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re: 150 years ago this day...
Posted on 10/20/14 at 8:48 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 10/20/14 at 8:48 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Friday, 21 October 1864
Major General Sterling "Old Pap" Price’s position was clearly desperate. Surrounded on three sides by closely pursuing Federal forces, and with a river on the fourth, the logical thing to do would most likely have been to surrender his force and abandon every hope of taking Missouri out of Union control. This was not, however, Price’s style, so instead he this morning fought a very forceful battle at a small waterway known as the Little Blue, where Confederate Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby forced Major General Samuel R. Curtis to retreat to Bush Creek, near Westport, Missouri. The inevitable was staved off for another day, and in fact, the Federals were not as secure as they wanted Price to believe, consequently forcing the evacuation of Independence, Missouri.
Major General William T. Sherman’s Federals stopped pursuing the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General John Bell Hood at Gaylesville, Alabama as Sherman tried determining Hood’s next move.
The USS Fort Jackson, under Captain Benjamin F. Sands, captured the steamer Wando at sea east of Cape Romain, South Carolina, with a cargo of cotton.
The USS Sea Bird, Ensign Ezra L. Robbins in charge, captured the blockade running British schooner Lucy off Anclote Keys, Florida, with an assorted cargo.
Unionists serenaded President Lincoln at the White House in celebration of the Federal victory at Cedar Creek two days ago. Lincoln proposed three cheers for “...all our noble commanders and the soldiers and sailors...”
George R. Crook, U.S.A., is appointed Major General of Volunteers. Crook would later command the Department of the Platte where he hastily retreated from Lakota and Cheyenne warriors--led by Crazy Horse--in a battle at Rosebud Creek, a defeat that denied reinforcements to George Armstrong Custer and would eventually contribute to Custer's devastating loss at the Little Bighorn.
William Badger Tibbits, U.S.A., is brevetted Brigadier General following a strong recommendation for promotion from Major General David "Black Dave" Hunter, department commander.
Skirmishes occur today in Clinch Valley, near Sneedville, Tennessee, at Leesburg, Alabama, at Bryant's Plantation, Florida, and at Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Major General Sterling "Old Pap" Price’s position was clearly desperate. Surrounded on three sides by closely pursuing Federal forces, and with a river on the fourth, the logical thing to do would most likely have been to surrender his force and abandon every hope of taking Missouri out of Union control. This was not, however, Price’s style, so instead he this morning fought a very forceful battle at a small waterway known as the Little Blue, where Confederate Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby forced Major General Samuel R. Curtis to retreat to Bush Creek, near Westport, Missouri. The inevitable was staved off for another day, and in fact, the Federals were not as secure as they wanted Price to believe, consequently forcing the evacuation of Independence, Missouri.
Major General William T. Sherman’s Federals stopped pursuing the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General John Bell Hood at Gaylesville, Alabama as Sherman tried determining Hood’s next move.
The USS Fort Jackson, under Captain Benjamin F. Sands, captured the steamer Wando at sea east of Cape Romain, South Carolina, with a cargo of cotton.
The USS Sea Bird, Ensign Ezra L. Robbins in charge, captured the blockade running British schooner Lucy off Anclote Keys, Florida, with an assorted cargo.
Unionists serenaded President Lincoln at the White House in celebration of the Federal victory at Cedar Creek two days ago. Lincoln proposed three cheers for “...all our noble commanders and the soldiers and sailors...”
George R. Crook, U.S.A., is appointed Major General of Volunteers. Crook would later command the Department of the Platte where he hastily retreated from Lakota and Cheyenne warriors--led by Crazy Horse--in a battle at Rosebud Creek, a defeat that denied reinforcements to George Armstrong Custer and would eventually contribute to Custer's devastating loss at the Little Bighorn.
William Badger Tibbits, U.S.A., is brevetted Brigadier General following a strong recommendation for promotion from Major General David "Black Dave" Hunter, department commander.
Skirmishes occur today in Clinch Valley, near Sneedville, Tennessee, at Leesburg, Alabama, at Bryant's Plantation, Florida, and at Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
1
Posted on 10/21/14 at 9:07 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Saturday, 22 October 1864
Major General Sterling Price had set forth intending to take Missouri out of invading Union hands. At the moment, however, he would have been more than happy to take himself out of Missouri, and his Confederate and Missouri State Guard forces with him. This ambition was being hindered by having Union armies on three sides of him, and the Missouri River on the fourth. Therefore, he was in the planning stages of a breakout attempt. His orders were for the supply train to head south along the river, and then have Jo Shelby and James F. Fagan attack the Union Army of the Border, while John S. Marmaduke protected the rear from Alfred Pleasanton’s cavalry brigade. Surrounded and heavily outnumbered, the strategy was desperate in the extreme, but Price had no choice but attack or surrender.
Another report: Sterling Price’s Confederates fought at Independence and reached Westport, today part of Kansas City. The Union forces closing in on Price, under overall command of Samuel Curtis, outnumbered him by over three-to-one. Price planned to attack and defeat the Federal force in his front before turning to attack and defeat Federal cavalry behind him.
Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, in a confidential letter to Commander William Henry Alexander Macomb, commanding naval forces in Albemarle Sound, set down instructions for engaging the CSS Albemarle, should the ram again come out to challenge Union control of the Sounds: "There is but one chance for wooden vessels in attacking an ironclad. You will, in case she comes out, make a dash at her with every vessel you have, and 'lay her on board', using canister to fire into her ports, while the ram strikes her steering apparatus and disables her. You will see that every vessel is provided with proper grapnels, to hold on by while going alongside, and a boarding party will be appointed to lash the vessels together. Even if half your vessels are sunk you must pursue this course. Porter added: "I have directed Lieutenant Cushing to go down in a steam launch, and if possible destroy this ram with torpedoes. I have no great confidence in his success, but you will afford him all the assistance in your power, and keep boats ready to pick him up in case of failure."
In answer to the objections of Major General William Henry Chase Whiting and Governor Zebulon Baird Vance of North Carolina, Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Russell Mallory wrote to President Jefferson Davis defending the use of the CSS Tallahassee and Chickamauga as commerce cruisers rather than holding them for the defense of Wilmington: "Though the Tallahassee captured thirty-one vessels her service is not limited to the value of these ships and cargoes and the number of prisoners; but it must be estimated in connec-tion with other results the consequent insecurity of the United States coastwise commerce, the detention and delay of vessels in port, and the augmentation of the rates of marine insurance, by which millions were added to the expenses of commerce and navigation, the compulsory withdrawal of a portion of the blockading force from Wilmington in pursuit of her. A cruise by the Chickamauga and Tallahassee against northern coasts and commerce would at once withdraw a fleet of fast steamers from the blockading force off Wilmington in pursuit of them, and this result alone would render such a cruise expedient."
Union shore batteries on the north bank of the James River at Signal Hill opened fire suddenly on Ships of the Confederate Squadron, anchored in the river at that point. The wooden gunboat CSS Drewry, Lieutenant William H. Wall, sustained moderate damage, and after engaging the batteries for about one hour, the Southern vessels retired under the protection of the guns of Fort Darling, on Chaffin's Bluff.
The British blockade running steamer Flora, after being chased by the USS Wamsutta, Geranium, and Mingoe off Charleston, South Carolina, was run ashore and destroyed next day by fire from monitors and the batteries on Morris Island.
The USS Eolus, under Acting Master William O. Lundt, captured the Confederate blockade running steamer Hope near Wilmington with a cargo of machinery.
General John Bell Hood’s Confederates moved to Guntersville, Alabama, on their way to Hood’s planned invasion of Tennessee. Hood moved west across northern Alabama due to a high Tennessee River and low supplies.
Confederate partisan guerrillas attacked a Federal transport on the White River near St. Charles, Arkansas.
A Union expedition began from Brashear City, Louisiana, (today's Morgan City) in St. Mary Parish, on the banks of the Atchafalaya River.
Major General Sterling Price had set forth intending to take Missouri out of invading Union hands. At the moment, however, he would have been more than happy to take himself out of Missouri, and his Confederate and Missouri State Guard forces with him. This ambition was being hindered by having Union armies on three sides of him, and the Missouri River on the fourth. Therefore, he was in the planning stages of a breakout attempt. His orders were for the supply train to head south along the river, and then have Jo Shelby and James F. Fagan attack the Union Army of the Border, while John S. Marmaduke protected the rear from Alfred Pleasanton’s cavalry brigade. Surrounded and heavily outnumbered, the strategy was desperate in the extreme, but Price had no choice but attack or surrender.
Another report: Sterling Price’s Confederates fought at Independence and reached Westport, today part of Kansas City. The Union forces closing in on Price, under overall command of Samuel Curtis, outnumbered him by over three-to-one. Price planned to attack and defeat the Federal force in his front before turning to attack and defeat Federal cavalry behind him.
Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, in a confidential letter to Commander William Henry Alexander Macomb, commanding naval forces in Albemarle Sound, set down instructions for engaging the CSS Albemarle, should the ram again come out to challenge Union control of the Sounds: "There is but one chance for wooden vessels in attacking an ironclad. You will, in case she comes out, make a dash at her with every vessel you have, and 'lay her on board', using canister to fire into her ports, while the ram strikes her steering apparatus and disables her. You will see that every vessel is provided with proper grapnels, to hold on by while going alongside, and a boarding party will be appointed to lash the vessels together. Even if half your vessels are sunk you must pursue this course. Porter added: "I have directed Lieutenant Cushing to go down in a steam launch, and if possible destroy this ram with torpedoes. I have no great confidence in his success, but you will afford him all the assistance in your power, and keep boats ready to pick him up in case of failure."
In answer to the objections of Major General William Henry Chase Whiting and Governor Zebulon Baird Vance of North Carolina, Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Russell Mallory wrote to President Jefferson Davis defending the use of the CSS Tallahassee and Chickamauga as commerce cruisers rather than holding them for the defense of Wilmington: "Though the Tallahassee captured thirty-one vessels her service is not limited to the value of these ships and cargoes and the number of prisoners; but it must be estimated in connec-tion with other results the consequent insecurity of the United States coastwise commerce, the detention and delay of vessels in port, and the augmentation of the rates of marine insurance, by which millions were added to the expenses of commerce and navigation, the compulsory withdrawal of a portion of the blockading force from Wilmington in pursuit of her. A cruise by the Chickamauga and Tallahassee against northern coasts and commerce would at once withdraw a fleet of fast steamers from the blockading force off Wilmington in pursuit of them, and this result alone would render such a cruise expedient."
Union shore batteries on the north bank of the James River at Signal Hill opened fire suddenly on Ships of the Confederate Squadron, anchored in the river at that point. The wooden gunboat CSS Drewry, Lieutenant William H. Wall, sustained moderate damage, and after engaging the batteries for about one hour, the Southern vessels retired under the protection of the guns of Fort Darling, on Chaffin's Bluff.
The British blockade running steamer Flora, after being chased by the USS Wamsutta, Geranium, and Mingoe off Charleston, South Carolina, was run ashore and destroyed next day by fire from monitors and the batteries on Morris Island.
The USS Eolus, under Acting Master William O. Lundt, captured the Confederate blockade running steamer Hope near Wilmington with a cargo of machinery.
General John Bell Hood’s Confederates moved to Guntersville, Alabama, on their way to Hood’s planned invasion of Tennessee. Hood moved west across northern Alabama due to a high Tennessee River and low supplies.
Confederate partisan guerrillas attacked a Federal transport on the White River near St. Charles, Arkansas.
A Union expedition began from Brashear City, Louisiana, (today's Morgan City) in St. Mary Parish, on the banks of the Atchafalaya River.
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