May 10-Stonewall Jackson, an able and brilliant Southern general, died of wounds received in battle. แ 11-Gen. Logan, Union, defeats Gen. Grigg at Farnden's Creek, Miss. Each had about 5,000 men. 12-Gen. McPherson captured Raymond, Miss., from Confederates. 13-Yazoo City, and $2,000,000 property, captured by Union gunboats. Gen. Grant defeats Confederate army and captures Jackson, Miss. << 16-Gen. Grant defeats Pemberton at Baker's Creek, Miss., with heavy loss. Each had about 25,000 men. Pemberton lost 4,000 men and next day 2,000 more. " 18-Grant commences seige of Vicksburg, Miss. 26-Gen. Breckenridge, Confederate, suffered defeat in Tennessee. June 3-A brilliant raid by a colored regiment in South Carolina. 66 46 66 18-About 100,000 Southern forces enter Penn., near Chambersburg. 20-West Virginia admitted as a State into the Union. Missouri Leg. islature abolishes slavery. In this month the great events of the campaign, the taking of July The first days of this month formed the crisis of the war. Gen. Prentice defeated a greatly superior force at Helena, Ark. 8-Port Hudson surrenders to Gen. Banks, with 7,000 men. Morgan, of Confederate cavalry, invades Indiana and Ohio with 5,000 men. He is captured before he can return. 13-Great riot in New York city. 17-Gen. Sherman defeats Johnson, and occupies Jackson, Miss. 20-Two successful Union cavalry expeditions, in N. C. and Va. 23-Battle of Manassas Gap. Unionists defeat a superior force. A Confederate victory at Richmond, Ky. "31-Confederates beaten in Kentucky. Aug. 1-Two cavalry battles in Va. 4-Disastrous loss of U. S. steamer Ruth, on the Mississippi, by fire. 12-Gen. Gilmore bombarded Ft. Sumter and Charleston most of the month. 17-Successful cavalry raid into Mississippi to destroy stores. A guerilla war was carried on very largely this month, both east Sept. 1-Knoxville, Tenn., captured by Gen. Burnside. 66 Gen. Blunt defeated the Confederates, and captured Ft. Smith, Ark. 6-Fts. Wagner and Gregg captured by Gen. Gilmore, Charleston, S. C. 8-Cumberland Gap taken by Gen. Burnside. 2,000 prisoners. 10-Little Rock occupied by Union forces. "19-20-A terrible battle is fought at Chickamauga (in Indian the "River of Death,") in which Gen. Rosecrans with some 50,000 to 60,000 troops is severely defeated by Bragg, with about 45,000. Federal losses about 15,000. Yet Bragg did not capture Chattanooga. 22-Severe battle at Madison Court House, Va. Union victory. 28-Gen. Burnside repulses Confederates at Knoxville, Tenn. Oct. 3-Union troops throw Greek fire into Charleston, S. C. 5—Chatanooga bombarded by Bragg. 46 9-Defeat of Wheeler's Confederate cavalry, in Tenn. 14-Battle at Bristoe Station, Va. Favorable to U. S. troops. 66 16-Gen. Grant takes command of the Western armies. 66 17-The President calls for 300,000 more troops. 21-A battle in Alabama, in Mississippi, and in Tennessee. 27-Battle of Brown's Ferry, near Chattanooga. Confederates beaten. 66 28-Gen. Hooker takes Lookout Mountain. 31-Gen. Hooker gains the battle of Shell Mound. Nov. The main interest of the month gathers about the great and deci sive battle of Chattanooga, between Gens. Grant and Bragg. All the forces to be spared on either side were concentrated here. Chattanooga has been called, "The back door of the Confederacy." Nov. 5-Chattanooga bombarded by the Southern forces. Gen. Avery gains a Union victory at Lewisburg, Va. 6-The North is thrilled with indignation at barbarities ascertained to have been perpetrated in Southern prisons. 7-Gen. Meade drives Southern army across the Rappahannock. 11-The British government makes known an intended invasion of the North from Canada, by Confederates. 15-Gen. Banks takes Corpus Christi, Texas. 17-Charleston continues to be shelled. Gen. Longstreet detached from Confederate army at Chattanooga, with 15,000 men, to attack Burnside. 19-National Cemetery consecrated, at Gettysburg. "23-26-Battles of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain. Southern forces about 60,000, Grant's about 80,000. Confederate losses 10,000, Union, 5,616. It was a blow never recovered by the Confederacy. 28-Gen. Longstreet attacks Knoxville and is repulsed with loss. 46 CHAPTER XXVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1864. There was a lull, for a time, in the tempest of war. The Confederate forces had lost ground that they could hardly hope to regain. The Missis sippi river and Eastern Tennessee, both of supreme importance to the Confederacy, were in possession of the Union armies, which grew ever stronger. They were now about 1,000,000 men, and the navy had increased to over 600 vessels. This force was soon put in vigorous hands, that gripped fast what they once held. The misfortune of many commanders and continual changes, from political rather than military considerations, began to be well understood. Grant had gained so uniformly when others had failed, he was recognized as so tenacious and unwearied, that he received and held the confidence of the people and the government. This was a point of great importance for shortening the war; for the Southern people were still resolute, had still a vast country, were on the defensive in a smaller region than before, and could resist more effectively with a smaller army. It still made a most gallant and determined resistance which the vast resources of the national government did not enable them to overcome for a year and a half. The country was still covered with detached bodies of troops. A desultory war was maintained where strong armies failed to hold the ground, or were concentrated at a few points. The great move. ments were in Virginia and Georgia. The secondary in Tennessee, in Mississippi, and Texas. It took a year to break the will of the Southern people after they were really conquered. This period covers the year 1864; 1865 furnishes only the dying struggles of the Confederacy, already mortally wounded. 1864. The bombardment of Charleston continued during the preceding month. Some cavalry movements were made, the President of the U. S. offered amnesty to all who would take an oath of allegiance, and Gen. Butler announced that the Confederate government refused to receive any more supplies for Union prisoners from the North. Jan. 7-Three blockade runners captured. 11-Two more were destroyed, making 22 in a few months. 25-Mr. Vanderbilt, having presented a steamer worth $800.000 to the U. S. government, received the thanks of Congress. Feb. 1-The President of the U. S. ordered a draft of 500,000 men. Feb. 5-Two English steamers, with supplies for the South, captured. 9-Cotton worth $700,000 burned at Wilmington, N. C. 46 46 20-Negro troops cover the retreat of a defeated white Union force at Olustee, Fla. 28 The large armies being broken up or concentrated, and the lines of communication very much interrupted, many Union cavalry raids, aiming to break the lines of communication by railroad completely, to lay waste the country, and to free the negroes, who were raising supplies for the Southern armies, in the far interior, were undertaken. That of Sherman to Meridian, in Miss., and of Grierson and Smith, and many smaller ones, were executed during this month. The damage to railroads and the supplies destroyed were incalculable. 18 blockade runners and other vessels bringing supplies to the South were destroyed during the month. Mar. 2-Gen. Grant made Lt. General; the only one who had reached that dignity since Gen. Washington-Gen. Scott being Lt. Gen. only by brevet. 12-Gen. Grant made Commander-in-chief of the U. S. armies. 15-The President of the U. S. calls for 200,000 more men. 25-Confederate Gen. Forrest makes three assaults on Paducah, Ky., with loss of 1,500 men, in vain. 28-A severe defeat inflicted on Southern forces at Cane River, La. Apr. 4-Gen. Marmaduke defeated by Gen. Steele, Unionist, at Little Mis 66 souri, Ark. 8-Gen. Banks suffers reverses on the Red River, and retreats with loss. 12--Gen. Forrest takes Ft. Pillow and massacres the garrison, many being negroes. 21-Salt works in North Carolina destroyed-value $100,000. As salt was indispensable to army operations, the utmost effort was made to ruin as many as possible. "23-Governors of Western States offer the U.S. government 85,000 men for 100 days. President accepts them. May 2-400 Union prisoners are brought to Annapolis nearly starved. 4-Gen. Grant crosses the Rapidan in Va. and commences operations in the Wilderness. He, with 140,000 men, confronts Lee, who has 60,000. 5-Fighting in the Wilderness for two days without decided result. Costs Grant 30,000 (5,000 were prisoners) and Lee 10,000. Lee was intrenched and familiar with the ground, which was highly unfa vorable to the Union army. 6-Gen. Sherman confronts Gen. Joe Johnson near Chattanooga. Sherman has near 100,000; Johnson 60,000. 7-Lee retreats toward Spottsylvania Court-House. Union army follows, fighting. To this date 150,000 Southern soldiers had been made prisoners during the course of the war. May 8-Battle of Spottsylvania; result indecisive. 66 44 66 10-Battle of Spottsylvania continued. Still indecisive. Losses to each side 10,000 men. 12-Lee and Grant fight again, without victory by either. 13 Sheridan destroyed Lee's depot of supplies in his rear, at Beave 15-Sherman drives Johnson from Resaca after two days' fighting. 27-Grant again flanked Lee, crossing the Pamunky to Hanovertown. June 1-Battle of Cold Harbor, north of, and near, Richmond. It was fought with the utmost bravery and obstinacy, but gained no more decisive end than the destruction of men and material involved. This was very severe on Lee, from the smaller number he had to fall back on. " 46 7-Abraham Lincoln renominated for the presidency of the U.S. 14-Gen. Polk (a Southern bishop) killed. 15-An unsuccessful assault for three days on Petersburg. Union losses 10,000 men. 18-To this time Grant had lost 64,000 men-Lee 38,000 during this campaign. แ 19-Steamer Kearsarge sinks the famous Alabama, on the coast of 27-Sherman, pushing Johnson at Keneshaw, meets a severe repulse. In one month he had driven Johnson 100 miles, fought six battles, and killed, wounded or taken prisoner 17,000 men. He followed Grant's principle, and "flanked" him. A retreat was the result. July 1-Public debt over $1,740,000,000. " 9-Gen. Early, with 20,000 Confederate troops, passes into Grant's rear, and makes a hasty march north into Maryland. This day he gained a victory over Gen. Wallace, but his losses were so great that he was hindered in his design of capturing Washington, though within six miles of it at one time. He retreats, but soon turns back. 18-President Lincoln calls for 500,000 more troops. แ 19-Gen. Averill (Union) gives Early a check, but finally falls back. 20-22-Severe battles in the neighborhood of Atlanta, Geo. Gen. Sher 46 man victorious. Confederate losses in all over 15,000; Union about 5,500. Unioa Gen. McPherson killed. |