The date normally accepted as the start of the American Civil War is April 12th, 1861 when the State of South Carolina fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. This coastal defensive fort was garrisoned by US Army troops.

While this is the 'accepted' start date, important events crucial to this event happened earlier, some many years earlier. Here listed are some of those events:

1776-The Declaration of Independence first draft denounced the slave trade but this was deleted by the final draft-Colonists were aware of the issue

1793-Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin turning cotton farming into a large-scale profitable industry

1807-William Wilberforce succeeded in getting the British House of Commons to abolish slave trade in England

1820-The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to join as a free state

1822-Wilberforce urged British Colonies and other countries to suppress slavery with great success but no move in the US

1832-The New England Antislavery Society was formed (William Lloyd Garrison)

1852-Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and inflamed the Northern States over the cruelty of slavery

1854-The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed those territories and any future ones to decide for themselves if they wanted slavery

1857-The US Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case decided that a slave was not a citizen so had no right to sue

1859-John Brown and 21 other men attack the Armory in Harper's Ferry hoping to encourage a slave uprising

February 27,1860- Abraham Lincoln states in a speech at New York's Cooper Union that the Constitution provides the power to control slavery in the territories

April 30,1860-Delegates of 8 slave states walk out of the Democratic National Convention saying Stephen Douglas does not support slavery enough

May 3,1860-The Democratic National Convention ends without naming a candidate (Charleston, SC)

May 18-23,1860-The Republican National Convention nominates Abraham Lincoln in Chicago

June 18-23,1860-The Democratic National Convention nominates Senator Stephen Douglas (Baltimore, MD) with no slave states represented

June 28,1860-Slave state Democrats meet (in Baltimore) and nominate John C. Breckenridge for President

November 6,1860-Lincoln is elected: Hannibal Hamlin as Vice President

December 3,1860-President James Buchanan tells Congress that no state has the right to secede but the Federal Government has no power to stop it

December 24,1860-Major Robert Anderson shifts his garrison from Ft. Moultrie to Ft. Sumter - South Carolina troops occupy Ft. Moultrie

January 9,1861-South Carolina fires on the supply ship 'Star of the West' carrying supplies to Ft. Sumter

January 9,1861- Missouri secedes from the Union
January 10,1861- Florida Secedes;
January 11,1861-Alabama Secedes;
January 19,1861-Georgia Secedes;
January 26,1861-Louisiana Secedes; W.T. Sherman resigns from the Louisiana Military Academy
February 1, 1861-Texas Secedes;

February 4, 1861- Provisional Government meets for the first time in Montgomery, Al

February 8-9,1861- The name 'Confederate States of America' is chosen and Jefferson Davis is elected President

March 4,1861- Lincoln Inaugurated as President of the United States

March 6,1861- The Confederate States establish the "Provisional Army of the Confederate State"

April 6,1861- Pres. Lincoln informs South Carolina that he will provision Ft. Sumter but will reinforce only if attack

April 11,1861-Confederate General P.T.G. Beauregard demands the surrender of Ft. Sumter. Major Anderson refuses

April 12,1861- At 4:30 AM CONFEDERATE TROOPS BOMBARD FORT SUMTER

Civil War-150 years ago this week (April 13-20,1861)
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

In the list of some of the events that lead up to the American Civil War, the last entry was the bombardment of Ft Sumter early on Friday, April 12, 1861 by shore batteries. These four batteries consisted of 7000 troops on Sullivan Island, at Ft. Pulaski and Ft Moultrie and on the area known as the Charleston Battery. This shelling continued throughout Friday, overnight, and all day Saturday, April 13th. The 70 US Army troops in Major Anderson's command returned artillery Friday, stopped overnight to conserve shells, and resumed reduced shelling Saturday. Late Saturday afternoon, Major Anderson surrendered.

April 13,1861-Major Anderson surrenders Ft Sumter with the stipulation that, after a 100-gun salute, all US property, including the flag could be removed from the fort. Ironically, no troops were severely injured or killed during the shelling but an accident during the 100-gun salute killed one soldier.

April 13,1861- The USS Sabine arrives at Pensacola, Fl with a blockading force

April 14,1861- Major Anderson evacuates Ft Sumter by embarking on a transport supplied by the Confederates, transferring to the 'Baltic' and sailing to New York City

April 14-15,1861- Several Southern newspapers call for a march on Washington D.C. and an attack on the capitol

April 15,1861- President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers with a three-month enlistment to protect Washington

April 16,1861-Slavery is abolished in Washington, DC and Pres. Lincoln suspends all trade with states that secede

April 16,1861-Union troops set fire to the arsenal and armory at Harper's Ferry destroying 17,000 muskets. They then abandon the site

April 17,1861-Jefferson Davis invites private armed vessels to attack US ships on the high seas

April 18,1861-Pres. Lincoln offers command of the US Army to Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee - Lee declines

April 18,1861-Virginia Troops occupy Harper's Ferry Armory

April 18,1861-The first of the 75,000 troops, the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, reaches New York City on their way to Washington

April 19,1861-Pres. Lincoln orders a blockade of all ports from Charleston, SC to Texas

April 19,1861-As the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment changes trains in Baltimore, a mob stones the soldiers with four soldiers killed and 12 civilian casualties

April 19,1861-The New York 7th Regiment sets out to defend Washington

April 20,1861-To avoid further street battles, the Baltimore mayor asks that no further troops travel through Baltimore

April 20,1861-Norfolk Navy Yard is partially destroyed, then abandoned by Union Forces

April 20,1861-Saying "I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children", Robert E. Lee resigns his US Army Commission

April 20,1861-The US Government seizes telegraph copies saved from the past year to locate messages from people hostile to the government

April 20,1861-Washington defensive forces fail to arrive from Boston, New York, and Baltimore. Investigation reveals that mobs intend to destroy rail lines between Annapolis and Philadelphia. Pres. Lincoln threatens to suspend 'Habeas Corpus' and arrest the mob leaders for safety of the public. NOTE (Habeas Corpus means that anyone arrested must be released from detention OR brought
before a court or judge to decide the legality of detention)

April 20,1861- Pres. Lincoln authorized General Scott to arrest and hold, without trial, anyone dangerous to the public safety, i.e. the mob slowing the arrival of troops to Washington, D.C.

Civil War-150 years ago this week (April 21-30, 1861)
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

April 21,1861-Professor Thomas Jackson, formerly a US Army Major, brought his Virginia Military Academy (VMI) Cadets to Richmond to train and drill recruits

April 21,1861-Union forces under General Benjamin Butler occupy Annapolis, MD

April 21,1861-Maryland Governor Thomas Hicks demands he removal of 'Northern Troops' from his State

April 22,1861-Robert E. Lee leaves his home, Arlington House to go to Richmond. He never returns

April 22,1861-US Army Lt. Joseph Wheeler resigns his US Army Commission

April 23,1861-Robert E. Lee is placed in charge of all Virginia Military forces as a Major General

April 24,1861-The "USS Niagara", just returned from Japan, is sent to Charleston Harbor as part of the blockade

April 24,1861-Robert E. Lee agrees to a Virginia Militia alliance with the Confederate States

April 26,1861-Confederate Troops seize Ft. Smith, Arkansas

April 27,1861-The port blockade is extended to North Carolina and Virginia ports (see April 19,1861 entry)

April 27,1861-Professor Thomas Jackson is named a Colonial in the Confederate Army & occupies Harper's Ferry, relieving the Virginia Militia

April 29,1861-Maryland's Government votes to remain in the Union

April 29,1861-In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate Provisional Government meets to organize what they later called The Confederate States of America. This conference lasted until May 21,1861. At this point, eight southern states had seceded.

The Civil War era now enters a relatively slow period with few note-worthy events. The next installment of "This Week in the Civil War" will take up on May 3,1861 and may cover more than one week. Mostly military and government positioning as the first battle isn't until July (Manassas or First Bull Run on July 16,1861)

Civil War-150 years ago this week (May 1-May 16,1861)
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

May 3,1861-To add 22,700 men to the regular Army and 18,000 seamen to the Navy, President Lincoln calls for 42,000 volunteers for three year enlistment.

May 3, 1861- Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson declared that Mr. Lincoln, by calling out troops for the purpose of subduing the secession movement, had committed an unconstitutional and illegal act. He defended the right of states to withdraw, that the interests of the State of Missouri were identical with other slaveholding states, and that Missouri would, at the proper time, follow the example of the seceding states. He concluded by insisting that Missouri would resist any attempt of the Federal Government to enforce Federal Law. This message caused the long series of desperate and bloody events in Missouri that were known at that time as the Southern Rebellion. The term "Southern Rebellion" later became simply the "Rebellion" and was attached to many other events.

May 3,1861-Chicago Zouaves organize a force in answer to Pres. Lincoln's 42,000 volunteer call

May 6,1861-Arkansas secedes (the ninth state to do so)

May 7,1861-Tennessee forms a Military Alliance with the Confederate States (does not secede until June 8)

May 9,1861-US forces in Texas are surrendered to the Texas Rangers along with supplies and weapons by US General David Twiggs, He later becomes a Confederate General

May 10,1861-Maryland resolves to protest any war against the Confederacy and to 'remain neutral' which resulted in the imprisonment of State Officials

May 10-11,1861-In St. Louis, MO, Union Captain Lyons demands the surrender of encamped State Militia forces causing a riot with 20 civilians killed

May 11,1861-Gen George B. McClellan becomes Commander of the US Army Department of the Ohio (Ohio, Indiana, Western Pa and Western Virginia troops)

May 13,1961-US Gen Benjamin Butler occupies Baltimore, MD

May 13,1861-Britian maintains neutrality and Queen Victoria withholds official recognition of the Confederate States of America

May 14,1861-William Tecumseh Sherman accepts appointment as a colonial in the 13th Infantry of the US Army. He refused earlier offers of a position as 'Officer' of Volunteers

May 14,1861-Gen Butler's troops occupy Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor

May 16,1861-An enlistment bounty of $10.00 offered by Confederate Congress

Civil War-150 years ago this week (May 19 - 31, 1861)
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

May 19,1861- The Confederate garrison at Harpers Ferry is strengthened by additional troops

May 20,1861- North Carolina secedes-the tenth state to do so

May 21,1861- Richmond is chosen the new capital of the Confederacy

May 21,1861- The Kentucky State Legislature votes to remain neutral in the upcoming struggle

May 21,1861- Lt. Fitzhugh Lee (Robert E. Lee's nephew) resigns as instructor at West Point to join the Confederacy

May 21,1861- Gen. William S. Harney, commanding in Missouri, agrees with Missouri State Guard commander Gen. Sterling Price to NOT introduce Union Troops into the state if peace was maintained. Congressman Francis Blair and General Nathaniel Lyon condemn the agreement; even call it treason

May 22,1861- Gen. Butler's Union forces occupy Ft. Monroe, VA

May 23,1861- Three runaway slaves appear at Ft. Monroe. Gen. Butler declares them "contraband of war" setting an important precedent for allowing more slaves to escape to Union lines

May 24,1861- Union troops under Gen. Samuel Heintzelman occupy Alexandria and Arlington, a to help defend Washington

May 24,1861- Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth of the 11th New York (Fire Zouaves) removes a Confederate flag from an Alexandria hotel roof and is shot by the owner

May 25,1861- Pres. Lincoln attends the funeral of Col. Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth read law in Lincoln's office in Springfield and was a family friend

May 26,1861- The Confederate Army of the Peninsula is formed with Gen. J.B. Macgruder commanding

May 26,1861- Chief Justice Roger B. Tandy rules that the President cannot suspend the writ of habeas corpus - Pres. Lincoln ignores the ruling


May 26,1861- Union Gen. George McClellan moves troops to Grafton, in western Virginia and secures the B&O Railroad

May 27,1861- The New York Tribune used "ON TO RICHMOND" for the first time

May 27,1861- Gen. Benjamin F. Butler occupies Newport News, eight miles from Ft. Monroe, VA

May 28,1861- Union Gen. Irvin McDowell is appointed commander of the Department of Northeastern Virginia with responsibility for the defense of Washington, DC

May 29,1861- Dorothea Dix approaches Sec. of War Simon Cameron offering to organize a hospital for Federal forces

May 29,1861- The Confederacy has its first session in Richmond. Albert Sidney Johnston is appointed Full General in the Confederate Army

May 30,1861- Secretary Cameron instructs Gen. Benjamin Butler to feed and house fugitive slaves and assign them to work at Ft. Monroe

May 30,1861- Gen. Thomas A. Morris seizes Philippi in Western Virginia strengthening Union hold on the region

May 31,1861- Gen. John C. Fremont supersedes Gen. William Harney in Missouri and abrogates Harney's agreement with Sterling Price (see May 21)

Civil War - 150 Years ago this week - June 1 - 9,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

June 1,1861- The Confederacy suffers it's first officer fatality. Captain John Q. Marr is killed in skirmishing around Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia.

June 1,1861- Great Britain forbids Union and Confederate armed vessel from bringing prizes (captured ships) into British ports. Britain did continue clandestine shipbuilding for the Confederate Navy.

June 1,1861- General P. T. G. Beauregard charges the Union with abandonment of civilized warfare and states that the Union Army will now "seek your honor and that of your wives and daughters."

June 2,1861- Confederate General Beauregard takes command of the Potomac Department and changes the name to the Army of the Potomac.

June 2,1861- The Confederate gunboat CSS Savannah escapes from the blockade of Charleston Harbor.

June 3,1861- The CSS Savannah captures the U.S. brig 'Joseph' carrying sugar from Cuba.

June 3,1861- In a battle later called "Philippi Race," Indiana Troops commanded by Gen. Thomas A. Morris defeats Confederate Gen. George A. Porterfield at Philippi in Western Virginia. The Kanawha Valley is now cleared and moves the region toward breaking from the Confederacy. This is the first direct contact between the two armies.

June 4,1861- The USS Perry captures the CSS Savannah and releases the 'Joseph' captured one day earlier.

June 5,1861- Federal authorities seize powder works in Connecticut and Delaware to prevent shipment to the Confederacy.

June 6,1861- Gen. George B. McClellan sees Missouri added to the responsibility of his Department of the Ohio.

June 8,1861- Tennessee becomes the eleventh and last state to secede.

June 8,1861- Kentucky declares neutrality.

June 9,1861- The U.S. Sanitary Commission is founded and Mary Ann "Mother" Bickerdyke begins work as a nurse in Union hospitals.

June 9,1861- Gen. George Butler orders a march on Big Bethel, Virginia to dislodge entrenched Confederate troops. He plans four converging columns, the march is at night, many units become lost, and New York Zouaves are fired on when uniforms are not recognized. Inexperienced troops could not properly execute this overly complicated move.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - June 11-18,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

June 11 - At Wheeling, VA Pro-Union delegates form an alternate government for the westernmost parts of the state.

June 11 - The 11th Indiana start toward Romney, VA with intent to occupy; Colonel Lew Wallace commanding.

June 13 - Lew Wallace occupies Romney in western Virginia.

June 14 - John Letcher, Governor of Virginia states that western Virginians should join the Confederate Army and that the majority of the state should rule the entire state.

June 14 - General George B. McClellan forces Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to evacuate Harper's Ferry.

June 14 - Robert E. Lee is promoted to Full General, C.S.A.

June 15 - Confederate troops led by Governor Claiborne Jackson are forced to leave Jefferson City, Mo and camp near Booneville.

June 17 - Ulysses S. Grant is appointed Colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

June 17 - Confederate Col. Thomas Jackson is promoted to Brigadier General.

June 17 - Unionist meeting in Wheeling, Virginia unanimously declare their independence from the Confederacy.

June 17 - Greenville, Tenn Pro-Union residents rally to keep east Tennessee out of the Confederacy.

June 17 - 1st South Carolina Infantry and Col. Maxcy Gregg captures a Union locomotive near Vienna, Virginia. Ohio Troops repair the tracks.

June 17 - Pres. Lincoln attends a balloon demonstration by Professor Thaddeus S.C. Lowe.

June 17 - Gen. Nathaniel Lyon pursues Claiborne F. Jackson up the Missouri River and gains control of the Missouri for the Union.

June 19 - Francis H. Pierpoint is elected as Governor and two senators are elected to office in Western Virginia.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - June 20-27,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

June 20 - The Missouri-Kansas border ruffians were active. The Kansas governor calls on citizens to resist any pro-secession attacks from Missouri.

June 22 - At Ft. Pickens, FL Col. Harvey Brown tells the War Department that he will not return fugitive slaves to their owners unless ordered to do so.

June 22 - At Greenville, TN pro-Union sympathizers declare their allegiance to the Federal Government (see June 17).

June 23 - At Falls Church, VA Professor Thaddeus S.C. Lowe rises in his balloon to observe Confederate troop deployment - the first ever use of a balloon for observation.

June 23 - The ex-USS Merrimac (scuttled as U.S. Troops abandon Norfolk on April 20,1861) begins to be converted to the new ironclad CSS Virginia at Norfolk now held by Confederate troops.

June 24 - At Washington, DC Pres. Lincoln views a demonstration of the "coffee mill," a new experimental rapid-fire weapon.

June 24 - Confederate Batteries at Mathias Point, VA, are engaged by the USS Pawnee and the Thomas Freeborn.

June 25 - Leonidas Polk is appointed Major General, C.S.A.

June 26 - Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks is directed to "discreetly" arrest George P. Jane, Baltimore, MD marshal, for secessionist activity.

June 26 - Col. Lew Wallace meets Confederate resistance at Patterson Creek in western Virginia and defeats the Confederates in a skirmish.

June 27 - The newly created "Blockade Strategy Board" made up of Captain Samuel F. DuPont, Commander Charles H. Davis, and other later Army, Navy, and Coast Guard notables, met in Washington, DC to plan blockade strategy that remained in effect to the end of the war.

June 27 - Confederate forces at Mathias Point, VA repel a landing force from the USS Pawnee (see June 26) and Commander James H. Ward, formerly Superintendent of the US Naval Academy is killed, becoming the first U.S. Navy Officer fatality.

June 27 - A landing party from the USS Resolute burns a supply depot along the Potomac.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - June 28 - July 5,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

June 28,1861 - The Blockade Strategy Board plans to seize ports in South Carolina and Georgia as coaling stations for the blockading fleet.

June 28,1861 - In spite of the blockade of Charleston Harbor, the privateer Jefferson Davis slips out of port and commences a successful career raiding Union commerce.

June 29,1861 - Pres. Lincoln in a meeting with Generals Winfield Scott and Irvin McDowell is briefed on military strategy. Scott argues (unsuccessfully) against seeking victory in a single, decisive battle considering the poor training level of troops and leaders.

June 29,1861 - The 11th Massachusetts and 12th New York reach Washington, DC and encamp around the White House.

June 30,1861 - Off New Orleans, Louisiana, Captain Raphael Semmes, commanding the CSS Sumter, evades the USS Brooklyn and goes on to a celebrated career as a commerce raider.

July 1,1861 - The U.S. Navy reports it has 82 ships in commission and carries 1100 guns plus 13,000 men including officers.

July 1,1861 - A total of 259 U.S. Navy Officers have resigned or been dismissed since March 1,1861, most to join the Confederacy.

July 1,1861 - In spite of Kentucky's claim of neutrality, the War Dept. in Washington, D.C. begins recruitment of volunteers in the state. Volunteers are also recruited with some success from Tennessee even after that state seceded.

July 2,1861 - President Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus for special cases.

July 2,1861 - Generals Robert Patterson (Union) and Joseph E. Johnston (Confederate) begin to maneuver near Washington, D.C. Patterson tries to pin Confederate forces at Williamsport, MD and Johnston shifts his forces west of Washington, near Fairfax, VA.

July 3,1861 - Gen. Patterson advances down the Shenandoah Valley and occupies Martinsburg, VA. Gen. Johnston falls back to Winchester, VA.

July 3,1861 - Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, and the Indian Territory are named the "Western Department" by the War Department.

July 4,1861 - An additional 400,000 to 500,000 troops are called for by Pres. Lincoln in a special session of Congress. He also pleads for $4 million to conduct the coming war.

July 4,1861 - Joseph E. Johnston becomes a Full General in the CSA.

July 5,1861 - Near Newport News, VA forces under Generals Benjamin Butler (Union) and John B. Magruder (Confederate) skirmish at the Curtis Farm. They had a previous encounter at Big Bethel, VA. See June 9,1861

July 4,1861 - Simon Cameron, Secretary of War announces that 260,000 men are in active service. That includes 165,000 volunteers signed up for three years.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - July 6 - 13,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

July 6, 1861 - Gen. George B. McClellan begins to move three brigades of his Dept. of the Ohio Army to Rich Mountain, near Beverly, VA.

July 6, 1861 - McClellan orders Gen. Thomas A. Morris to move from Philippi in western Virginia to Laurel Hill.

July 7, 1861 - Colonel Robert L. McCook, with two regiments of General Morris's forces, arrives at Laurel Hill and encounters heavy skirmishing with Confederate forces commanded by General Robert S. Garnett.

July 7, 1861 - General Nathaniel Lyon, Union Commander of forces near Springfield, Missouri, now has over 7,000 troops with the addition of Major Samuel D. Sturgis's troops but is still outnumbered by the Confederates at least 2-to-1.

July 8, 1861 - In a drive to force Union Troops out of New Mexico, Confederate General Henry H. Sibley is ordered to march from Texas into New Mexico.

July 9, 1861 - The U.S. House of Representatives allows Union soldiers to house and not return fugitive slaves.

July 9, 1861 - General McClellan is angered by attacks on his Allegheny Mountain area supply lines in western Virginia so gathers four additional brigades of Union troops and marched to Rich Mountain.

July 10, 1861 - Pres. Lincoln assures General Simon B. Buckner, head of the Kentucky Militia, that Union forces will not violate his state's neutrality.

July 10, 1861 - Gen. McClellan sends Gen. William S. Rosecrans against Confederate troops at Rich Mountain and Colonel Thomas A. Morris against troops at Laurel Hill.

July 11, 1861 - Union troops drive Confederates from Rich Mountain by defeating Colonel John Pegram's 1300 troops.

July 11, 1861 - The U.S. Senate expels absent members from Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Also, the Senator from western Tennessee is expelled but Andrew Johnson from eastern Tennessee (a loyalist) keeps his seat.

July 12, 1861 - Col. John Pegram surrenders 555 men to Gen. Rosecrans at Beverly, VA and Gen. McClellan's Army occupies the area. Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox advances to engage Gen. Henry A. Wise and his Confederate forces in the Kanawha Valley.

July 13, 1861 - The House of Representatives votes 94 to 45 to expel John Clark of Missouri.

July 13,1861 - At Corrick's Ford, Virginia (frequently misspelled as Carrick's Ford or Corrick's Fort), Gen. Thomas A. Morris's Indiana Brigade defeats the 23rd Virginia. Confederate Gen. Robert S. Garnett is killed, the first general officer lost on either side. Gen. McClellan is elevated to national hero and vows to march on Romney, VA.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - July 14 - 21,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

July 14, 1861 - General Robert Patterson and his Union troops stall south of Harper's Ferry when facing Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Patterson shows reluctance to give battle and is nicknamed "granny" by his troops.

July 14, 1861 - In the wake of General Garnett's death, General Henry R. Jackson is named to command Confederate troops in western Virginia (see July 13 note).

July 15, 1861 - All Confederate forces retreat from Harper's Ferry, Virginia.

July 16, 1861 - Union forces numbering about 32,000 under Gen. Irvin McDowell move from camps near Washington, D.C. toward Manassas, Virginia.

July 16, 1861 - Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard musters about 22,000 troops and positions them behind Bull Run Creek while awaiting reinforcements from the Shenandoah.

July 16, 1861 - General in Chief Winfield Scott and Gen. McDowell express reservation about committing raw troops to battle but the political cry is "On to Richmond.

July 16, 1861 - The Union Blockade Strategy Board suggests using "stone fleets" (scuttled vessels) to block Southern waterways and ports.

July 17, 1861 - Pres. Jefferson Davis instructs Gen Joseph E. Johnston to reinforce Gen. P. T. G. Beauregard. This is the first time in military history that large numbers of troops are shuttled from one battlefront to another by rail. Confederate forces are now about equal in number to Union Forces near Manassas Junction/Bull Run Creek.

July 17, 1861 - Light encounters between forces under Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox and Confederate Gen. Henry A. Wise continue around Barboursville and Scary Town in western Virginia. 



July 18, 1861 - In the initial engagement at Blackburn's Ford on Bull Run Creek, Gen. Irvin McDowell directs General Daniel Tyler to conduct a reconnaissance in force but to avoid a general engagement. The contact comes at the extreme right of Beauregard's lines and heavy fighting ensues. Union losses include - 19 killed and 38 wounded, and Confederate losses include - 15 killed and 53 wounded. This minor affair bolsters Southern morale for the impending fight at Bull Run.

July 19 & 20, 1861 - General Irvin McDowell further compounds northern problems by wasting two days gathering supplies and conducting more reconnaissance around Bull Run.

July 19, 1861 - Confederate Secretary of State Robert Toombs resigns to become a Brig. General of a Georgia brigade. Robert Hunter is the new Secretary of State.

July 19, 1861 - In an address to his troops, Gen. George McClellan tells his soldiers that Union men "are more than a match for our misguided and eering [erroring] brothers.

July 20, 1861 - The New York Tribune uses the term Copperhead (a poisonous snake) for any Northern politician opposing the war effort.

July 20, 1861 - The Confederate Provisional Congress meets in Richmond for their third congressional session and it lasts until August 31.

July 20,1861 - Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston arrive at Manassas Junction and technically succeeds Gen. Beauregard as senior commander.

July 21,1861 - The war's first major battle, First Battle of Bull Run, is won by Confederates. Union casualties included - killed 460, wounded 1124; and Confederate losses included - killed 387,wounded 1132. 
Additional missing troops and losses of cannons, ammunition, and nine Regimental Colors plus the near rout of Union Troops fleeing back toward Washington, D.C. made this a defeat for the Union even with similar casualty numbers.

July 21,1861 - Mathew Brady takes the war's first photographs at Bull Run.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - July 22 - 29,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

July 22, 1861 - With the tactical victory by the Confederate forces at First Bull Run (Manassas), General PTG Beauregard is regarded a hero and promoted to full general; Jubal A. Early becomes a brigadier.

July 22, 1861 - President Lincoln appoints Gen. George B. McClellan to replace Gen. Irvin McDowell. McDowell is disgraced at Bull Run.

July 22, 1861 - In western Virginia, Union General Robert Patterson is replaced by Gen. Nathaniel Banks. Patterson is blamed for failure to hold Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate troops in western Virginia (away from Manassas).
 

July 22, 1861 - CSA Gen. Barnard Bee dies of wounds suffered at Bull Run. Bee is best remembered as the officer that named "Stonewall" Jackson when he said "there stands Jackson as a stone wall," when he saw Gen. Jackson near the Henry House at Manassas.

July 22, 1861 - Gen. William J. Hardee takes command of Confederate forces in Arkansas.

July 22, 1861 - The U.S. House endorses the "Crittenden Resolution" voting to preserve the Union, govern under the Constitution, and keep a "hands off" policy toward slavery.

July 22, 1861 - Missouri State Convention delegates vote to move the capitol from Jefferson City to St. Louis and to continue to support the Union. Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, a secessionist, declares himself the only legitimate political authority in Missouri and remains at Jefferson City.

July 23, 1861 - Gen. McClellan's replacement as commander of the Department of the Ohio is Gen. William S. Rosecrans.

July 24, 1861 - Charleston and the Kanawha Valley are free of Confederate forces after Union General Jacob B. Cox defeats Gen. Harry A. Wise at Tyler Mountain in western Virginia.

July 25, 1861 - Congress endorses Pres. Lincoln's call for one million new troops to counter the end of the enlistment of the 90-day troops. A $100.00 enlistment bonus is offered for two-year enlistees.

July 25, 1861 - The U.S. Senate passes the so-called Crittenden Resolution on a 30 to 5 vote (see entry for July 22).

July 25, 1861 - At Fortress Monroe, Virginia, an observation balloon is tested for the first time by Confederate officials.

July 25, 1861 - Skirmishing is reported at Harrisville and Dug Springs, Missouri; near the Eel River in California; and at Ft. Fillmore near Mesilla in New Mexico Territory.

July 26, 1861 - Major Isaac Lynde surrenders about 500 Union troops to Confederate Captain John Baylor at Fort Fillmore, NM Territory. Lynde is drummed out of the service in disgrace.

July 26, 1861 - Confederate forces in east Tennessee are placed under command of Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer.

July 27, 1861 - General George B. McClellan meets with Pres. Lincoln in Washington. Lincoln describes an offensive sweep from Virginia into Tennessee. McClellan shows resistance to the plan and reluctance to move as quickly as Pres. Lincoln indicates.

July 28, 1861 - After Gen. Robert Garnett's death (see July 13 entry) and the deterioration of Confederate Armies in western Virginia, Gen. Robert E. Lee takes temporary command in the area.

July 28, 1861 - New Madrid, Missouri, a Mississippi River town near the Kentucky/Tennessee border is occupied by Confederates.

July 29, 1861 - Horace Greeley, New York Tribune editor, suggests a peaceful negotiation to the end of fighting. He promoted the "On to Richmond" cry just weeks earlier.

July 29, 1861 - Union General John Pope takes command in northern Missouri after Gen. John C. Fremont is promoted to Western Department command headquarters in St. Louis.

******CORRECTION********
Last week the entry for July 25, 1861 - "At Fortress Monroe, Virginia, an observation balloon is tested for the first time by Confederate officials," is in error. Fortress Monroe was in Union hands throughout the Civil War. Union Major General John E. Wool (the oldest Union General in the war - born in 1794) reinforced Fortress Monroe just days after Fort Sumter was bombarded. There was a balloon test at Fortress Monroe by John LaMountain but it was the Union's second experiment. *********************

July 30, 1861 - Union Gen. Benjamin Butler sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, in an attempt to justify his refusal to release fleeing slaves on the grounds that they were "contraband of War."

July 30, 1861 - The Missouri State Convention declares the gubernatorial seat open. Former Governor Claiborne F. Jackson no longer has any power. (See July 22 entry).

July 31, 1861 - In Missouri, pro-Union forces rally with the news that Hamilton R. Gamble is appointed Governor.

July 31, 1861 - Pres. Lincoln appoints Former Army Officer Ulysses S. Grant General of Volunteers in Illinois.

July 31, 1861 - Newly appointed General John Pope, commanding in Missouri, issues order #3 restricting activity by Confederate sympathizers in northern Missouri, restoring order.

July 31, 1861 - The Missouri State Guard under Gen. Sterling Price unites with Texas troops (Gen. Ben McCulloch) and Arkansas troops (Gen. Nicholas B. Price) near Cassville, Missouri. The combined force of 12,000 now outnumbers U.S. Gen. Nathaniel Lyons' forces about two to one.

August 1, 1861 - Gen. Joseph E. Johnston is urged, by Jefferson Davis, to pursue offensive action against Union forces in Virginia. This comes with the strategic initiative gained at Bull Run.

August 1, 1861 - Generals Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch move their 12,000 combined troops toward Springfield from Cassville, Missouri.

August 1, 1861 - Gen. Robert E. Lee replaces Gen. William W. Loring as commander of Confederate troops in western Virginia.

August 1, 1861 - In New Mexico Territory, Captain John Baylor declares the entire region for the South. Skirmishing continues.

August 2, 1861 - Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyons and CSA Gen. Ben McCulloch clash at Dug Creek, Missouri. Lyons, badly outnumbered, calls for General John C. Fremont to march to his aid.

August 2, 1861 - Union forces abandon Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory.

August 2, 1861 - An income tax is proposed for the first time in the U.S. The tax is 3% on income above $800.00. Higher tariffs and bonds are also to be issued to finance the war.

August 3, 1861 - An "Ironclad Board" is appointed and they soon authorize the construction of three ironclad ship prototypes.

August 3, 1861 - Union Col. William Tecumseh Sherman is promoted to Brigadier General of Volunteers.

August 5, 1861 - Congress passes the new income tax, tariffs, and bond sale proposed by Pres. Lincoln and ends their 34-day special session. 

August 5, 1861 - General Nathaniel Lyons and his force falls back toward Springfield, Missouri.

August 6, 1861 - The 'First Confiscation Act' is signed by Pres. Lincoln. This emancipates all slaves found to be in use by Confederate forces.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - August 7 - August 14,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

August 7, 1861 - Hampton, Virginia is burned by Confederate troops under General John B. Magruder to keep it from Union occupation. Hampton was the location of Fortress Monroe where Union General Benjamin Butler was quartering runaway slaves.

August 7, 1861 - The U.S. Government authorizes construction of seven ironclad ships at
St. Louis. These became the fleet Grant used in western river operations.

August 8, 1861 - The Fugitive Slave Act is still in effect per Secretary of War Cameron but he orders Gen. Benjamin F. Butler not to return any escaped slaves to their former "owners" in Confederate held States. The Confederacy responds by recognizing Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware as part of the Confederacy.

August 9, 1861 - Southwest of Springfield, Missouri near Wilson Creek, Confederate troops numbering about 11,000 men stop prior to a planned attack on Springfield the next day. Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyons decides to attack with his 4,200 troops plus Colonel Fritz Sigel's 1,200 men.

August 10, 1861 - The Battle of Wilson Creek begins when Gen. Lyons attacks at 5:30 AM. The Confederate troops are driven back to high ground now known as "Bloody Ridge" (Bloody Hill in some histories) but quickly recover and, due to a series of miss-communications and Union blunders, take the initiative. Lyons is killed and becomes the first Union hero of the war. The South wins the second pitched battle of the war. The Federals lose 1,317 men; and the Confederates 1,230 men. Major Samuel Sturgis moves the Union troops to Rolla, Missouri.

August 10, 1861 - At Potosi, Missouri, General Ulysses S. Grant skirmishes with Confederate Forces.

August 11, 1861 - Confederate forces in the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia are placed under the command of General John B. Floyd.

August 11, 1861 - Confederate leaning Missouri State Guard troops come under the Command of Gen. Jeff Thompson. The unit suffered considerable losses at Wilson Creek and must re-group.

August 12, 1861 - At the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers at Cairo, Illinois, the wooden gunboats U.S.S. Tyler, Conestoga, and Lexington are positioned to restrict Confederate boat traffic while the new Federal ironclads are being built (see August 7th entry). Complete success was recorded as all southern traffic ceased.

August 13, 1861 - Lieutenant David D. Porter aboard the U.S.S. Powhatan recaptures the Union schooner Abby Bradford at the mouth of the Mississippi.

August 14, 1861 - General John C. Fremont declares martial law in St. Louis, Missouri. Confederate property is confiscated and newspapers closed.

August 14, 1861 - Volunteers from the New York 79th Regiment stage a mutiny near Washington, D. C. but are quickly suppressed. The mutiny was prompted by denied furloughs and the huge losses suffered by the 79th Highlander Brigade at Bull Run, including Col. James Cameron, brother of War Secretary Simon Cameron.
 

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - August 15 - August 24,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

August 15, 1861 - All Northerners are to leave Confederate territory within 40 days by order of President Jefferson Davis.

August 15, 1861 - Brigadier General Robert Anderson (formerly in command at Fort Sumter) is named new commander of the Dept. of the Cumberland, consisting of Kentucky and Tennessee. He continues to suffer from nervous exhaustion and retires shortly after this promotion.

August 15, 1861 - The 2nd Maine Volunteers mutiny. Sixty men are re-assigned to Dry Tortugas, a remote outpost, near Key West, Florida.

August 15, 1861 - President Lincoln authorizes transfer of troops to Missouri in response to General Fremont's request and recent Confederate success.

August 16, 1861 - Several newspapers in the Union, including the NY Daily News, NY Journal of Commerce, and the Brooklyn Eagle are in court for alleged pro-Confederate leanings.

August 16, 1861 - President Lincoln declares the southern states are in rebellion (also calling it an insurrection), and prohibits all commerce with them.

August 17, 1861 - The Department of the Potomac grows with the combining of the Departments of Northeastern Virginia, Washington, and the Shenandoah. This new army will carry the brunt of fighting in the East.

August 17, 1861 - Henry W. Halleck is promoted to Major General, U.S. Army.

August 17, 1861 - General John E. Wool replaces General Benjamin Butler as commander of the Dept. of Virginia and remains at Fortress Monroe.

August 18, 1861 - Three New York newspapers (see August 16 entry) are banned from publishing for alleged disloyalty.

August 18, 1861 - The heretofore successful Confederate Privateer Jefferson Davis is destroyed when it runs aground off St. Augustine, Florida.

August 19, 1861 - General Henry W. Halleck is ordered to Washington from California with the expectation that he will head the Army.

August 19, 1861- Union loyalists attack newspaper offices in Easton and West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Essex County Democrat editor is tarred and feathered for his Southern sympathies.

August 19, 1861 - George H. Thomas is promoted to Brigadier General by President Lincoln.

August 20, 1861 - The newly augmented Army of the Potomac comes under command of Major General George Brinton McClellan.

August 20, 1861 - Unionist leaders hold meetings in Wheeling, Western Virginia to consider separation of the western counties from the rest of Virginia.

August 20, 1861 - President Jefferson Davis writes to General Joseph E. Johnston about complaints of poor hospital care and lack of food.

***Nothing found for the next three days.***

August 24, 1861 - The Army of the Potomac is further strengthened by the inclusion of the Department of Pennsylvania.

August 24, 1861 - President Lincoln informs Kentucky Governor Beriah Magoffin that he will not remove pro-Union forces from this neutral state.

August 24, 1861 - At Richmond, the Confederacy appoints three new commissioners to Europe: John Slidell to France, James Mason to Britain, and Pierre Rost to Spain. They are to gain recognition for the Confederacy and act as purchasing agents for arms, materials, and supplies.

August 24, 1861 - Mrs. Rose Greenhow and Mrs. Philip Phillips are arrested in Washington on charges of corresponding with Confederates.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - August 25 - September 2,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

August 25, 1861 - The Union issues orders to also provide nurses with one ration per day. Forty cents pay per day started August 17th.

August 25, 1861 - General Henry A. Wise's Confederate forces suffer from an outbreak of measles. They skirmish with Federal troops near Piggot's Mill in western Virginia.

August 25, 1861 - Union troops commanded by Lieutenant John R. Pulliam encounter hostile Indians near Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory. Confederate troops battle Apaches near Fort Bliss, Texas

August 26, 1861 - Skirmishing breaks out in western Virginia at both Wayne County House and Blue's House.

August 26, 1861 - Union Navy Captain Andrew Foote assumes command of the Western River forces, replacing John Rogers.

August 27, 1861 - The Union lands troops under fire at Cape Hatteras, NC. Confederate forces abandon Fort Clark and fall back to Fort Hatteras. With control of the Hatteras Inlet, blockade runners are effectually crushed in the area.

August 28, 1861 - Union forces take Fort Hatteras, NC. Confederate losses are light.

August 28, 1861 - General Nathaniel Lyon, killed at Wilson Creek, is buried at St. Louis, Missouri.

August 29, 1861 - Washington Navy Yard Commander Dahlgren sends 400 seamen to Fort
Ellsworth in Alexandria, Virginia to increase city defenses.

August 30, 1861 - In Missouri, General Charles Fremont declares martial law allowing confiscation of property belonging to "those who shall take up arms against the United States" and proclaims the emancipation of slaves of pro-Southerners.
President Lincoln terms the action "dictatorial."

August 31, 1861 - The third session of the Provisional Confederate Congress adjourns.

Sept 1, 1861 - News of the successful Cape Hatteras operation reaches Washington, boosting Union morale.

Sept 1, 1861 - Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant assumes command of forces around
Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Sept 2, 1861 - President Lincoln instructs General Charles C. Fremont to "modify" his emancipation declaration (see August 30 entry). In effect he countermands the order.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - September 3 - 10,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

September 3, 1861 - Oliver O. Howard, Daniel E. Sickles, and Lew Wallace become brigadier generals in the Union Army.

September 3, 1861 - General Gideon Pillow and Colonel H. L. Wallace exchange prisoners in Missouri.

September 3, 1861 - General Leonidas Polk orders Confederate forces to violate Kentucky neutrality by establishing defensive positions at Hickman, Chalk Cliffs, and Columbus along the Kentucky border with Tennessee. This completes a continuous line from the Atlantic to Kansas. The Confederate Secretary of War tells Polk to withdraw but President Jefferson Davis overrules.

September 4, 1861 - Union forces under U. S. Grant occupy Paducah, Kentucky.

September 5, 1861 - President Lincoln and his cabinet discuss General Fremont's future with General Winfield Scott. (See September 2 entry.)

September 5, 1861 - The Western Sanitary Commission is established in St. Louis to help soldiers hospitalized in the West.

September 6, 1861 - The U. S. Consul in London, England is made aware of the purchase of the Bermuda, Adelaide, and Victoria by Confederate Agents.

September 6, 1861 - Union General U. S. Grant appoints General Charles F. Smith to command forces at Paducah in western Kentucky and returns to Cairo, Illinois. The move to Paducah yields strategic consequences as the north end of the Tennessee and the Cumberland Rivers are now in Union control.

September 6, 1861 - Commander John Rogers moves the Tyler and the Lexington gunboats in support of General Smith at Paducah.

September 7, 1861 - Reports of lavish spending by General Fremont in St. Louis reach President Lincoln. Lincoln sends General David Hunter to "assist" Fremont.

September 7, 1861 - Confederate General Sterling Price refits his Missouri Militia with arms collected at Wilson Creek battlefield and moves to Lexington, Missouri.

September 8, 1861 - General U. S. Grant prepares for an attack at Lucas Bend, Missouri and is supported by the USS Conestoga and Lexington.

September 9, 1861 - President Lincoln is urged by his cabinet to relieve General Charles C. Fremont of command in Missouri. The President relents and sends reinforcing troops to Fremont.

September 9, 1861 - General William S. Rosecrans advances to Carnifax Ferry in western Virginia.

September 10, 1861 - Rosecrans and 6,000 Union troops strike 2,000 Confederates at Carnifax Ferry, western Virginia. Confederates withdraw.

September 10, 1861 - General Robert E. Lee formulates a plan to move on the offensive and storm a Union outpost on Cheat Mountain, western Virginia. Possession of the strategic high ground would give the Confederates communication along the line from Staunton, Virginia to Parkersburg and sever Union communication.

September 10, 1861 - General William W. Loring, who formerly outranked Lee in the Regular Army, hampers Lee's efforts. General Lee is ultimately unsuccessful at Cheat Mountain.

September 10, 1861 - Mrs. Fremont visits President Lincoln to defend her husband. Lincoln shows his displeasure and Mrs. Fremont returns to St. Louis in a huff.

September 10, 1861 - Union Brigadier General George H. Thomas assumes command at Camp Dick Robinson in Kentucky.

September 10, 1861 - General Albert Sidney Johnston is appointed to head the Confederate Armies in Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - September 11 - 18,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

Sept. 11, 1861 - The Kentucky neutrality violation by Confederates angers the Kentucky legislature and they demand the removal of all Southern troops. A legislative vote to demand the removal of all Northern troops is narrowly defeated by pro-Unionists. 



Sept. 11, 1861 - President Lincoln orders the emancipation declaration put forth in Missouri by General Fremont be modified to conform to the Acts of Congress. (Note: Various histories list General Fremont as John C. Fremont or Charles C. Fremont. The more reputable histories use John Charles Fremont as the Pathfinder's actual name.) 



Sept. 11, 1861 - General Robert E. Lee leads 15,000 Confederates in an overly intricate and unsuccessful attack on 2,000 Union troops at Cheat Mountain Summit near Elkwater, western Virginia. Heavy rainfall and rough terrain result in loss of the surprise attack Lee planned. 



Sept. 12, 1861 - President Lincoln dispatches an envoy to St. Louis to instruct General John C. Fremont to modify his emancipation directive. Lincoln considers Fremont's order a threat to the continuing neutrality of Kentucky and other border states. 



Sept. 12, 1861 - General Sterling Price leads 7,000 Confederate troops into Lexington, Missouri. This begins a weeklong siege. 



Sept. 13, 1861 - President Jefferson Davis and General Joseph E. Johnston argue heatedly about seniority of Confederate Generals. The two men remain estranged throughout the war. 



Sept. 13, 1861 - Colonel John A. Washington, Aide-de-camp to General Lee is killed at Cheat Mountain during a reconnaissance mission.

Sept. 13, 1861 - General Price continues the siege at Lexington, Missouri where his Missouri State Guardsmen skirmish with 23rd Illinois troops under Colonel James A. Mulligan. Mulligan requests reinforcements from General John C. Fremont in nearby St. Louis.

Sept. 14, 1861 - Simon B. Buckner becomes Brigadier General, C.S.A.



Sept. 15, 1861 - President Lincoln again confers with his cabinet about removing General Fremont from his post in St. Louis.

Sept. 15, 1861 - General Lee evacuates his Confederate troops from Cheat Mountain. His troops nickname General Lee, "Granny," and he is transferred to a quiet sector in South Carolina.

Sept. 16, 1861 - General Sterling Price is reinforced and tightens his grip at Lexington, Missouri. Expected Union reinforcements are never sent by Gen. Fremont. 



Sept. 16, 1861 - The Ironclad Board authorizes three new ironclad warships. These are to have a new turret designed by Swedish Engineer John Ericsson. They will be named Monitor, Galena, and New Ironsides. 



Sept. 17, 1861 - Confederate forces evacuate Ship Island, Mississippi as armed boats launched from the U.S.S. Massachusetts arrive. This is the first federal navy base of what will become the Gulf Blockade Squadron. Ship Island is midway between New Orleans and Mobile. 



Sept. 17, 1861 - Judah Benjamin becomes Secretary of War for the Confederate Government, replacing Leroy Walker. 



Sept. 18, 1861 - Kentucky legislature authorizes force to expel Confederate troops from the state. 



Sept. 18, 1861 - Confederate troops under newly appointed Gen. Simon Buckner occupy Bowling Green, KY in defiance of the Kentucky State Legislature's expulsion orders.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - September 19 - 26,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

Sept. 19, 1861 - C.S.A. General Sterling Price is reinforced by artillery units near Lexington, Missouri. The Confederate forces continue their siege while Union forces under Colonel James A. Mulligan resist, unaware that a relief column of 3,000 men led by Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis has been turned back. (See Sept. 13th entry.)

Sept. 19, 1861 - Earl Van Dorn is promoted to major general, C.S.A.

Sept. 19, 1861 - At Barbourville, Kentucky, Union forces are driven off by forces under Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer allowing Confederates to continue erecting strong defensive positions across Cumberland Gap, Bowling Green, and Columbus. (See Sept. 3rd entry.)

Sept. 20, 1861 - Colonel Mulligan, 23rd Illinois Regiment, surrenders 3,600 Union troops to Gen. Sterling Price at Lexington after a 9-day siege. Price seizes 3,000 rifles and seven cannons. The competence of General John C. Fremont again comes under question in Washington due to his failure to reinforce.

Sept. 20, 1861 - General Robert Anderson is instructed to establish his headquarters at Louisville as Confederates abandon Mayfield, Kentucky.

Sept. 21, 1861 - The Department of the Ohio is now commanded by General Ormsby M. Mitchel.

Sept. 21, 1861 - C.S.A. General Albert Sidney Johnston calls for 30,000 new volunteers from Tennessee for service in the West.

Sept. 21, 1861 - General Leonidas Polk is appointed to command Western Division Department #2 (Tennessee) for the Confederates.

Sept. 22, 1861 - C.S.A. General Joseph E. Johnston calls for 10,000 volunteers from Arkansas and Missouri to serve in Department #2.

Sept. 22, 1861 - At Mayfield Creek, Kentucky, General U.S. Grant encounters skirmishers as he moves toward Columbus, KY.

Sept. 23, 1861 - Winfield S. Hancock becomes a brigadier general, U.S. Army.

Sept. 23, 1861 - General Fremont closes a St. Louis newspaper that blamed him for the surrender of Lexington, Missouri.

Sept. 24, 1861 - James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stewart becomes brigadier general of Confederate cavalry.

Sept. 25, 1861 - Joseph Johnston and Jefferson Davis have another heated encounter, this time over staffing levels and strategy.

Sept. 25, 1861 - General Rosecrans advances into the Kenawha Valley, western Virginia, intent on eliminating Confederate forces in the area.

Sept. 25, 1861 - The U.S. Navy Department authorizes employment of "contrabands" on board vessels. They will draw pay at the rank of "boy" - one ration per day and $10.00 per month.

Sept. 26, 1861 - Confederate troops capture salt works in Clay County, Kentucky and destroy locks at the mouth of Muddy River, Kentucky. This involves Generals Zollicoffer and Simon Buckner with troops in the defensive line across southern Kentucky near the Tennessee border.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week - September 27 - October 4,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

Sept. 27, 1861 - President Lincoln and General George B. McClellan discuss a new offensive in Virginia. The discussion becomes heated with Lincoln criticizing the general's inactivity and McClellan insisting that the Army of the Potomac is not ready for combat. 



Sept. 28, 1861 - The 71st Pennsylvania under Colonel Edward D. Baker successfully defends their small force in a skirmish near Vanderburgh's House, Virginia. 



Sept. 28, 1861 - Confederate schooner San Juan is captured by the USS Susquehanna near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 


Sept. 28, 1861 - Thomas C. Hindman is promoted to brigadier general, C.S.A.

Sept. 29, 1861 - The 71st Pennsylvania is accidentally fired on by the 69th Pennsylvania near Munson's Hill, Virginia. Fatalities result. The Pennsylvania 71st, formerly the California Regiment also known as The Fire Zouaves Regiment, still wore gray uniforms. 


Sept. 29, 1861 - Union activity is anticipated in North Carolina resulting in C.S.A. General Daniel H. Hill being ordered from Virginia into North Carolina. Hill was a West Point graduate, had resigned from the Army in 1849, and was Superintendent of the North Carolina Military Institute from 1859 until the war began. 



Sept. 29, 1861 - The USS Susquehanna has continued success when it overtakes the Confederate schooner Baltimore off Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina. 


Sept. 29, 1861 - Skirmishes continue along the Confederate defensive line across southern Kentucky. The 12th Kentucky under Colonel William A. Hoskins engages the Confederates at Albany, Kentucky and Travisville, Tennessee. 



Sept. 30, 1861 - Confederate scout Captain R. Hardeman leads action against hostile Native Americans near Camp Robledo, New Mexico Territory. 



Sept. 30, 1861 - The USS Niagara, operating on the Mississippi River, captures the Confederate pilot boat Frolic near South West Pass. South West Pass is in the Delta Region south of New Orleans. The same day the USS Dart captures the Confederate schooner Zavalla off Vermillion Bay, south of New Iberia, Louisiana.

October 1, 1861 - At Centerville, Virginia, Generals Joseph E. Johnston, Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and Gustavus W. Smith meet with Confederate President Jefferson Davis. They continue to discuss strategy and ultimately agree to consolidate their position and delay a planned offensive operation into Northern held territory until at least next spring. Pres. Davis also turns down a request from the generals to issue a call for 20,000 more troops.

October 1, 1861 - General Benjamin Butler is reassigned to the Dept. of New England, recently created to raise and train new troops.  October 1, 1861 - Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles opposes letters of reprisal or complaint against the South, as this would imply recognition of the South's national sovereignty. 



October 1, 1861 - Confederate navel vessels capture the USS Fanny off Plimlico Sound, North Carolina and rename it the CSS Fanny. 



October 2, 1861 - U.S. Senator John C. Breckinridge, about to be expelled from Congress, flees Kentucky to avoid arrest as a traitor. He joins the Confederate Army. 



October 2, 1861 - Pro-Union forces from Cairo, Illinois attack a camp at Charleston, Missouri. Intermittent strife continues in southeast Missouri. 



October 3, 1861 - Governor Thomas Moore of Louisiana bans cotton exports in an attempt to force England and France to recognize the independence of the Confederate States of America. 



October 3, 1861 - The New York 26th and the New York 31st move into Confederate territory. General Henry W. Slocum dispatches the 26th to Pohick Church, Virginia while the 31st marches to Springfield Station, Virginia as directed by General William B. Franklin. Skirmishes erupt at both sites. 



October 3, 1861 - General Joseph Reynolds leads 5,000 Union troops from Cheat Mountain toward Camp Barrow, a Confederate position along the Greenbrier River in western Virginia. After two determined attacks, Reynolds withdraws back to Cheat Mountain and an impasse settles over the region.

October 4, 1861 - The Confederacy reaches accord with the Shawnee, Seneca, and Cherokee in Indian Territory. An agreement with the Osage was settled a few days earlier. 



October 4, 1861 - President Lincoln approves one ironclad to be built as proposed after John Ericsson's new design. The first of the Union's ironclads, the Monitor, is planned.

October 4, 1861 - The USS South Carolina captures the Confederate schooners Ezilda and Joseph H. Toone at South West Pass on the Mississippi. 


Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  October 5 - 12 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

October 5, 1861 - The Union garrison at Hatteras Inlet is now commanded by General Joseph K. F. Mansfield.

October 5, 1861 - Heavy fire from the USS Monticello helps to repulse a Confederate attack by troops carried to Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina by steamer.

October 6, 1861 - The blockade running Confederate schooner Alert is captured off Charleston, South Carolina by the USS Flag.

October 7, 1861 - Pres. Lincoln sends Secretary of War Simon Cameron, carrying a letter from the President, to meet with General Samuel R. Curtis. The fate of General John C. Fremont in Missouri is the point of discussion.

October 7, 1861 - The C.S.A. promotes William J. Hardee, Thomas J. Jackson, James Longstreet, and John B. Magruder to major generals.

October 7, 1861 - In a show of his leadership, General John C. Fremont leads 40,000 troops from St. Louis toward Lexington, Missouri. Confederate General Sterling Price abandons Lexington, withdrawing south.

October 7, 1861 - The new CSS Virginia, constructed from the scuttled USS Merrimack and now armored, makes its first appearance off Hampton Roads, Virginia.

October 7, 1861 - U. S. Grant uses the USS Tyler and the USS Lexington on a reconnaissance near Lucas Bend, Missouri.

October 8, 1861 - General Robert Anderson (of Fort Sumter fame) is replaced by General William Tecumseh Sherman at Louisville, Kentucky. Anderson is ill and eventually resigns from the Army.

October 9, 1861 - In a relatively major battle, Gen. Richard H. Anderson leads 1,000 Confederate troops across Pensacola Bay and attacks Fort Pickens, driving the 6th New York from their camp. Union Colonel Harvey Brown brings several companies of regulars from the fort and, assisted by artillery, drives the Confederate force back. Brown's reported loss is 13 killed, 27 wounded, and 21 missing. Anderson lost 18 dead, 39 wounded and 30 captured.

October 10, 1861 - President Jefferson Davis ponders the use of slaves as laborers for the Confederacy in a letter to General Gustavus W. Smith.

October 11, 1861 - Edmund Kirby Smith becomes a Major General, C.S.A.

October 12, 1861 - General Fremont continues his advances and encounters heavy skirmishing at Clinton and Cameron, Missouri.

October 12, 1861 - Confederate rammer CSS Manassas is launched from New Orleans and, accompanied by the steamers CSS Ivy and CSS James L. Day, ventures south on the Mississippi. The Manassas successfully rams the USS Richmond and USS Vincennes, running them aground before steaming back upstream. The Union vessels are refloated and the blockade resumes.

October 12, 1861 - The USS St. Louis, the first Union Ironclad, is launched at Carondelet, Missouri.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  October 13 - 28 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

Please Note: The daily activity of the Civil War is slowing down for the winter months. While there are many officer promotions and reassignments, not many troop movements or battles take place for the next three months or so. I am changing the posting to cover up to two weeks of activity. - Jim Hachtel

October 13, 1861 - Confederate troops commanded by General Turner Ashby make a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Shelling of the village causes mills and storehouses to burn.

October 13, 1861 - General Thomas Williams succeeds General James K. F. Mansfield as commander of Union forces at Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina. (See two entries of Oct. 5,1861.)

October 14, 1861 - President Abraham Lincoln orders General Winfield Scott to suspend writs of habeas corpus from Maine to Washington, D.C. This is done to discourage treasonable activity in the region.

October 14, 1861 - At Port Royal, South Carolina, General Thomas W. Sherman is ordered to organize and arm fugitive slaves into military squads. This order came from Secretary of War Simon Cameron.

October 14, 1861 - C.S.A. General Braxton Bragg becomes commander of the newly created Department of Alabama, which includes western Florida.

October 15, 1861 - Confederate raiders based in southeastern Missouri and organized by former Virginia attorney Jeff Thompson, attack a Union outpost in Potosi, Missouri. They burn the Big River Bridge and take 33 prisoners, members of the Illinois 38th.

October 16, 1861 - Confederate soldiers request to return home and join state militias. Jefferson Davis denies the request.

October 16, 1861 - Union forces reoccupy Lexington, Missouri.

October 17, 1861 - Commodore Samuel F. Du Pont informs U. S. Navy Secretary Gideon Wells that Port Royal, South Carolina would be an important asset to the blockade effort.

October 18, 1861 - President Lincoln requests troops from the armies of General McClellan and General W. T. Sherman for an upcoming coastal expedition. Both Generals refuse stating that they are already under manned. Lincoln also meets with his cabinet to discuss the upcoming retirement of General Winfield Scott and his possible replacement.

October 18, 1861 - Confederate raider Jeff Thompson continues raids near Warrensburg in southern Missouri. This time he hits the 11th Missouri Regiment commanded by Colonel Joseph B. Plummer.

October 20, 1861 - General McClellan, pressured by Radical Republicans to assume the offensive, sends Colonel Charles P. Stone from his Maryland base to "demonstrate" near the Confederate lines near Leesburg, Virginia. Stone sends a single brigade of 1,700 men under political appointee and Lincoln friend, Colonel Edward D. Baker to make a "slight demonstration" to test Confederate reaction. Confederate Colonel Nathan G. Evans gets word of the advance of the Union force and prepares his defense.

October 21, 1861 - Colonel Edward Baker ferries his 1,700 men across the Potomac River at Ball's Bluff, Virginia and encounters a 100-foot high bluff on the landing shore. Confederate forces in the woods above the bluff take advantage of their superior position and 49 Union men are killed including Colonel Baker, 158 wounded and 714 captured. President Lincoln is shaken when he is informed of the death of his friend.

October 21, 1861 - Colonel Nathan G. Evans is promoted to brigadier general, C.S.A. to reward his Ball's Bluff performance.

October 21, 1861 - Colonel J. B. Plummer occupies Fredericktown, Missouri following a three-hour battle against Confederate Forces. (See Oct 18th entry.)

October 22, 1861 - General Pierre G. T. Beauregard retains command of the Division of the Potomac but the new Confederate Department of Virginia is carved out of the larger army with General Joseph E. Johnston, commanding.

October 22, 1861 - General Benjamin F. Kelly commands the new Department of Harpers Ferry for the Union.

October 22, 1861 - General Thomas J. Jackson leads Confederate forces into the Shenandoah Valley of western Virginia.

October 23, 1861 - General W. T. Sherman is alarmed by the strength of Confederate defenses in Kentucky as skirmishing breaks out at Hodgeville and West Liberty, Kentucky.

October 24, 1861 - President Lincoln attends the funeral of his friend Colonel Edward D. Baker.

October 24, 1861 - Inhabitants of western Virginia endorse a plan to form their own state.

October 24, 1861 - Western Union completes the transcontinental telegraph.

October 25, 1861 - Springfield, Missouri is occupied by Union cavalry forces, actually a small force of General Fremont's bodyguards; Major Charles Zagonyi, commanding. The bold move resulted in a Union victory and is the lone praiseworthy achievement for General Fremont. (NOTE-Remember, Secretary of War Cameron was sent to Missouri to assess Fremont's performance. Cameron arrived in Missouri October 11 and conducted interviews, inspected camps, and the general state of affairs.)

October 25, 1861 - The keel of the USS Monitor, Swedish inventor John Ericsson's one-turret warship, is laid at Greenpoint, New York.

October 26, 1861 - General Benjamin Butler reports that all Confederate forces are removed from western Virginia after skirmishing at Romney and South Branch Bridge.

October 26, 1861 - Missouri Home Guard commander Sterling Price and General John C. Fremont agree on a prisoner exchange.

October 27, 1861 - General John C. Fremont moves his Army toward Springfield in the mistaken belief that Sterling Price is still in that area. Price has long since retreated to safety due to Fremont's lethargic moves.

October 28, 1861 - Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston relieves General Simon B. Buckner at Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  October 29 - November 12 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

Note: Again this issue covers two weeks of Civil War activity as the first winter of the war begins.

October 29, 1861 - Commodore Samuel F. Du Pont departs Hampton Roads, Virginia with 17 warships, 25 transports, and 25 supply ships along with 13,000 Union troops commanded by General Thomas W. Sherman. They intend to capture Port Royal, South Carolina (between Charleston and Savannah). This large flotilla encounters heavy seas and is widely scattered.

October 30, 1861 - President Jefferson Davis confronts General Pierre G.T. Beauregard about his report on the Battle of First Manassas. The President had claimed Beauregard attempted to "exalt yourself at my expense." The two never reconciled.

October 30, 1861 - Confederate forces sink stone-filled barges near Fort Donelson, Tennessee (on the Cumberland River) to obstruct Union gunboats.

October 31, 1861 - At Neosho, Missouri, southern leaning legislators vote to side with the Confederacy. The state remained divided and was claimed by both sides throughout the war.

October 31, 1861 - General Winfield Scott voluntarily resigns due to poor health and his age of 75. He resides at West Point, NY throughout the rest of the Civil War.

November 1, 1861 - General George B. McClellan, 35 years old with a high reputation but little experience, replaces General Scott as General in Chief of the Union Army.

November 1, 1861 - Confederate troops under General John B. Floyd botch an attack on General Rosecrans at Gauley Bridge and Cotton Hill in western Virginia. Confederate withdrawal from the area is now complete.

November 1, 1861 - General Ulysses S. Grant arrives in Cairo, Illinois and plans his advance on Columbus, Kentucky.

November 1, 1861 - General John C. Fremont concluded the prisoner exchange with General Sterling Price. Fremont exceeds his authority by releasing civilians now in military custody and President Lincoln negates his order.

November 2, 1861 - General John C. Fremont is relieved of command of the Department of the West at Springfield, Missouri and is temporarily replaced by General David Hunter.

November 4, 1861 -Commodore Samuel F. Du Pont finally reaches Port Royal Sound, South Carolina after several days at sea. (See note of October 29,1861.) The flotilla completes their mission and withdraws.

November 4, 1861 - General Thomas J. Jackson moves his headquarters to Winchester, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley.

November 4, 1861 - President Davis and General P. G. T. Beauregard argue over strategy. Davis consults Generals Robert E. Lee and Samuel Cooper in his frustration with Beauregard.

November 5, 1861 - General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

November 6, 1861 - The Confederate Congress elects President Jefferson Davis as permanent chief executive of the Confederate States of America.

November 6, 1861 - General Fremont, still acting as if he is commander of the Department of the West, orders U.S. Grant to Belmont to decrease the Confederate pressure on the rest of Missouri. (Interestingly, the several sources used to put this historical review together do not agree on the date President Lincoln finally relieved Fremont or the date Fremont actually steps down. I have found a range of dates from October 24th through November 4th. I selected November 2, 1861 as the most reliable date reported as it comes from Samuel M. Schmucker's 1861 report in THE CIVIL WAR IN THE UNITED STATES published in 1865.)

November 6, 1861 - General U.S. Grant makes an amphibious descent from Cairo, Illinois with two infantry brigades, artillery, and cavalry. His destination is Belmont, Missouri, directly across from Columbus, Kentucky.

November 7, 1861 - General Leonidas Polk and General Gideon Pillow repulse General U. S. Grant at Belmont, Missouri.

November 7, 1861 - The Southern Blockading Squadron under Commodore Samuel F. Du Pont (October 29 and November 4, 1861 entries) disembarks General Thomas Sherman and his 13,000 troops, and then fires on Forts Beauregard and Walker at Port Royal. Port Royal and Hilton Head become major Union coaling stations throughout the war.

November 8, 1861 - General Robert E. Lee directs coastline evacuation of Confederate troops (except at Fort Pulaski) in light of the Port Royal loss.

November 9, 1861 - General Thomas Sherman captures the city of Beauford with support from gunboats of the blockading squadron.

November 9, 1861 - In a major Union restructuring, General Henry Halleck becomes commander of the new Department of Missouri, which includes Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and western Kentucky. General Don C. Buell replaces General William T. Sherman as head of the Department of the Cumberland, which is enlarged and renamed the Department of Ohio.

November 11, 1861 - General Leonidas Polk is wounded when a cannon explodes during test firing at Columbus, Kentucky.

November 12, 1861 - The British built steamer Fingal delivers military cargo to Savannah, Georgia and is armed and rechristened CSS Atlanta.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  November 13-27 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

November 13, 1861 - President Lincoln is snubbed by General George B. McClellan when Lincoln calls on the General at McClellan's Headquarters and McClellan retires to bed. General McClellan was ordered to the White House for all subsequent meetings with the President.

November 15, 1861 - Captain David G. Farragut is selected by Secretary Gideon Wells to be the Naval leader in an expedition against New Orleans, the south's second largest city and a significant port. Wells was persuaded to choose Farragut by Captain David D. Porter, Farragut's stepbrother.

November 15, 1861 - General Don C. Buell arrives in Louisville, Kentucky to command the Department of the Ohio, replacing General William T. Sherman. President Lincoln urges Buell to advance into pro-Union eastern Tennessee. (Sherman was replaced due to his nervousness about being outnumbered by Confederate Forces, the high concentration of volunteers in his Department and their poor training, and newspaper reports that he was insane.)

November 15, 1861 - The USS San Jacinto arrives at Fortress Monroe, Virginia with James M. Mason and John Slidell, Confederate emissaries to Britain and France aboard. This is the first news of the unauthorized boarding of the British packet Trent by Captain Charles Wilkes several days earlier.

November 16, 1861 - Eight days after Captain Charles Wilkes violates international law involving rights of neutral nations by boarding the British mail-packet Trent and removing Southern envoys James Mason and John Slidell, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair and Senator Charles Sumner urge their immediate release. 



November 18, 1861 - Confederate leaning Kentuckians adopt a secession ordinance. Missouri and Kentucky both maintain separate legislatures, both Confederate and Union, for the next three years.

November 18, 1861 - The fifth session of the Provisional Confederate Congress meets in Richmond and remains in session through February 17, 1862.

November 20, 1861 - General George B. McClellan reviews the 70,000 men of the Army of the Potomac outside Washington, D.C. Visitors comment on the discipline and marching skill of the troops in contrast to the amateurish forces hastily assembled the past summer.

November 20, 1861 - General Halleck, recently assigned to the Department of Missouri in St. Louis, issues General Order #3 prohibiting former slaves from working in military camps.

November 21, 1861 - Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman becomes commander of both Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland. These strategic forts are the core of the Confederate defenses in the central part of the divided United States.


November 21, 1861 - CSA General Albert S. Johnston again calls for 10,000 volunteers for the defense of Columbus, Kentucky.

November 22, 1861 - The Navy Department is authorized to recruit 500 marines and naval officers.

November 23, 1861 - A Union garrison repulses the Confederate attack on Ft. Pulaski on Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola, Florida.

November 24, 1861 - Colonel Nathan B. Forrest leads cavalry raids on Caseyville and Eddyville, Kentucky. This is Forrest's first notice in the war.

November 24, 1861 - Captain Wilkes reaches Boston, Massachusetts aboard the San Jacinto. Confederate emissaries Slidell and Mason are imprisoned at Fort Warren.

November 25, 1861 - Northern troops captured while burning bridges are to be hanged, if found guilty at court martial, by edict of Confederate secretary of war Judah P. Benjamin.

November 26, 1861 - At Wheeling, Virginia, a constituent's convention resolves to secede from Virginia and form a separate state. 



November 27, 1861 - Word of the "Trent Affair" reaches Great Britain. Talk of war on the United States and the "outrage on the British flag" causes indignation to run high.

November 27, 1861 - The large navel fleet assembled to capture control of New Orleans (see November 15 entry) leaves Hampton Roads, Virginia for Ships Island, Mississippi.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  November 28-December 12 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

November 28, 1861 - Missouri is inducted into the Confederacy by the Confederate Congress as their 12th state. The Union does not recognize this move.

November 28, 1861 - General Benjamin M. Prentiss becomes commander of Union forces in the Department of North Missouri.

November 29, 1861 - Farmers near Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia burn cotton to avoid Union confiscation of the crop.

November 29, 1861 - General John Schofield takes command of Union militia in Missouri.

November 30, 1861 - The Trent Affair continues as British Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell demands a formal apology and the immediate release of Confederate agents James Mason and John Slidell. British Minister to the United States, Lord Lyons, is instructed to depart Washington D.C. in one week if demands are not met.

December 1, 1861 - Six thousand British troops are sent to Canada and Admiral Sir Alexander Milne moves 40 vessels (with 1,273 guns mounted) to Halifax, Nova Scotia as the British Cabinet prepares for war.

December 1, 1861 - U.S. Secretary of War Cameron and President Lincoln discuss what should be done with the thousands of slaves flocking to Union lines. Desperate to maintain loyalty of Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri, Lincoln orders all mention of emancipation or military service for former slaves to be struck from all government reports.

December 1, 1861 - President Lincoln contacts General George B. McClellan and inquires exactly when offensive operation would resume.

December 1, 1861 - Confederate authorities in Tennessee hang pro-Union guerrillas charged with burning railroad bridges.

December 2, 1861 - General Henry Halleck is authorized to suspend writs of habeas corpus in Missouri.

December 2, 1861 - The U.S. Congress convenes their 37th Session.

December 2, 1861 - Secretary of War Simon Cameron reports to Congress that the Union Army consists of 20,334 soldiers and 640,637 volunteers (3-years).

December 2, 1861 - Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells reports 22,000 men and 264 vessels make up the Union Navy. A total of 153 enemy vessels have been captured to date.

December 3, 1861 - President Lincoln addresses Congress and suggests slaves appropriated from Southern "owners" be allowed to emigrate.

December 3, 1861 - General Benjamin Butler's first two regiments reach Ship's Island, Mississippi and rapidly convert the area to a major staging area for operations against New Orleans.

December 4, 1861 - All British exports to the United States are stopped.

December 4, 1861 - The U.S. Senate votes to remove former Vice President John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky from their roles. Breckenridge has served as a Confederate general since November.

December 4, 1861 - General Henry Halleck arrives in Missouri and continues punitive measures against Confederate sympathizers, including death for anyone found guilty of aiding the rebel cause.

December 5, 1861 - Congress has a petition brought before the body that would mandate abolition of slavery if passed.

December 6, 1861 - Pro-Union newspaper editor William G. Brownlow is arrested in Knoxville and is charged with treason by the Confederate authorities.

December 7, 1861 - The United States ship "USS Santiago de Cuba" stops the British vessel "Eugenia Smith" and removes Confederate Purchasing Agent J. W. Zacharie of New Orleans. Tension continues to rise in light of the Trent affair.

December 8, 1861 - 7,000 Bibles are distributed to Union Troops by the American Bible Society.

December 9, 1861 - Congress votes 33-3 to establish an oversight committee to monitor the conduct of the war. This becomes infamous as the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War and was forever disliked by most Union Officers. The committee defended themselves claiming they would stop any further disasters such as Bull Run and Ball's Bluff.

December 10, 1861 - The Confederate Congress recognizes the Kentucky "government" and makes Kentucky their 13th state. Again, the United States never recognized this arrangement.

December 11, 1861 - Charleston, South Carolina is nearly destroyed by accidental fire. More than half of the city is consumed.

December 12, 1861 - As Union forces expand out from Port Royal Sound, U.S. Marine forces (Navy on land) take over a Confederate base on the Ashepoo River in South Carolina.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  December 13-31 ,1861
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

December 13, 1861 - Robert H. Milroy, newly appointed Union General, directs an attack against Confederate troops in western Virginia. Milroy marches his 830 men from Cheat Mountain while Colonel Gideon C. Moody moves his 930 men more than 12 miles to attack the 1,200 Confederates garrisoned atop Allegheny Mountain. Moody is delayed by poor terrain and Confederate General Edward Johnson charges downhill against first Milroy's troops and some five hours later against Moody. Union losses: 20 dead, 107 wounded, and 10 missing. Confederate losses: 20 killed, 98 wounded and 28 missing. This was after the western Virginia counties had voted to split from the rest of Virginia.

December 16, 1861 - Congressman Clement Vallandigham of Ohio introduces a resolution commending Captain Charles Wilkes for his role in the Trent Affair. Vallandigham is soon vilified as a "Copperhead."

December 17, 1861 - Armed forces from Spain, Britain, and France occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico, seeking reparations for foreign debts. When Napoleon III maneuvers to seize political control of Mexico, Spain and Britain withdraw. The United States accuses the French of taking advantage of America at a time when domestic strife is high.

December 17, 1861 - The U.S. Navy scuttles a "stone Fleet" of seven old vessels at the mouth of Savannah Harbor, Georgia.

December 18, 1861 - Union troops surround and capture more than 1500 Confederate soldiers and their equipment at Milford, Missouri. General John Pope discovers Confederate positions along Blackwater Creek, Missouri and General Sterling Price quickly withdraws.

December 19, 1861 - British minister to the United States, Lord Lyons, alerts Secretary of State Seward that Britain expects the unconditional release of James Mason and John Slidell (Trent Affair). Seward requests a formal presentation of the British demands on December 23rd.

December 20, 1861 - The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is formally instituted with Radical Republicans including Benjamin Wade of Ohio and Zachariah Chandler of Michigan.
This group was formed in the wake of the defeats at Bull Run (July) and Ball's Bluff (October).

December 20, 1861 - A battle at Dranesville, Virginia involving Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart and Union General Edward O.C. Ord takes place as both sides compete for fodder and food. The two forces numbered about 4,000 total and many units saw their first action here. Stuart withdraws losing 43 killed, 143 wounded, and 8 missing (198 total) while Ord has 7 killed and 61 wounded.

December 21, 1861 - The Navy Metal of Honor is instituted by Congress.

December 22, 1861 - General Halleck repeats his order that anyone sabotaging Union railroads or rolling stock will be shot immediately.

December 23, 1861 - British Minister Lyons submits his formal note to Secretary of State Seward stating that agents Slidell and Mason must be released within one week or the British Ambassador will be withdrawn.

December 23, 1861 - Colonel James A. Garfield is dispatched with 1,100 infantry and 450 cavalry to southeastern Kentucky to break up a concentration of Confederate Troops.

December 24, 1861 - General Henry A. Wise is moved from the Virginia theater to a quiet sector in North Carolina due to poor performance.

December 25, 1861 - President Lincoln celebrates Christmas and late in the day confers with legal authorities about the Confederate envoys still held prisoner by the North.

December 25, 1861 - General U.S. Grant orders the expulsion of all fugitive former slaves from Ft. Holt, Kentucky.

December 26, 1861 - President Lincoln's Cabinet concurs that the seizure of Confederate agents is illegal and they should be released and allowed to continue their trip to Europe. While Captain Wilkes is blamed and the incident is deemed a "misunderstanding" by Captain Wilkes, an international crisis is averted.

December 26, 1861 - Martial Law is declared by General Halleck for areas within St. Louis and the nearby railroad properties.

December 27, 1861 - Secretary of State Henry H. Seward informs the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees about the president's decision to release Slidell and Mason from captivity at Fort Warren, Boston, Massachusetts.

December 28, 1861 - Colonel Nathan B. Forrest leads a force of 300 Confederate Cavalry troops toward Sacramento, Kentucky but encounters a force of 168 Union men led by Major Eli Murray
en route. During the skirmish, Forrest calls his Confederate troops to realign, a maneuver which Major Murray believes is a retreat. In the confusion, Murray charges and loses two officers plus 11 enlisted killed and 40 prisoners taken. This is the second event that caused Forrest to be noticed by his superiors.

December 31, 1861 - Lincoln asks about activity planned in Halleck's Missouri Theater when he becomes aware there are no plans for any movement in the East. As the year ends, the President is disappointed and talks of the slowness of planning and the lack of success in light of the earlier predictions of a "short war."

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  January 1 - 7, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

January 1, 1862 - Confederate agents Slidell and Mason sail for Halifax en route to England aboard the

January 1, 1862 - George B. McClellan, General in Chief of the Union Army, continues his inactivity causing President Lincoln more anguish over the slow movement. McClellan is ill and does not answer Lincoln's telegraphs.

January 1, 1862 - General Thomas J. Jackson breaks his winter camp and moves his Stonewall Brigade and General William Loring's 8,500 troops toward Romney in western Virginia. Soon after leaving their Winchester, Virginia area encampments, the temperature falls and the troops suffer severely.

January 3, 1862 - Confederate President Davis is upset over the loss of Ship's Island, Mississippi and its probable effect on the ability of the South to hold New Orleans.

January 3, 1862 - Confederates under General Jackson continue a move up the Shenandoah Valley and plan the destruction of the B&O Railroad in western Virginia.

January 4, 1862 - Jackson's troops control the town of Bath, western Virginia.

January 5, 1862 - General Jackson's artillery bombards Union positions around Hancock, Maryland before seeking winter shelter and establishing a new winter camp.

January 6, 1862 - General in Chief McClellan is diagnosed as having typhoid fever. President Lincoln ignores radical Republican senators calling for replacement of McClellan.

January 6, 1862 - The Union Navy is critically short of manpower and Commodore Andrew H. Foote suggests drafting soldiers. The U.S. Army is reluctant but General Ulysses S. Grant recommends that guardhouse soldiers be moved to help the Navy.

January 7, 1862 - General Thomas Jackson remains intent on the capture of Romney, western Virginia, which is the key position controlling the South Branch Valley of the Potomac River. Troops are moved from their temporary winter camp at Hancock, Maryland toward Romney but encounter the Union Army at Blue Gap and are scattered. The Union also takes possession of two Confederate cannons.

January 7, 1862 - The Federal gunboat U.S.S. Conestoga returns from a reconnaissance of Confederate Fort Donelson, Tennessee. In a report to Commodore Foote, Donelson is described as well positioned with intrinsic strength and a danger to naval assault.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  January 15 - 21, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

January 15, 1862 - The poem "Battle Hymn of the Republic" written by Julia Ward Howe is published in the New York Herald Tribune.

January 15, 1862 - The U.S. Senate confirms Edwin M. Stanton as the new Secretary of War. Stanton from Ohio replaces Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania.

January 15, 1862 - At St. Louis Confederate General Lovell Mansfield confiscates 14 private civilian steamers to augment the defense of the city.

January 16, 1862 - Three new Eads (James B. Eads - designer) gunboats are commissioned by the Union. The Carondelet, St. Louis, and Cincinnati join the four existing gunboats to become the force assuring Union control of western waters. The three new gunboats are iron clad while the earlier gunboats had wood hulls and decks with some cladding added.

January 16, 1862 - Confederate General George B. Crittenden orders all Confederate troops to move to the south side of the Cumberland River (Kentucky) to avoid a battle with their backs to the river. General Felix K. Zollicoffer ignores the order and when Crittenden arrives with reinforcements, he decides to stay on the north side and engage the Union column at Logan's Crossroad.

January 17, 1862 - General George H. Thomas takes charge of 4,000 troops near Logan's Crossroads. The nearest Confederate troops are near Mills Springs, about ten miles away on the Cumberland River, and General Thomas expects an attack.

January 17, 1862 - Union General Charles F. Smith leads a probe in the direction of Ft. Henry, held by the Confederates on the Tennessee River. The Federal gunboats USS Conestoga and USS Lexington are able to acquire detailed knowledge of the position and formulate a plan for capture of the fort.

January 18, 1862 - General George H. Thomas sends reconnaissance parties toward the Cumberland River to assure that the Confederate forces are still on the north side of the river. Thomas learns that General Crittenden is planning to strike the Union camp at dawn. General Thomas moves two brigades of reinforcement troops nearer to Logan's Crossroads.

January 19, 1862 - At daybreak Generals Zollicofer and William H. Carroll attack the Union forces at Logan's Crossroads. In heavy rain and mud, the 4th Kentucky under Union Colonel Speed S. Fry forces a standoff with units of equal strength. General Zollicoffer is killed by Fry's troops when he is lost in the fog. The forces disengage and General Thomas follows the Confederate retreat. General Crittenden leads the Confederate troops to transports and escapes back to Nashville late in the evening. This battle is sometimes called the Battle of Mills Springs.

January 20, 1862 - Reports of the overwhelming Union victory at Logan's Creek revives Union sentiment in the region and Kentucky remains neutral. The Union gains control of the Cumberland, an important invasion route into eastern Tennessee.

January 20, 1862 - Navy Secretary Gideon Wells splits the Union Gulf Blockading Squadron into two districts; the Eastern and Western Blockading Squadrons. Commodore David G. Farragut commands the Eastern unit and Commander David D. Porter (Farragut's foster brother) commands the Western Squadron. They plan a campaign against New Orleans.

January 21, 1862 - Union forces move on Columbus, Kentucky lead by General John A. McClernand with no engagement.

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  January 22 - 29, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

January 22, 1862 - At Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, the Federal gunboat USS Lexington fires on the Confederate batteries with some return fire.

January 23, 1862 - General Thomas J. Jackson moves his forces from Romney in western Virginia to Winchester. Confederate General William W. Loring remains in Romney but complains to friends in the Confederate Congress that General Jackson deliberately left his troops in an exposed position only 20 miles from Union lines and asks for a change of orders.

January 23, 1862 - General Henry W. Halleck adds strength to martial law in St. Louis. Pro-southern leaning inhabitants that fail to pay an assessment to support pro-Union fugitives now have their property seized.

January 23, 1862 - Commodore Andrew H. Foote, short of sailors to man his gunboat squadron, asks Secretary of Navy Gideon Wells to appeal to the War Department to arrange a draft of Army troops to fill the void.

January 26, 1862 - General Pierre G. T. Beauregard is moved from the eastern theatre to the west and is under command of General Albert Sidney Johnston. Command in Virginia remains under General Joseph E. Johnston, still at odds with Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

January 26, 1862 - A second "stone fleet" is sunk in Charleston Harbor at the mouth of Maffitt's Channel.

January 27, 1862 - Emperor Napoleon III promises continued neutrality but declares that the American conflict infringes on trade relations with France.

January 27, 1862 - President Lincoln issues General War Order No.1. This mandates a general offensive along a wide front to be underway no later than February 22nd. Both Army and Navy forces and all commanders are under the order. The order was issued as Lincoln became exasperated with the slow response to verbal orders and lack of initiative on the part of Command Officers. The message sent was also to inform that War Command is now centered in Washington.

January 28, 1862 - Confederate Colonel John H. Morgan leads his cavalry against Union forces at Greensburg and Lebanon, Kentucky.

January 28, 1862 - Commodore Andrew Foote advises senior general Henry Halleck to begin operations against Fort Henry and Fort Donelson before the water level on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers begins to recede.
 

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  January 29 - February 4, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

January 29, 1862 - Union soldiers begin a manhunt for infamous guerrilla William C. Quantrill around Blue Springs, Missouri.

January 30, 1862 - Confederate envoys James M. Mason and John Slidell reach Southampton, England and receive a cordial welcome. (See several Trent Affair notes between November 7, 1861 and December 27, 1861.)

January 30, 1862 - At St. Louis General Henry W. Halleck authorizes combined Navy and Army operations against Confederate positions at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Tennessee. General Ulysses S. Grant orders his command into action but recent heavy rain causes the roads to be impassable. All troops are moved by gunboats and barges.

January 30, 1862 - Federal gunboat USS Conestoga makes final reconnaissance of the Tennessee River preparing for the movement against Fort Henry.

January 30, 1862 - The USS Monitor ironclad, called "a cheese box on a raft" by some onlookers, is launched at Greenpoint, Long Island. Testing begins immediately.

January 31, 1862 - Great Britain's Queen Victoria advises Confederate agents of British displeasure over the Union blockade of southern ports. However, Southern hopes are dashed when the Queen reiterates her government's neutrality in matters of war.

January 31, 1862 - President Lincoln refines his Special War Order No.1 to mandate an advance on Manassas Junction, Virginia by February 22. General George McClellan ignores the order. The President's original order had been composed and issued on January 27th.

January 31, 1862 - Radical Republicans call for General McClellan to attack Southern positions but also to actively free slaves and enlist them in the military. McClellan declines to turn the fight to save the Union into a social crusade to free slaves.

January 31, 1862 - The Railways and Telegraph Act, empowering the President to seize control of these Confederate held assets, is passed by Congress.

January 31, 1862 - Judah P. Benjamin, Confederate Secretary of War, orders General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson to move his troops from Winchester back to Romney in western Virginia. (See January 23,1862 when General Jackson moved to Winchester and General Loring's complaints were reported.) General Jackson, aware of Loring's violation of the chain of command behind his back, complies with the order and then resigns in anger. President Jefferson Davis refuses to accept the resignation and Jackson remains with the Army.

February 1, 1862 - General Henry H. Sibley moves into New Mexico Territory intent on bringing the entire region into Confederate control.

February 2, 1862 - General Grant and 17,000 troops depart Cairo, Illinois for a campaign against Fort Henry.

February 2, 1862 - The timberclad gunboats USS Lexington, Conestoga, and Tyler, under Lt. Seth L. Phelps, begin a foray down the Tennessee River to destroy the railroad bridge at Danville, Tennessee and then continue downstream as far as water depth allows.

February 3, 1862 - General George McClellan and President Lincoln continue to disagree on Union troop movement as well as the strategy to be used. Lincoln favors an overland campaign while McClellan suggests sidestepping Confederate defenses and landing behind the enemy.

February 3, 1862 - To stop the Confederates from carrying out the threat of hanging Union Naval personnel in retaliation for the Union treating Confederate captives as pirates, the Union decides to charge captured southern privateers as war prisoners.

February 4, 1862 - Confederate Commander at Fort Henry, General Lloyd Tilghman, learns of the large Union expedition floating toward his location and asks for reinforcements.

February 4, 1862 - Commodore Andrew H. Foote positions the USS Essex, Corondelet, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tyler, and Lexington to bombard several targets along the Tennessee River. He also has a close-up look at Fort Henry. One Southerner is killed in the exchanges and several torpedoes (mines) break loose in the swift current but cause no damage to the Union fleet.

February 4, 1862 - The Confederate Congress briefly considers utilizing free African Americans in the Army. The remedy to address the shortage of troops in never seriously considered.
 

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  February 5 - 11, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

February 5, 1862 - Restrictions on the sale of guns, ammunition, and military supplies to the Confederacy are lifted by the British government.

February 5, 1862 - Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is printed in the Atlantic Monthly, arranged to the popular tune "John Brown's Body."

February 5, 1862 - General Charles F. Smith lands Union troops directly opposite Fort Henry at the unfinished Fort Heiman and seizes the fort without contact.

February 6, 1862 - In the drive toward Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, General U.S. Grant continues his strategic flanking movement. The fort is situated in low earthwork at river's edge and the Tennessee River is running full. His 17,000 troops are put ashore two miles below the fort but bog down in mud and proceed slowly. General Tilghman directs most of his 3,400 Confederate garrison to Fort Donelson, ten miles away on the Cumberland River. Little combat takes place but the Union troops detain 38 stragglers and capture six cannons as they pursue the Confederates.

February 6, 1862 - General Tilghman retains 17 cannons and 100 artillery troops to mount an "honorable" defense of Fort Henry. The four ironclad and three timber clad gunboats under Commodore Foote open fire on Fort Henry from 1,700 yards and move in to about 600 yards, maintaining constant fire for two hours. The fort's defenders score 59 hits on Foote's gunboats and a direct hit on the USS Essex, bursting her boilers. Several naval officers row through the sally port and accept Tilghman's surrender on the flooded parade ground. Union losses are 11 killed, 31 injured, and five missing. Confederate losses are five killed, six wounded, five missing, and 70 captured.

February 6, 1862 - After the fall of Fort Henry, Commodore Foote moves downstream on the Tennessee destroying railroad bridges as far south as Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

February 6, 1862 - At Jefferson City, Louisiana, the new and powerful ironclad CSS Louisiana is launched.

February 7, 1862 - Federal troops re-occupy Romney in western Virginia and General Loring withdraws to Winchester.

February 7, 1862 - Lt. Seth Phelps continues on his move down river on the Tennessee. The USS Conestoga surprises the Confederate steamers Samuel Orr, Appleton Belle, and Lynn Boyd and sets them afire.

February 7, 1862 - Hearing news of the fall of Fort Henry, Generals Beauregard, Albert S. Johnston, and William Hardee meet and send untested Generals Gideon Pillow at Clarksville, Tennessee and John B. Floyd at Bowling Green, Kentucky to slow the Union approach to Fort Donelson. Fort Donelson's garrison is directed to withdraw to Nashville.

February 7 & 8, 1862 - The U.S. Army and Navy win control of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Control of Roanoke Island effectively stops Confederate communication with Norfolk, Virginia and Norfolk is eventually abandoned. General Ambrose Burnsides sets up enhanced blockade capability and controls the Albemarle Sound.

February 8, 1862 - President Davis reacts to the loss of Roanoke Island and Fort Henry, and a sense of gloom overtakes Richmond. Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin, overall theatre commander Benjamin Huger, and local commander Henry A. Wise are investigated for incompetence and questionable behavior.

February 9, 1862 - General Gideon Pillow becomes commander of Fort Donelson, replacing Generals Bushrod J. Johnson and Simon Buckner.

February 10, 1862 - Commodore Foote moves to Cairo, Illinois to get emergency repair of his damaged gunboats and plans his move to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee. Lt. Seth L. Phelps concludes his move downstream and arrives back at Fort Donelson.

February 10, 1862 - Union General Samuel R. Curtis and his 12,000 man Army of the Southwest leaves Rolla, Missouri to attack General Sterling Price and his 8,000 man Missouri Homeguard. This move is to drive Price west and into Arkansas to keep him from interfering with the Union thrust down the Mississippi.

February 11, 1862 - The northern railroads and captured southern rails are all placed under the control of the United States Military Railroads, established by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The Military Railroad achieved safety and efficiency never rivaled in the south.

February 11, 1862 - Union Generals McClernand and Charles Smith march 15,000 men from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson through heavy rain. Confederate General Pillow is strengthened by the arrival of General John B. Floyd and 21,000 Confederates.
 

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  February 12 - 18, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

February 12, 1862 - At Roanoke Island, General Ambrose E. Burnside moves to expand his occupation and expands his perimeter all the way to Edenton, North Carolina.

February 12, 1862 - General Grant moves 15,000 Union troops ten miles from Fort Henry on the Cumberland River to Fort Donelson on the Tennessee. Fort Donelson is now defended by over 23,000 Confederates of General John B. Floyd's command. A siege operation is established with Union Generals John A. McClernand and Charles F. Smith supported by the USS Carondelet gunboat.

February 13, 1862 - General McClernand disobeys instructions to force no general confrontation at Fort Donelson and probes deeply into the Confederate defensive line. He is repulsed with losses when his troops storm a battery at the center of the Southern line.

February 13, 1862 - As Union forces approach Bowling Green, Kentucky, General William J. Hardee evacuates his Southern forces.

February 14, 1862 - President Lincoln announces a policy of general amnesty and pardons all political prisoners who consent to a loyalty oath.

February 14, 1862 - Bowling Green, Kentucky is occupied by Union troops commanded by General Ormsby M. Mitchel.

February 14, 1862 - Defenders of Fort Donelson conclude their position is hopeless. Generals John B. Floyd and Gideon Pillow plan to attempt a break to safety through Union lines for the next day. At 3:00 PM, Commodore Foote opens fire on the fort from 400 yards but the Confederate defenders return fire from an elevated bluff. Three of the four ironclads in Foote's gunboat squadron are damaged and Foote himself is severely wounded.

February 14, 1862 - The ironclad USS Galena is launched at Mystic, Connecticut but is still experimental.

February 15, 1862 - At daybreak, the Confederate defenders at Fort Donelson attack McClernand's division with great success. The captured Union troops attempt to surrender but Generals Pillow and Floyd refuse to take prisoners and flee by ferry to safety across the Tennessee River with about 5,000 Confederates. That night Federal reinforcements swell the troop force to over 27,000.

February 16, 1862 - Fort Donelson is surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. When Generals Pillow and Floyd fled, General Buckner, an old acquaintance of Grant, was left in charge of Fort Donelson. When he asked Grant for surrender terms, Grant replied, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately on your works.' Grant is celebrated in the Northern Press as Unconditional Surrender Grant.

February 17, 1862 - U. S. Grant is promoted to major general of volunteers, U.S. Army.

February 17, 1862 - The U.S. Senate passes a resolution to create a Medal of Honor.

February 17, 1862 - Two Confederate Regiments advancing toward Fort Donelson are captured by Federal forces.

February 17, 1862 - Commodore Foote's gunboat squadron moves toward Confederate-held Clarksville, Tennessee.

February 18, 1862 - The Confederate Congress convenes in Richmond. This is the first ever meeting of officials elected to represent the Southern States.
 

Civil War - 150 Years Ago This Week -  February 19 - 25, 1862
Compiled by Jim Hachtel, President
Gen. William T. Sherman Memorial Civil War Roundtable

February 19, 1862 - The Confederate Congress meeting at Richmond orders the release of 2,000 Federal Troops.

February 19, 1862 - Federal General Charles F. Smith occupies Clarksville, Tennessee and Fort Defiance. Commodore Andrew Foote assists and the Confederates evacuate as Foote's squadron approaches. Foote urges General Smith to move on Nashville while the Cumberland River is still high.

February 19, 1862 - The USS Monitor, under testing in New York Harbor, encounters propulsion defects.

February 19, 1862 - The USS Delaware and USS Commodore Perry move down the Chowan River in North Carolina, encounter resistance at Winston, and withdraw.

February 20, 1862 - At the White House, President Abraham Lincoln's 11-year old son William Wallace ("Willie") dies of typhoid fever.

February 20, 1862 - The Confederate Congress authorizes the evacuation of troops from Columbus, Kentucky with Forts Henry and Donelson both lost.

February 20, 1862 - Tennessee Governor Isham Harris moves the Confederate State Capitol to Memphis from Nashville as Nashville is threatened by Union forces.

February 20, 1862 - General John Wool, Union force commander at Ft. Monroe, receives intelligence that the ironclad CSS Virginia is being deployed against his position.

February 20, 1862 - General Albert Sidney Johnston completes the move of Confederate forces to Murfreesboro, Tennessee and combines the scattered forces arriving from Nashville.

February 21, 1862 - The Committee on the Conduct of the War removes Colonel Charles P. Stone from command and arrests him for betraying troops in the defeat of the Union at Ball's Bluff in October 1861. He remains imprisoned for 189 days and becomes an example of the power of the Committee. Stone is eventually pardoned and released.

February 21, 1862 - In New York City convicted slave trader Nathaniel Gordon is hanged, the first punished for this outlawed practice.

February 22, 1862 - President Jefferson Davis becomes the first elected official of the Confederate States of America. He blames the North for the hostilities and condemns the North's stand on states rights as a violation of the Constitution in his acceptance speech. President Davis and his Vice President Alexander Stevens were formerly provisional officers.

February 22, 1862 - General Don C. Buell moves the Army of Ohio from Bowling Green, Kentucky toward Nashville.

February 23, 1862 - President Lincoln appoints U.S. Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee as Military Governor of pro-Union eastern Tennessee.

February 23, 1862 - New commander of the Department of the Gulf for the Union is General Benjamin Butler.

February 23, 1862 - Confederate forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest evacuate ahead of The Army of Ohio advance on Nashville. The North holds Nashville throughout the war.

February 23, 1862 - Harper's Ferry, Virginia is reoccupied by the Union and General Nathaniel P. Banks.

February 24, 1862 - The CSS Virginia ironclad is ordered to move against Union naval forces off Hampton Roads by the Confederate secretary of the navy, Stephen R. Mallory. Captain Franklin Buchanan is the commander.

February 24, 1862 - Confederates are victorious at the Battle of Valverde, New Mexico thanks to Texas Troops led by General Henry H. Sibley.

February 24, 1862 - As President Lincoln's Cabinet meeting ends, newly appointed Department of The Gulf Commander General Benjamin Butler said, "Goodbye, Mr. President. We shall take New Orleans, or you will never see me again."

February 25, 1862 - President Lincoln approves the Legal Tender Act, the first government sponsored paper money system. The new "greenbacks" are intended for wartime use to expedite payment of Treasury Department bills. There are 400 million in circulation by war's end.

February 25, 1862 - The War Department is authorized to commandeer all commercial telegraph lines for military use, if needed.

February 25, 1862 - The new Union ironclad USS Monitor is commissioned at Long Island, Lt. John L. Wooden, Commanding. The revolutionary design features a single rotating turret with two 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannons, and the body of the ship submerged underwater.