The Civil War This Week: Oct 6-12, 1864 Thursday, October 6 An editorial in the Richmond Enquirer supported enlisting blacks in the Confederate army; black military recruitment was slowly gaining support throughout the South. Major General Philip Sheridan’s Federal Army of the Shenandoah continued destroying the Shenandoah Valley after clearing out General Jubal Early’s Confederates. Federals demolished over 2,000 barns and 70 mills, and over 4,000 heads of livestock and 3,000 sheep were killed, captured, or driven off. The outraged but outnumbered Confederates responded with guerrilla attacks on Federal units. Thomas L. Rosser’s Confederate cavalry attacked Federals under General George A. Custer near Fisher’s Hill in the Shenandoah. Federals repulsed the attack, but it proved that Confederate resistance in the region remained. General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederates fought near Florence, Alabama in their continued efforts to disrupt Federal supply lines in Tennessee and Georgia. Skirmishing occurred in Tennessee and Missouri. Friday, October 7 This evening, U.S.S. Wachusett captured the famous Confederate commerce raider C.S.S. Florida off Bahia, Brazil. Florida had been anchored in the harbor, unaware that Wachusett was there as well. Urged by the U.S. consul in Brazil, Wachusett Commodore Napoleon Collins fired on Florida before boarding the ship and capturing her crew. The capture was strongly protested by Brazilian and European officials because it violated international law since Florida was anchored in a foreign port. Most northerners approved the capture, but Secretary of State William H. Seward feared an international incident and condemned the capture as illegal. Federals repulsed a Confederate attack near Richmond, Virginia. General Sterling Price’s Confederates continued their Missouri invasion, fighting near the state capital of Jefferson City. Federals and Native Americans clashed in the Nebraska Territory. Skirmishing also occurred in Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. Saturday, October 8 Sterling Price’s Confederates continued fighting near Jefferson City. Skirmishing occurred in Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri. Sunday, October 9 Federals under George A. Custer and Wesley Merritt routed Thomas L. Rosser’s Confederates near Woodstock in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The Confederates fled 26 miles back to the main Confederate lines, and the fight was nicknamed the “Woodstock Races.” Sterling Price’s Confederates fought at Boonville, Russellville, and California in Missouri. A Federal expedition began from St. Francois County, Missouri. Skirmishing occurred in Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana. Monday, October 10 Philip Sheridan established positions near Cedar Creek, north of Strasburg. Believing he had suppressed Confederate resistance in the Valley, Sheridan was unaware that General Jubal Early was planning an attack. A corps of Sheridan’s army was transferred to Petersburg, which made the personnel in the armies of Sheridan and Early more even. Early seized the opportunity. Federal President Abraham Lincoln wrote to Maryland politician Henry W. Hoffman: “I wish all men to be free. I wish the material prosperity of the already free which I feel sure the extinction of slavery would bring. I wish to see, in process of disappearing, that only thing which ever could bring this nation to civil war.” Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederates clashed with Federal gunboats on the Tennessee River near Eastport, Mississippi. General John Bell Hood’s Confederate Army of Tennessee fought Federal supply guards near Rome, Georgia. Skirmishing occurred in Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and the Colorado Territory. Tuesday, October 11 Several northern states held elections, which pleased President Lincoln by resulting in sizeable Republican majorities. In Ohio, Republicans won 12 congressional seats and a 50,000 popular vote majority. In Indiana, Republican Oliver P. Morton was elected governor, and Republicans won eight of the state’s 11 congressional seats. In Pennsylvania, Republicans won a narrow victory mainly because of the pro-Republican absentee soldier vote. These elections demonstrated that soldiers’ votes would be crucial in next month’s national election. Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton arranged as many soldier furloughs as possible so troops could go home and vote. Sterling Price’s Confederates fought near Boonville and Brunswick in Missouri. Major General William T. Sherman’s Federals began concentrating at Rome, Georgia. Federal expeditions began from Stony Creek Station, Virginia.; Petersburg, West Virginia; and Camp Palmer, North Carolina. Skirmishing occurred in Georgia and Tennessee. Wednesday, October 12 U.S. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney died in Washington at age 89. Taney had been involved in many historic Supreme Court decisions, including the controversial Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) case. Rear Admiral David D. Porter assumed command of the Federal North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, replacing Acting Rear Admiral Samuel P. Lee. Porter’s main goal was to help in the capture of Fort Fisher guarding Wilmington, North Carolina. Skirmishing occurred in Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. waltercoffey.wordpress/2014/10/06/the-civil-war-this-week-oct-6-12-1864/
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:45:00 +0000
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