re: 150 years ago this day...

Friday, 25 December 1863

As a great many members of the Union army had signed two-year enlistments in 1861, it was becoming a matter of great concern to get as many of them to re-enlist as possible, as this saved the considerable expense of training new enlistees from scratch. (Common wisdom of the day claimed that it took two years to make a cavalryman, although the process had speeded up considerably by now.) Captain Kennedy of the 9th NY Volunteer Cavalry celebrated the decision of several of his men to re-up by holding the swearing-in ceremony on Christmas Day, at Culpepper Court House, Virginia.

Two masked Confederate batteries on John's Island opened an early morning attack on the USS Marblehead, under Lieutenant Commander Meade, at anchor near Legareville, South Carolina, in the Stono River. The Marblehead sustained some 20 hits as the USS Pawnee, Commander Balch in charge, contributed enfilading support, and the mortar schooner C.P. Williams, Acting Master Simeon N. Freeman piloting, added her firepower to the bombardment. After more than an hour, the Confederates broke off the engagement and withdrew. Meade later seized two VIII-inch sea coast howitzers.

The USS Daylight, commanded by Acting Lieutenant Francis S. Wells, and the USS Howquah, Acting Lieutenant MacDiarmid in charge, transported troops from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Bear Inlet, where the soldiers and sailors were landed without incident under the Daylight's protecting guns. Wells reported: "Four extensive salt works in full operation were found at different points along the coast and near the inlet, which were all thoroughly destroyed."

Colonel Prince and his cavalry once again advanced upon the Confederate forces under General Nathan Bedford Forrest, and attacked them, but in a few moments discovered that he was surrounded on all sides. He did not surrender, but after fighting for three hours, with terrible loss, cut his way out, and carried most of his command safely into La Grange.

Colonel R. R. Livingston, of the First Nebraska cavalry, assumed command of the district of northeastern Arkansas, headquarters at Batesville, and issued a proclamation in accordance therewith.

A correspondent of the Richmond Sentinel says: “The plate that is in our country, and its value to the government, if the people can be induced to relinquish it, has doubtless occurred to many minds — been, perhaps, weighed and repudiated; but yet, I presume to think, might be made to act, if not a principal, a valuable subsidiary part in any well-digested scheme to restore the credit of the Treasury, to give stability to any system of finance, to arrest depreciation of confederate notes and stock, by furnishing that in kind, which is the basis of all credits — gold and silver. I think we have it, and in large amount. We have in the possession of our people, in the form of gold and silver plate, a vast and unproductive fund — every household more or less of it. Was there ever a better time to bring it forward?--ever greater need for it?--ever stronger inducements to tender it to the government for the common good?"

Brigadier General B. F. Kelley sent the following from his headquarters at Harper's Ferry, Virginia: “General Sullivan's column has returned safely, bringing in one hundred prisoners, about one hundred horses, equipments, etc. My different columns are all now safely back. They have captured in all over four hundred prisoners and a large amount of property. My plans and others have been promptly and faithfully executed, with a single exception, and with but a small loss on our part.”