the generals in the surrenders to come, although the message was sent only to Grant and not to Sherman.

March 8, 1862.
C.S.S. Virginia sets sail to conduct one of the most one-sided battles ever. With her armored casement rendering her invulnerable to Union guns she destroyes U.S.S. Congress, U.S.S. Cumberland, and causes U.S.S. Minnesota to run aground.

March 9, 1862.
U.S.S. Monitor is on station guarding the U.S.S. Minnesota when the C.S.S. Virginia emerges around 8am. After pounding each other for four hours, during which the Monitor sustains a hit to the pilot house blinding her C.O., and the Virginia suffers hits around the waterline causing a leak, both ships draw off. The Virginia, back up river. The Monitor back to standing along side the stricken Minnesota.
Europe takes serious note of this battle of the first "Iron-clads". Every Navy in the world is now obsolete.
Despite the lead the Americans had, after the War between the States, the U.S.N. falls into serious neglect. It would not be until the 1890's before new ships are built.
The most impressive of which would be the Indianna class coastal Battleships.

Damn, I am so far behind! Damn 2nd shift has really screwed up my participation. Sorry about that, my days are all screwed up. I will try and catch up all the days of battles I missed in one day.

Mar. 2

1864
Battle of Walkerton
Location: Walkerton, Virginia
Union Forces Committed: 4000 Cavalry Corps of the Army of Potomac (Brig. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick)
Confederate Forces Committed: 9th Virginia Cavalry Detachment and Home Guards (Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton)
Union Casualties: 100 Killed, Wounded and Captured. Col. Ulric Dahlgren Killed.
Confederate Casualties: 0
Outcome: Confederate Victory

1865
Battle of Waynesboro
Location: Waynesboro, Virginia
Union Forces Committed: 2,500 (Army of Shenandoah under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan and Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer)
Confederate Forces Committed: 1,600 (Army of the Valley District under Lt. Gen. Jubal Early)
Union Casualties: 30 Killed and Wounded
Confederate Casualties: 100 Killed, 1500 Captured (Brig. Gen William Henry Harman Killed)
Outcome: Union Victory (Confederate Army of the Valley District Destroyed)

It was the final battle for Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early, whose force was destroyed.

The campaign started with Brig. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick leaving Stevensburg on February 28 with 4,000 men, intending to raid Richmond. The force rode along the Virginia Central Railroad tearing up track, while an advance force was sent south along the James River. The plan was that the advance force, led by Col. Ulric Dahlgren, son of Rear admiral John Dahlgren, should penetrate Richmond's defenses from the rear, and release prisoners at Belle Isle. Yet, when Kilpatrick reached Richmond on March 1, Dahlgren had not yet arrived. Kilpatrick had to withdraw because he was under pursuit by Confederate cavalry, led by Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton. Hampton caught up with Kilpatrick near Old Church on March 2, but the Federals were able to take refuge with elements of Butler's command at New Kent Court House.

Meanwhile, Dahlgren had found himself unable to penetrate Richmond's defenses, and tried to escape northwards. The group became separated, and on March 2, Dahlgren, along with about 100 men, was ambushed by a detachment of the 9th Virginia Cavalry and Home Guards in King and Queen County near Walkerton. Dahlgren was killed and most of the men were captured.

The gravest implications of the raid came as a result of papers found on Dahlgren's body. The papers allegedly contained an official Union order to burn Richmond and assassinate Jefferson Davis and his cabinet. Meade, Kilpatrick, and Lincoln all disavowed any knowledge of the Dahlgren Papers, and their authenticity has been disputed. At the time, however, the affair caused a great public outcry among Southerners, who accused the North of initiating "a war of extermination."

Mar. 5

1863
Battleo of Thompson's Station
Location: Williamson County, Tennessee
Union Forces Committed: 1 Brigade of the Army of Cumberland (Brig. Gen John Coburn)
Confederate Forces Committed: 1 Cavalry Corps of the Army of Tennessee (Maj. Gen Earl Van Dorn)
Union Casualties: 1,906 Killed, Wounded and Captured/Missing
Confederate Casualties: 300 Killed, Wounded and Captured/Missing
Outcome: Confederate Victory

In a period of relative inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a reinforced Union infantry brigade, under Col. John Coburn, left Franklin to reconnoiter south toward Columbia. Four miles from Spring Hill, Coburn attacked with his right wing, a Confederate Army force composed of two regiments; he was repelled. Then, Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn seized the initiative. Brig. Gen. W.H. "Red" Jackson's dismounted 2nd Division made a frontal attack, while Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's division swept around Coburn's left flank, and into his rear. After three attempts, characterized by hard fighting, Jackson carried the Union hilltop position as Forrest captured Coburn's wagon train and blocked the road to Nashville in his rear. Out of ammunition and surrounded, Coburn surrendered, along with all but two of his field officers. Union influence in Middle Tennessee subsided for a while.

Van Dorn and Forrest received help with their victory from an unlikely participant. Miss Alice Thompson, age 17 at the time, was visiting the residence of Lieutenant Banks. The Third Arkansas was advancing through the yard, lost their Colonel (Earle), their color bearer and the regiment was thrown into disorder. Miss Alice Thompson rushed out, raised the flag and led the regiment to victory. The enemy lauded her action.


Mar. 6

1862
Battle of Pea Ridge (6-8 March)
Location: Garfield, Arkansas
Union Forces Committed: 10,500 (Army of the Southwest under Maj. Gen Samuel Ryan Curtis)
Confederate Forces Committed: 16,500 (Army of the West under Maj. Gen Earl Van Dorn)
Union Casualties: 203 killed, 980 wounded and 201 missing.
Confederate Casualties: 2,000 Killed, wounded and missing. Generals McCulloch, McIntosh, and William Y. Slack killed.
Outcome: Union Victory

In a two–day battle, Curtis held off the Confederate attack on the first day and drove Van Dorn's force off the field on the second day. The outcome of the battle essentially cemented Union control of Missouri and northern Arkansas. The battle was one of the few during the war in which a Confederate army outnumbered its Union opponent.

1865
Battle of Natural Bridge
Location: Woodville, Florida
Union Forces Committed: 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry under Brig. Gen. John Newton
Confederate Forces Committed: 1000 troops made up of Kilcrease Artillery; Dunham's Battery; Abell's Battery; 5th Florida Cavalry; 1st Florida Militia; Barwick's Company Reserves; Hodges Company Reserves; Company A, Milton Light Artillery; Companies A, B, and F, Reserves and reinforcements from Georgia as well as Teenage Students from the Florida Military and Collegiate Institute.
Union Casualties: 21 Killed, 89 Wounded and 38 Captured.
Confederate Casualties: 3 Killed and 23 Wounded.
Outcome: Confederate Victory

A small band of Confederate troops and volunteers, mostly composed of teenagers from the nearby Florida Military and Collegiate Institute that would later become Florida State University, and the elderly, protected by breastworks, prevented Union forces (consisting of African-American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops) from crossing the Natural Bridge on the St. Marks River. This action prevented the Union from capturing the Florida capital and made Tallahassee the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not to be captured by Union forces during the war.

Mar. 7

1865
Battle of Wyse Fork (Mar. 7-10)
Location: Kinston, North Carolina
Union Forces Committed: 12,000 troops (Cox's Provisional Corps under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield)
Confederate Forces Committed: 8,500 troops (Department of North Carolina under Gen. Braxton Bragg)
Union Casualties: 1,101 Killed, Wounded and Missing
Confederate Casualties: 1,500 Killed, Wounded and Captured/Missing
Outcome: Union Victory

On March 7, Federal advance units encountered Bragg's entrenched forces along Southwest Creek east of Kinston. Bragg's position not only blocked Cox's path but threatened a vital cross road and the New Bern-Goldsboro Railroad. Cox saw the importance of this position and moved forward the divisions of Brig. Gen. Innis N. Palmer to protect the railroad and Maj. Gen. Samuel P. Carter to protect the roads. Bragg's forces were also reinforced by veterans from the Army of Tennessee and the North Carolina Junior Reserves, all under the command of General D.H. Hill. Reinforced, Bragg went on the offensive and sent a division under North Carolina native Robert Hoke into the Union left flank. Hoke's attack hit a New England brigade in Carter's division, capturing an entire regiment. Hill joined the advance with the Junior Reserves but they panicked and refused to go any further. Hill left them behind and moved on with his veterans, hitting the Union brigade and defeating it. Disaster threatened the Union flank when Bragg stopped Hill's advance and sent him far to the north to counterattack a Union threat. When Hill arrived he found no Federals in sight. At this time Cox, who had been away from the front lines, returned and moved up his reserve division under Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger to plug the gap between Palmer and Carter.

Skirmishing continued for the next few days until Hoke tried again to turn the Federal left flank on March 10. The Federal position had been strongly fortified by artillery and repulsed Hoke's attack within an hour. Hill then moved against the Union center but again Federal artillery proved decisive and the attackers were repulsed. The remaining elements from the Federal XXIII Corps, which had just arrived in New Bern from Tennessee, were moving on Kinston. Facing five Union divisions, Bragg withdrew.

Mar. 8

1862
Battle of Hampton Roads (8-9 March) (Also known as the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack)
Location: Hampton Roads, VA
Union Forces Committed: USS Monitor, USS Congress, USS Cumberland, USS Minnesota, USS Roanoke, USS St. Lawrence, USS Mystic, USS Suave, USS Dragon, USS Whitehall, USS Young America and USS Cambridge
Confederate Forces Committed: CSS Virginia, CSS Raleigh, CSS Beaufort, CSS Patrick Henry, CSS Jamestown and CSS Teaser
Union Casualties: USS Cumberland, USS Congress sunk. 261 Killed and 108 wounded.
Confederate Casualties: 78 Killed and 17 wounded.
Outcome: Undecided

The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (or Virginia) or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. It was fought over two days, March 8–9, 1862, in Hampton Roads, a roadstead in Virginia where the Elizabeth and Nansemond Rivers meet the James River just before it enters Chesapeake Bay. The battle was a part of the effort of the Confederacy to break the Union blockade, which had cut off Virginia's largest cities, Norfolk and Richmond, from international trade.

The duel ended indecisively, Virginia returning to her home at the Gosport Navy Yard for repairs and strengthening, and Monitor to her station defending Minnesota. The ships did not fight again, and the blockade remained in place.

Mar. 10

On this day in 1863: Lincoln offers amnesty. In the early days of the War Between the States, the assumption had been common in the North that any military action to reunify the country would be swift, neat and uncomplicated. Recruiting agents had easy work as men on both sides flocked to the colors seeking excitement more than anything. After it became clear that the war would be neither short nor tidy, the government had resorted to quotas, and states, counties and towns offered bounty money to get men to enlist to fill them. Now that the grim reality was known to all, President Lincoln was obliged to offer an amnesty for those who had had enough. Any man who returned to his unit by April 1 would not be prosecuted. Any who did not would be regarded as a deserter, liable to be shot.

On this day in 1864: Newly commissioned Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant was today given an additional title: Commander of the Armies of the United States. He did not pick up the paperwork in person, though, as he was already in Virginia holding a rather touchy meeting with Gen. George G. Meade, who still held the title of commander of the Army of the Potomac. The two needed to work out ways to work together, as Grant planned to operate in the field with an army that had been commanded by Meade since just before Gettysburg. In fact the two worked out one of the great partnerships of the War when Meade, unlike his more egotistical predecessors, sent Grant a statement offering his services in whatever capacity Grant thought he would be most useful. In the end Grant kept him in command of the Army of the Potomac, which freed Grant from many onerous administrative duties.

On this day in 1865: Confederate General William H. C. Whiting died in prison from the wounds he had suffered at during the fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

On this day in 1865: Gen. William T. Sherman's forces were still working on their approach to Fayetteville, North Carolina. Their progress was being considerably slowed by the terrain. The roads were mud with an unusually high percentage of sand. This meant that wagons could only travel if the roads were "corduroyed", or paved with logs. As the rain increased even this was not enough: the road itself would sink after only a few wagons passed over them. More logs were added on top of the sunken ones, but this was not only an incredibly tedious process, but the supply of suitable logs along the roadside was not infinite. The coordinated activity on the nearby Cape Fear River was nearly as difficult. The river, according to the ship captains, was "very narrow and torturous, with a strong current". Overhanging trees just complicated matters further, to the extent that branches would knock smokestacks partly or completely off the boats. Paddlewheels were fouled by rubbish. The gunship Chickamauga gave up the ghost entirely, blocking the river at Indian Wells.

Battles

1865
Battle of Monroe's Crossroads
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Union Forces Committed: 1,850 troops from 3rd Cavalry Division (under Maj. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick)
Confederate Forces Committed: 3,000 troops from Hampton's Cavalry Division (under Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler).
Union Casualties: 183 Killed and Wounded.
Confederate Casualties: 86 Killed and Wounded.
Outcome: Undecided

Involving more than 4,500 men, it pitted mounted Confederate cavalry against dismounted Union cavalry. It was one of the last all-cavalry battles of the Civil War. The inconclusive fighting lasted for several hours early on the morning of March 10, 1865. The Confederate attack delayed the Federal cavalry's movement toward Fayetteville, denying Brevet Maj. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick the honor of entering the town first.

The main Confederate assault was at dawn and against a poorly guarded and sleeping Union camp. In command of the Confederate forces were Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, who were operating together for the first time. One of the goals (not fulfilled) was the capture of Kilpatrick himself, using a small elite squadron of hand-picked troopers. Kilpatrick, ensconced with his mistress in a small log cabin near the farmhouse of Charles Monroe, managed to flee the chaotic scene in his nightshirt, hiding for a period in a nearby swamp before regaining his composure and reorganizing his troops. While initially routed, the Federal cavalry soon recovered and counterattacked, eventually pressuring the Confederates to relinquish the camp. Anticipating the approach of Union infantry, the Confederate commanders ordered their troops to disengage from the action in the mid-morning. Hampton's cavalry finally withdrew in good order toward Fayetteville. Confederate Brig. Gen. Thomas Harrison, Brig. Gen. William Y.C. Humes, Col. and brigade commander James Hagan and Col. and brigade commander Moses W. Hannon were wounded during the battle. Brig. Gen. William W. Allen and Colonel and brigade commander Henry Marshall Ashby were injured when their horses were shot from under them.

The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads gained the additional time needed for the Confederate infantry to conduct an organized crossing of the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville unmolested by the advancing Federals. With their troops and equipment east of the Cape Fear, the Confederates burned the bridges as Union forces entered the city.

Mar. 11

On this day in 1862: Management shuffles took place in both the armies and the departments today. The Department of Kansas was merged with Missouri and part of the monstrous Department of Ohio, which stretched from western Pennsylvania to Illinois. This new construct was named the Department of the Mississippi, with Gen. Halleck in command. A new one was created in West Virginia and parts of Virginia, called the Mountain Department and headed by Fremont. Gen. McClellan was relieved of his title of General-in-Chief but kept command of the Army of the Potomac. His men, who idolized McClellan, were the only ones not amused.

On this day in 1863: Gen. Grant's plodding progress toward Vicksburg suffered a setback today when his gunboats couldn't get past a fort built out of cotton bales. Gen. Pemberton had sent Maj. Gen. W.W. Loring to a patch of flooded swamp near Greenwood to build a fort. Loring, tactfully, named it Fort Pemberton, and built it out of earthworks and cotton bales. With a couple of cannon he fended off the USS Chillicothe. The fort was effective not nearly so much because of its power as because of the element of surprise.

On this day in 1864: Yesterday Lt. General U.S. Grant had spent the day in consultations and discussions of management theory with Gen. George Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac. Today he returned to Washington, but just long enough to catch a train. He was setting out for Nashville, Tenn., to have just the same sort of meeting with Gen. William T. Sherman, who was henceforth to be the commander in the Western Theater. Sherman had sent Grant a letter after he had been informed that he (Grant) would be placed in command of the overall Union war effort. In the letter Sherman had strongly recommended that Grant keep his headquarters in the field and stay as far away from Washington as possible, to avoid "meddling" by Lincoln and other politicians. This was, in fact, precisely what Grant wound up doing.

On this day in 1865: Gen. Sherman's men today completed their march to Fayetteville, N.C., nearly surrounding the town. The first forces to enter the city itself were the targets of sniping by Confederate cavalry. The last defenders were soon compelled to flee by the last remaining exit, the bridge over Cape Fear River. Sherman sent his report that the city was secured to Schofield at Wilmington and US Navy warships were soon on their way up the river.

March 13 1864

On this day in 1864, one of the biggest military fiascos of the Civil War begins as a combined Union force of infantry and riverboats starts moving up the Red River in Louisiana. The month-long campaign was poorly managed and achieved none of the objectives set forth by Union commanders.

The campaign had several strategic goals. The Union hoped to capture everything along the Red River in Louisiana and continue into Texas. Additionally, President Abraham Lincoln hoped to send a symbolic warning to France, which had set up a puppet government in Mexico and seemed to have designs on territorial expansion. Finally, Union officials wanted to capture cotton-producing regions, as cotton was in short supply in the North.

The plan called for Admiral David Dixon Porter to take a flotilla of 20 gunboats up the Red River while General Nathaniel Banks led 27,000 men along the western shore of the river. Porter's squadron entered the river on March 12. Two days later, Fort Derussy fell to the Yankees and the ships moved upriver and captured Alexandria. The expedition was going well, but Banks was moving too slowly. He arrived two weeks after Porter took Alexandria, and continued to plod towards Shreveport. Banks traveled nearly 20 miles from the Red River, too far for the gunboats to offer any protection. On April 8, Banks' command was attacked and routed by Confederate General Richard Taylor, son of former U.S. president Zachary Taylor. The two sides fought again the next day, but this time the Yankees held off the Rebel pursuit.

The intimidated Banks elected to retreat back down the river before reaching Shreveport. Porter's ships followed, but the Red River was unusually low and the ships were stuck above some rapids near Alexandria. It appeared that the ships would have to be destroyed to keep them from falling into Confederate hands, but Lt. Colonel Joseph Bailey of Wisconsin, an engineer with a logging background, supervised several thousand soldiers in constructing a series of wing dams that raised the water level enough for the ships to pass. The campaign was deemed a failure--it drew Union strength away from other parts of the South and the expedition never reached Texas

March 13 1865.

The Confederacy authorises the enlistment of Black Americans into its army

March 14 1862

On this day in 1862, at the Battle of New Bern, Union General Ambrose Burnside captures North Carolina's second largest city and closes another port through which the Confederates could slip supplies.

The capture of New Bern continued Burnside's success along the Carolina coast. Five weeks earlier, he led an amphibious force against Roanoke Island between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. The Yankees captured the island on February 8; now Burnside moved against New Bern on the mainland. On March 13, he landed 12,000 troops along the Neuse River, 15 miles south of New Bern. Accompanied by 13 gunboats, Burnside's army marched up river to face 4,000 Confederate troops commanded by General Lawrence O. Branch.

The city was protected by extensive defenses, but Branch did not have enough soldiers to properly staff them. He concentrated his men along the inner works a few miles downriver from New Bern. Early on the morning of March 14, Burnside's men attacked in a heavy fog, and two of the three Yankee brigades crashed into the fortifications. General Jesse Reno's brigade struck the weakest part of the line, where an inexperienced Rebel militia unit tried to hold off the Federals. Burnside's third brigade joined Reno and the Confederate line collapsed. That afternoon, Union gunboats steamed into New Bern.

Union casualties for the battle were around 90 killed and 380 wounded, while the Confederates suffered approximately 60 killed, 100 wounded, and 400 captured. The conflict produced a Confederate hero, Colonel Zebulon Vance, who rescued his regiment by using small boats to bypass a bridge set afire by his comrades. Vance was elected governor of the state later that year.

March 22 1863 A detachment of John Morgan's Confederate cavalry captures the federal outpost at Mount Sterling, Kentucky


March 22, 1863 Confederate John Pegram enters Kentucky on a series of raids. Kentucky


March 22, 1865 - Major General James Wilson [US] begins a "raid" in Selma.

This 2nd shift crap is screwing me up. I can't keep up with it.

Theres a lot to this....we need some help