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re: 150 years ago this day...
Posted on 10/5/14 at 9:21 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 10/5/14 at 9:21 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Thursday, 6 October 1864
When General Hiram U. Grant needed a man to solidify the Union hold on the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, he had sent back to the Western Theater for a man he could count on: Phil Sheridan. Sheridan, however, was an infantry commander, not a cavalryman, so when he had to become one he surrounded himself with the best the Regular Cavalry had to offer. One such man proved his worth today. Confederate forces under General Jubal Early had been pretty much on the retreat since the battles of Winchester and Fisher Hill, but they were by no means defeated. The forces of Thomas Lafayette (Tex) Rosser attacked two regiments under George Armstrong Custer at Brock’s Gap. The two were former West Point classmates and close personal friends. Although surprised, Custer’s men eventually managed to fend off the attack. It was a disconcerting reminder that this project would be a long one.
Another report: Brock’s Gap is located in the Shenandoah Valley, and in the fall of 1864 the area was a hot prize between the two armies. Union General Philip Sheridan was burning his way down the valley, hitting farms, towns and crops in the field. The soldiers of the “Laurel Brigade" under the command of Rosser, wished to remove the threat of these troops. They caught up with Sheridan’s rear, being lead by Custer on 6th October 1864 near Brock’s Gap. Custer was able, with the help of artillery to hold a hill, until dark fell and allowed Custer’s men to retreat.
Acting Master Charles W. Lee, of the USS Wamsutta, reported that the blockade running steamer Constance had run aground and sunk near Long Island in Charleston Harbor while trying to enter the port. Lee wrote: "...as she is completely submerged in about 3 fathoms water I could ascertain nothing about her except that she is a Clyde-built vessel, of the class of the Mary Bowers, and was evidently bound in."
More action continued at Florence, Alabama, between Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Major General William T. Sherman's rear guard.
Skirmishing occurs in Cole County, Missouri, as Major General Sterling Price, CSA, continues moving away from St. Louis.
Fighting broke out at Kingsport, Tennessee, with Major General Stephen A. Burbridge's troops. Burbridge, a Georgetown, Kentucky, native, was a controversial Union commander during the War who was known as “Butcher” Burbridge or the “Butcher of Kentucky.” He had attended Georgetown College and the Kentucky Military Institute, then became a lawyer. When the War broke out, he formed his own Federal regiment and officially joined the army as a colonel.
After participating in several campaigns, including the successful final Battle of Cynthiana against John Hunt Morgan, Burbridge, in June 1864, was given command over the state of Kentucky to deal with the growing problem of Confederate partisan guerrilla campaigns. This began an extended period of military siege that would last through early 1865, beginning with martial law authorized by President Abraham Lincoln.
On 16 July 1864, Burbridge issued Order No. 59 which declared: "Whenever an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prison and publicly shot to death at the most convenient place near the scene of the outrages." During Burbridge's service in Kentucky, he directed the execution and imprisonment of numerous people, including public figures, on charges of treason and other high crimes, many of which were baseless. While continuing in charge of Kentucky, Burbridge, in October 1864, led Union assaults against the salt works near the town of Saltville, Virginia. He controversially led black troops into a battle that ultimately failed. Wounded troops left behind were killed by Confederate soldiers, with special ire directed toward Burbridge's black troops.
To ensure Lincoln’s re-election, Burbridge tampered with returns in Kentucky and arrested candidates and campaign participants he considered objectionable as well as people he thought might vote for someone other than Lincoln. Lieutenant Governor Richard Taylor Jacob and Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Joshua Bullitt were among those arrested and taken away. Despite Burbridge's efforts, George B. McClellan won the state by a wide margin, although Lincoln was ultimately re-elected. After a falling out with Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, including an attempt to take control of Bramlette's troops and arms, Burbridge was dismissed from his role of overseeing operations in Kentucky. He resigned from the army soon thereafter. Burbridge finally left Kentucky in 1867 and died in Brooklyn, New York, 2 December 1894. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
When General Hiram U. Grant needed a man to solidify the Union hold on the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, he had sent back to the Western Theater for a man he could count on: Phil Sheridan. Sheridan, however, was an infantry commander, not a cavalryman, so when he had to become one he surrounded himself with the best the Regular Cavalry had to offer. One such man proved his worth today. Confederate forces under General Jubal Early had been pretty much on the retreat since the battles of Winchester and Fisher Hill, but they were by no means defeated. The forces of Thomas Lafayette (Tex) Rosser attacked two regiments under George Armstrong Custer at Brock’s Gap. The two were former West Point classmates and close personal friends. Although surprised, Custer’s men eventually managed to fend off the attack. It was a disconcerting reminder that this project would be a long one.
Another report: Brock’s Gap is located in the Shenandoah Valley, and in the fall of 1864 the area was a hot prize between the two armies. Union General Philip Sheridan was burning his way down the valley, hitting farms, towns and crops in the field. The soldiers of the “Laurel Brigade" under the command of Rosser, wished to remove the threat of these troops. They caught up with Sheridan’s rear, being lead by Custer on 6th October 1864 near Brock’s Gap. Custer was able, with the help of artillery to hold a hill, until dark fell and allowed Custer’s men to retreat.
Acting Master Charles W. Lee, of the USS Wamsutta, reported that the blockade running steamer Constance had run aground and sunk near Long Island in Charleston Harbor while trying to enter the port. Lee wrote: "...as she is completely submerged in about 3 fathoms water I could ascertain nothing about her except that she is a Clyde-built vessel, of the class of the Mary Bowers, and was evidently bound in."
More action continued at Florence, Alabama, between Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Major General William T. Sherman's rear guard.
Skirmishing occurs in Cole County, Missouri, as Major General Sterling Price, CSA, continues moving away from St. Louis.
Fighting broke out at Kingsport, Tennessee, with Major General Stephen A. Burbridge's troops. Burbridge, a Georgetown, Kentucky, native, was a controversial Union commander during the War who was known as “Butcher” Burbridge or the “Butcher of Kentucky.” He had attended Georgetown College and the Kentucky Military Institute, then became a lawyer. When the War broke out, he formed his own Federal regiment and officially joined the army as a colonel.
After participating in several campaigns, including the successful final Battle of Cynthiana against John Hunt Morgan, Burbridge, in June 1864, was given command over the state of Kentucky to deal with the growing problem of Confederate partisan guerrilla campaigns. This began an extended period of military siege that would last through early 1865, beginning with martial law authorized by President Abraham Lincoln.
On 16 July 1864, Burbridge issued Order No. 59 which declared: "Whenever an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prison and publicly shot to death at the most convenient place near the scene of the outrages." During Burbridge's service in Kentucky, he directed the execution and imprisonment of numerous people, including public figures, on charges of treason and other high crimes, many of which were baseless. While continuing in charge of Kentucky, Burbridge, in October 1864, led Union assaults against the salt works near the town of Saltville, Virginia. He controversially led black troops into a battle that ultimately failed. Wounded troops left behind were killed by Confederate soldiers, with special ire directed toward Burbridge's black troops.
To ensure Lincoln’s re-election, Burbridge tampered with returns in Kentucky and arrested candidates and campaign participants he considered objectionable as well as people he thought might vote for someone other than Lincoln. Lieutenant Governor Richard Taylor Jacob and Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Joshua Bullitt were among those arrested and taken away. Despite Burbridge's efforts, George B. McClellan won the state by a wide margin, although Lincoln was ultimately re-elected. After a falling out with Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, including an attempt to take control of Bramlette's troops and arms, Burbridge was dismissed from his role of overseeing operations in Kentucky. He resigned from the army soon thereafter. Burbridge finally left Kentucky in 1867 and died in Brooklyn, New York, 2 December 1894. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
1
Posted on 10/6/14 at 9:22 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Friday, 7 October 1864
Second only to Captain Raphael Semmes' CSS Alabama in fame was her sister ship, the Confederate commerce raider CSS Florida. Both built in Liverpool, they had gone their separate ways and after taking 37 prizes in her career, Florida pulled into Bahia, Brazil for resupply and refueling. Close on her heels was Commander Napoleon Collins and the USS Wachusett, who had been seeking them for months. Collins sent a message to Florida’s captain, Lieutenant Charles Morris, daring him to come out of the neutral harbor and fight. Morris declined, and Brazilian authorities ordered both ships to maintain the peace in Brazilian waters. Collins ignored this, steamed in and rammed Florida while Morris and most of her crew were ashore. Damaged but not sinking, Florida was surrendered after both ships exchanged cannon fire. This infuriated the Brazilians, who turned their harbor guns on the Wachusett as she steamed away with Florida in tow to Hampton Roads, Va.
Another report: The USS Wachusett, under Commander Napoleon Collins, illegally captured the CSS Florida, commanded by Lieutenant Charles Manigault Morris, in Bahia Harbor, Brazil, and towed her out to sea. Collins, who had been scouring the sea lanes for the Confederate raider for many months, saw her enter Bahia on 4 October and anchored close by the next morning. Collins offered to meet Morris outside the harbor in a ship duel, but the Confederate captain wisely declined. The Brazilian authorities, recognizing the explosiveness of the situation, exacted promises from both Lieutenant Morris and the U.S. Consul, Thomas Wilson, that no attacks would be made in Brazilian waters. Collins was not to allow the elusive Florida to escape, however, and plans were laid to attack her shortly after midnight on the 7th. At 3 a.m. he slipped his cable, steamed past the Brazilian gunboat anchored between his ship and Florida, and rammed the famous raider on her starboard quarter. After a brief exchange of cannon fire, Lieutenant Porter, commanding the Florida in Morris's absence, surrendered the ship. By this time the harbor was alive, and as Wachusett towed her long-sought prize to sea, the coastal fort opened fire on her.
Collins' actions, though cheered in the North where the Florida was a household name because of her continued "depredations", were in violation of international law, and prompt disavowal of them was made by Secretary of State William Henry Seward. The Florida was taken to Hampton Roads, arriving there on 12 November. She was ordered returned to the Brazilian Government, but before she could be made ready for sea she mysteriously sank. Commander Collins was court-martialed and ordered to be dismissed from the naval service. At the trial, the dauntless captain admitted his actions had violated international law, offering in his defense only the following statement: "I respectfully request that it may be entered on the records of the court as my defense that the capture of the Florida was for the public good."
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles concurred, especially in view of the vast damage done by the CSS Florida to Union commerce, and, restored Collins to his command. The furor over the capture, however, did not die down. At length, to further satisfy Brazil, a 21-gun salute as an "amende honorable" was fired by USS Nipsic in Bahia Harbor, 23 July 1866.
The USS Aster, Acting Master Samuel Hall in charge, chased the blockade runner Annie ashore at New Inlet, North Carolina, under the guns of Fort Fisher, but the 285-ton wooden steamer ran aground herself and was destroyed to prevent capture. The USS Niphon, piloted by Acting Master Kemble, rescued Hall and his men and, under a hail of fire from Confederate batteries, towed out USS Berberry, which had become disabled trying to pull Aster off the shoal.
Major General Sterling Price’s Confederates continued their Missouri invasion, fighting near the state capital of Jefferson City. They also skirmished at Moreau Creek and around Tyler's Mills in Big River, Missouri.
Union soldiers and Native Americans clashed at Elk Creek, in the Nebraska Territory.
A Confederate attempt to regain ground that had been lost around Richmond, Virginia, is thwarted when Union troops turn back General Robert E. Lee's assault at the Battle of Darbytown.
In the summer of 1864, the campaign between Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant ground to a halt at Petersburg, 25 miles south of Richmond. The two great armies settled into trenches for a siege, and the lines soon extended all the way back to Richmond. Grant periodically attacked portions of the Rebel defenses but was not successful. On September 29, Union forces captured part of Richmond's outer defense at the Battle of New Market Heights. Although Richmond was still safely in Confederate hands, Lee was concerned about the new position of the Yankee troops.
Lee sent two divisions under Generals Charles Field and Robert Hoke to move around the end of the Union line. Lee hoped that the Federal flank could be turned and the Confederates could regain the defensive works lost the week before. On the morning of October 7, the Confederates moved down Darbytown Road and around the Union right flank and attacked 1,700 cavalrymen. The assault sent the Yankees into a quick retreat. The Confederates captured eight cannons and drove the Union troops into the breastworks of General Alfred Terry. Alerted to the advancing Confederates, Terry summoned reinforcements to his position. By the time the Confederates worked their way through the thick foliage, they faced a strong Union force. Lee ordered an attack anyway. Brigades advanced one at a time, and the Yankee artillery tore the lines apart. By the afternoon, the Confederates withdrew to their original position. They lost 700 men while the Yankees lost only 400, and no ground was gained. Lee did not make another attempt to regain the lost works and focused instead on setting up defenses closer to Richmond. Brigadier General John Gregg, CSA, is mortally wounded in the action while attempting to push back the Federal troops on the Darbytown Road.
Another battle occurred at Dallas, Georgia, with Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's Confederates against Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Federals, as Hood begins to move his army toward Alabama.
Federal operations began in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the vicinity of Sandy Springs, Barnesville, Middlebrook and Mechanicsville against a small roving band of Confederate partisan guerrillas in the area.
Sporadic skirmishes broke out between the forces of Generals Jubal Early and Philip Sheridan on the Black Road near Strasburg and at Columbia Furnace, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.
Second only to Captain Raphael Semmes' CSS Alabama in fame was her sister ship, the Confederate commerce raider CSS Florida. Both built in Liverpool, they had gone their separate ways and after taking 37 prizes in her career, Florida pulled into Bahia, Brazil for resupply and refueling. Close on her heels was Commander Napoleon Collins and the USS Wachusett, who had been seeking them for months. Collins sent a message to Florida’s captain, Lieutenant Charles Morris, daring him to come out of the neutral harbor and fight. Morris declined, and Brazilian authorities ordered both ships to maintain the peace in Brazilian waters. Collins ignored this, steamed in and rammed Florida while Morris and most of her crew were ashore. Damaged but not sinking, Florida was surrendered after both ships exchanged cannon fire. This infuriated the Brazilians, who turned their harbor guns on the Wachusett as she steamed away with Florida in tow to Hampton Roads, Va.
Another report: The USS Wachusett, under Commander Napoleon Collins, illegally captured the CSS Florida, commanded by Lieutenant Charles Manigault Morris, in Bahia Harbor, Brazil, and towed her out to sea. Collins, who had been scouring the sea lanes for the Confederate raider for many months, saw her enter Bahia on 4 October and anchored close by the next morning. Collins offered to meet Morris outside the harbor in a ship duel, but the Confederate captain wisely declined. The Brazilian authorities, recognizing the explosiveness of the situation, exacted promises from both Lieutenant Morris and the U.S. Consul, Thomas Wilson, that no attacks would be made in Brazilian waters. Collins was not to allow the elusive Florida to escape, however, and plans were laid to attack her shortly after midnight on the 7th. At 3 a.m. he slipped his cable, steamed past the Brazilian gunboat anchored between his ship and Florida, and rammed the famous raider on her starboard quarter. After a brief exchange of cannon fire, Lieutenant Porter, commanding the Florida in Morris's absence, surrendered the ship. By this time the harbor was alive, and as Wachusett towed her long-sought prize to sea, the coastal fort opened fire on her.
Collins' actions, though cheered in the North where the Florida was a household name because of her continued "depredations", were in violation of international law, and prompt disavowal of them was made by Secretary of State William Henry Seward. The Florida was taken to Hampton Roads, arriving there on 12 November. She was ordered returned to the Brazilian Government, but before she could be made ready for sea she mysteriously sank. Commander Collins was court-martialed and ordered to be dismissed from the naval service. At the trial, the dauntless captain admitted his actions had violated international law, offering in his defense only the following statement: "I respectfully request that it may be entered on the records of the court as my defense that the capture of the Florida was for the public good."
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles concurred, especially in view of the vast damage done by the CSS Florida to Union commerce, and, restored Collins to his command. The furor over the capture, however, did not die down. At length, to further satisfy Brazil, a 21-gun salute as an "amende honorable" was fired by USS Nipsic in Bahia Harbor, 23 July 1866.
The USS Aster, Acting Master Samuel Hall in charge, chased the blockade runner Annie ashore at New Inlet, North Carolina, under the guns of Fort Fisher, but the 285-ton wooden steamer ran aground herself and was destroyed to prevent capture. The USS Niphon, piloted by Acting Master Kemble, rescued Hall and his men and, under a hail of fire from Confederate batteries, towed out USS Berberry, which had become disabled trying to pull Aster off the shoal.
Major General Sterling Price’s Confederates continued their Missouri invasion, fighting near the state capital of Jefferson City. They also skirmished at Moreau Creek and around Tyler's Mills in Big River, Missouri.
Union soldiers and Native Americans clashed at Elk Creek, in the Nebraska Territory.
A Confederate attempt to regain ground that had been lost around Richmond, Virginia, is thwarted when Union troops turn back General Robert E. Lee's assault at the Battle of Darbytown.
In the summer of 1864, the campaign between Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant ground to a halt at Petersburg, 25 miles south of Richmond. The two great armies settled into trenches for a siege, and the lines soon extended all the way back to Richmond. Grant periodically attacked portions of the Rebel defenses but was not successful. On September 29, Union forces captured part of Richmond's outer defense at the Battle of New Market Heights. Although Richmond was still safely in Confederate hands, Lee was concerned about the new position of the Yankee troops.
Lee sent two divisions under Generals Charles Field and Robert Hoke to move around the end of the Union line. Lee hoped that the Federal flank could be turned and the Confederates could regain the defensive works lost the week before. On the morning of October 7, the Confederates moved down Darbytown Road and around the Union right flank and attacked 1,700 cavalrymen. The assault sent the Yankees into a quick retreat. The Confederates captured eight cannons and drove the Union troops into the breastworks of General Alfred Terry. Alerted to the advancing Confederates, Terry summoned reinforcements to his position. By the time the Confederates worked their way through the thick foliage, they faced a strong Union force. Lee ordered an attack anyway. Brigades advanced one at a time, and the Yankee artillery tore the lines apart. By the afternoon, the Confederates withdrew to their original position. They lost 700 men while the Yankees lost only 400, and no ground was gained. Lee did not make another attempt to regain the lost works and focused instead on setting up defenses closer to Richmond. Brigadier General John Gregg, CSA, is mortally wounded in the action while attempting to push back the Federal troops on the Darbytown Road.
Another battle occurred at Dallas, Georgia, with Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's Confederates against Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Federals, as Hood begins to move his army toward Alabama.
Federal operations began in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the vicinity of Sandy Springs, Barnesville, Middlebrook and Mechanicsville against a small roving band of Confederate partisan guerrillas in the area.
Sporadic skirmishes broke out between the forces of Generals Jubal Early and Philip Sheridan on the Black Road near Strasburg and at Columbia Furnace, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.
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