Civil War 150th

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

A provision for a "Medal of Honor" for the Union Navy was signed into law by President Lincoln. The medal was "to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities during the present war." A similar medal had been proposed for the Army, but General-in-Chief Scott had disapproved. Now that the Navy had one, however, the Army would eventually request one of its own, and the medals would evolve into the United States' highest military honor.

Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles directed the Philadelphia Mint to design the new medal, and below is the original:

[Capt. Harlock]

Christmas Day, 1861:


President Lincoln held an urgent Cabinet meeting on Christmas morning to discuss the Trent affair. The initial enthusiasm over the capture of Mason and Slidell had cooled, and serious concerns about war with Great Britain were being felt. Postmaster Montgomery Blair had been in favor of releasing the captives even before the meeting. But Lincoln himself was in favor of submitting the dispute to some form of arbitration, and holding the two Confederate envoys in the meantime. And the general feeling was still that apologizing to Britain would look like cowardice.

Secretary of State Seward, however, had written a detailed paper going over the events and examining the relevant laws, the only one to do so. His main point in the debate was that releasing the envoys was consistent with the traditional American position on the right of neutrals, and the public would accept it as such. An argument could be made that Captain Wilkes' stopping and searching of the Trent violated international law only because the Trent had not been seized and taken to a Union prize court. (However, this would have inflamed British public opinion to the point where war would have been virtually certain.) Therefore, although Mason and Slidell would be let go, no formal apology was necessary.

Into the meeting came Senator Charles Sumner, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Senator had become a hero to the North after a South Carolina Congressman had beaten him into a coma with his cane--on the very floor of the Senate--after Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech. Sumner had traveled in England and carried on regular correspondence with many political activists in Britain. Lately, he had received very worrisome letters discussing the Britsh preparations for war. (For instance, the Duchess of Argyll, herself a strong antislavery advocate, wrote Sumner that the capture of the envoys was “the maddest act that ever was done".)

Also, there was a good possibility that France would take advantage of the situation. There might be French recognition of the Confederacy and movement into Mexico and Latin America. And in fact, a message was delivered during the meeting from French Foreign Minister Thouvenel urging that the United States release the prisoners and in so doing affirm the rights of neutrals on the seas that France and the United States had repeatedly argued against Great Britain. (Nonetheless, France would invade Mexico the following year.)

Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase and Attorney General Edward Bates were strongly influenced by the various messages from Europe. Lincoln still wanted arbitration but received no support, since it would take considerable time to agree on an arbitration panel and Britain was clearly impatient. Though no decision was made at the meeting, Lincoln indicated he wished to prepare his own paper ,and a new meeting was scheduled for the next day.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Lincoln's cabinet met again, but Lincoln did not submit a counter-argument, telling Seward that he had found himself unable to develop a convincing rebuttal to the Secretary of State’s draft. Seward’s proposal to release the prisoners was now accepted without dissent. It was an impressive display of political mastery for Seward, who had found a way to prevent war with Britain without seeming to back down, but also for Lincoln, who had turned his one-time rival into a loyal and talented follower.


At Chustenahlah, near the Kansas border, the Confederates essentially completed the defeat of the pro-Union Creek Indians that they had begun at Chustotalasah. Though outnumbered 1,300 to 1,700, the Southerners were better equipped and better led (by Colonel James McIntosh, a West Point graduate) than Opothleyahola’s Creeks. McIntosh put together a three-pronged attack on the pro-Northern camp, and actually pulled it off. There was prolonged fighting, but finally Opothleyahola's men collapsed and scattered.

The Southerners captured 160 women and children, 20 blacks, 30 wagons, 70 yoke of oxen, about 500 horses, several hundred head of cattle, and 100 sheep. Confederate casualties were 9 killed and 40 wounded. No reliable figures are available for the Unionists; Colonel McIntosh's estimate of 250 casualties total is very likely high but the best guess available.

[Capt. Harlock]

End of 1861:

When George McClellan had been made both commander of the Army of the Potomac and General-in-Chief of all the Union Armies, he had assured a concerned Lincoln, "I can do it all." But at this point, he could do virtually nothing: he was gravely ill. The diagnosis was typhoid, the same diagnosis under which Prince Albert had died on December 14. At a cabinet meeting, Attorney General Edward Bates implored Lincoln to fully assume his position as commander-in-chief. Lincoln was non-committal during the meeting (causing Bates to write a depressed entry in his diary), but began to act on the principle. In the East, the armies had generally gone into winter quarters, and little action could be expected. But it might be possible to start a coordinated campaign in the West. Lincoln wrote to his commanders in Kentucky and Missouri about simultaneous moves.


However, one man who did not agree that armies should not fight in the winter was Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The bulk of his forces were at Winchester, which guarded the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. But there was a large Union force at a small town called Romney, which might slip past Winchester to the west, and drive down the Valley. Jackson determined to capture Romney. In an early sign of the demands he would make on himself and his men, Jackson issued orders: his troops would draw food for five days, wake at 3:00 a.m. on New Year's Day, and begin to march at 6:00 a.m.

[Capt. Harlock]

New Year's Day, 1862:

As quietly as could be managed, James Mason, John Slidell, and their two long-suffering secretaries were released from Fort Warren. They boarded the tugboat Starlight, hired for the occasion, and were conveyed to the British sloop-of-war Rinaldo at Provincetown, Massachusetts. British Ambassador Lord Lyons had given the Rinaldo its instructions, thereby giving tacit acceptance to the release of the prisoners without a formal apology.



In the Shenandoah Valley, Stonewall Jackson's force began its march at 9 a.m., three hours behind schedule. Matters did not improve from there; because the temperature had started in the fifties, many men had put their overcoats and blankets in the supply wagons. Broken country slowed the march of the men, but slowed the wagons even more. A bitter northwestern wind sprang up, and when the march halted at sundown, the day's advance had been only eight miles. Nonetheless, the troops were strung out, with the wagons caught in traffic jams to the rear. The wind made campfires almost impossible to keep going, and many men spent the night without cover, which would lead to a good deal of sickness in the ranks in the following days.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

For the first time anywhere, machine guns were deployed with troops in the field. Back in June 1861, a remarkable weapon had been presented to President Lincoln which fired up to 120 rounds a minute from a hopper of paper .58 cal. cartridges. Understandably, Lincoln had nicknamed it the "coffee mill gun", though officially it was named the Union Repeating Rifle. (It was invented by Edward Nugent or William Palmer, both of whom patented the weapon and ended up fighting over it for years.) After much prodding to the War Department, ten guns had been built and two of them were now issued to the 28th Pennsylvania, guarding the Potomac opposite Harpers Ferry.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In the Shenandoah valley, Stonewall Jackson's army moved on the town of Bath. The Union officers quickly realized they were badly outnumbered, and evacuated hastily but in reasonably good order. Jackson had anticipated this and sent a force to block the route of retreat. Unfortunately, the troops sent were the militia part of his force, and they scattered at the first encounter with the Union soldiers. Casualties on both sides were minimal, and Jackson had to content himself with occupying the town and firing a number of shells across the Potomac into Maryland.

[planner 3]

Capt. Harlock, First I'd likt to say I've been a real fan of this Civil War History. NOw I'm going to stick my neck out......If Bath, Va is in Bath County, Va. which is on the now border of West (by god) Virginia, in the Western part of Va. then I can't understand why with such artillery the South lost ANY BATTLE, boy the range, clear across the state from West to East. Am I out-on-a-limb ?

[Capt. Harlock]

If Bath, Va is in Bath County, Va. which is on the now border of West (by god) Virginia, in the Western part of Va.

More than you ever wanted to know: according to Wikipedia, Bath is better known as Berkeley Springs, because the latter is the name of its post office. It is located at 39°37′32″N 78°13′37″W in what is now West Virginia. The town lies in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia 26 miles NW of Martinsburg, West Virginia and 36 miles W of Hagerstown, Maryland. Berkeley Springs is the county seat of Morgan County.

The town was named after the city of Bath in England, because it has a spring which was rumored to promote good health when bathed in. And yes, George Washington bathed there:

[planner 3]

AHA ! I said I was sticking my neck out. I've been to Berkley Springs many times but I never knew it was known as "Bath". Always willing to say "I learnt something today". Strange having lived in Frederick County and Washington County Maryland I should have known that. Besides I spend some of my summer in WVa (Falling Waters) and visited the battlefields in the area. Mea culpa Capt. and tanks for setting an old man straight. Lesson learned. Please keep the series coming, they are enjoyable.

[nicwb]

With that New Years Day entry - its interesting to hear that Jackson didn't always have his "foot cavalry".

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Stonewall Jackson had hoped to cross the upper Potomac river and capture the town of Hancock, Maryland. But the Northerners were guarding all the available fords, and the minimal artillery bombardment he had been able to deliver had not cowed the town or Union General Frederick Lander into surrender. In fact, the impertinent Yankees had brought up a few cannons of their own and replied. Neither side did much damage: combined casualties over two days of firing were about 25, with no reports of fatalities.

(Sheer speculation on the part of your humble amateur historian: the weather had turned bitterly cold, and the roads were icy. Both sides may have been able to move only their light guns in those conditions. It is recorded that Jackson had to order his horses to be "roughshod", that is, fitted with small spikes projecting from their horseshoes for more traction.)

Jackson also received the unwelcome news of a counter-attack. The Union commander of the garrison at Romney had sent out cavalry and overrun a Confederate outpost at Hanging Rock. Now, the way was opening for an attack on Jackson's base camp back at Winchester. Since the best defense was a good offense, Jackson ordered his men back on the march towards Romney.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In Missouri, one of the most active recruiters for the Confederacy was Colonel John Poindexter. The Northerners were anxious to put a stop to his activities, but had not been able to find him. Now information reached the Unionists that Poindexter was encamped at Silver Creek, Randolph County, with about 800 new recruits. Major W. G. M. Torrence gathered 450 Union cavalry and moved in, producing the Battle of Roan's Tan Yard.

Poindexter had chosen his campsite well, and the Rebel pickets sighted the Yankees and hurried back to warn the camp. A brisk fire began between the two sides. Knowing they were outnumbered and against a prepared defensive position, the Union troopers used the advantage of their horses and delivered a spirited cavalry charge. The inexperienced Confederate recruits scattered before the attack.

Major Torrence had posted some of his men to cut off the Rebel retreat, but fog and gathering darkness allowed most of the Southerners to escape. Final casualties were Union: 6 killed, and 19 wounded, Confederate: 40 killed, 80 wounded, and 28 captured. Colonel Poindexter got away, but Confederate recruiting in the area came to an end.

More bad news for the Confederate cause in Missouri came with a letter from President Jefferson Davis to pro-Southern Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson. Jackson had complained that men from the Missouri State Guard were being taken into the Confederate Army, and then posted elsewhere, at a time when Jackson felt that more men should be put into Missouri to take more of it back from the Yankees. Davis' reply was completely unsympathetic, pointing out that Jackson himself was enjoying a comfortable exile in New Orleans.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At the White House, President Lincoln had a meeting with some of his Cabinet members and top commanders. Absent was George McClellan, still recovering from typhoid fever. Impatient with the Army of the Potomac's not going anywhere, Lincoln remarked, "If McClellan is not going to use the Army anytime soon, I would like to borrow it."

In the Shenandoah Valley, Union General Benjamin Kelley learned that Stonewall Jackson was advancing on his garrison at Romney. Kelley had 5,000 men, while Jackson had almost twice that number. Kelley quickly began evacuating his troops.

In eastern Kentucky, Confederate Brig. Gen. Humphrey Marshall had brought a small force to recruit pro-Southern Kentuckians. By this date, he had a force of almost 2,500 men, although he did not have enough guns for all of them. Nonetheless, the Northerners decided it was high time to put a stop to this. Colonel (and future President) James Garfield led a force of about 2,100 men and found the rebels at Middle Creek. A sharp fight ensued, lasting most of the afternoon until Union reinforcements arrived just in time to block a Confederate attempt to turn the Union left. The Southerners retired, and Union control of Kentucky grew a bit stronger. Casualties were fairly light: about 27 for the Union and 65 for the Confederates.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In 1861, Secretary of War Simon Cameron Had ferreted out corruption and mismanagement in General John Fremont's handling of the army in Missouri. Now Cameron himself was showing serious inefficiency in his handling of the massive expansion of the Union Army and Navy. (A part of why the Confederate cavalry in the East was head and shoulders better than the Union cavalry arm was that Cameron's agents kept buying aged or sick horses.) Cameron himself was partly aware of his shortcomings: he hated to keep notes, and memory alone could not cope with the vast operation the War Department was becoming.


On this date, President Lincoln finally wrote:

[font="Times New Roman"]My dear Sir
As you have, more than once, expressed a desire for a change of position, I can now gratify you, consistently with my view of the public interest. I therefore propose nominating you to the Senate, next Monday, as minister to Russia.
Very sincerely
Your friend
A. Lincoln[/font]

(This was not quite as bad an exile as it might seem, for Russia was the European power most friendly to the Union.)

To replace Cameron, Lincoln selected Edwin Stanton. Again, Lincoln showed his ability to turn one-time opponents into allies, for Stanton had been Attorney General during the administration of James Buchanan.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Stonewall Jackson and the Stonewall Brigade marched into Romney. The Union garrison had fled, but had left behind much of their supplies. (An attempt to burn them had failed in the rough January weather.) The Southern troops were happy with what had been won, but Jackson was not. Though the Shenandoah Valley was now virtually clear of Northern troops, Jackson had inflicted few casualties, and the Yankees could return at any time. Jackson sent a message to the War Department in Richmond, requesting more troops to allow him to push on.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Union General George H. Thomas and Confederate General George B. Crittenden faced each other in eastern Kentucky with roughly 6,000 men apiece. One of Crittenden's brigades under General Felix Zollicoffer was incautiously advanced north of the Cumberland river. After some attempts to move it back, Crittenden decided on an aggressive stance, concentrated his forces and went on the attack.

At first, the battle went well for the Southerners, who had greater numbers at the point of contact. However, General Zollicoffer mistakenly approached the Union 4th Kentucky regiment, believing they were Confederate troops, and was killed. Then General Thomas arrived on the Northern side and began to display the genius on the defensive that would mark him as one of the finest Union generals. (To be fair, he was helped by rain. Many Southerners were equipped with flintlocks, which were more vulnerable to the wet than percussion-cap muskets.) After about three hours of hard and close-range fighting, the 9th Ohio managed to turn the Rebel left flank. The Confederates retreated, losing order, 12 cannons, 150 wagons, and more than 1,000 horses and mules.

Although the Northerners had been outnumbered 4,400 to 5,900 on the field, they lost only 39 killed and 207 wounded. The Southerners lost 125 killed, with 404 wounded and missing. General Crittenden's military career was finished (it was rumored he had been drunk during the battle), but Thomas would go on to greater things. (To Civil War scholars, his name is instantly recognizable as "The Rock of Chickamauga".)

[nicwb]

At first, the battle went well for the Southerners, but General Zollicoffer mistakenly approached the Union 4th Kentucky regiment, believing they were Confederate troops, and was killed.

Apparantly (and quite unfortunately) Gen Zollicoffer was dreadfully nearsighted although to be fair neither the Federal or the Confederate armies of the time had standard uniforms.

[parusski]

Capt. Harlock, I just want you to know this is my favourite all time Matrix thread.

[Capt. Harlock]

Late January, 1862:

Unhappiness with generals was growing on both sides. President Lincoln now regretted giving George McClellan full leeway in deciding when to move against Richmond, for McClellan showed no sign of moving at all. To be fair, January has poor campaigning weather in that area, and McClellan was still recovering from serious illness. But the hard-line members of Congress were applying great pressure for action. An army is an expensive thing to maintain, and money was pouting out of the Treasury much faster than it was coming in.

Things were even worse south of the Potomac river. The town of Romney was clearly not big enough to hold all of Stonewall Jackson's army for long. Disease was now running through his troops like wildfire, with up to two-thirds of the men on the sick list in the hardest-hit regiments. Jackson therefore took about half his force, including his favorite Stonewall Brigade, and marched back to Winchester. General William W. Loring was left in command of a garrison force, and rapidly came to believe he had been abandoned. He wrote to the Richmond War Department for permission to evacuate. The resulting quarrel would cause Jackson to submit his resignation.

Another quarrel had broken out between General P. G. T. Beauregard, the victor of Fort Sumter and First Bull Run, and President Davis himself. Beauregard had submitted a long report after Bull Run / Manassas blaming Davis for not allowing a pursuit of the fleeing Northerners. Davis was incensed -- he was never tolerant of criticism -- and eventually decided to kick Beauregard sideways to a subordinate position under General Albert Sidney Johnston in the western part of the Confederacy.