RE: Civil War 150th (Full Version)

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RedArgo -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/1/2015 1:00:47 AM)

This is my favorite thread on the internet. Thanks Captain.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/2/2015 9:12:14 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

ON the 2nd of January, 1865, I had a consultation with General Lee at Richmond, about the difficulties of my position in the Valley, and he told me that he had left me there with the small command which still remained in order to produce the impression that the force was much larger than it really was, and he instructed me to do the best I could.

--Jubal Early, Autobiographical Sketch and Narratve of the War Between the States

In some ways, the disasters of the previous years had freed the government of Jefferson Davis. Since he was the head of a democracy, he could not afford to ignore the demands of the people to defend their different areas. And defending everywhere, of course, means effectively defending nowhere. But now the real and present threat to Richmond allowed him to nearly ignore other regions (especially west of the Mississippi). All else was secondary to holding the capital.

The Lincoln administration had a more complex situation to deal with, but also rather more resources to deal with it. Benjamin Butler may have been willing to accept failure at Fort Fisher, but the President and U. S. Grant were not. The expedition that had returned to its base at Hampton Roads would be given only a short breathing space to re-supply both the warships and the landing force, and then it would go back for a second try. And this time Grant would have an agressive commander for the troops ashore. He selected General Alfred Terry, only 37 years old but having shown promise.

Not even the Union had unlimited resources; the extended use of the transports against Fort Fisher and the need to keep Grant's immense force supplied at Petersburg meant it would take two months to transport Sherman's army by sea from Savannah to unite with Grant. However, this was exactly what Sherman wanted to hear, for he had already submitted a different plan. He would continue the destructive march of his force northwards up the eastern side of South Carolina, feinting towards Charleston but actually aiming for the state capital of Columbia. (Sherman considered Charleston to be effectively blockaded, and hindsight tends to confirm this.) Grant quickly approved the plan, and the rest of the Lincoln administration was not slow to see the political and military advantages of what would knock South Carolina out of the war.

This march would not be as easy as the March to the Sea. Food would not be as readily found in the countryside during winter, so the Yankees could not travel as light as they had through Georgia. They could also expect to encounter more opposition from the Rebel army that had escaped from Savannah, plus other coastal garrisons. Sherman's men needed more supplies and equipment. Happily, the War Department saw the need, and was sending Montgomery Meigs, the unsung genius of the Union supply effort, along with Secretary of War Stanton himself.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/5/2015 2:21:00 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

At Hampton Roads, the Union fleet had been topped up with coal, fresh water, ammunition, and provisions for the warships and for the 9,500 infantry now embarked for Fort Fisher. All ships weighed anchor, but only the naval officers knew they were headed back to the Confederate fort. Even General Alfred Terry (below), in command of the Federal soldiers, had been given sealed orders by U. S. Grant. (To avoid any misunderstandings, however, Terry had been given an off-the-record briefing by Grant the day before.)

The reason for this secrecy was not to surprise the Confederates, who were well aware that the Yankees often made second attempts when they had failed to take an objective on the first try. What Grant feared was interference from Benjamin Butler, who had still been formally in command of the Army of the James, to which the landing troops belonged. If Butler didn't know about the new expedition, he could not cause difficulties. (There had been an earlier attempt to remove him from the command he was so clearly unqualified for, but he had browbeaten Grant into canceling the order.) Around this same date, however, President Lincoln himself gave the directive to replace Butler. This would not be the end of the matter, however; though Butler was not able to argue the Commander-in-Chief out of his decision, he would summon his political allies and call a Congressional inquiry.

The lack of surprise might have been a problem: the Southerners had reinforced the area, bringing total Rebel strength up to 7,000 men (though many of them inexperienced militia). The Northerners would receive one major advantage, however: President Davis had sent the unpopular and less-than-competent Braxton Bragg to command the defenders.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/B4C45F9C332A43C0A30CD23B56AFA59B.jpg[/image]



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/9/2015 7:37:26 PM)

Early January, 1865:
While the South debated using slaves as soldiers, the North debated freeing all slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation specifically exempted freeing slaves in the states that had remained in the Union, plus the areas under Union control at the beginning of 1863. But the 13th Amendment would abolish slavery entirely. The Senate, with a heavy Republican majority, had passed it, but the House had earlier failed to do so. Now the amendment was being debated again, and the debate was lively. Almost no one was willing to argue that slavery was right, but some questioned freeing slaves without compensation to the owners, since seizing property without compensation was forbidden by the Constitution. Other Democrats feared that once the slaves were free, the Republicans would then give them them full citizenship, including the vote and the right to serve on juries. (Black men sitting in judgment of a white man was still a deeply disturbing thought to most Northerners.)

The argument that really counted was of course going on behind the scenes. As the Speilberg movie "Lincoln" portrays, a number of congressmen, especially those who had lost re-election in November, were being offered government jobs to change their votes. It was, for all practical purposes, bribery -- but it was effective.

And also as shown in "Lincoln", Francis Preston Blair Sr. (below) had received permission from the President to go to Richmond on a peace mission, probably in return for the powerful Blair family influence in securing Congressional votes. What was not shown in the movie was that Blair had a rather wild scheme to unite north and South: that they would join together to kick the French out of Mexico. Lincoln carefully did not endorse this plan, but authorized Blair to travel through the lines simply as a peace envoy.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/3DF49C196DAC4E8B87842C5AA6B58711.jpg[/image]



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/11/2015 5:36:55 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In West Virginia, Jubal Early's force continued to make things difficult for the Northerners. An extraordinary Rebel cavalry raid through snowy country swooped on the Union depot at the town of Beverly, capturing it along with more prisoners (about 500) than the total Southern force. It was a challenge to Union control, but it was a raid rather than an invasion, and did nothing to re-establish Confederate control in the region. Philip Sheridan and U. S. Grant duly took note, and decided that Early's force would have eliminated before Sheridan and his troopers could be brought back to the Richmond-Petersburg lines.


At Savannah, W. T. Sherman wanted to lose no time getting his army back on the move. The fact that it was January and most of the other armies, North and South, had gone into winter quarters made little difference to him. What did make a difference was that he had to take responsibility for the city his forces had captured. Expelling the civilians, as had been done at Atlanta, was not going to happen, for the Union intended to hold the city permanently.

It was estimated that there were about twenty thousand inhabitants in Savannah, all of whom had participated more or less in the war, and had no special claims to our favor, but I regarded the war as rapidly drawing to a close, and it was becoming a political question as to what was to be done with the people of the South, both white and black, when the war was actually over. I concluded to give them the option to remain or to join their friends in Charleston or Augusta, and so announced in general orders.

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

The great majority chose to stay. More, thousands of ex-slaves had followed the Yankees out of the interior of Georgia, so the non-soldier population that had to be fed was if anything even greater. However, slowly Savannah became a functioning city again:

The guard-mountings and parades, as well as the greater reviews, became the daily resorts of the ladies, to hear the music of our excellent bands; schools were opened, and the churches every Sunday were well filled with most devout and respectful congregations; stores were reopened, and markets for provisions, meat, wood, etc., were established, so that each family, regardless of race, color, or opinion, could procure all the necessaries and even luxuries of life, provided they had money. Of course, many families were actually destitute of this, and to these were issued stores from our own stock of supplies. I remember to have given to Dr. Arnold, the mayor, an order for the contents of a large warehouse of rice, which he confided to a committee of gentlemen, who went North (to Boston), and soon returned with one or more cargoes of flour, hams, sugar, coffee, etc., for gratuitous distribution, which relieved the most pressing wants until the revival of trade and business enabled the people to provide for themselves.

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

And on this date the situation changed even more. Savannah reperesented one of the greatest captures by the Union, because huge quantities of valuable cotton had fallen into Northern hands. Not surprisingly, the War Department and the Treasury Department had been arguing over who should have control of this windfall. The result remains a mystery of the war:

On the 11th of January there arrived at Savannah a revenue-cutter, having on board Simeon Draper, Esq., of New York City, the Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Quartermaster-General Meigs, Adjutant-General Townsend, and a retinue of civilians, who had come down from the North to regulate the civil affairs of Savannah.... I was instructed by Mr. Stanton to transfer to Mr. Draper the custom house, post-office, and such other public buildings as these civilians needed in the execution of their office, and to cause to be delivered into their custody the captured cotton.
[...]
Up to this time all the cotton had been carefully guarded, with orders to General Euston to ship it by the return-vessels to New York, for the adjudication of the nearest prize-court, accompanied with invoices and all evidence of title to ownership. Marks, numbers, and other figures, were carefully preserved on the bales, so that the court might know the history of each bale. But Mr. Stanton, who surely was an able lawyer, changed all this, and ordered the obliteration of all the marks; so that no man, friend or foe, could trace his identical cotton. I thought it strange at the time, and think it more so now; for I am assured that claims, real and fictitious, have been proved up against this identical cotton of three times the quantity actually captured, and that reclamations on the Treasury have been allowed for more than the actual quantity captured, viz., thirty-one thousand bales.

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

Note that Sherman was not an unbiased witness. He appears to have gotten along with Secretary Stanton moderately well while in Savannah, although Stanton would have some hard questions to ask about the blacks who had followed the army to the coast. But in three months there would be a serious falling-out between the two men.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/13/2015 7:20:25 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Off of the North Carolina coast, the Union fleet had run into another delay from bad weather. Unfortunately for the Southern garrison of Fort Fisher, on this Friday the 13th the winds and waves abated, and the attack began. Union Admiral David Dixon Porter and landing commander General Alfred Terry had achieved a surprising level of cooperation, given the historical rivalry between Army and Navy, and the mutual plan was for bombardment but no land assault on the first day. And this time, instead of attempting to immediately overwhelm the Confederate batteries by sheer numbers of shells, it was decided to deliberately draw the Rebels' fire -- at first.

The ironclad warships went in first, including New Ironsides (now fully repaired from the CSS David's torpedo). This allowed the remainder of the fleet to spot the Southern guns when they engaged, and shortly the wooden-hulled ships of the Federal fleet joined in as well. This included the USS Brooklyn, on loan from Admiral Farragut's force, and the USS Minnesota, which the Monitor had saved from the CSS Virginia (AKA Merrimac) during the history-making Battle of Hampton Roads. It was a grand finale for the Union Navy, for after this there would be no objectives requiring more than two or three ships.
[image]local://upfiles/4250/09638FFA65AA46BA8ED574F98ED31FC0.jpg[/image]
The Yankees' firing was more accurate than it had been the month before, and a number of the Confederate guns were knocked out. Taking advantage, General Terry landed his force of over 8,000 Union troops. There was a reserve division of Southern infantry available at Wilmington, but area commander Braxton Bragg decided not to interfere with the Yankees. By the end of the day, the Northerners had set up their base camp. Wisely, the Northern warships kept up a slow bombardment during the night, making it difficult for the Rebels to make repairs on their battered fort.


At Tupelo, Mississippi, John Bell Hood took stock of what was left of the Army of Tennessee, now more or less safe from Union pursuit. Of the once-proud force of 40,000 men, only 7,000 were present and able to stand and fight. And even those were often missing things like shoes and blankets against the winter. Heartbroken, Hood wrote out his resignation from command of the army and telegraphed it to Richmond.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/15/2015 4:10:35 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

At Fort Fisher, all was ready for the Union attack. To give the infantry the best possible chance, the Northerners landed an additional 2,000 marines and sailors to assault one face of the fort while the nearly 9,000 infantry made their move against another side. The seamen fared badly: decimated by musket bullets and grapeshot, they went to ground, trying to dig trenches in the sand. When this was not effective, they retreated, having lost about a quarter of their number.

But they had at least achieved the purpose of distracting the Confederate defenders. Even as the sailors fell back, Northern battle flags were being planted on the outermost ramparts of Fort Fisher. The Rebels turned from their successful defense of one side and launched a counter-assault. It came close to driving the Yankees from their foothold, but then further reinforcements in blue arrived. More, the Union fleet opened fire again, now aided by signals from the men ashore telling them which parts of the fort could be bombarded without hitting friendly troops.

For hours there was furious back-and-forth combat. No part of the fort was safe for the Rebels. The commanding general was wounded and went down, shortly followed by the second-in-command colonel. Still, the fort was sub-divided by numerous walls, and the garrison made the attackers pay for every chamber gained.

By 9:30 p.m., it was clear that the Confederates could not hold without help. A general named Alfred Colquitt was sent with Rebel reinforcements to try to reverse the situation, but they arrived just as the Northerners were overrunning the fort's wharf and just managed to scramble back into their boats and pull away to avoid capture. Seeing this, Major Reilly, the highest ranking Southern officer still on his feet, held up a white flag and walked to the Union lines to announce the surrender.

It had been a costly fight. Northern casualties were 1,341 men killed or wounded, and an amazing total of 51 Medals of Honor would be awarded for the bravery of the soldiers, sailors and marines. The entire garrison of 1,900 men was lost to the Confederacy -- and so was the last major blockade-running harbor in the East.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/EB308EE7D4724220AA93D11FA83CC936.jpg[/image]



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/16/2015 4:22:37 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Near Savannah, W. T. Sherman was encountering delays in resuming his march. Perhaps the biggest was the number of newly freed blacks that had flocked to the area, escaping from slavery. By some estimates there were as many as 40,000 men, women, and children at Savannah and in the islands off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts that were now under Union control. Sherman had hired a number of the able-bodied males to be in his "Pioneer Corps" which served the functions of modern-day engineer units. But the great majority had to stay behind, and could not be allowed to starve.

Happily, there was a good deal of land available, confiscated from Confederates who were serving in the Southern armies or occupying positions in the Richmond government. Sherman was technically not the military governor of the area, but Secretary of War Stanton was with him at the moment. Between them the two men wrote and issued a far-reaching directive:

[Special Field Orders, No. 15.]

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, NEAR SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, January 16, 1865.

1. The islands from Charleston south, the abandoned rice-fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. John's River, Florida, are reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States.

2. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations; but on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless military officers and soldiers detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people themselves, subject only to the United States military authority, and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war, and orders of the President of the United States, the negro is free, and must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription, or forced military service, save by the written orders of the highest military authority of the department, under such regulations as the President or Congress may prescribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, and other mechanics, will be free to select their own work and residence, but the young and able-bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as soldiery in the service of the United States, to contribute their share toward maintaining their own freedom, and securing their rights as citizens of the United States. Negroes so enlisted will be organized into companies, battalions, and regiments, under the orders of the United States military authorities, and will be paid, fed, and clothed; according to law. The bounties paid on enlistment may, with the consent of the recruit, go to assist his family and settlement in procuring agricultural implements, seed, tools, boots, clothing, and other articles necessary for their livelihood.

3. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families, shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected for that purpose an island or a locality clearly defined within the limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations will himself, or, by such subordinate officer as he may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or district, and afford them such assistance as he can to enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision of the inspector, among themselves, and such others as may choose to settle near them, so that each family shall have a plot of not more than forty acres of tillable ground, and, when it borders on some water-channel, with not more than eight hundred feet water-front, in the possession of which land the military authorities will afford them protection until such time as they can protect themselves, or until Congress shall regulate their title. The quartermaster may, on the requisition of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, place at the disposal of the inspector one or more of the captured steamers to ply between the settlements and one or more of the commercial points heretofore named, in order to afford the settlers the opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to sell the products of their land and labor.

4. Whenever a negro has enlisted in the military service of the United States, be may locate his family in any one of the settlements at pleasure, and acquire a homestead, and all other rights and privileges of a settler, as though present in person. In like manner, negroes may settle their families and engage on board the gunboats, or in fishing, or in the navigation of the inland waters, without losing any claim to land or other advantages derived from this system. But no one, unless an actual settler as above defined, or unless absent on Government service, will be entitled to claim any right to land or property in any settlement by virtue of these orders.

5. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a general officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, to regulate their police and general arrangement, and who will furnish personally to each head of a family, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, a possessory title in writing, giving as near as possible the description of boundaries; and who shall adjust all claims or conflicts that may arise under the same, subject to the like approval, treating such titles altogether as possessory. The same general offcer will also be charged with the enlistment and organization of the negro recruits, and protecting their interests while absent from their settlements; and will be governed by the rules and regulations prescribed by the War Department for such purposes.
6. Brigadier-General R. Saxton is hereby appointed Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter on the performance of his duties. No change is intended or desired in the settlement now on Beaufort Island, nor will any rights to property heretofore acquired be affected thereby.

By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman,
L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.


Sherman's forces had also collected a number of horses and mules during their march to the sea, and Sherman now loaned many of the surplus mules to the new farming families. Here was the start of the famous "forty acres and a mule" program. Unhappily for the blacks, their bounty would last only a few months: when Andrew Johnson became President, he would put a stop to it.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/19/2015 2:31:33 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Near Savannah, Sherman made the first moves for his march through South Carolina. However, much of it had to be done by sea instead of by land, for the Savannah River was running strongly from winter rains, and Sherman's "Pioneer Corps" had not yet managed a permanent bridge across. The result confirmed Sherman's opinion that it would have been a mistake to transfer his army by sea to the Richmond-Petersburg area:

We were very much in want of light-draught steamers for navigating the shallow waters of the coast, so that it took the Seventeenth Corps more than a week to transfer from Thunderbolt to Beaufort, South Carolina. Admiral Dahlgren had supplied the Harvest Moon and the Pontiac, and General Foster gave us a couple of hired steamers; I was really amused at the effect this short sea-voyage had on our men, most of whom had never before looked upon the ocean. Of course, they were fit subjects for sea-sickness, and afterward they begged me never again to send them to sea, saying they would rather march a thousand miles on the worst roads of the South than to spend a single night on the ocean.
[...]
About the same time General Slocum crossed two divisions of the Twentieth Corps over the Savannah River, above the city, occupied Hardeeville by one division and Purysburg by another. Thus, by the middle of January, we had effected a lodgment in South Carolina, and were ready to resume the march northward; but we had not yet accumulated enough provisions and forage to fill the wagons...

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman


In Richmond, there was a growing movement among many politicians to appoint Robert E. Lee as General-in-Chief of the Confederate armies, just as Grant was in charge of all the Union armies. Jefferson Davis hated the idea, since it would diminish his own power. He parried cleverly by putting the question directly to Lee, knowing that Lee's modesty (and reluctance to leave Virginia for anywhere else) would cause him to decline. On this date, Lee did just that, writing back "If I had the ability I would not have the time . . . I do not wish you to be misled as to the extent of my capacity."

But it wouldn't be enough. The fall of Fort Fisher, coming only weeks after the disaster of the Battle of Nashville and the capture of Savannah, was a stunning blow to Southern morale. The members of the Confederate Congress insisted that something be done to reverse the trend.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/23/2015 3:47:09 AM)

150 years Ago Today:

At North Carolina's Cape Fear river, the Northerners were busy consolidating after their capture of Fort Fisher. Unfortunately, the structure wasn't as useful as they had hoped, partly because of the damage during the bombardment and fighting, but even more because some careless Union soldiers had explored one of the magazines with a torch. The resulting explosion had killed scores, including some Confederate prisoners who had not been evacuated yet. The destruction had made it all the more necessary to seize the smaller forts in the area, since the Yankees hoped to advance up the river and capture the city of Wilmington.


This in turn required the massive Union fleet to stay at the mouth of the river for a while longer. And so, the Northern naval presence at the mouth of the James River was greatly reduced, and the Confederates had an opportunity. They had managed to put together three ironclads, including the flagship CSS Fredricksburg, pus a flotilla of eight unarmored craft. (By this time both sides had something called a "torpedo boat", though they used explosive charges on long spars.) Against this, the Union had one "monitor"-type ironclad and three smaller vessels on the James. There seemed a good chance for the Rebels to break through and bombard the main Northern supply base at City Point, which might do enough damage to force Grant to abandon the siege of Richmond and Petersburg.

It wasn't going to be quite so easy. The Northerners had been preparing for months against something of this sort, and had also installed a number of shore batteries, plus obstructions in the river. Nonetheless, after sunset on this date, the James River Squadron, as the Southerners had named their fleet, weighed anchors and quietly began the voyage downriver. They were soon spotted by the Union garrison of Fort Brady, but when the Yankees opened fire, the muzzle flashes of their guns drew return fire both from the Rebel ships and from land-based artillery. This kept the Fort Brady gunners distracted enough that they scored no hits on the Confederate fleet, which soon passed downstream.

The second problem took considerably longer. The Yankees had sunk two hulks in the river and stretched an anchor chain between them, blocking the way. There was also at least one large sunken "torpedo", capable of sinking any vessel that passed over it. Flagship Fredricksburg anchored just upstream of these obstacles and launched boats to clear the way by hand. The other two Southern ironclads, Richmond and Virginia II, also stopped close by to give covering fire. This helped, but did not completely stop a steady fire of cannon shot from Union shore batteries and bullets from Union sharpshooters. Happily for the Confederates, the darkness prevented accurate shooting, but the task of clearing the way went on the entire night.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/C0B842687DA84EE5A4F489F5AA24D084.jpg[/image]



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/24/2015 2:28:49 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

On the James River, dawn brought the light the Confederate flotilla needed to navigate past the sunken Union hulks towards the base at City Point. It had also brought the Union ships; double-turreted USS Onondaga (below), two gunboats, and a torpedo boat. The Northern commander had wanted to retreat farther downriver before giving battle, but an irate U. S. Grant had wired Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, and the orders came to attack.

The orders turned out to be an excellent idea, for disaster was quietly looming for the Southerners. They had forgotten that, close to the ocean, rivers are subject to the tides. Two of their ironclads, plus a torpedo boat and a gunboat, were now aground in the shallow water. As the morning light grew, the Union land batteries realized the situation and proceeded to blaze away at the immobilized Rebel ships. Virginia II and Richmond, being armored, stood the barrage with only light damage. But the other gunboats took various levels of damage. CSS Drewry in particular was being slowly shredded, and her crew abandoned her. They were none too soon, for only minutes later a Yankee shell found her magazine and she blew up so violently that she also fatally damaged the nearby torpedo boat CSS Scorpion.

Finally, the tide rose to where the Virginia II and Richmond could be freed. But it also allowed the little Union fleet to close the range. The USS Onondaga was one of the most powerful ironclads the Northerners built, for she mounted the massive 15-inch Dahlgren guns made especially for dealing with ironclads. The Yankee vessel dueled with CSS Virginia II, and the already damaged Confederate vessel found that her armor was not strong enough to handle the shot from the Dahlgrens. Reluctantly, the Southern commander ordered a retreat a short distance back up the river.

The Confederates waited until darkness fell, and then tried once more. By this time, however, the Yankees had erected "Drummonds lights" on the river banks, and with the illumination they were able to fire their shore batteries almost as accurately as if it were daytime. It was also found that the CSS Virginia II was almost unnavigable: her smokestack had been shot away, preventing her boilers from giving full power, and steam leaks rendered the helm virtually blind. The Southern commander called off the attempt. Now he had to get past the Union Fort Brady to return to the safety of Richmond.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/1880727881474BF88A59B32F3D1A6785.jpg[/image]



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/25/2015 4:18:00 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Just after midnight on the James River, the Confederate flotilla made the run past Fort Brady. Knowing they were unlikely to slip past unseen, the Southerners instead bombarded the fort with nearly all the ammunition they had left, over a thousand shells. The Yankees had strengthened their defenses since the first passage of the fleet, so not much damage was done to the fort, but it did partly suppress the fort's return fire.

Nonetheless, when the Rebels returned to the safety of Richmond, the tally showed serious losses. One gunboat and one torpedo boat had been sunk, two out of the three ironclads damaged (Virginia II was effectively out of the war), and four of the smaller vessels were also damaged. At least ten men had been killed. In return, the Union had suffered only light damage to its ironclad, and lost three men. The Confederate commander was shortly replaced by Raphael Semmes, the famous captain of the raider Alabama.


In Richmond, Jefferson Davis summoned to his office Vice-President Alexander Stephens, Senator Robert Hunter, and Assistant Secretary of War John Campbell. The Confederate President gave the three men their instructions: they were to travel under flag of truce through the Union lines around Petersburg and act as "peace commisioners", pursuing the movement for peace started by Francis Blair, senior.

It is unlikely that Davis actually thought the effort would amount to anything, for he had sent a note to Lincoln that he would "renew the effort to enter into a conference with a view to secure peace between the two countries." Lincoln had replied to Blair (and not to Davis directly) that he was "ready to receive any agent ... with the view of securing peace to the people of our common country." This was not to Davis' liking, so he repeated his original words to the three peace commsioners: "In conformity with the letter of Mr. Lincoln ...you are requested to proceed to Washington City for an informal conference with him upon the issues involved in the existing war, and for the purpose of securing peace between the two countries."

In other words, Lincoln's idea of peace was for the South to surrender, and Davis' idea of peace was for the North to stop fighting and accept Southern independence. Neither side had a plan for compromise.



Fred98 -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/25/2015 5:16:01 AM)

25 January, 1865

Maritime history buffs are commemorating a little-known part of Victoria's history today, marking 150 years since a ship involved in America's civil war arrived in Melbourne

The Confederates' CSS Shenandoah was a raider ship used to disrupt Union supply ships, destroying dozens of ships, seizing goods and imprisoning merchant sailors.

It began its journey in England and was in the southern hemisphere searching for American whaling ships when it needed repairs.

The crew had only two options for the stopover: Cape Town, where the crew was likely to come across Union ships, and Melbourne, where the likelihood of crossing the enemy was low.


So the CSS Shenandoah docked in Melbourne on January 25, 1865.


During its visit, 42 Melbourne men secretly joined the Shenandoah's crew before it was sailed back out to sea to continue its attack on the way to the US, providing a rare Australian link to the war.

Four cannons were fired at midday at Williamstown on Sunday to mark the arrival of the ship.

One of the organisers of the commemoration, Peter Hemphill, said the visit had world significance.

"It destroyed the whaling fleet of the US, it had also fired the very last shots of the American Civil War," he said.

It's the only real link to America's civil war in Australia.

The ship started out known as the Sea King. It was bought by the Confederate navy secretly in England in late 1864.

It was spirited out of England off the coast of Africa, they changed its name to Shenandoah, loaded it with cannon, with supplies and marines.

It sailed to Australia and sank eight Yankee ships on its way. The captain, James Waddell, was trying to meet up with a mail run that was leaving Melbourne for the United States so he could report back to his commanders so they knew where he was.

He also needed repairs to his propeller. In the meantime the Yankees tried to get them arrested as pirates.

Mr Hemphill said at one point ship was surrounded by Australian police and military after accusations it was recruiting men, which was not allowed.

The crew spent time in Victoria, visiting the Melbourne Club and also Ballarat, where they held a "buccaneer's ball".

When they left, 42 Melbourne men bobbed up on deck and they were part of the crew that for the rest of the journey.

They went up to the northern Pacific and created havoc - just destroyed the Yankee whaling fleet.

They needed whale oil for greasing their cannon wheels and so forth, but it absolutely devastated the fleet for years to come.

Part of that happened after the war had ended. They sailed down the US coast and they found out the war had ended so they then stowed cannon in the hull ... and basically surrendered.

It fired the very last shot of the civil war.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/27/2015 4:11:26 AM)

Late January 1865 :

W. T. Sherman had hoped to begin his march through South Carolina a week before, but the flooding of the rivers put a damper on his plans. He reluctantly moved the jump-off date to February 1st. This should have been greatly to the Confederates' advantage, for they were hurrying troops to the area to block Sherman's force. However, what troops they could scrape up were generally untrained, and more, poorly fed and equipped.

Even the Army of Northern Virginia was feeling the pinch. With the loss of Wilmington as a port, and the blocking of several of the railroads to Richmond, a hunger crisis had emerged. Gone were the days of eating beef; rations consisted mostly of corn meal and small amounts of bacon. Robert E. Lee pleaded more than once with the Confederate Congress, but little changed at first, for with the Georgia railroads wrecked, food, clothing, arms and ammunition from most of the South were cut off. Shoes and clothing for the winter weather were also desperately short. And as for weapons, Lee was even reduced to requesting that all private firearms in the area be turned over to his army.

Matters could scarcely have been more different on the Union side. Under Chief Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs, supplies flowed in generous amounts into the Federal camps. Innovations such as canned beans and dried vegetables (restored by boiling in water) gave the Yankees not only larger but more balanced meals. Warm coats, blankets, tents, and even wood to build huts were available. And where the Southerners were ordered to conserve ammunition, the Northern pickets complained of sore shoulders from the recoil of being assigned to fire a hundred shots a day. One observer wrote, "It was more than abundance, it was extravagance."

Not surprisingly, the contrast led to desertions from the Rebel ranks. There no longer seemed to be a point in freezing and starving for a government that could not provide for its soldiers, and more, would likely not survive another summer campaigning season. What was surprising was that a number of the deserting Confederates asked to be sent North under parole, so that they could take jobs and send money back to their needy families. The Northerners were happy to oblige: the farms and factories producing their food and equipment could use more laborers. Partly to put a stop to this, and partly because they were now thinking of using black soldiers themselves, the Confederates were coming around to the idea of re-starting the prisoner exchanges, accepting that black soldiers were to be exchanged on an equal basis with whites.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/29/2015 2:37:05 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Francis Blair Sr.'s shuttle diplomacy had produced an agreement to send "peace commisioners" to meet with President Lincoln. On this date, the three Confederate peace commissioners appeared under flag of truce at the Union lines. However, U. S. Grant was apparently away for the moment, and Benjamin Butler had been recalled to Washington and relieved of command of the Army of the James. This left no one formally in command, and more, no one who had been informed of the peace commissioners. Naturally, there was a scramble to pass the responsibility upwards:

HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS,
29th.

Maj. Gen. JOHN O. PARKE,
Headquarters Army of the Potomac:

Alex. H. Stephens, R. M. T. Hunter, and J. A. Campbell desire to cross my lines, in accordance with an
understanding claimed to exist with Lieutenant-General Grant, on their way to Washington as peace
commissioners. Shall they be admitted? They desire an early answer, to come through immediately. Would like
to reach City Point to-night, if they can. If they cannot do this, they would like to come through at 10 a.m.
to-morrow morning.
O. B. WILLCOX,
Major-General, Commanding Ninth Corps.



HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
January 29, 1865--4 p.m.

Maj. Gen. E. O. C. ORD,
Headquarters Army of the James:

The following dispatch is forwarded to you for your action. Since I have no knowledge of General Grant’s
having had any understanding of this kind, I refer the matter to you as the ranking officer present in the two armies.
JNO. G PARKE,
Major-General, Commanding.

General Edward Ord in turn sent a telegram all the way to the Secretary of War for instructions. Secretary Stanton in turn passed the telegram on to the President (80 years before Truman's famous "The buck stops here").

JANUARY 29---.8.30 p.m.

Respectfully referred to the President for such instructions as he may be pleased to give.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

But Stanton also did send out some positive (or technically, negative) instructions:

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington City, January 29, 1865--10 p.m.
(Sent 2 a.m. 30th.)

Major-General ORD:

SIR: This Department has no knowledge of any understanding by General Grant to allow any person to come
within his lines as commissioner of any sort. You will therefore allow no one to come into your lines under such
character or profession until you receive the President’s instructions, to whom your telegram will be submitted for
his directions.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

The peace conference was off to a rather shaky start.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/30/2015 3:59:45 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In Washington, Lincoln had a tricky situation. The House vote on the 13th amendment abolishing slavery was the next day, and the estimate was that it would pass by a mere two votes. If it were known that there were peace negotiations under way, the anti-abolition Democrats would argue that a "yes" vote might spoil the chance to end the bloodshed. On the other hand, he could not very well allow the peace commissioners to come to Washington and then refuse to meet with them.

But there might easily be a valid reason to prevent the Southerners from crossing the Union lines -- whether or not they maintained that the Confederacy was a legitimate nation. Lincoln had always insisted that the Union was legally unbroken, and the Confederates were in rebellion against lawful United States federal authority. He summoned Major Thomas T. Eckert (below), who had been chosen to run the telegraph system at the War Department and had proved so efficient that he was occasionally assigned other important missions. Lincoln gave Eckert specific instructions:

EXECUTIVE MANSION,
Washington, January 30, 1865.

Maj. T. T. ECKERT:
SIR: You will proceed with the documents placed in your hands, and on reaching General Ord will deliver
him the letter addressed to him by the Secretary of War; then, by General Ord’s assistance, procure an interview
with Messrs. Stephens, Hunter, and Campbell, or any of them. Deliver to him or them the paper on which
your own letter is written. Note on the copy which you retain the time of delivery, and to whom delivered. Receive
their answer in writing, waiting a reasonable time for it, and which, if it contain their decision to come through,
without further condition, will be your warrant to ask General Ord to pass them through, as directed in the letter
of the Secretary of War to him. If, by their answer, they decline to come, or propose other terms, do not have them
passed through. And this being your whole duty, return and report to me.

Yours, truly,
A. LINCOLN.


But even as the preparations for Major Eckert's departure were underway, a message arrived from Ulysses S. Grant, who had returned to his headquarters at City Point:


His Excellency ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
President of the United States:

The following communication was received here last evening:

PETERSBURG, VA., January 30, 1865.

Lieut. Gen. U.S. GRANT,
Commanding Armies of the United States:
SIR: We desire to pass your lines under safe conduct, and to proceed to Washington to hold a conference with
President Lincoln upon the subject of the existing war, and with a view of ascertaining upon what terms it may be
terminated, in pursuance of the course indicated by him in his letter to Mr. Blair of January 18, 1865, of which we
presume you have a copy; and if not, we wish to see you in person, if convenient, and to confer with you upon the
subject.
Very respectfully, yours,
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS.
J. A. CAMPBELL.
R. M. T. HUNTER.


I have sent directions to receive these gentlemen, and expect to have them at my quarters this evening awaiting
your instructions.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General,
Commanding Armies of the United States.

The three peace commissioners had been passed through the Union lines. Whether they would go any further was now a thorny problem, and one which turned on two countries or one.

[image]local://upfiles/4250/5E96427E3DC34A659EAC361DB40523AE.jpg[/image]



Ranger33 -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/30/2015 4:12:55 PM)

Probably doesn't fit the timeline but thought this would be the best thread to stick this link into:

After 150 years, Confederate submarine's hull again revealed


It's crazy to think that this sub existed in 1864, seems like some kind of silly historical sci-fi movie!

Also, I've never ventured into this thread before for some reason. Gonna have to read from the beginning.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (1/31/2015 7:17:33 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In Richmond, the Confederate Congress defied the wishes of President Davis and established the position of General-in-Chief of the Confederate armies. There was, of course, only one man for the job: Robert E. Lee. The boost to Southern morale was immediate; besides Davis, the only people who criticized the move were those who thought it was already too late.


In the White House, Lincoln decided to dispatch Secretary of State Seward to meet the Southern peace commissioners at Grant's headquarters. The President wrote out a set of strict instructions:

EXECUTIVE MANSION,
Washington, January 31, 1865.

Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD,
Secretary of State:
You will proceed to Fortress Monroe, Va., there to meet and informally confer with Messrs. Stephens, Hunter,
and Campbell on the basis of my letter to F. P. Blair, esq., of January 18, l865, a copy of which you have.
You will make known to them that three things are indispensable, to wit:
1st. The restoration of the national authority throughout all the States.
2d. No receding, by the Executive of the United States, on the slavery question, from the position assumed
thereon in the late annual message to Congress and in preceding documents.
3d. No cessation of hostilities short of an end of the war and the disbanding of all forces hostile to the
Government.
You will inform them that all propositions of theirs, not inconsistent with the above, will be considered and
passed upon in a spirit of sincere liberality. You will hear all they may choose to say, and report it to me.
You will not assume to definitely consummate anything.

Yours, &c.,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

At the Capitol, the day had arrived for the House vote on the 13th amendment. No one could be certain what the result would be: the estimates showed that the amendment just barely had the necessary votes supporting it, and last-minute changes were more than likely. The gallery of spectators was packed, including a number of blacks, a still unusual sight in the chambers of Congress.
[image]local://upfiles/4250/E923E9ADA2A54936B09B96B5126522BD.jpg[/image]
There was a last-minute problem that threatened to defeat the amendment. Rumors of the Confederate peace commissioners had reached the House, and the Democrats were arguing that a "yes" vote would destroy the prospects for peace. Lincoln sent a message to the House stating "So far as I know, there are no peace commissioners in the City, or likely to be in it." This was accurate enough, for the commissioners would never reach Washington. And the instructions Lincoln had given to Seward made it quite possible there would be no conference.

The voting began, and to the Republicans' relief, none of their members voted "no". Instead, 16 Democrats joined in voting "yes", nearly all of them "lame ducks" who had been promised government jobs in return for their support. The final tally was 119 to 56, just above the two-thirds required. The announcement of passage caused a moment of hushed silence followed by "an explosion, a storm of cheers, the like of which probably no Congress of the United States had ever heard before." The unprecedented breach of decorum was overlooked by the Speaker of the House, since the celebration almost instantly spread throughout the city, accompanied by artillery salutes.
[image]local://upfiles/4250/4CF9B7EA12034FD484A8BF238A6B6B79.jpg[/image]
There was still the matter of having it ratified by three-quarters of the states. This meant 27 states out of the then total of 36, and that included the eleven states in the Confederacy. Lincoln and his allies were counting on Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas, since they had installed "reconstructed" governments in the conquered capitals of those states. The real problem was the border states in the North, such as Kentucky. (Which would not approve the amendment until 1976.)



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/1/2015 4:28:05 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Unlike the process for a Federal law, the President's signature is not required for an amendment to the Constitution. Nonetheless, Lincoln could not resist adding his mark to the 13th amendment. On this date, he wrote the word "Approved", and signed it.


In Illinois, the news of the amendment had been brought by telegraph, and Lincoln's home state lost no time, becoming the first state to ratify it.


In Virginia, Major Thomas Eckert met with the three Southern peace commissioners.

CITY POINT, VA., February 1, 1865.

Messrs. ALEX. H. STEPHENS, J. A. CAMPBELL, and R. M. T. HUNTER:

GENTLEMEN: I am instructed by the President of the United States to place this paper in your hands, with
the information that, if you pass through the United States military lines, it will be understood that you do so for
the purpose of an informal conference, on the basis of the letter, a copy of which is on the reverse side of this sheet,
and that, if you choose to pass on such understanding, and so notify me in writing, I will procure the commanding
general to pass you through the lines and to Fortress Monroe, under such military precautions as he may deem
prudent, and at which place you will be met in due time by some person, or persons, for the purpose of such
informal conference; and, further, that you shall have protection, safe conduct, and safe return in all events.

THOMAS T. ECKERT,
Major and Aide-de-Camp.

Steohens, Campbell, and Hunter gave Eckert a reply in writing, which might have been unwise:

CITY POINT, Va., February 1, 1865.

Maj. THOMAS T. ECKERT,
Aide-de-Camp:
MAJOR: Your note, delivered by yourself this day, has been considered. In reply, we have to say that we were
furnished with a copy of the letter of President Lincoln to Francis P. Blair, esq., of the 18th of January ultimo,
another copy of which is appended to your note.
Our instructions are contained in a letter, of which the following is a copy:

RICHMOND, January 28, 1865.
In conformity with the letter of Mr. Lincoln, of which the foregoing is a copy, you are to proceed to
Washington City for informal conference with him upon the issues involved in the existing war, and for the
purpose of securing peace to the two countries.
With great respect, your obedient servant,
JEFFERSON DAVIS.

The substantial object to be obtained by the informal conference is to ascertain upon what terms the existing
war can be terminated honorably.
Our instructions contemplate a personal interview between President Lincoln and ourselves at Washington
City, but with this explanation we are ready to meet any person or persons that President Lincoln may appoint, at
such place as he may designate.
Our earnest desire is that a just and honorable peace may be agreed upon, and we are prepared to receive or
to submit propositions which may possibly lead to the attainment of that end.

Very respectfully, yours,
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS.
R. M. T. HUNTER.
JOHN A. CAMPBELL.

This contained the phrase "the two countries", and so was not acceptable to the Northerners. But two hours later there was a message from Grant with a possible opening. For the time being, it did not seem to be enough:

CITY POINT, VA., February 1, 1865--10 p.m.

His Excellency A. LINCOLN,
President of the United States:
I have the honor to report the delivery of your communication and my letter at 4.15 this afternoon, to which
I received a reply at 6 p.m., but not satisfactory.
At 8 p.m. the following note addressed to General Grant was received:

CITY POINT, VA., February 1, 1865.
Lieutenant-General GRANT:
SIR: We desire to go to Washington City to confer informally with the President personally, in reference to
the matters mentioned in his letter to Mr. Blair of the 18th of January ultimo, without any personal compromise
on any question in the letter. We have the permission to do so from the authorities in Richmond.
Very respectfully, yours,
ALEX. H. STEPHENS.
R. M. T. HUNTER.
J. A. CAMPBELL.

At 9.30 p.m. I notified them that they could not proceed further unless they complied with the terms expressed
in my letter. The point of meeting designated in the above note would not, in my opinion, be insisted upon. Think
Fort Monroe would be acceptable. Having complied with my instructions I will return to Washington to-morrow
unless otherwise ordered.

THOS. T. ECKERT,
Major, &c.

Since the peace commissioners were still detained at City Point, when Secretary Seward arrived at Fort Monroe and the port of Hampton Roads, he found no Southerners waiting for him:

FORT MONROE, VA., February 1, 1865--11.30 p.m.

The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
Arrived at 10 this evening. Richmond party not here. I remain here.
WILLIAM H. SEWARD.


While matters were stalemated in Virginia, just north of Savannah, William Tecumseh Sherman's army finally began the move into South Carolina:

The actual strength of the army, as given in the following official tabular statements, was at the time sixty thousand and seventy-nine men, and sixty-eight guns. The trains were made up of about twenty-five hundred wagons, with six mules to each wagon, and about six hundred ambulances, with two horses each. The contents of the wagons embraced an ample supply of ammunition for a great battle; forage for about seven days, and provisions for twenty days, mostly of bread, sugar, coffee, and salt, depending largely for fresh meat on beeves driven on the hoof and such cattle, hogs, and poultry, as we expected to gather along our line of march.

[...]

All these columns started promptly on the 1st of February. We encountered Wheeler's cavalry, which had obstructed the road by felling trees, but our men picked these up and threw them aside, so that this obstruction hardly delayed us an hour. In person I accompanied the Fifteenth Corps (General Logan) by McPhersonville and Hickory Hill, and kept couriers going to and fro to General Slocum with instructions to hurry as much as possible, so as to make a junction of the whole army on the South Carolina Railroad about Blackville.

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

[image]local://upfiles/4250/A1D8C4985FE64D6C935D2BA7907DD51E.gif[/image]

General-in-Chief Grant had tried to create another coordinated offensive as had happened in May of the previous year. He had ordered Edward Canby, commanding in Louisiana, to advance his forces against Mobile, and George Thomas, commanding in Tennessee, to advance into Georgia and North Carolina. Neither move would happen for nearly two months, allowing the Rebels to concentrate against Sherman's columns. Worse still, the Yankees were moving during the winter rainy season, across terrain that was largely swamp. Many Southerners believed that the Union march would meet the same fate as Burnside's "Mud March" of January 1863.

Sherman was well aware the task before his men would be difficult. He later rated the march in South Carolina as ten times more difficult than the March to the Sea. But he also had a major advantage: at that point in history, there were probably not sixty thousand more experienced or tougher soldiers anywhere in the world.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/2/2015 3:53:40 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In Washington, Abraham Lincoln read the dispatch from Major Eckert that the reply of the three Southern peace commissioners was "not satisfactory". He had made up his mind to recall Major Eckert and Secretary of State Seward, when a telegram written by General-in-Chief Grant arrived, pointing out that the original request to cross the lines had used words acceptable to the President:

OFFICE U.S. MILITARY TELEGRAPH,
WAR DEPARTMENT,

The following telegram received at Washington, 4.35 a.m. February 2, 1865, from City Point, Va., February
1, 10.30 p.m., 1865:

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War:

Now that the interview between Major Eckert, under his written instructions, and Mr. Stephens and party has
ended, I will state confidentially, but not officially to become a matter of record, that I am convinced, upon
conversation with Messrs. Stephens and Hunter, that their intentions are good and their desire sincere to restore
peace and union. I have not felt myself at liberty to express even views of my own or to account for my reticency.
This has placed me in an awkward position, which I could have avoided by not seeing them in the first instance.
I fear now their going back without any expression from any one in authority will have a bad influence. At the
same time I recognize the difficulties in the way of receiving these informal commissioners at this time, and do
not know what to recommend. I am sorry, however, that Mr. Lincoln cannot have an interview with the two named
in this dispatch, if not all three now within our lines. Their letter to me was all that the President’s instructions
contemplated, to secure their safe conduct, if they had used the same language to Major Eckert.

U.S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

According to Lincoln, "This dispatch of General Grant changed my purpose", and he made the decision to meet with the three peace commissioners after all. Ironically, though the Union had been trying to travel the distance from Washington to Richmond for nearly four years, the President was able to voyage by sea to the mouth of the James River in less than a day:

FORT MONROE, VA., February 2, 1865-11.30 p. m.
(Received 1.20 a. m. 3rd.)

Honorable E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

I have the honor to report the arrival of the President at 10.30 p. m., and is now with Mr. Seward
on board the River Queen. The interview will take place in the morning. The vessels of both parties
are anchored half a mile out from dock.
THOS. T. ECKERT,
Major, &c.


The Rhode Island legislature approved the 13th amendment, the second state to do so.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/3/2015 3:57:29 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

The Hampton Roads Peace Conference between Lincoln and Seward, and C.S. Vice President Alexander Stephens, Sen. R.M.T. Hunter, and Assistant Secretary of War J.A. Campbell took place.

On the morning of the 3d the three gentlemen—Messrs. Stephens, Hunter, and Campbell--came
aboard of our steamer and had an interview with the Secretary of State and myself of several hours’
duration. No question of preliminaries to the meeting was then and there made or mentioned; no
other person was present; no papers were exchanged or produced; and it was, in advance, agreed that
the conversation was to be informal and verbal merely. On our part, the whole substance of the
instructions to the Secretary of State, hereinbefore recited, was stated and insisted upon, and nothing
was said inconsistent therewith; while, by the other party, it was not said that in any event or on any
condition they ever would consent to reunion, and yet they equally omitted to declare that they never
would so consent. They seemed to desire a postponement of that question, and the adoption of some
other course first, which, as some of them seemed to argue, might or might not lead to reunion, but
which course, we thought, would amount to an indefinite postponement. The conference ended
without result.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

As Lincoln reported to Congress, none of the five men present took detailed notes, a disappointing fact for historians. According to some reports, Lincoln was willing to let the Confederates write almost any other terms as long as they agreed to return to the Union, accept the freeing of slaves, and lay down their arms. But rejoining the Union, and therefore submitting to United States authority, was exactly what Jefferson Davis had forbidden the peace commissioners to accept. Robert Hunter is reported to have argued for some intermediate agreement that would leave the South still not under U. S. rule. He pointed out that Charles I had entered into agreements with English rebels. Lincoln is reported to have replied, "I do not profess to be posted in history . . . All I distinctly remember about the case of Charles I is that he lost his head in the end."

The commissioners are also believed to have brought up the question of the slaves in the South. Lincoln reportedly told them that it was too late to halt the 13th amendment, but he proposed a sum of $200 million or $400 million (reports differ) to compensate for the loss of the slaves. Such a move would of course have to wait for the end of hostilities, which for Lincoln meant Southern surrender.

Lincoln's position was admittedly not very flexible, but on the other hand, the Confederates do not seem to have offered anything concrete at all. It is also worth noting that failed rebellions have been treated harshly throughout history. The decade before, the British had put down the Indian Mutiny of 1857, and executed a number of Sepoys by tying them to the muzzles of cannon. The next decade, the French army would retake Paris from the uprising of the Commune at a cost of 10,000 lives or more, a number shot after they had surrendered.

The one thing we can be sure of was that the only positive thing from the four-hour conference was an agreement to release Stephens' nephew Lieutenant John A. Stephens, held prisoner in a northern camp since mid-1863.


The 13th amendment was indeed gathering momentum. On this date, no less than five states -- Michigan, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia -- ratified it. Maryland was an especially good sign, since it had begun the war as a slave state, held in the Union by arresting most of the pro-secession leaders.


In South Carolina, the Confederates had what they hoped was a position that would block Sherman's advance. The Salkehatchie River was swollen, and all the bridges across it had been wrecked. But two Yankee brigades under Francis P. Blair, junior (the son of the man whose efforts had lead to the Hampton Roads peace conference) found a barely useable ford a few miles away. Wading through shoulder-high water in early February, the Federals flanked the Southerners' defensive line and sent them in rapid retreat. Freed of interference, the Northerners repaired the bridges, having lost only one day from their march.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/5/2015 4:01:13 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

South of Petersburg, there had been a few days of reasonable weather, and U. S. Grant decided on another try against the Confederate lines. If his forces could advance around on his left, he might be able to close the Boydton Plank Road, which would force Lee to evacuate Petersburg and then Richmond itself. Grant ordered a cavalry raid, to be followed closely by an infantry advance. The result would be one of the battles of the war with the most names, being alternately called Dabney's Mill, Armstrong's Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, but most often known as Hatcher's Run.

The cavalry raid was moderately successful, the Federals destroying 25 wagons and taking their teams as prisoners. But it also alerted the Southerners to the move, and they were well aware of the vital importance of the road. Troops were marched to the scene under General John Gordon, one of the rising stars in the Confederate army, and late in the afternoon the Rebels attempted to push the advanced Yankee infantry back. There was a sharp fight, but the Northerners rallied, and though their advance was stopped, they held their ground. Both sides sent reinforcements after sunset: it was not hard to guess that the morrow would bring further combat.



Ranger33 -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/5/2015 5:46:01 PM)

I just have to say, I had never checked into this thread until a few days ago when I posted a ACW related news article to it. I'm now officially hooked! This is as good or better reading than most historical texts. I'm still back in the early days of the war but I'll catch up eventually.

It's actually giving me the itch to pick up an ACW game. I've been playing Ultimate General: Gettysburg, which is fun, but looking for something more on the strategic level. Would AGEODs Civil War II be a good choice? I have some of the Roman ones and like the system, once you get past the quirks.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/6/2015 3:47:11 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In Richmond, Jefferson Davis was not at all downcast about the failure of the Hampton Roads peace conference. In fact, there is reason to think it was what he planned for all along. Davis lost no time making speeches on the matter, and on this date he sent a message to the Confederate Congress rejecting "degrading submission" and "humiliating surrender". He predicted that the Southern forces would "compel the Yankees, in less than twelve months, to petition us for peace on our own terms."

Vice-President Stephens was dismayed, for he believed that the Confederacy no longer had a chance. However, a surprising number of other Southerners took heart. The appointment of Robert E. Lee as General-in-Chief was also having a positive effect, both in morale and in the matter of supplies. Using his new authority, Lee was able to replace key officers in the Commissary department with more efficient men.


And there was some good news for the South on the battlefield. At Hatcher's Run, the Rebels managed a strong attack on the Union flank. Through the day, first one side had the advantage, and then the other, as reinforcements were fed in. Finally the Yankees were compelled to fall back from their lines, though they did not give in to panic or rout. The seizure of the ground came at a high cost to the Confederates, for General John Pegram, one of the most talented of the Army of Northern Virginia's younger generals, was killed.
[image]local://upfiles/4250/15C1C405842C4E9EB7741B71D924DA50.gif[/image]

Three weeks before, Pegram had been married in a ceremony attended by Richmond high society including President Davis.
[image]local://upfiles/4250/52E541D402DC461CBB4BF6C882067590.jpg[/image]



Ranger33 -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/6/2015 1:00:14 PM)

Welp, I bought Civil War II due to the interest sparked by this thread. I'll need to keep reading here to have any clue as to how to (and how not to [:D]) conduct such a massive war. Great game so far, the tutorials seem a bit more thorough than previous games in the series.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/7/2015 4:32:43 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In Washington, Congress passed a resolution affirming that the Presidential signature to the 13th amendment was unnecessary. To this day, it remains the only ratified amendment signed by a President. Nonetheless, it continued to make progress towards the necessary 27 states, with Maine, Kansas, and Massachusetts approving on this date. The total now stood at 11.

In Virginia, the Battle of Hatcher's Run concluded with a Union counter-counter-attack. The Northerners regained the lines they had retreated from the day before, but went no further. The Boydton Plank Road remained open for Confederate supplies, but the lines of entrenchments had been extended even further, going significantly past Petersburg to the West.

Union losses were 1,539 total (171 killed, 1181 wounded, and 187 captured). the Confederates are reported to have lost 1,161 men in all (no breakdown is available). This represented a Yankee victory, because the proportional loss was greater for the Southerners. With losses and the continuing desertions, it was clear that eventually there would not be enough men to hold the entrenchments against the Northerners, no matter how well-constructed they might be. On this date, Robert E. Lee wrote another letter to the Confederate War Department, pointing out that the shortage of fodder for the horses had forced him to temporarily disband much of his cavalry, sending the horses elsewhere to where forage could be had.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/8/2015 6:50:02 PM)

Early February, 1865:

Sherman's army was now making its way through South Carolina, and leaving ruin behind it. Almost to a man the Union soldiers felt a special antipathy for South Carolina, the state that had seceded first and fired the first shot. Where there were static lines between the Yankee and Rebel forces, it was not uncommon to see the pickets trading things like coffee and tobacco at one spot, while a neighboring South Carolina regiment would have to completely entrench, with the Federals firing as soon as a man showed himself. Resentment was not confined to the North: during the march through Georgia, the Southerners there had asked Sherman's men if they would do the same to South Carolina. They were doing considerably worse now, burning not only every foundry and mill, but the barns and even most of the private houses. What survived was mainly spared because the rains continued to fall.

The Confederates were surprised and dismayed that damping the fires seemed to be the only effect of the wet weather on the Yankees' progress. It was not supposed to be possible to cross the swampland of the state during the winter. True, the roads were indeed turned to mud, and occasionally even quicksand. Sherman used adjectives like "execrable" and "infamous" to describe them. But his Pioneer Corps solved the problem by "corduroying" the roads, that is, cutting logs and using them to pave the roads. The method had been extensively used before, but the Federals reached a new level of efficiency in the work, managing to advance ten miles (16 km) or more a day. Already they had cut the main rail line to Charleston. At that rate, the Northerners would reach Richmond in less than three months.

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Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/11/2015 7:34:11 PM)

Shenandoah Valley, Winter 1865:

Here, the Confederates were also having serious problems with supplies. It was a change from the first three years of the war, when the Valley had served as the breadbasket for Richmond and the Army of Northern Virginia. But "The Burning" of the previous Autumn, ruthless though it certainly was, had been effective. Philip Sheridan's destruction of food and forage had made it necessary to mostly evacuate what little the Southerners still held of the Valley:

The great drought during the summer of 1864 had made the corn crop in the Valley a very short one, and, as Sheridan had destroyed a considerable quantity of small grain and hay, I found it impossible to sustain the horses of my cavalry and artillery where they were, and forage could not be obtained from elsewhere. I was therefore compelled to send Fitz. Lee's two brigades to General Lee, and Lomax's cavalry was brought from across the Blue Ridge, where the country was exhausted of forage, and sent west into the counties of Pendleton, Highland, Bath, Alleghany and Greenbrier, where hay could be obtained. Rosser's brigade had to be temporarily disbanded, and the men allowed to go to their homes with their horses, to sustain them, with orders to report when called on,--one or two companies, whose homes were down the Valley, being required to picket and scout in front of New Market.

The men and horses of Lieutenant Colonel King's artillery were sent to Southwestern Virginia to be wintered, and most of the horses of the other battalions were sent off under care of some of the men, who undertook to forage them until spring. Nelson's battalion, with some pieces of artillery with their horses, was retained with me and the remaining officers and men of the other battalions were sent, under the charge of Colonel Carter, to General Lee, to man stationary batteries on his lines. Brigadier General Long, who had been absent on sick leave for some time and had returned, remained with me, and most of the guns which were without horses were sent to Lynchburg by railroad. This was a deplorable state of things, but it could not be avoided, as the horses of the cavalry and artillery would have perished had they been kept in the Valley.

[...]

Echols' brigade of Wharton's division was subsequently sent to Southwestern Virginia to report to General Echols for special duty, and McNeil's company of partisan rangers, and Woodson's company of unattached Missouri cavalry, were sent to the county of Hardy, Major Harry Gilmor being likewise ordered to that county, with the remnant of his battalion, to take charge of the whole, and operate against the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; but he was surprised and captured there, at a private house, soon after his arrival. Two very small brigades of Wharton's division, and Nelson's battalion with the few pieces of artillery which had been retained, were left, as my whole available force, and these were in winter quarters near Fishersville, on the Central railroad between Staunton and Waynesboro. The telegraph to New Market and the signal stations from there to the lower Valley were kept up, and a few scouts sent to the rear of the enemy, and in this way was my front principally picketed, and I kept advised of the enemy's movements. Henceforth my efficient and energetic signal officer, Captain Welbourn, was the commander of my advance picket line.

The winter was a severe one, and all material operations were suspended until its close...

--Jubal Early, Autobiographical Sketch and Narrative of the War Between the States

Early referred to winter weather conditions, rather than what the calendar said. Both Grant and Sheridan were impatient to eliminate the Confederate forces in the Valley entirely, so that Sheridan and his cavalry could return to the operations around Richmond. Things would begin to move before the month was out.



Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/12/2015 4:05:49 AM)

150 Years Ago Today:

In South Carolina, W. T. Sherman and his men continued to have more trouble with weather and terrain than with the Rebels. The major reason for this was that the Confederates were still uncertain about where they were going. The commanders at Charleston, and Augusta, Georgia, were equally sure that they were the Yankees' objective, and demanded reinforcements at the same time as they were making plans to evacuate. Sherman helped this uncertainty by taking a town halfway between the two cities:

All the heads of column reached this road, known as the Edgefield road, during the 12th, and the Seventeenth Corps turned to the right, against Orangeburg. When I reached the head of column opposite Orangeburg, I found Giles A. Smith's division halted, with a battery unlimbered, exchanging shots with a party on the opposite side of the Edisto. He reported that the bridge was gone, and that the river was deep and impassable. I then directed General Blair to send a strong division below the town, some four or five miles, to effect a crossing there. He laid his pontoon-bridge, but the bottom on the other side was overflowed, and the men had to wade through it, in places as deep as their waists. I was with this division at the time, on foot, trying to pick my way across the overflowed bottom; but, as soon as the head of column reached the sand-hills, I knew that the enemy would not long remain in Orangeburg, and accordingly returned to my horse, on the west bank, and rode rapidly up to where I had left Giles A. Smith. I found him in possession of the broken bridge, abreast of the town, which he was repairing, and I was among the first to cross over and enter the town. By and before the time either Force's or Giles A. Smith's skirmishers entered the place, several stores were on fire...

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

With the Union blockade almost completely effective, cotton was now of little use to the Confederates. Nonetheless, after the fall of Savannah, it was apparently a point of pride to prevent any more cotton from being captured by the Yankees.

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Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (2/13/2015 7:25:15 PM)

150 Years Ago Today:

Uniforms were never completely standardized during the Civil War, and it was not uncommon to find men from the border states fighting for either side. On this date, W. T. Sherman gained an advantage from the situation, and found out just how effective his strategy of confusing the Confederates as to his objective had been:

On the morning of the 13th I again joined the Fifteenth Corps, which crossed the North Edisto by Snilling's Bridge, and moved straight for Columbia, around the head of Caw-Caw Swamp. Orders were sent to all the columns to turn for Columbia, where it was supposed the enemy had concentrated all the men they could from Charleston, Augusta, and even from Virginia. That night I was with the Fifteenth Corps, twenty-one miles from Columbia, where my aide, Colonel Audenried, picked up a rebel officer on the road, who, supposing him to be of the same service with himself, answered all his questions frankly, and revealed the truth that there was nothing in Columbia except Hampton's cavalry. The fact was, that General Hardee, in Charleston, took it for granted that we were after Charleston; the rebel troops in Augusta supposed they were "our objective;" so they abandoned poor Columbia to the care of Hampton's cavalry, which was confused by the rumors that poured in on it, so that both Beauregard and Wade Hampton, who were in Columbia, seem to have lost their heads.

--Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

Sherman was being less than fair to P.G.T. Beauregard, who was now suffering a bout of poor health. The Confederate commander had realized that Columbia was the target, but the Northerners had already damaged the state's railroads and bridges to the point where rapid Southern troop movements were not possible. It also did not help that in Richmond, the Davis administration was refusing to believe Beauregard's dispatches. Surely no Yankee army could advance that rapidly in winter. Joseph Johnston would later write: "When I learned that Sherman’s army was marching through the Salk swamps, making its own corduroy roads at the rate of a dozen miles a day, I made up my mind that there had been no such army in existence since the days of Julius Caesar."


Indiana approved the 13th amendment. The total now stood at 14 states, half-way to the needed 27.



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