Civil War 150th

[parusski]

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[planner 3]

Adding another RED BUTTON ......How many before this little button fails ????[;)]

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Confederate fortunes in Missouri kept going downhill. Union General Samuel Curtis, a West Point man with experience in the Mexican-American war, had assembled a force of over 10,000 Federals with 50 guns. Sterling Price was aware that his Missouri State Guard was no match for such a force, so he retreated. Curtis followed him, marching his men at an impressive pace. On this date, Price and his men were forced to go completely out of Missouri, and into Arkansas. Curtis' force followed, as little as eight hours behind.

But Arkansas was solidly in the Confederacy, and reinforcements were at hand. Enough troops were nearby to bring the Rebel strength up to over 16,000. The bad news for Sterling Price was that he would now be subordinate to the Southern commander in Arkansas, a Major General named Earl Van Dorn.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

In West Virginia, the constitutional convention formally adopted the first Constitution of the State of West Virginia. (The name of "Kanawha" for the new state had by now been abandoned.) It now remained to put the constitution to a popular vote, and then submit it to the U.S. Congress for formal incorporation as a new state of the Union.

The South had its own milestone. On this date, the First Confederate Congress officially came to order in Richmond. Previously, there had been a Provisional Congress, but the Senators and Representatives of the First Congress had been duly elected in the November 1861 vote. Note there were 26 Senators from thirteen states: the Confederacy still claimed Missouri and Kentucky.

[nicwb]

The bad news for Sterling Price was that he would now be subordinate to the Southern commander in Arkansas, a Major General named Earl Van Dorn.

I can just smell another personality clash coming on [8|]

[bilatun]

It's very interesting topic, I appreciate your knowledge

[parusski]

ORIGINAL: bilatun

It's very interesting topic, I appreciate your knowledge

Bot, return to China.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

With both Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Union hands, and the Union river fleet more powerful than anything the Confederates had, the overall Southern commander in the west Albert Sidney Johnston had a problem. He decided that Nashville could not be held after the loss of over 12,000 men at Donelson, and gave orders to pull back to Murfreesboro to form a defensive line there. Since this was nearly the exact center of the state of Tennessee, he hoped to be able to counter-attack when and where he saw the chance.

Not surprisingly, the residents of Nashville were outraged at being abandoned to the Yankees. Matters were not helped when the retreating Southern army tried to take much of the militarily useful factory machinery in the city with them, as well as food and other supplies. On this date, a mob of Nashville citizens broke into the army headquarters, and with that, law and order broke down. Nathan Bedford Forrest, with his force of cavalrymen, tried to stop the looting on both sides, but with very limited success. It is estimated that the rebel soldiers marched out of Nashville with only half of the supplies they had planned.

And there does not seem to have been much urgency. U. S. Grant was all in favor of advancing on Nashville, but it was outside the area of responsibility assigned to him. Nashville fell into the Department of the Cumberland, and that had been assigned to General Don Carlos Buell. Unfortunately for the North, Buell was a general in the mold of George McClellan; an able administrator but cautious and slow to advance.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Tragedy struck the White House with the death of the President's son William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln, age 11, probably of typhoid fever. It was an era where death from disease was far more common than today: only one of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's four children survived to adulthood. And though civil war armies sustained battlefield casualty rates that would break almost any modern army, two out of three deaths in the ranks were due to disease rather than combat.

Something ignored by most histories of the Civil War is that the Confederacy also laid claim to territory outside the states. The southern half of New Mexico Territory (most of modern-day Arizona and New Mexico) was mostly populated by Southern sympathizers, and a convention in 1861 had voted to join the Confederacy. Whether or not this was legal is a debatable question: territories are supposed to be administered by the Federal government. For instance, while a Territory has a popularly elected legislature, the Governor is appointed by the U.S. President.

In any case, control of the territory would be determined by military strength, as in so much else of the Civil War. A certain Henry Hopkins Sibley had received an appointment as a Confederate Brigadier General, raised a force of about 2,500 men in Texas, and was now advancing towards Albuquerque. The main force opposing him was the 3,000-man garrison in Fort Craig under Colonel Edward Canby. Both sides had problems: Sibley's Texans were low on supplies, but Canby's bluecoats were mostly untrained volunteers. The Union had one big edge: its scouts were experienced and knew the area. One of them was none other than Kit Carson.

On this date, the Southerners were encamped near Fort Craig, hoping to lure the garrison into the open and even battle. Late at night, the Northerners tried a remarkable tactic: sending two mules loaded with barrels of gunpowder with lit fuses towards the rebel camp. However, the faithful mules insisted on turning back toward the Union camp before blowing up. Although the only casualties were the pair of mules, the explosions stampeded a herd of Texas beef cattle within the Confederate lines, making Sibley's supply situation even more difficult.

[martok]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

On this date, the Southerners were encamped near Fort Craig, hoping to lure the garrison into the open and even battle. Late at night, the Northerners tried a remarkable tactic: sending two mules loaded with barrels of gunpowder with lit fuses towards the rebel camp. However, the faithful mules insisted on turning back toward the Union camp before blowing up. Although the only casualties were the pair of mules, the explosions stampeded a herd of Texas beef cattle within the Confederate lines, making Sibley's supply situation even more difficult.

I know I shouldn't have, but this part made me chuckle.

[nicwb]

As a side note Gens Sibley and Canby get a small mention in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

[planner 3]

Comments from the Mules: " Hey Jack what are we carrying in these barrels ?"
" Hell if I know Mulie."
" Well I'm getting tired of walking and hungry"
" Let's go back and chow down, maybe we can get ride of this load "




KABLOWEE !!!!!!!

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

At the Toombs jail in New York City, a man named Nathaniel Gordon became the only American to be hanged for slave trading. Several appeals were made to President Lincoln for clemency, and indeed Lincoln had a record of granting mercy in more than three-quarters of the cases brought to him. But not this time:

[font="Times New Roman"]I believe I am kindly enough in nature, and can be moved to pity and to pardon the perpetrator of almost the worst crime that the mind of man can conceive or the arm of man can execute; but any man, who, for paltry gain and stimulated only by avarice, can rob Africa of her children to sell into interminable bondage, I never will pardon.[/font]


In New Mexico, Confederate General Sibley attempted to take his army past Fort Craig and block the supply road. Union scouts informed Colonel Canby of the move, and he marched out most of his men from the fort to intercept the Southerners. This appeared to be what the Confederates wanted: open battle in the field instead of the Yankees using the protection of the fort walls.

Canby timed his assault fairly well, hitting the rebels just as they were about to cross the Rio Grande at a place called Valverde. For a time the Federals had the edge; both their riles and their artillery out-ranged their enemies' equipment. Also, a company of Southern lancers charged what they thought was a green New Mexico company but which was actually an experienced Colorado company. Almost all of the horses disabled or killed as well as twenty of the lancers. This was the first and last lancer charge of the Civil War. (The survivors promptly re-armed themselves with pistols and shotguns.)

But eventually Canby wanted to deliver a knock-out blow to the rebels. He drew men and guns from his line to attempt to flank to the right. The Southerners saw the weakening of the Union center and launched a determined attack. By this time, the Confederate troops were suffering considerably from thirst, and the Yankees (unfortunately for them) were blocking the way to the river. Three waves of highly motivated Confederate infantry eventually broke the Union line, capturing six guns and sending much of Canby's force into a rout.

Canby sent a white flag, requesting a temporary truce to recover dead and wounded, to which Sibley perhaps unwisely agreed. The Union force retreated back to Fort Craig, minus about 110 killed, 160 wounded, and 200 deserters. The Confederates lost between 150 to 230 killed and wounded, and now had possession of the battlefield.

But it was not enough of a victory. Although the Southerners now had water, they did not have enough other supplies to remain where they were. Sibley was an aggressive commander: he decided to march north towards Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

It was the 130th anniversary of George Washington's birthday, and both North and South hoped it would be auspicious for them.

This was the day that Lincoln had ordered for a coordinated offensive. In the west, there was a response. Don Carlos Buell could ignore U. S. Grant, but he could not ignore his commander-in-chief, and rumors were reaching him that Nashville had been abandoned. (The rumors were correct.) Buell didn't like the idea of advancing without railroad support, so he put a force on board an improvised train to see how far south they could go. As it turned out, a few simple repairs to tracks and bridges would take them further than Buell had in mind.

Samuel Curtis was not moving, but digging in to a position at a place called Sugar Creek. He had excellent reason, however: his bluecoats were already inside Arkansas, and facing a rebel army a third again the size of his own.

But in the east, the Union armies were quiet. William Rosecrans and his troops were enduring a cold winter in West Virginia. Both sides were aware that leaving their winter quarters risked far more losses from frostbite and disease than was worth what they might expect to gain. George McClellan's Army of the Potomac was also immobile while the debate over his plan for an amphibious landing went on in Washington. Most in Lincoln's administration believed such a move could not be supported with adequate supplies. But the Quartermaster General, Montgomery Meigs, was one of the unsung geniuses of the war, and he became convinced he could do it.

In Richmond, Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens were formally inaugurated for their six-year terms. Although they were technically already President and Vice-President, they were now constitutionally and popularly elected. Naturally, Davis gave a speech for the occasion. He claimed thirteen states in the Confederacy, and openly hoped for Maryland to join. And although he said, "It is a satisfaction that we have maintained the war by our unaided exertions. We have neither asked nor received assistance from any quarter." he spoke of the advantages of trade which would come "When the independence of the Confederate States is recognized by the nations of the earth".

The full text is at:
http://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=107

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

The troop train assembled by Don Carlos Buell had been able to advance all the way to the banks of the Cumberland river opposite Nashville. However, as part of the Confederate retreat, Nathan Bedford Forrest had seen to it that all the bridges into Nashville were burned. Expecting opposition, Buell wanted to bring up the bulk of his army before he crossed into the city.

But U. S. Grant was of a more aggressive frame of mind. He ordered a brigade under General William "Bull" Nelson cross by boat into the city. Nelson and his troops had been detached by Buell to assist Grant, so the chain of command was not clear. Nonetheless, Nelson went forward, and was soon involved in the details of restoring order to the streets. (The mayor of Nashville wanted to surrender to the highest ranking officer in the area, but that was Buell, who took some persuasion to enter the city.)

Nashville was the first Confederate state capital to fall into Union hands. It would soon occur to the Northerners that they could set up their own state government, beginning the policy of Reconstruction.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

Sixty men under one Captain Sherod Hunter walked into Tucson, Arizona, and claimed it for the Confederacy. In sharp contrast to the city of today, at this time Tucson was a town of not quite a thousand souls. Nearly all of them were grateful to see Hunter and his troops, for rumors had been flying of Indian attacks and invasion from Mexico.

In the meantime, General Sibley and his 2,500-strong rebel force was advancing slowly northward towards Albuquerque. Colonel Canby, his Union opponent, decided to abandon his advantage in numbers, disbanding his militia and many of his volunteer units. Canby sent his horsemen north, actually passing the Confederate body on the way, to act as partisans and slow the Southerners, and to warn the Union forces ahead. By far the most important of these was at Fort Union, which was being reinforced by Coloradans marching all the way from Denver. Those would cover 400 miles (640 km) in only 14 days.

[Capt. Harlock]

End of February 1862:

1862 was not a leap year, so there is no exact 150th anniversary. But things were moving, nonetheless. In Richmond, the recent Yankee successes were causing serious unhappiness. Now that a properly elected Congress was in session, the search for a scapegoat had settled on Secretary of War Judah Benjamin. An official vote of censure was in order, and Benjamin would resign rather than contest the decision.

Along the Mississippi, the Union river warfare campaign was on a roll. The next target was clearly a double bend in the river at New Madrid in the south-east corner of Missouri. Since they could read maps, the Confederates had built strong fortifications around the town, and even more formidable defenses on an island in the middle of the river. The map-makers' inspiration had apparently failed at this point, for the island was simply named Island Number 10.

Against this position, Union General John Pope had been given a force of 25,000 men and promised the assistance of Andrew Foote's gunboat flotilla. The armored gunboats were still largely under repair after the unsuccessful cannon duel with Fort Donelson, but Pope was not in a mood to wait. He got his army out of winter quarters and began the march towards New Madrid. This was not supposed to be practical, because the roads were muddy from the late winter rains. Pope's men cut down trees, chopped them into logs, and laid them on the road surface, a process called "corduroying". It worked, and Sherman would make more famous use of this technique later on.

[Capt. Harlock]

150 Years Ago Today:

An advance force of General Sibley's Confederates, about 200 strong, rode into Albuquerque and took possession of the town. But they were too late: that morning the Federal commander of the military depot had loaded what supplies he could onto wagons bound for Sante Fe, and ordered the torch applied to the rest. Sibley's troops would be able to get water and a little food from the Southern sympathizers in Albuquerque, but almost nothing else.