American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

June 30, 1862 Monday
Again the armies near Richmond fought a confused major battle ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Oak_Swamp and http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/va ... ale-5.html ). This one has as many as eight names; White Oak Swamp, Frayser’s Farm, Glendale, Nelson’s Crossroads, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, Willis’ Church, and Turkey Bridge. On this sixth day of the campaign, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was trying to attack McClellan from the north, across the desolate mire of White Oak Swamp, and from the west. McClellan realized the plan and effectively halted it, aided by the same lack of coordination which had plagued the Confederate offensive. Jackson again was accused of not carrying out his role, long a debated point. Longstreet could not break the Union lines. By night McClellan drew his lines in tightly upon Malvern Hill just north of the James River. In perhaps the decisive day of the week-long campaign, Lee lost his last chance to cut McClellan’s army in two and prevent it from reaching its haven. It was clear that Richmond had been saved and a Southern victory of major proportions won, although the Federal army was still greater in size by far than that of the Confederacy. A Northern officer felt the army had been left to take care of itself “and was saved by its own brave fighting.”

Major General McClellan, compelled to withdraw down the James and dependent upon the Navy for gunfire support and transportation, reported: "I returned from Malvern to Haxall's, and . . . went on board of Captain Rogers' gunboat U.S.S. Galena to confer with him in reference to the condition of our supply vessels and the state of things on the river. It was his opinion that it would be necessary for the army to fall back to a position below City Point, as the channel there was so near the southern shore that it would not be possible to bring up the transports should the enemy occupy it. Harrison's Landing was., in his opinion, the nearest suitable point. . . . Concurring in his opinion, I selected Harrison's Bar as the new position of the army." McClellan noted one of many instances of invaluable naval support as the Confederates pressed to cut off the Union movement to the river: "The rear of the supply trains and the reserve artillery of the army reached Malvern Hill about 4 p.m. At about this time the enemy began to appear in General Fitz John Porter's front, and at 5 o'clock advanced in large force against his. flank, posting artillery under cover of a skirt of timber, with a view to engage our force on Malvern Hill. . . . The gunboats rendered most efficient aid at this time, and helped drive back the enemy." Naval gunfire support was controlled through a system of liaison in which "fall-of-shot" information was sent by Army signal personnel ashore to Army signal personnel afloat in the gunboats by the Myer's system of signaling.

U.S.S. Quaker City, under Commander Frailey, captured brig Model with cargo of coal in the Gulf of Mexico.
Flag Officer Du Pont ordered U.S.S. South Carolina, under Commander Almy, to join U.S.S. Wyandotte in blockading Mosquito Inlet near New Smyrna, Florida. The inlet had become increasingly important to the Confederates as an unloading point for blockade runners bringing arms from Nassau.

Other action was comparatively insignificant. There was minor fighting at Henderson, Kentucky, and Rising Sun and Powell River, Tennessee. William Bowen Campbell, USA, was appointed to Brigadier General.

In Washington President Lincoln wrote of his anxiety over McClellan’s position to his Secretary of State: “The loss of enemies does not compensate for the loss of friends.”

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 1, 1862 Tuesday
The Seven Days Campaign east of Richmond came to an end on Malvern Hill north of the James River. McClellan’s retreating Army of the Potomac took its stand at a strong defensive position, readily adaptable for well-placed artillery and infantry alike. Lee, hoping to destroy the Federals, decided to attack. Delay after delay and incoherent organization prevented any thrust until late in the afternoon. Confederate artillery proved no match for the expertly handled Union guns. The several attacks, when they did come, were disjointed and uncoordinated; a large portion of the Southerners never saw action. By nightfall the Confederates were spent and the battered Federals continued their withdrawal down the James to Berkeley Plantation or Harrison’s Landing, ancestral home of the Harrison family. ( http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/malvern-hill.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Malvern_Hill )

McClellan had failed to take Richmond despite his greatly superior numbers. He had been forced to withdraw, but at Malvern Hill his men defended courageously. Lee, after successfully driving the Federals from his capital, failed to destroy or seriously cripple McClellan and was criticized both for making the costly assaults at Malvern Hill and for the clearly faulty management of the battle, known also as Crew’s or Poindexter’s Farm. Violent opinions were plentiful on both sides. For the battles of June 29 – July 1 (Savage’s Station, White Oak Swamp, and Malvern Hill) Federal casualties were 724 killed, 4245 wounded, 3067 missing for a total of 8036 out of some 83,000 engaged in an army of more than 115,000. Confederate losses were 8602 killed and wounded and 875 missing for 9477 of a total of perhaps 86,500 engaged out of an effective 88,000 plus. For the whole of the Seven Days the losses were appalling in this still “young” war – Confederates over 20,000 casualties, including 3286 killed, 15909 wounded, and 946 missing. Federals nearly 16,000, including 1734 killed, 8062 wounded, and 6053 missing. The guns fell silent on Virginia’s Peninsula but the Federal army was still there, and not too far from Richmond at that.

In Mississippi Federal Col Philip H. Sheridan defeated Confederate troops in an action near Booneville, Mississippi south of Corinth in the northeastern portion of the state ( http://www.geni.com/projects/The-Battle ... -Civil-War ). Skirmishes occurred at Fort Furnace at Powell’s Big Fort Valley, Virginia; Cherry Grove in Schuyler County, Missouri; and Holly Springs, Mississippi. Farragut’s fleet from New Orleans, now north of Vicksburg, joined Flag Officer Charles Davis’ western flotilla on the Mississippi River.

President Lincoln approved two significant acts of the Federal Congress. The Federal Income Tax was revised with 3 per cent on income between $600 and $10,000, and 5 per cent above $10,000 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Act_of_1862 ). This measure became operative where the 1861 measure did not. Another measure approved a Union Pacific-Central Pacific railroad across the west. Government aid was provided and rights secured for postal, military, and other purposes ( http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resourc ... ailact.htm ). The President announced to the Northern governors that he was calling for 300,000 more men “to bring this unnecessary and injurious civil war to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion.” President Lincoln also proclaims real estate taxes plus a penalty of 50 per cent to be a lien on property in rebellious states.

Philip Henry Sheridan, USA, and James Madison Tuttle, USA, were appointed to Brigadier General. U.S.S. De Soto, commanded by Captain W. M. Walker, captured British schooner William attempting to run the blockade at Sabine Pass, Texas.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 2, 1862 Wednesday
Heavy rain fell on the Peninsula of Virginia as McClellan pulled his army away from Malvern Hill and continued his retreat to Harrison’s Landing on the James River. Lee’s army was in no condition for a real follow-up, but there was action between Confederate cavalry and Federal infantrymen. Charges and countercharges on both sides began at once over the management of the campaign. Other fighting was at Huntsville, Alabama; and there was a reconnaissance up Powell’s Big Fort Valley, Virginia. The Confederates created the Military District of Mississippi under command of Maj Gen Earl Van Dorn.

President Lincoln received news from Virginia and also signed several acts, including one banning polygamy in the territories. Another law called for a loyalty oath by every elected or appointed government officer. Most important, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, introduced in the Senate by Justin S. Morrill of Vermont, which provided for the states to receive thirty thousand acres of land for each senator and representative as an endowment for proposed agricultural and mechanical schools. The measure made possible land grant agricultural colleges in every state. In conference with Sec. Stanton on subject of fugitive Negroes President Lincoln decides that by law they cannot be sent back to masters, should not be allowed to starve, should be given work and paid reasonable wages.

U.S.S. Western World, commanded by Acting Master Samuel B. Gregory, captured blockade running British schooner Volante in Winyah Bay, South Carolina, with cargo of salt and fish.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 3, 1862 Thursday
The news of the retreat of the Union army from before Richmond spread. In the North, especially, the disappointment and chagrin was vehemently expressed. McClellan and his army were the subject of agitated controversy.

There was bombardment at Vicksburg; there were skirmishes at Locust Grove, Indian Territory ( http://okcivilwar.org/sites/battle-of-locust-grove and http://www.wbtsinindianterritory.com.is ... out_2.html ); near Russellville, Alabama; near Herring Creek close to Harrison’s Landing, Virginia; and a reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing by Federals. Confederate Maj Gen Sterling Price assumed command of the Army of the West.

U.S.S. Quaker City, under Commander Frailey, captured blockade running British brig Lilla off Hole-in-the-Wall, Virginia. U.S.S. Hatteras, under Commander Emmons, captured schooner Sarah bound for Sabine Pass, Texas, with cargo of sugar and molasses.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 4, 1862 Friday
Independence Day was greeted by the North with even more than usual enthusiasm notwithstanding the discouraging news from Virginia. Speeches, proclamations, and general orders ruled the day. But the fighting also continued with a Federal reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing, Virginia; a skirmish at Westover, Virginia; an affair at Port Royal Ferry, South Carolina; and a Confederate attack on US vessels near Velasco, Texas. Confederate John Hunt Morgan ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hunt_Morgan ) embarked on his first Kentucky raid, which lasted until July 28 and included fights at Tompkinsville on July 9, Lebanon on the 12th, and Cynthiana on the 17th. At Vicksburg the bombardment continued, as Federals puzzled over how best to reduce the fortress on the Mississippi River bluffs. President Lincoln asks Gen Halleck at Corinth, Mississippi to send 10,000 infantry if it can be done without changing any plans. "Some part of the Corinth Army is certainly fighting McClellan in front of Richmond. Prisoners are in our hands from the late Corinth Army." President Lincoln meets a train of ambulances on the road to the Soldiers' Home and rides along some distance talking to casualties from the peninsular campaign.

U.S.S. Maratanza, commanded by Lieutenant Stevens, engaged C.S.S. Teaser, commanded by Lieutenant Davidson, at Haxall's on the James River. Teaser was abandoned and captured after a shell from Maratanza exploded her boiler. In addition to placing mines in the river, Davidson had gone down the river with a balloon on board for the purpose of making an aerial reconnaissance of General McClellan's positions at City Point and Harrison's Landing. By this time both Union and Confederate forces were utilizing the balloon for gathering intelligence, Teaser had been the Southern counterpart of U.S.S. G. W. Parke Custis, from whose deck aerial observations had been made the preceding year. The balloon, as well as a quantity of insulated wire and mine equipment, were found on board Teaser. Six shells with "peculiar fuzes" were also taken and sent to Captain Dahlgren at the Washington Navy Yard for examination.

Commander J. Rodgers reported to Flag Officer L. M. Goldsborough on the stationing of the gunboats supporting the Army's position at Harrison's Landing: "It is now too late, I hope, for the enemy to attack the army here with any chance of success. The troops are in good spirits and everyone seems confident." Major General McClellan advised President Lincoln that "Captain Rodgers is doing all in his power in the kindest and most efficient manner." General Robert E. Lee came to the same conclusion in a letter to Confederate President Davis: "The enemy is strongly posted in the neck formed by Herring creek and James River . . . The enemy's batteries occupy the ridge along which the Charles City road runs, north to the creek, and his gunboats lying below the mouth of the creek sweep the ground in front of his batteries--Above his encampments which lie on the river, his gunboats also extend; where the ground is more favorable to be searched by their cannon. As far as I can now sec there is no way to attack him to advantage; nor do I wish to expose the men to the destructive missiles of his gunboats I fear he is too secure under cover of his boats to be driven from his position . . ."

U.S.S. Rhode Island, under Commander Trenchard, captured blockade running British schooner R. O. Bryan off the coast of Texas.

The following appointments were made to Major General: Darius Nash Couch, USA; Philip Kearny, USA; Alexander McDowell McCook, USA; George Webb Morrell, USA; John James Peck, USA; Fitz-John Porter, USA; Israel Bush Richardson, USA; John Sedgwick, USA; Henry Warner Slocum, USA; and William Farrar Smith, USA.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 5, 1862 Saturday
President Jefferson Davis agreed with Lee that Confederate armies were not numerous enough and were so “battle thinned” that an attack on McClellan on the James would be impossible at this time. Skirmishes occurred at Battle Creek, Tennessee; on the Hatchie River, Mississippi; and an affair at Walden’s Ridge, Tennessee. Confederates carried out minor operations against Federal shipping on the James River this day and July 6. A Federal expedition operated from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, July 5-8, to flush out Confederate guerrillas. U.S.S. Hatteras, under Commander Emmons, captured sloop Elizabeth off the Louisiana coast.

Act to reorganize the U.S. Navy Department increased the number of Bureaus to eight: Yards and Docks, Equipment and Recruiting, Navigation, Ordnance, Construction and Repair, Steam Engineering, Provisions and Clothing, Medicine and Surgery. This act, and other far-reaching measures were guided through Congress by Senator Grimes of Iowa, who had an outstanding appreciation of sea power.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 6, 1862 Sunday
From North Carolina, Federal Maj Gen A.E. Burnside sailed with reinforcements for the Army of the Potomac on the James. Brigadier General John G. Foster, USA, is left in command of the Federal Department of North Carolina. Skirmishes were fought at Bayou Cache, Arkansas and Salem, Missouri. There was a Federal scout from Waynesville to the Big Piney, Missouri; and another Federal expedition toward Blackwater and Chapel Hill, Missouri. President Lincoln sends Gen McClellan a message signed by Gen King stating that the Richmond "Examiner" censures "the confederate Generals severely for failing to capture Genl. McClellan and his army and pronounces McClellans whole movement a masterpiece of strategy."

Commodore Wilkes ordered to command James River Flotilla as a division of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Flag Officer L. M. Goldsborough. Secretary of the Navy Welles' instructions to Wilkes stated: "You will immediately place yourself in communication with Major General McClellan, Commanding the Army of the Potomac, near Harrison's Landing . . . It will be your special duty to keep open the navigation of James River and afford protection to all vessels transporting troops or supplies, and generally to cooperate with the army in all military movements."

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 7, 1862 Monday
Military action on the James River was relatively light as both North and South rested and repaired their weary ranks. But the crescendo of controversy between McClellan and the Lincoln administration increased. McClellan attempted to enlarge the scope of his influence by advising the President on political as well as military policy, and he tried to limit the war to opposing armies and political organizations. Military operations should not interfere with slavery, he wrote the President in what came to be known as the “Harrison’s Bar letter.” ( http://www.civilwar.com/union-forces/ar ... -1862.html ) President Lincoln and his military party leave Washington aboard U.S.S. "Ariel" at an early hour to visit Gen McClellan with the Army of the Potomac at Harrison's Landing, Virginia.

There were skirmishes at Inman Hollow and Newark, Missouri as well as Hill’s Plantation, Arkansas ( http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ar003.htm ). Other operations included a Federal reconnaissance from Yorktown, Virginia, July 7-9; operations around Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, July 7-11; and in Aransas Bay, Texas, July 7-17. Brigadier General Benjamin Alvord, USA, assumes command of the Federal District of Oregon.

Commander J. Rodgers reported to Flag Officer L. M. Goldsborough on the convoying of Army transports on James River: "There is to be a convoy of gunboats each day from Harrison's Bar to near the mouth of the Chickahominy, going and returning each day. As there was no better reason for the time than the arrival and departure of the mail from Old Point, it was agreed that at 9 a.m. all the transportation down should sail, convoyed by gunboats-I had selected four for it. And at 3 p.m. all the army transportation to this point should come up, convoyed by the same force." Convoy and cover of supply ships by the gunboats were indispensable to General McClellan's army.

U.S.S. Tahoma, commanded by Lieutenant John C. Howell, captured schooner Uncle Mose off Yucatan Bank, Mexico, with cargo of cotton. U.S.S. Quaker City, under Commander Frailey, in company with U.S.S. Huntsville, captured blockade running British steamer Adela off the Bahama Islands. Boats from U.S.S. Flag, under Commander James H. Strong, and U.S.S. Restless, commanded by Acting Lieutenant Conroy, captured British blockade runner Emilie in Bull's Bay, South Carolina.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 8, 1862 Tuesday
President Lincoln docks at Fort Monroe early in the morning and interviews Gen Burnside on board. Later Gen Dix and staff call on Lincoln. He proceeds up the James River and arrives at Harrison's Landing at 6 P.M. as cannon from Flag Officer Goldsborough's flagship fire a salute. President Lincoln reviews the army by corps and division until 9 P.M. He receives cheers of the soldiers as he rides by waving his stovepipe hat. Gen McClellan goes aboard U.S.S. "Ariel" and presents his letter of July 7, 1862, the "Harrison Bar Letter," to President Lincoln who reads it at once. Lincoln makes no comment on the contents, which are McClellan's personal views on current political and military conditions. Skirmishes were at Orient Ferry or Black Run, Arkansas and Pleasant Hill, Missouri.

For those of you who like to see some of the personal and home front stories, this is a letter from a Pennsylvania wife to her husband (a Private) in the Army. The difficulties experienced by the family left at home have not changed much from generation to generation. For those who don’t read far enough down, they both survived the war and went on to have 15 children together. ( http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread. ... ar-Husband )

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 9, 1862 Wednesday
Confederate cavalry under raider John Hunt Morgan routed Federals and captured Tompkinsville, Kentucky ( http://monroeonline.monroecountyky.com/civilwar.html ). There was a skirmish at Lotspeich Farm, near Wadesburg, Missouri ( http://www.pddoc.com/skedaddle/010/0043.htm ); a Federal reconnaissance on the Long Branch Road, Virginia; and a Southern expedition to Fenwick’s Island, South Carolina. On this day and the 10th Northern troops demonstrated against Pocotaligo South Carolina. Public meetings were held in England asking the government to use its influence to bring about a reconciliation in America.

President Lincoln at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia interviews officers of the Army of the Potomac on military problems and records results in a memorandum. Visits with soldiers and examines various features of the army. He stops at Fortress Monroe, Virginia in the morning on his return trip to Washington and visits several batteries and receives salutes. President Lincoln dines with Gen Burnside on board steamer "Alice Price" and departs about 4:30 P.M.

U.S.S. Commodore Perry, commanded by Lieutenant Flusser, U.S.S. Shawsheen, commanded by Acting Master Woodward, and U.S.S. Ceres, commanded by Acting Master John MacDiarmid, embarked on an expedition up Roanoke River and landed a field piece and force of soldiers and sailors at Hamilton, North Carolina, where steamer Wilson was captured.

U.S.S. Arthur, commanded by Acting Lieutenant Kittredge, captured schooner Reindeer with cargo of cotton near Aransas Pass, Texas.

A picture of the deck and turret of the USS Monitor ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/toptechwriter/4864688865/ ).

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 10, 1862 Thursday
Federals in Virginia carried out a reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing on the James River toward White Oak Swamp, and fought a skirmish. On this day and the eleventh there was a Federal expedition under a flag of truce to Guntown, Mississippi where Southern and Northern officers exchanged dispatches and newspapers and discussed in a friendly manner topics of the day. Confederate John Hunt Morgan called for citizens of Kentucky to “rise and arm, and drive the Hessian invaders from their soil.” Ninety Confederate guerrillas drilling in a field between Gallatin and Hartsville, Tennessee were captured by Union forces. U.S.S. Arthur, commanded by Acting Lieutenant Kittredge, captured sloop Belle Italia at Aransas Pass, and schooner Monte Christo was burned by Confederates at Lamar, Texas, to prevent her falling into Union hands.

Gen John Pope issued controversial orders which ruled that in the Shenandoah Valley and throughout the area of operations of his Army of Virginia the people would be held responsible for injury to railroads, attacks upon trains or straggling soldiers. In case of guerrilla damage, citizens would be responsible financially, and if a Federal soldier were fired upon from any house, it should be razed. People detected in acts against the army would be shot without civil process.

President Lincoln, accompanied by Cols Blair and James Nagle and Asst Sec Watson, arrives at the Navy Yard in the afternoon aboard U.S.S. "Ariel" from a three-day trip to the Army of the Potomac. The "Ariel" had run aground on Kettle Shoals and was delayed several hours during which time President Lincoln and his party went for a swim in the Potomac.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 11, 1862 Friday
Maj Gen Henry W. Halleck was named General-in-Chief of all U.S. land forces by President Lincoln. Halleck had been commander in the West during the successful campaigns of Grant, and had been field commander at the capture of Corinth, Mississippi. He was considered a top-grade administrator with a sound military mind. President Lincoln writes Gen Halleck: "Gov. Johnson, at Nashville is in trouble and great anxiety about a raid into Kentucky. The Gov. is . . . indispensable to us in Tennessee. Will you please get in communication with him, . . . before you leave for here?"

There was quiet in Virginia on the Peninsula except for another Federal reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing beyond Charles City Court House. Missouri state militia fought Confederate guerrillas at Sears’ House and Big Creek Bluffs near Pleasant Hill, Missouri ( http://www.pddoc.com/skedaddle/010/0043.htm ). The Federal congressional act to carry into effect the treaty with Great Britain for suppression of African slave trade was approved by the President. President Lincoln transmits to the Senate a treaty with the Kickapoo Indians of Kansas.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 12, 1862 Saturday
Morgan and his Confederate raiders captured Lebanon, Kentucky. There was excitement in Cincinnati, Ohio and in Frankfort, Lexington, and Louisville,, Kentucky over reports that Morgan’s men were coming. In the White House, President Lincoln meets with Congressmen representing the border states, and urges, "Let the states which are in rebellion see . . . that, in no event, will the states you represent ever join their proposed Confederacy." Lincoln proposes that border-state slaveholders release their slaves in return for "substantial compensation" from the federal government. He reasons that the "friction and abrasion . . . [and] the mere incidents of the war" will erode "the institution [of slavery] . . . It will be gone, and you will have nothing valuable in lieu of it." President Lincoln signs a bill creating a national award for valor to be known as the Congressional Medal of Honor ( http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... or-created ). Gen Samuel Curtis’ ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Ryan_Curtis ) Federal army arrived at Helena on the Mississippi River after marching across Arkansas. It was reported that the city of New Orleans, while suffering under the virtual dictatorship of Benjamin Butler and Federal occupation forces, was cleaner than ever “in the memory of the oldest inhabitant” and was “never more healthy at this season of the year.”

Federal troops carried out an expedition July 12-16 from Decatur, Alabama to lend support to unionists of north Alabama. Federal troops under John Pope made a reconnaissance to Culpeper, Orange, and Madison Court House, Virginia July 12-17. U.S.S. Mercedita, under Commander Stellwagen, captured blockade running schooners Victoria and Ida off Hole-in-the-Wall, Abaco, Bahamas, the former laden with cotton, the latter with general cargo, including cloth, shoes, needles and salt.

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 13, 1862 Sunday
Action increased. Nathan Bedford Forrest ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest )and his Confederates captured Murfreesboro, Tennessee southeast of Federal-held Nashville, including the Union garrison ( http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/tn/tn006.html ). Stonewall Jackson’s force advanced from Hanover Court House upon Gordonsville, Virginia. A portion of Lee’s army began to move away from the defenses of Richmond as a prelude to new campaigning. The Confederate Missouri State Guard is relieved from duty east of the Mississippi River, and ordered to join with forces under the command of Major General Thomas C. Hindman, CSA ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_C._Hindman ). Union forces destroyed the railroad bridge over the Rapidan River at Rapidan Station, Virginia during a skirmish. Another skirmish was fought near Wolf River, Tennessee. President Lincoln and Gen McClellan continued their correspondence over how many men McClellan had and whether or not he could take Richmond. President Lincoln was beginning to have increasing doubts about his evasive commander on the Peninsula. President Lincoln, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, and Secretary of State William H. Seward travel by "carriage" to attend the funeral of the Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton's "infant child" James. Welles recalled, "It was on this occasion and on this ride that [Lincoln] first mentioned . . . the subject of emancipating the slaves by proclamation . . . He dwelt earnestly on the gravity, importance, and delicacy of the movement, said he had given it much thought and had about come to the conclusion that it was a military necessity absolutely essential for the salvation of the Union."

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

July 14, 1862 Monday
Federal Gen John Pope moved his newly created Army of Virginia to Gordonsville between the Confederates and Washington in order to draw the pressure from McClellan on the Peninsula. Now he issued a bombastic address to his troops calling for offensive action and an advance against the enemy: “I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies.”

John Hunt Morgan carried his Confederate raiding activities to the area of Cynthiana, Kentucky. There were skirmishes near Batesville and Helena, Arkansas. A Federal reconnaissance operated July 14-17 from Grand River to Fort Gibson, Tahlequah, and Park Hill, Indian Territory. Richard Heron Anderson, CSA, was appointed to Major General.

Confederate Adjutant General Samuel Cooper ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cooper_(general) ) put the conscription law into stricter operation. President Lincoln, in a message to Congress, asked for an act to compensate “any State which may abolish slavery within it’s [sic] limits.” He thus continued his attempt to deal with the slavery issue while still favoring compensated emancipation on a state-control basis. An act setting up a system of pensions for men disabled in service since the start of the war and for next of kin in case of death was signed into law. Twenty border-state representatives and senators replied that they opposed Mr Lincoln’s plan of compensated emancipation presented to them July 12. On July 15 seven congressmen replied in support of the appeal. The U.S. Senate passed a bill granting secession of western Virginia from Virginia and creating the new state.

Congress passed an act stating that: ". . . the spirit ration in the Navy of the United States shall forever cease, and . . . no distilled spiritous liquors shall be admitted on board vessels of war, except as medical stores . . . there shall be allowed and paid to each person in the Navy now entitled to the ration, five cents per day in commutation and lieu thereof, which shall be in addition to their present pay." Assistant Secretary of the Navy Fox and officers generally held that it was in the Navy's best interest to abolish the spirit ration.

On this date, Joshua Chamberlain, professor at Bowdoin College in Maine, offered his services to the Governor of Maine as either an educator or a military leader ( http://learn.bowdoin.edu/joshua-lawrenc ... 07-14.html ).

_________________
Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00