Civil War 150th

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Although Benjamin Butler was no longer running New Orleans, the Southern wrath against him had not cooled. For one thing, his enlistment of "colored troops" was seen as an intolerable threat: the idea of armed blacks was anathema to to the Southern way of life. President Davis therefore took pen in hand and issued:

[font="Times New Roman"]The following proclamation of the President is published for the information and guidance of all concerned therein:
[center]By THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES.
A PROCLAMATION.[/center]
Whereas a communication was addressed on the 6th day of July last (1862) by General Robert E. Lee, acting under the instructions of the Secretary of War of the Confederate States of America, to General H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief of the U. S. Army, informing the latter that a report had reached this Government that William B. Mumford, a citizen of the Confederate States, had been executed by the U. S. authorities at New Orleans for having pulled down the U. S. flag in that city before its occupation by the forces of the United States,

[...]

And whereas the silence of the Government of the United States and its maintaining of said Butler in high office under its authority for many months after his commission of an act that can be viewed in no other light than as a deliberate murder, as well as of numerous other outrages and atrocities hereafter to be mentioned, afford evidence only too conclusive that the said Government sanctions the conduct of said Butler and is determined that he shall remain unpunished for his crimes:

Now therefore I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and in their name do pronounce and declare the said Benjamin F. Butler to be a felon deserving of capital punishment. I do order that he be no longer considered or treated simply as a public enemy of the Confederate States of America but as an outlaw and common enemy of mankind, and that in the event of his capture the officer in command of the capturing force do cause him to be immediately executed by hanging; and I do further order that no commissioned officer of the United States taken captive shall be released on parole before exchange until the said Butler shall have met with due punishment for his crimes.

And whereas the hostilities waged against this Confederacy by the forces of the United States under the command of said Benjamin F. Butler have borne no resemblance to such warfare as is alone permissible by the rules of international law or the usages of civilization but have been characterized by repeated atrocities and outrages,

[...]

And finally the African slaves have not only been excited to insurrection by every license and encouragement but numbers of them have actually been armed for a servile war-a war in its nature far exceeding in horrors the most merciless atrocities of the savages . . . And whereas the President of the United States has by public and official declaration signified not only his approval of the effort to excite servile war within the Confederacy hut his intention to give aid and encouragement thereto if these independent States shall continue to refuse submission to a foreign power after the 1st day of January next, and has thus made known that all appeals to the laws of nations, the dictates of reason and the instincts of humanity would be addressed in vain to our enemies, and that they can be deterred from the commission of these crimes only by the terms of just retribution:

Now therefore I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America and acting by their authority, appealing to the Divine Judge in attestation that their conduct is not guided by the passion of revenge but that they reluctantly yield to the solemn duty of repressing by necessary severity crimes of which their citizens are the victims, do issue this my proclamation, and by virtue of my authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States do order-

1. That all commissioned officers in the command of said Benjamin F. Butler be declared not entitled to be considered as soldiers engaged in honorable warfare but as robbers and criminals deserving death, and that they and each of them be whenever captured reserved for execution.

[...]

3. That all negro slaves captured in arms be at once delivered over to the executive authorities of the respective States to which they belong to be dealt with according to the laws of said States.

4. That the like orders be executed in all cases with respect to all commissioned officers of the United States when found serving in company with armed slaves in insurrection against the authorities of the different States of this Confederacy.

In testimony whereof I have signed these presents and caused the seal of the Confederate States of America to be affixed thereto at the city of Richmond on this 23d day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.

[L. S.]
JEFF’N DAVIS.

By the President:
J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of State. [/font]

This represented a counter-move to part of the Emancipation Proclamation. The penalty for an armed slave insurrection throughout most of the South was death for both the blacks in revolt and any whites who assisted them. (This was the offense for which John Brown had been hanged.) A number of people began to wonder: would Lincoln follow through with Emancipation, if it meant death for captured Union officers? There was just over a week to go until it took effect.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The Union Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans marched forth from Nashville, Tennessee. Lincoln had been urging Rosecrans to invade the eastern part of the state, where there were many supporters of the Union. But Rosecrans was a cautious general and had taken time to reorganize and re-supply his forces. Now, with nearly 82,000 men, he knew he had to move against the roughly 38,000-man Army of Tennessee under Braxton Bragg, or lose his job.

It was slow going, because Confederate cavalry harassed his supply lines. John Hunt Morgan, by now a veteran raider, was at work. This meant that the Northerners had to leave strong garrisons at each supply stop along the way, and their advantage in numbers decreased the more they advanced. Their destination was the city of Murfreesboro, almost exactly in the center of Tennessee, where Bragg was hoping to encamp his army for the winter. It was not the best place for a defensive position; further south would have given the advantage of being behind rivers. But Bragg was also under heavy political pressure: Richmond felt that too much of Tennessee had been yielded to the Federals already. He would not withdraw further without a fight.


Still hoping to seize Vicksburg quickly, William T. Sherman landed three divisions at a place called Johnson's Plantation on the Yazoo River. Much of the area surrounding Vicksburg was marsh or swamp, and the few paths to approach the city had been well fortified by the Confederates. With little ability to maneuver, Sherman hoped to smash through the defenses by weight of numbers.
map by Hal jespersen, www.posix.com/CW

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The time had come for W. T. Sherman to make the assault on the defenses leading to Vicksburg:

[font="Times New Roman"]I determined to make a show of attack along the whole front, but to break across the bayou at the two points named, and gave general orders accordingly. I pointed out to General Morgan the place where he could pass the bayou, and he answered, "General, in ten minutes after you give the signal I'll be on those hills." He was to lead his division in person, and was to be supported by Steele's division. The front was very narrow, and immediately opposite, at the base of the hills about three hundred yards from the bayou, was a rebel battery, supported by an infantry force posted on the spurs of the hill behind. To draw attention from this, the real point of attack, I gave instructions to commence the attack at the flanks.
I went in person about a mile to the right rear of Morgan's position, at a place convenient to receive reports from all other parts of the line; and about noon of December 29th gave the orders and signal for the main attack. A heavy artillery-fire opened along our whole line, and was replied to by the rebel batteries, and soon the infantry-fire opened heavily, especially on A. J. Smith's front, and in front of General George W. Morgan. One brigade (DeCourcey's) of Morgan's troops crossed the bayou safely, but took to cover behind the bank, and could not be moved forward. Frank Blair's brigade, of Steele's division, in support, also crossed the bayou, passed over the space of level ground to the foot of the hills; but, being unsupported by Morgan, and meeting a very severe cross-fire of artillery, was staggered and gradually fell back, leaving about five hundred men behind, wounded and prisoners...[/font]

Grant, who was Sherman's close friend, wrote later that Sherman's failure needed no explanation. But evidently Sherman felt that it did:

[font="Times New Roman"]This attack failed; and I have always felt that it was due to the failure of General G. W. Morgan to obey his orders, or to fulfill his promise made in person. Had he used with skill and boldness one of his brigades, in addition to that of Blair's, he could have made a lodgment on the bluff, which would have opened the door for our whole force to follow. Meantime the Sixth Missouri Infantry, at heavy loss, had also crossed the bayou at the narrow passage lower down, but could not ascend ...

The men of the Sixth Missouri actually scooped out with their hands caves in the bank, which sheltered them against the fire of the enemy, who, right over their heads, held their muskets outside the parapet vertically, and fired down. So critical was the position, that we could not recall the men till after dark, and then one at a time. Our loss had been pretty heavy, and we had accomplished nothing, and had inflicted little loss on our enemy. At first I intended to renew the assault, but soon became satisfied that, the enemy's attention having been drawn to the only two practicable points, it would prove too costly...
[center]-- The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman[/center][/font]

Union losses were 208 killed, 1,005 wounded, and 563 captured/missing, while Confederate losses were only 63 killed, 134 wounded, and 10 missing. Vicksburg had now repelled attempts by water and by land. The description "The Gibraltar of the West" was looking more and more accurate.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Off the North Carolina coast, the USS Rhode Island was towing the ironclad USS Monitor to Beaufort, to reinforce the Union blockading squadron. As happens in the Atlantic in December, the weather turned hostile. By evening the two ship were in gale conditions. The Monitor had never been designed to be an ocean-going vessel, and took on water faster than the pumps could deal with it. When the water began to drown the boiler fires, it was clear the ship was losing the battle to stay afloat. The distress signals went out to the Rhode Island.


In Tennessee, William Rosecrans' Union army had arrived at a place a little to the northwest of the town of Murfreesboro. The move was no secret to Confederate commander Braxton Bragg, who got his Army of the Tennessee ready to engage the Northerners. By an interesting coincidence, both Rosecrans and Bragg had come up with mirror-image battle plans. Come the morning, each would attack on the enemy's right, hoping to break through and get into their opponents' rear.

The two opposing forces camped as close as 700 yards (640 m) away, within shouting distance, or as it turned out, battle-of-the-bands distance. The Union musicians played "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail, Columbia", and the Confederates responded with "Dixie" and "The Bonnie Blue Flag". At last, one band started playing "Home Sweet Home", and the others joined in, followed by thousands of Northern and Southern soldiers singing across the lines.



Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Off the North Carolina coast, the rescue operation was underway for the crew of the USS Monitor. In the teeth of the gale, the boats from the USS Rhode Island embarked 46 officers and men, but the remaining sixteen were swept away and lost. At about 1:30 AM, the Monitor disappeared beneath the waves. Neither of the ships of the famed Monitor vs. Virginia (AKA Merrimac) fight had survived the year of 1862.


In Washington, President Lincoln signed the act approving the admission of West Virginia into the United States. Less attention was paid than would have been expected, because the act was conditional on the new state's Constitution being revised to abolish slavery. More, the talk of the town was whether Lincoln would actually go through with the Emancipation Proclamation. Northern morale was still despondent after the debacle at Fredricksburg. The Army of the Potomac was in poor shape, with desertions mounting and the state of its equipment surprisingly bad.


Nathan Bedford Forrest, at the head of 1,800 Rebel cavalrymen, was returning to southern Tennessee. The raid had cut off both railroad and telegraph communications for Grant's army, but superior Yankee forces were starting to converge. On this date, Forrest and his men ran into a Union infantry brigade under Colonel Cyrus L. Dunham at a place called Parker's Crossroads.

Forrest got the initiative. The Rebels unlimbered their horse artillery and drove the Northerners back. When the bluecoats found a place to make a stand, Forrest sent his troopers to hit their flanks. Matters were looking grim for the Union force, when a second infantry brigade showed up and the Southerners found themselves engaged from the front and the rear. "Charge 'em both ways," Forrest directed, and the Confederates did, opening up enough space to make their escape south towards Lexington, Tennessee. However, they sustained 500 casualties of all kinds (over a quarter of their force), while the Union lost about 240 men. Both sides claimed the encounter as a victory.


At Mufreesboro, Tennessee, much depended on which side moved first. Braxton Bragg was one of the most unpopular army leaders, but those under him at least knew that his orders were to be obeyed. He had his men armed and in formation before sunrise, and the Confederates launched a massive attack while most of the Federals were just preparing breakfast. For more than three hours the Battle of Stones River went fairly well for the South; the Union lines were pushed back three miles (5 km), and 28 guns and over 3,000 men were captured.

This time, however, the Yankees had three effective commanders on their side: Philip Sheridan, who would presently rise even higher, had suspected a Confederate attack and was one of the few division commanders who had his division awake and ready. At a tremendous cost in casualties, they slowed the Southern advance, which allowed William Rosecrans to give perhaps his finest performance as he rode along the lines, ordering men to where they were needed. His uniform was spattered with blood from cannonball having beheaded an aide near him, but his presence seemed to rally the Northerners. And George Thomas gave an early showing of why he may well have been the best defensive battlefield general on either side, folding his lines back almost like a jacknife and preventing the Southerners from getting into Rosecrans' rear. The breakthrough that Bragg wanted was not materializing.

The hinge of the "jacknife" was at a spot astride the railroad and turnpike called the Round Forest. Bragg believed that if the Northerners at this point could be broken, the entire defensive position would unravel. In the afternoon, he called up a division commanded by John C. Breckinridge, who had been Vice President under James Buchanan and a candidate for President in 1860. Breckinridge's men made a valiant attack, but were driven back but Union musket fire so intense that many soldiers plucked cotton from the nearby fields and stuffed it in their ears. The Southern momentum had been stopped.


Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

The night of New Year's Eve brought a halt to the combat. Yankee and Rebel had fought with amazing determination: on a percentage basis, Stones River would be the bloodiest major battle of the entire Civil War. Though different accounts give different numbers, both sides seem to have lost about 30 percent of the men engaged, about 13,000 casualties for the North and 11,000 for the South. The Confederates had a slightly better claim to victory at the end of this day, for they had lost fewer men in absolute terms, and had taken possession of much of the contested ground. Bragg wired to Richmond: "The enemy has yielded his strong position and is falling back. We occupy [the] whole field and shall follow him … God has granted us a happy New Year.”

At a night-time council of war, some of the Union generals shared Bragg's belief, arguing for a retreat. However, George Thomas and Major General Thomas Crittenden argued strongly in favor of holding their ground, and Rosecrans agreed.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At the Stones River battlefield in Tennessee, very little happened. The Confederate commanders realized that the costly carnage of the day before had pushed the Federal army into a more compact defensive position, where they had the advantage of interior lines. They spent the day getting reports from cavalry and trying a probe or two, looking for a good place to attack the Yankees, but nothing recommended itself. As for the Northerners, they had prepared to receive an attack rather than to deliver one. They pushed forward one division on the Confederate right, but that ground was now unoccupied.


The day had arrived for Abraham Lincoln to either finalize or revoke his Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout North and South, and indeed much of the Western world, there was considerable doubt which way he would go. But not among those who knew him well. As Lincoln said, "I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards."

The first copy of the Proclamation proved to have a printing error. It had to be sent back to the State Department for correction. In the meantime, Lincoln had a New Year's Day reception to attend. It was not until 2 p.m. that all was ready, and when he first sat down, Lincoln hesitated. Not because he was unsure: "If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it," he declared. But because his arm was so weary from hours of shaking hands, he had trouble keeping it steady. "If my hand trembles when I sign the proclamation, all who examine the document hereafter will say 'He hesitated'." He rested for a moment and then took up the pen again, slowly and carefully writing his name.

[font="Times New Roman"][center]By the President of the United States of America:

A Proclamation.[/center]

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."

Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.[/font]


In Boston, Frederick Douglass was waiting for the news at Tremont Temple, not certain that Lincoln would keep his word. Nearby at the Music Hall, a crowd including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., was equally anxious. Nine o'clock in the evening came and went, and rumors began to fly that Mary Lincoln, who came from a slave-holding family, had convinced her husband to relent. (This was entirely untrue.) Finally, the word came from the telegraph office, "It is coming! It is on the wires!" At both the Temple and the Music Hall, the crowd erupted with shouts of joy, and celebrated through the night.

Some historians have written that since the Proclamation only applied where the Union could not enforce it, it did not actually free a single slave. This is not correct; the proclamation immediately changed the legal status of at least 20,000 "contrabands" on the Northern-held islands off the Eastern seaboard to free men and women. But whatever others might think, in the eyes of the black population of the South, the flag of the Union was now the flag of freedom. Wherever it advanced, it would liberate slaves. They were now willing to take the risk of telling Northern soldiers what they knew about local roads and nearby Confederate troops.


On this particular date, however, the Union lost ground. Major General "Prince John" Magruder had been effectively exiled from Virginia to Texas, but he was still determined to do his part for the Southern cause. He put together one of the Confederacy's very few combined land and sea assaults against the Union forces occupying the port of Galveston. Two Rebel "cotton-clads", the CSS Bayou City and the CSS Neptune, engaged the Northern squadron of six gunboats. In the meantime, a force of Texas Rangers and other Confederate infantry attacked the Union land garrison.

The Neptune was quickly put out of action, and eventually sank. But the Bayou City went alongside the Union gunboat USS Harriet Lane, boarded, and captured her. While manuevering, the USS Westfield ran aground on a sandbar. Panicking lest he suffer two captured ships, Union Fleet Commander William B. Renshaw ordered the Westfield to be blown up. The powder detonated prematurely, killing Renshaw and several others.

The explosion seems to have convinced the Yankees ashore that they were being abandoned, and they surrendered. With the shore batteries now in Confederate hands, and their leader dead, the remaining four Northern gunboats turned the suspicion into fact, and set sail for New Orleans.

Galveston would remain in Southern hands for the rest of the war.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Near Vicksburg, Sherman and his men had heard trains arriving with more reinforcements for the Southerners. Sherman hoped that Grant's army was following closely, and that the Northerners would soon have Vicksburg surrounded. But on this date he got word that General John McClernand had arrived in the area to take over command. Sherman boarded a tug-boat, met with McClernand, and learned of the Union disaster at Holly Springs and Grant's pulling back. And yes, McClernand was taking over, on the authority of Lincoln himself.

For the moment it made little difference. McClernand had got his position by politics rather than military experience, but even he could read a map. Both generals saw that the Union forces had no chance to successfully attack in that area against anything like equal numbers.


At Stones River, Tennessee, Confederate commander Braxton Bragg decided that the Union advance of the day before would have to be corrected. Once again General John Breckinridge and his men were the unlucky force selected to attack. Breckinridge objected at first, believing that the assault would be suicidal, but was eventually persuaded that the potential gain was worth the risk.

Breckinridge did not do things by halves. It took until 4:00 in the afternoon, but he put together a well-coordinated and powerful charge that pushed the Yankees off the hill they had occupied. But then the Rebels found that they were exposed to the fire of four dozen Northern cannon, perfectly sited and manned by expert artillerymen. After nearly half an hour of pounding, the Southerners could not withstand a counter-charge from the Union infantrymen. The Confederates ended up back where they started, minus 1,800 casualties. Especially hard-hit was a brigade from Kentucky, referred to as the "Orphan Brigade" because Kentucky was now firmly in Northern hands. Breckinridge was devastated by the losses, and he and his fellow officers grew to detest Bragg even more.


Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Near Stones River, Tennessee, Confederate commander Braxton Bragg had two conflicting reports. His cavalry told him that the opposing Union army was receiving reinforcements, and that eventually he might be outnumbered by three to one. But a general who had been on the front lines strongly denied it: if there were more Yankees coming in, they were only a trickle.

Both were partly right. A large wagon train guarded by 1,500 bluecoats, too strong for the Rebel cavalry to disrupt, had indeed arrived. Those were the only new soldiers, and 1,500 men were scarcely enough to affect the balance between the Union and Confederate forces. But what the wagon train had brought was almost as important: food and ammunition. Morale in the Union ranks went up enough so that even the opposition could notice it. In the meantime, the tremendous losses of the fighting sank in for the Confederates. A muster-roll showed that only three out of Bragg's twenty infantry brigades were still fit for further action.

Bragg decided to retreat. And which side retreated was considered to be the ultimate standard by which battles were judged lost or won. The North could now claim a victory, and, in the wake of the uproar over the Emancipation Proclamation, seldom would it need one more. In a letter to general Rosecrans that August, Lincoln would write "I can never forget whilst I remember anything, that about the end of last year and the beginning of this, you gave us a hard-earned victory, which, had there been a defeat instead, the nation could hardly have lived over. Neither can I forget the check you so opportunely gave to a dangerous sentiment which was spreading in the North."

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

A Jewish merchant named Cesar Kaskel had found himself turned out from his business and home by Grant's shameful General Order No. 11, expelling all Jews in his department. Kaskel had sent a telegram of protest to the War Department in Washington, which had suffered the usual bureaucratic fate of being stuck in a pile of papers and then ignored. Guessing this, Kaskel went to Washington personally, gathering several other Jewish supporters along with him.

On this date, Kaskel and his delegation were received at the White House, and saw President Lincoln in person. The story, which has very likely been inflated, goes that Kaskel concluded his appeal with, "and that is why we have come unto Father Abraham’s bosom, asking protection.”

"And this protection they shall have at once." Lincoln is alleged to have replied. But even if the words actually spoken were more prosaic, Lincoln did indeed act promptly. He ordered to General-in-chief Halleck to in turn order Grant to immediately revoke the order. The telegram went out the same day.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

W. T. Sherman was not happy about having a new boss in the person of Major General John McClernand, but for the moment they both agreed that it would be a shameful waste for the force of over 30,000 men to go all the way back to Memphis without having accomplished anything. News had arrived that a Confederate gunboat had seized a Yankee supply vessel on the Mississippi, and taken it up the Yazoo river to a place called Arkansas Post. Here the Southerners had built a substantial fort, and the one man who had escaped from capture reported (correctly) that there were thousands of Rebel troops posted there. Here was a threat to the rear that it would be wise to eliminate, and potential fame to be won.

Just after midnight on this date, Sherman and McClernand met with Admiral Porter to discuss if an expedition against the fort was practical. Porter was curt at first, and Sherman took him aside for a few minutes and learned that Porter and McClernand had met in Washington, and Porter had quickly acquired a strong dislike of the political general. Sherman implored Porter to be civil for the sake of the Union cause, and Porter said that he would try. Porter's ironclads were low on coal, but if they could be towed up the Yazoo, they had plenty of shells for their guns. However, Porter was not willing to trust his ships under those conditions to a subordinate, so he offered to command the naval part of the expedition in person. Sherman had expected to be sent up the Yazoo independently, but McClernand was anxious to win glory for himself. It was finally agreed that all three would go, and bring nearly the entire army and fleet with them.

One problem which was apparently not discussed was that of authority. McClernand had at first been given an independent command, but Grant had wired to Washington and put a stop to that, ensuring that McClernand was under him. McClernand's authority was to operate against Vicksburg. He had no orders to go into Arkansas, and indeed even Grant himself would not have had the authority, because Arkansas was on the other side of the Mississippi and in the department of one Samuel Curtis. If the expedition failed, McClernand and Sherman might well be court-martialed. It was a high-stakes gamble, and there were some fairly large egos ready to make trouble.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The Confederates knew that they did not have enough men at the moment to push the Northerners out of Missouri. But they had enough to cause considerable trouble, which they hoped would prevent the Federals from going further into Arkansas. John Marmaduke, now a general, led two columns of Rebel cavalry, about 1900 men, on a raid into Missouri.

Excited Union scouts at first reported the enemy force as over 5,000 men. General Egbert Brown, the commander at the important supply depot at Springfield, Missouri, had less than 1,400 immediately available. But the shame of the destruction of Holly Springs was fresh in Northern minds, and Brown decided to defend the town and the supplies. (He took the precaution of sending for reinforcements.)

On the morning of this date, Marmaduke's Rebels attacked. The town was defended by four earthen forts on high points outside of the town, but the Southerners overran the local college, turning it into a fort of their own, and advanced into the town proper. The fighting then became house-to-house, and the advance stalled. Marmaduke had not concentrated his forces well, and Yankee reinforcements began to come in.

After hours of determined combat, the Confederates could see that the Union force was now equal to or larger than their own. (Eventually there were almost 2,100 Yankees engaged.) They made one final charge on Fort No. 4, hoping to be able to command the town. But a mixed force of Northern regular troops, local militia, and even some convalescents from the military hospital fired furiously, and drove the Rebels back. The sun went down, and the fighting slowly petered out. The town had taken significant damage from artillery fire, and from deliberate destruction by the Northerners to give them clear fields of fire. But the stockpiles of supplies were saved.

Northern casualties were about 230 total, of which 30 were killed. Southern casualties were about 290 total, of which at least 45 were killed. Springfield would remain an important center both for supplies and for its hospital -- which would be quieter for its recovering patients in the future.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At Arkansas Post, the Union expedition had arrived. They faced no light task, for the Confederates had built a substantial fort which they called Fort Hindman. Not wishing to be exposed to the Rebel fort's artillery, the Northern transports landed their troops a few miles downstream while the three ironclads went on to deliver a preliminary bombardment. As Sherman described, the Yankees had some frustrating marching on the first day:

[font="Times New Roman"]Early the next morning we disembarked. Stuart's division, moving up the river along the bank, soon encountered a force of the enemy intrenched behind a line of earthworks, extending from the river across to the swamp. I took Steele's division, marching by the flank by a road through the swamp to the firm ground behind, and was moving up to get to the rear of Fort Hindman, when General McClernand overtook me, with the report that the rebels had abandoned their first position, and had fallen back into the fort. By his orders, we counter-marched, recrossed the swamp, and hurried forward..."
[center]--The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman[/center]
[/font]
Nearly all of the more than 5,000 Rebel troops in the area were now concentrated inside the fortifications. The good news for the Federals was there would be no further retreats. Confederate commander Thomas Churchill received orders to hold until relieved, or until the garrison was all killed.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At Fort Hindman in Arkansas, Sherman was willing to do his own scouting:

[font="Times New Roman"]During the night, which was a bright moonlight one, we reconnoitred close up, and found a large number of huts which had been abandoned, and the whole rebel force had fallen back into and about the fort. Personally I crept up to a stump so close that I could hear the enemy hard at work, pulling down houses, cutting with axes, and building intrenchments. I could almost hear their words, and I was thus listening when, about 4 A. M. the bugler in the rebel camp sounded as pretty a reveille as I ever listened to."
[center]--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman[/center][/font]

Happily for the Northerners, their three commanders each had their own forces to command, and interfered remarkably little with each other. There was a modest delay, but the two wings of the Union army and the flotilla of gunboats delivered a coordinated attack.

[font="Times New Roman"] In about half an hour I heard the clear ring of the navy-guns; the fire gradually increasing in rapidity and advancing toward the fort. I had distributed our field-guns, and, when I judged the time had come, I gave the orders to begin. The intervening ground between us and the enemy was a dead level, with the exception of one or two small gullies, and our men had no cover but the few standing trees and some logs on the ground. The troops advanced well under a heavy fire, once or twice falling to the ground for a sort of rest or pause. Every tree had its group of men, and behind each log was a crowd of sharp-shooters, who kept up so hot a fire that the rebel troops fired wild. The fire of the fort proper was kept busy by the gunboats and Morgan's corps, so that all my corps had to encounter was the direct fire from the newly-built parapet across the peninsula. This line had three sections of field-guns, that kept things pretty lively, and several round-shot came so near me that I realized that they were aimed at my staff; so I dismounted, and made them scatter.
[center]--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman[/center][/font]

By the early afternoon, the ring of fire around the Confederate fort was taking its toll on both the fort walls and the defenders. A white flag went up, and the firing ceased. According to Sherman's account, the flag was actually due to a misunderstanding between the Southern officers, but by the time it was cleared up, the Northerners were in possession of the fort. (So much for the orders to hold to the last man.)

Union casualties were 1,061 in total: 134 killed, 898 wounded and 29 missing. The Confederates probably lost fewer killed and wounded, but nearly 4,800 men became prisoners. These losses were about one-fourth of all the Confederate regular troops in Arkansas, which was grim news for Southern hopes in the Missouri-Kansas-Arkansas theater.

[RedArgo]

Great stuff Captain, hope you can keep it up for the duration of the war.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Jefferson Davis gave a formal reply to the Emancipation Proclamation. In a message to the Confederate Congress (much like a Southern State of the Union Address), he denounced it in no uncertain terms and issued a serious threat:

[font="Times New Roman"]The public journals of the North have been received containing a proclamation dated on the first day of the present month signed by the President of the United States in which he orders and declares all slaves within ten States of the Confederacy to be free, except such as are found in certain districts now occupied in part by the armed forces of the enemy.

We may well leave it to the instincts of that common humanity which a beneficent Creator has implanted in the breasts of our fellowmen of all countries to pass judgment on a measure by which several millions of human beings of an inferior race, peaceful and contented laborers in their sphere, are doomed to extermination, while at the same time they are encouraged to a general assassination of their masters by the insidious recommendation "to abstain from violence unless in necessary self-defense." Our own detestation of those who have attempted the most execrable measure recorded in the history of guilty man is tempered by profound contempt for the impotent rage which it discloses. So far as regards the action of this Government on such criminals as may attempt its execution I confine myself to informing you that I shall unless in your wisdom you deem some other course more expedient deliver to the several State authorities all commissioned officers of the United States that may hereafter be captured by our forces in any of the States embraced in the proclamation that they may be dealt with in accordance with the laws of those States providing for the punishment of criminals engaged in exciting servile insurrection.

[. . .]

JEFF'N DAVIS.
[/font]

The "laws of those States" generally meant the death penalty. For the Union Navy it made little difference, since Northern warships were rarely captured. (And even when they were, black crewmen were frequently cooks and cabin-boys, and not armed.) But the risk for Union Army officers leading "colored" troops was now very real.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Off the lighthouse near Galveston, Texas, the U. S. Navy was trying to re-establish the blockade. The steamer USS Hatteras spotted a suspicious vessel and challenged her. At first the stranger identified herself as "Her Britannic Majesty's Ship Petrel", but the Northern captain was unconvinced. He had a boat lowered to row over and inspect the stranger. The longboat had not gone far when a different shout came: "We are the CSS Alabama." The Union Jack came down, the Stars and Bars went up, and a broadside roared at a distance of 200 yards (180m). The crew of the Hatteras manned their guns and replied, but soon found the odds were against them.

Alabama was the ship that famed Confederate raider Raphael Semmes had acquired after his first raider, the CSS Sumter, had been trapped in Gibraltar. The Alabama had been heavily armed, so much so that none of the numerous Union merchant ships she had captured had dared to fight. Now her guns were proving superior to a U. S. warship. After twenty minutes of what Semmes later described as a "sharp and exciting" duel as close as 25 yards (23m), Hatteras had been reduced to a sinking condition. She fired her bow gun to indicate surrender, and Captain Semmes sent over his boats to evacuate the Northerner's crew. Two Union sailors had been killed and five wounded, while only two Confederate crewmen had been wounded.

For the Union merchant marine, the Alabama was now the terror of the seas. Thanks to her and other Confederate raiders, by the end of the war, the Stars and Stripes would almost disappear from cargo shipping in the Atlantic; the insurance rates had jumped to the point where few were willing to pay.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today (or possibly tomorrow):

W. T. Sherman, John McClernand, and David Dixon Porter, fresh from their victory at Fort Hindman, arrived back on the Mississippi River at a place called Napoleon. Waiting for them was a message from U. S. Grant, disapproving of their venture. Presently they were joined by Grant himself.

Grant and Sherman had a solid friendship, so Sherman was speedily forgiven. (A pile of captured artillery and supplies plus 5,000 Confederate prisoners didn't hurt a bit.) Porter was Navy rather than Army, so Grant's forgiveness was immaterial. But McClernand was another matter. As part of the expedition up the Yazoo river, McClernand had re-named the two infantry corps under his command into the "Army of the Mississippi". He was clearly angling for an independent command, but those two corps were supposed to belong to Grant's forces.

More, a number of the lower officers privately communicated to Grant that they had no confidence in McClernand's abilities. Porter especially had a strong dislike of McClernand, and McClernand had returned the favor by minimizing the Navy's key role in the capture of Fort Hindman in his official report. This boded ill for the future, since the Navy's cooperation was vital for operations against Vicksburg. Grant had planned to put Sherman in command, but McClernand had seniority over Sherman. To prevent McClernand from taking over in that area, Grant would have to assume command himself.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The Battle of Stones River and the success at Fort Hindman had revived Northern morale in the west. But in the east, the Army of the Potomac was still a beaten army, not yet recovered from the slaughter at Fredricksburg and hemorrhaging as many as a hundred desertions a day. General Ambrose Burnside had one last chance to restore the army's confidence in itself, and him. He planned a march to the west, crossing the Rappahannock River where the Confederates would not expect him.

There were three problems. The least of them was the Confederates did in fact expect him. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and James Longstreet had all been studying their maps, and knew where the potential crossing places were. The second problem was that none of Burnside's subordinates believed in the plan, and several said so out loud and loudly, sending the morale of their soldiers down even further. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker was quieter about it, but he held the strong opinion that he rather than Burnside should be in command, and spread the word to people in Washington.

But the greatest problem of all was the weather. The day before had been a remarkably sunny and warm day for mid-January, which was potentially bad because it thawed the frozen dirt roads. As long as it stayed dry, however, this was good campaigning weather. But on this date the clouds rolled in, and by the evening the rain came down, and not lightly. It would not stop raining for forty-eight hours.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today (and the next day wasn't much different):

The rains had turned Ambrose Burnside's move into the slow-motion disaster that would from then on be known as the "Mud March". What had been good dirt roads the day before had been transformed overnight into deep quagmires of mud. And the temperature was the worst possible: just above freezing, making men miserable and sapping the draft animals of their energy, but not cold enough to solidify the morass which in some places was essentially quicksand.

The men could slog forward with difficulty. But anything with wheels was in deep trouble. Cannons especially quickly sank to their axles or even further, and defied all efforts to move them. Arguably the Union army could have simply abandoned its guns, but not its supply wagons and doubly not the carriages of the pontoons needed to bridge the Rappahannock River. Without the Confederates having to fire a shot, the Yankees had been stopped in their tracks.

Although the rain also prevented camp or cooking fires, at least one Northerner tried to keep his sense of humor, composing the following ditty:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
In mud that's many fathoms deep,
If I'm not here when you awake,
Just hunt me up with an oyster-rake.

[wodin]

Capt...I hope your keeping a copy in a word doc? As once finished I'm sure could be published..even on kindle or something.