Today in the WBTS, January 27th 1826 Lieut. General Richard Taylor is born 1862 President Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, ordering all land and sea forces to advance on February 22, 1862. This bold move sent a message to his commanders that the president was tired of excuses and delays in seizing the offensive against Confederate forces. The unusual order was the product of a number of factors. Lincoln had a new Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, who replaced the hopelessly corrupt Simon Cameron. Lincoln was much more comfortable with Stanton. The president had also been brushing up on his readings in military strategy. Lincoln felt that if enough force were brought to bear on the Confederates simultaneously, the Confederates would break. This was a simple plan that ignored a host of other factors, but Lincoln felt that if the Confederates ...weakened one to strengthen another, the Union could step in and seize and hold the one weakened. The primary reason for the order, however, was General George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac in the east. McClellan had a deep contempt for Lincoln that had become increasingly apparent since Lincoln appointed McClellan in July 1861. McClellan had shown great reluctance to reveal his plans to the president, and he exhibited no signs of moving his army in the near future. Lincoln wanted to convey a sense of urgency to all the military leaders, and it worked in the West. Union armies in Tennessee began to move, and General Ulysses S. Grant captured Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, respectively. McClellan, however, did not respond. Lincolns order called for strict accountability for each commander who did not follow the order, but the president had to handle McClellan carefully. Because McClellan had the backing of many Democrats and he had whipped the Army of the Potomac into fine fighting shape over the winter, Lincoln had to give McClellan a chance to command in the field. 1863 Five Federal naval vessels attack Ft. McAllister, at Genesis Point, on the Ogeechee River, south of Savannah, GA. Skirmish at Bloomfield, MO. Day one of two day Federal reconnaissance on along the Neuse, Dover, and Trent Roads, NC. Skirmish at Germantown, TN. Skirmish in the vicinity of Suffolk, VA. 1864 Skirmish on the Cumberland River at Lebanon, KY. Skirmishes at Kelley’s Ford and McNutt’s Bridge, in the vicinity of Dandridge, TN and along the Strawberry Plains Road, near Knoxville, TN . Skirmish at Thoroughfare Mountain, VA Day one of twelve day Federal operation in Hampshire and Hardy Counties, WV. 1865 Skirmish at Elrods Tan Yard, in De Kalb County, AL. Federal operation between Fort Pinney about the Federal gunboat, Number 28, to Kimball’s Plantation, AR. Skirmish at Ennis Cross Roads, SC. Federals refloat the Confederate torpedo Boat, Scorpion, on the James River below Richmond, VA. Gen. Robert E. Lee wrote a letter to Richmond. In it he pointed out that absenteeism, and frequently outright desertion, from his Army of Northern Virginia was reaching critical proportions. While it was hardly unknown on either side for men to go absent with or without leave to deal with family emergencies, the problem now was that they were neglecting to come back. Lee stated “the ration is too small for men who have to undergo so much exposure and labor as ours”, and suggested the Commissary Department be encouraged to provide more and better food. References The Civil War Day by Day, Philip Katcher. The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, by E. B. Long with Barbara Long. The Chronological Tracking of the American Civil War Per the Official Records of the War of Rebellion, by Ronald A Mosocco.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:50:12 +0000
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