Today in the WBTS August 1 1861 Skirmish at Edina, Missouri. After his occupation of Fort Fillmore, New Mexico Territory, Captain John Baylor (CSA) claims all of the territory in Arizona and New Mexico south of the 34th parallel for the Confederacy. Tennessee votes to adopt the Constitution of the Confederate States of America. 1862 Skirmish near Carrollton, Forsyth (or Ozark,) and Grand River, Missouri. Skirmish at Barnett’s Ford, near Harrison’s Landing, Virginia. 1863 Beginning of six day Federal advance upon Little Rock, Arkansas. Beginning of a seven day Federal cavalry expedition from Witssburg to Clarendon, Arkansas. Federal expedition from Columbus to Hickman, Kentucky. Skirmish at Smith’s Shoals, on the Cumberland River, Kentucky. David Porter assumes command of Federal Naval forces on the Mississippi River. Skirmish at Taylor’s Farm on the Little Blue River, Missouri. Skirmish at Round Ponds, near the Castor River, Missouri. In the Charleston Harbor area of South Carolina Federals began a the build-up for an attack on Battery Wagoner and Fort Sumter. Federal forces begin a prolonged bombardment of entrenchments around Charleston Harbor Skirmish in the vicinity of Brandy Station, Virginia. Beginning of a seven day Federal expedition from Warrenton Junction toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. 1864 Beginning of five days of a Federal operation in Eastern Arkansas. Skirmish at Lamb’s Plantation, near Helena, Arkansas. Sherman’s guns shelled Atlanta, Georgia. Skirmish with Indian on the Smoky Hill Fork, Kansas. Skirmish with Confederates at Baxter Springs, Kansas. Skirmish at Bardstown, Kentucky Skirmish at Cumberland and Flintstone Creek, Maryland Skirmish at Diamond Grove Prairie, Missouri. Beginning of a three day Federal reconnaissance on the Independence Road to Gunter’s Mills, Missouri, near Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Skirmish at Rolla, Missouri. Skirmish at Athens, Tennessee. Beginning of a 29 day Federal operation between La Grange, Tennessee, and Oxford, Mississippi. Beginning of an eleven day Federal operation between Strawberry Plains and Greeneville, Tennessee. Skirmish at Deep Bottom, Virginia. Sheridan takes command in the Shenandoah Valley. Union General Ulysses S. Grant appoints General Philip Sheridan commander of the Army of the Shenandoah. Within a few months, Sheridan drove a Confederate force from the Shenandoah Valley and destroyed nearly all possible sources of Rebel supplies, helping to seal the fate of the Confederacy. In the summer of 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had sent part of his army at Petersburg, Virginia, commanded by Jubal Early, to harass Federal units in the area of the Shenandoah and threaten Washington, D.C. The Confederates had used the same strategy in 1862, when General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson effectively relieved Union pressure on Richmond with a campaign in the Shenandoah. In July, Early marched his army through the valley and down the Potomac to the outskirts of Washington, forcing Grant to take some of his troops away from the Petersburg defenses and protect the nations capital. Frustrated by the inability of Generals Franz Sigel and David Hunter to effectively deal with Earlys force in the Shenandoah, Grant turned to General Philip Sheridan, a skilled general who served with him in the west before Grant became the overall commander of Union forces in early 1864. Surprisingly, Grant had placed Sheridan, an effective infantry leader, in charge of the Army of the Potomacs cavalry division for the campaign against Lee. Now Grant handed Sheridan command of the Army of the Shenandoah, comprising of 40,000 troops that included many demoralized veterans of the summer campaign. Sheridan wasted little time, beginning an offensive in September that routed Earlys army and then destroyed most of the agricultural resources of the region. Although this victory is not as famous as Union General William T. Shermans march through Georgia, which took place at the same time, it may have been even more complete. The Shenandoah Valley, so important throughout the war, was rendered useless to the Confederacy by the end of the fall. August 2 1861 The United States Congress passed the first national income tax calling for 3% on incomes over $800.00. The bill also provided for new and stiffer tariffs. Federal reconnaissance from Ironton to Centreville, Missouri. Skirmish at Dug Springs, Missouri. Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory, is abandoned by Federal forces. 1862 Skirmish at Jonesborough, Arkansas. Skirmish on Totten’s Plantation, in Coahoma County, Mississippi. Skirmish at the extinct town of Austin in Tunica County, Mississippi. Skirmish along Clear Creek, in the vicinity of Taberville, Missouri. Federal reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing and the Union reoccupation of Malvern Hill, Virginia. Skirmish at Orange Courthouse, West Virginia. Beginning of seven days of Federal operation in the vicinity of Wyoming Courthouse, West Virginia. Beginning of four days of Federal operations between Meadow Bluff and the Greenbrier River, West Virginia. 1863 Confederate scout from Pocahontas Arkansas, to Patterson, Missouri. Skirmish at Stumptown, Missouri Skirmish at Cummings’ Point, South Carolina. Skirmish at Newtown, Virginia. 1864 There was a build-up of Federal Naval strength off the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama Federal naval expedition to McIntosh County, Georgia. Federal reconnaissance from Berwick to Pattersonville, Louisiana. Skirmish at New Haven, Kentucky. Skirmish at Hancock and Old Town, Maryland. Skirmishing along Norris Creek ,in the vicinity of Holden, Missouri. Skirmish at Murphy, North Carolina. Skirmish at Green Springs Run, West Virginia. 1865 The captain and crew of the C.S.S. Shenandoah, still prowling the waters of the Pacific in search of Yankee whaling ships, is finally informed by a British vessel that the South has lost the war. The Shenandoah was the last major Confederate cruiser to set sail. Launched as a British vessel in September 1863, it was purchased by the Confederates and commissioned in October 1864. The 230-foot-long craft was armed with eight large guns and a crew of 73 sailors. Commanded by Captain James I. Waddell, the Shenandoah steered toward the Pacific and targeted Yankee whaling ships. Waddell enjoyed great success, taking six ships in the South Pacific before slipping into Melbourne, Australia, for repairs in January 1865. Within a month, the Shenandoah was back on the loose, wreaking havoc in the waters around Alaska. The Rebel ship captured 32 additional Union vessels, most of which were burned. The damage was estimated at $1.6 million, a staggering figure in such a short period of time. Although the crew heard rumors that the Confederate armies had surrendered, Waddell continued to fight. He finally accepted an English captains report on August 2, 1865. The Shenandoah pulled off another remarkable feat by sailing from the northern Pacific all the way to Liverpool, England, without stopping at any ports. Arriving on November 6, Waddell surrendered his ship to British officials.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:28:26 +0000
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