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re: 150 years ago this day...
Posted on 12/24/13 at 8:57 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 12/24/13 at 8:57 pm to BadLeroyDawg
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.”
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.”
1
Posted on 12/26/13 at 4:41 am to BadLeroyDawg
Saturday, 26 December 1863
The CSS Alabama, commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate States Navy, now less than a week arrived from the Indies to South Africa, managed to capture and destroy the American ships Sonora and Highlander, both in ballast, at anchor near the western entrance of the Straits of Malacca. Semmes wrote home that: "They were monster ships, both of them, being eleven or twelve hundred tons burden." One of the masters told the commerce raider: “Well, Captain Semmes, I have been expecting every day for the last three years to fall in with you, and here I am at last. . . The fact is, I have had constant visions of the Alabama, by night and by day; she has been chasing me in my sleep, and riding me like a nightmare, and now that it is all over, I feel quite relieved." The major financial impact of Semmes' efforts was on the rapidly rising insurance rates being charged to US flag shipping companies.
As the year drew to a close, it became evident that the much-hoped-for European aid, if not actual intervention, on behalf of the Confederacy would not be forthcoming. This was expressed by Henry Hotze, Confederate Commercial Agent in London, in a letter this date to Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin: "...it is absolutely hopeless to expect to receive any really serv-iceable vessels of war from the ports of either England or France, and...our expenditure should therefore be confined to more practicable objects and our naval staff be employed in eluding, since we can not break, the blockade."
The USS Reindeer, under Acting Lieutenant Henry A. Glassford, with the Army steamer Silver Lake No. 2 in company, reconnoitered the Cumberland River at the request of General Hiram U. Grant. The force moved from Nashville to Carthage without incident but was taken under fire five times on the 29th. The Confederates' positions, Glassford reported, "...availed them nothing, however, against the guns of this vessel and those of the Silver Lake No. 2; they were completely shelled out of them. The gunboats continued as far as Creelsboro, Kentucky, before the river gave unmistakable signs of a fall." The ships subsequently returned to Nashville.
General Thomas Lafayette Rosser returned to Orange Court House, Virginia, having completed an entire circuit of the Federal army, starting from Fredericksburg and entering the valley at Conrad's Store. He burnt the bridge over Pope's Head Run, near Sangster's Station, just out from Alexandria, capturing and dispersing the troops left as a guard. Owing to the high water and bad weather, he was prevented from doing more damage. Brigadier General David Gregg's Yankee cavalry pursued, but could not overtake him. General Rosser was forced to swim Bull Run. His loss was very slight. The enemy, while in pursuit, destroyed two tanneries and a lot of leather at Sperryville, Rappahannock County; also, two tanneries, a flour-mill and some government workshops at Luray, in Page County. They also committed many other excesses, including the taking away of negroes, and shot a Confederate soldier named Smedley, at Washington, in Rappahannock County, after he had surrendered.
The CSS Alabama, commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate States Navy, now less than a week arrived from the Indies to South Africa, managed to capture and destroy the American ships Sonora and Highlander, both in ballast, at anchor near the western entrance of the Straits of Malacca. Semmes wrote home that: "They were monster ships, both of them, being eleven or twelve hundred tons burden." One of the masters told the commerce raider: “Well, Captain Semmes, I have been expecting every day for the last three years to fall in with you, and here I am at last. . . The fact is, I have had constant visions of the Alabama, by night and by day; she has been chasing me in my sleep, and riding me like a nightmare, and now that it is all over, I feel quite relieved." The major financial impact of Semmes' efforts was on the rapidly rising insurance rates being charged to US flag shipping companies.
As the year drew to a close, it became evident that the much-hoped-for European aid, if not actual intervention, on behalf of the Confederacy would not be forthcoming. This was expressed by Henry Hotze, Confederate Commercial Agent in London, in a letter this date to Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin: "...it is absolutely hopeless to expect to receive any really serv-iceable vessels of war from the ports of either England or France, and...our expenditure should therefore be confined to more practicable objects and our naval staff be employed in eluding, since we can not break, the blockade."
The USS Reindeer, under Acting Lieutenant Henry A. Glassford, with the Army steamer Silver Lake No. 2 in company, reconnoitered the Cumberland River at the request of General Hiram U. Grant. The force moved from Nashville to Carthage without incident but was taken under fire five times on the 29th. The Confederates' positions, Glassford reported, "...availed them nothing, however, against the guns of this vessel and those of the Silver Lake No. 2; they were completely shelled out of them. The gunboats continued as far as Creelsboro, Kentucky, before the river gave unmistakable signs of a fall." The ships subsequently returned to Nashville.
General Thomas Lafayette Rosser returned to Orange Court House, Virginia, having completed an entire circuit of the Federal army, starting from Fredericksburg and entering the valley at Conrad's Store. He burnt the bridge over Pope's Head Run, near Sangster's Station, just out from Alexandria, capturing and dispersing the troops left as a guard. Owing to the high water and bad weather, he was prevented from doing more damage. Brigadier General David Gregg's Yankee cavalry pursued, but could not overtake him. General Rosser was forced to swim Bull Run. His loss was very slight. The enemy, while in pursuit, destroyed two tanneries and a lot of leather at Sperryville, Rappahannock County; also, two tanneries, a flour-mill and some government workshops at Luray, in Page County. They also committed many other excesses, including the taking away of negroes, and shot a Confederate soldier named Smedley, at Washington, in Rappahannock County, after he had surrendered.
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