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Thursday, June 30, 2011

30 June 1862, Monday (Battle of Frayser's Farm)

Government - Union
In Washington, President Lincoln wrote of his anxiety over McClellan's position to his Secretary of State: "The loss of enemies does not compensate for the loss of friends."

Confederacy - Military
Virginia

Again the armies near Richmond fought a confused major battle. This one has as many as 8 names: White Oak Swamp, Frayser's Farm, Glendale, Nelson's Crossroads, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, Willis' Church and Turkey Bridge.

On this sixth day of the campaign, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was trying to attack McClellan from the north, across the desolate mire of White Oak Swamp, and from the west.

McClellan realized the plan and effectively halted it, aided by the same lack of coordination which had plagued the Confederate offensive since it began. Jackson again was accused of not carrying out his role, and Longstreet could not break the Union lines.

By night McClellan drew his lines tightly upon Malvern Hill just north of the James. In perhaps the decisive day of the weeklong campaign, Lee lost his last chance to cut McClellan's army in two and prevent it from reaching its haven.

It was clear that Richmond had been saved and a Southern victory of major proportions won, although the Union army was greater in size by far than that of the Confederacy. A Northern officer felt the army had been left to take care of itself "and was saved by its own brave fighting."

Kentucky
There is a small skirmish at HEnderson.

Tennessee
There is a small skirmish at Powell Rover.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

29 June, 1862, Sunday (Battle of Savage's Station)

Confederate - Military
Virginia

Confederate forces north of the Chickahominy cross the stream to follow the retreating McClellan. Confederates south of the river also gave pursuit. However, McClellan's rear guard withstood the disorganized drive that never fully materialized. Jacksonn was again tardy - although critics then and since have had differing views on why.

The withdrawing Union troops were forced to leave 2,500 sick and wounded at Savage's Station o0n the Richmond and York River Railroad east of Richmond.

There was a skirmish on the James River Road near Willis' Church.

There was a skirmish at Peach Orchard / Allen's Farm near Fair Oaks.

Western Virginia
There was a skirmish at Moorefield, Western Virginia.

Union - Military
Virginia

In the Shenandoah Valley there was a Union reconnaissance from Front Royal to Luray (about 22 miles one way).

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

28 June, 1862, Saturday (Passage of Vicksburg)

Union - Government
Late in the night, the War Department receives an angry telegram from McClellan, which is addressed to President Lincoln. They obliterate two sentences before showing the telegram to Lincoln.

What Lincoln did read was:
"I have lost this battle because my force was too small," blaming the President and the Administration bitterly and disclaiming responsibility for the defeat at Gaines' Mill despite the fact that he had not used a major part of his army.

The two sentences that Lincoln did not see were:
If I save this army now, I tell you plainly that I owe no thanks to you or any other persons in Washington. You have done your best to sacrifice this army."

Lincoln replied to what he did see of the message: "Save your Army at all events...If you have had a drawn battle, or a repulse, it is the price we pay for the enemy not being in Washington."

Union - Military
Mississippi

At 2 am, Farragutt's fleet was under way from south of Vicksburg, steaming up the Mississippi, in its attempt to force a passage past the batteries of the city. In two columns, the fleet proceeded and by 4 am the battle was joined.

By 6 am, all but three vessels had made it. Fifteen men were killed and thirty wounded in the Union fleet. Confederate casualties were negligible.

The action proved two points: first, a fleet could pass powerful land batteries without excessive damage or danger, and second, it was clear that a fleet alone could not take Vicksburg. A campain that was to last more than a year had begun.

There is a skirmish at Blackland.

South Carolina
In Charleston Harbor, Union troops were pulled off James Island and momentarily gave up the attempt to get at Charleston and its harbor forts from the low-lying islands.

Virginia
On the quietest of the Seven Days in Virginia, McClellan and his army began to withdraw douth from near Richmond toward the James River. Lee reorganized his command for another offensive blow, for by evening he knew the Army of the Potomac, was headed toward the river.

White House on the Pamunkey, was evacuated and burned. There was fighting at Garnett's and Golding's Farms, and at Dispatch Station on the Richmond and York River Railroad. Meanwhile, the navy moved up the James from Fort Monroe to open communications, with McClellan's army expected at Harrison's Landing.

Tennessee
There was a skrimish at Sparta.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

27 June 2011: Friday (Battle of Gaines' Mill)

Union - Government
In Washington, President Lincoln accepted GEneral Fremont's resignation, which had been offered on June 17. With this resignation, Fremont's military career ends.

In northern Virginia, John Pope assumes command of his new Army of Virginia.

Confederacy - Military/Government
General Bragg assumes permanent command of the Department of the West.

Confederates - Military
Virginia

Robert E. Lee had to strike again. Most of his army had moved away from Richmond and there was little between the capitol and the Confederacy and the main Union Army of the Potomac. But General McClellan, too, was in troubble. The enemy was on his right flank and rear. Fitz John Porter, north of the Chickahominy, was ordered to hold Gaines' Mill at any cost so as to enable McClellan to prepare a change of base to the James River.

Confederates attacked in midafternoon across ravines, fields and swamps against the strong semicircle defence positions. Again there was poor coordination by Southern commanders, and again the Union soldiers exacted great toll. Again Jackson was delayed.

At dark, John Bell Hood's TExas brigade and troops of George E. Pickett broke through Porter's line. But the disorganized Confederates could not fully exploit the success, despite confusion among the Union troops. Porter withdrew the remains of his corps across the Chickahominy and rejoined the main Army of the Potomac.

South of the river, there had been only minor fighting at Fair Oaks and elsewhere as John Bankhead Magruder skillfully demonstrated with his inferior force against the bulk of the Union army.

Porter had perhaps 36,000 soldiers ready for duty with 894 killed, 3107 wounded, and 2,836 missing or captured, for a total of 6,837 casualties.

Confederate effectives numbered about 57,000, with casualties around 8,750.

McClellan withdraws and retreats to the James in the face of the Southern drive. Some will call it a strategic withdrawal rather than a defeat. Others call it "the great skedaddle."

Mississippi
At Vicksburg, a mortar bombardment from the south continued and Union troops began the active phase of their canal diggingon the Louisiana side, across from the threatened fortress.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish at Stewart's Plantation.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Sunday, June 26, 2011

26 June, 1862: Thursday (Battle of Mechanicsville)

Government - Union
A primary command change is announced in Washington. Major GEneral John Pope is formally assigned command of the newly created Army of Virginia, which included the old Mountain Department, the Department of the Rappahannock, and the Department of the Shenandoah. The main task of the new command was to protect Washington and, more importantly, to consolidate all land forces in Virginia, not including the army of the Potomac, so that they could move overland to aid McClellan and take the pressure off his army near Richmond. At the same time Lincoln continued to tell McClellan that he was sending him all the men possible.

Military - Confederacy
Virginia

The Seven Days continue.

Three Confederate divisions are ready to strike at McClellan's east of Richmond. Stonewall Jackson's force was not yet up, but Lee's plan was clear. A. P. Hill was to cross the Chickahominy at Meadow Bridge, push the Union troops out of Mechanicsville, and clear the way for D. H. Hill and Longstreet.

Jackson was to come in on the left and all were to sweep backward Fitz John Porter's large Union corps. The rest of the Union army was out of reach, on the southwest side of the Chickahominy.

But where was Jackson and his men?

At 3 pm A. P. Hill attacked without him. The Confederates pushed through Mechanicsville as planned and Porter fell back to Beeaver Dam Creek and Ellerson's Mill to a strong, prepared position.Hill did not stop, but threw his men forward in frontal assault. The charge was a failure.

Jackson did not get into things, the first of several delays charged to Jackson during the Seven Days.

The cost for the Confederates was 1484, to 361 for the Union, with effective forces engaged of 14,000 Confederates and over 15,000 Union.

During the night, Porter, threatened by the bulk of the Confederate army, withdrew to another prepared position near Gaines' Mill, behind Boatswain Swamp.

Military - Union
His base at White House on the Pamunkey severely threatened by the Confederates, General McClellan ordered his supplies sent to the James River, where a new base would be set up at Harrison's Landing.

Mississippi
On the Mississippi, the mortar boats bombarded the Confederate gun positions at Vicksburg from the south, preparing the way for Farragutt's fleet to pass to the north and hook up with the gunboats above Vicksburg.



Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Union League

From Wikipedia:
A Union League is one of a number of organizations established starting in 1862, during the American Civil War to promote loyalty to the Union and the policies of Abraham Lincoln. They were also known as Loyal Leagues. They comprised upper middle class men who supported efforts such as the United States Sanitary Commission, which helped treat wounded soldiers after battle. The Clubs supported the Republican Party, with funding, organizational support, and political activism.

Many of these organizations survive. Membership in the league is selective, and is comparable in social status to membership in a country club. Union League buildings often serve as venues for lavish social events. During Reconstruction, Union Leagues were formed across the South after 1867 as working auxiliaries of the Republican Party. They mobilized freedmen to register to vote and to vote Republican. They discussed political issues, promoted civic projects, and mobilized workers opposed to certain employers. Most branches were segregated but there were a few that were racially integrated. The leaders of the all-black units were mostly urban blacks from the North, who had never been slaves.

After the Civil War, the Union League Club of New York founded the Metropolitan Museum of Art, built the Statue of Liberty's pedestal and built Grant's Tomb. The Union League of Philadelphia—the first Union League—still exists, as do the Union League Clubs of New York and Chicago. The building of the former Union League Club of Brooklyn now serves as a senior citizens' home, while the home of the former Union League Club of New Haven is used as a restaurant.

The Union League Civic and Arts Foundation was established in 1949 as a public, not-for-profit charitable and educational organization. The Foundation's mission is one of community enrichment; it is funded largely by contributions from members of the Union League Club of Chicago. Famous members include Cyrus McCormick, Robert Todd Lincoln, Daniel Burnham, William D. Boyce. and Charles D. Barney.

Today, the most prominent of the remaining union leagues is the oldest and first: The Union League of Philadelphia. Founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of President Abraham Lincoln, it laid the philosophical foundation of other Union Leagues across a nation torn by Civil War. The Union League of Philadelphia has hosted U.S. presidents, heads of state, industrialists, entertainers and visiting dignitaries from around the globe. It has also given loyal support to the American military in each conflict since the Civil War, and continues to be driven by its founding motto, "Love of Country Leads." Although no longer exclusively Republican or male in membership, The Union League of Philadelphia has maintained its identity as distinctly traditional and politically conservative.

The classic French Renaissance-styled Union League of Philadelphia building, with its brick and brownstone façade and dramatic twin circular staircases leading to the main entrance on Broad Street, was designed by John Fraser and completed in May 1865 [the opening was originally scheduled for March 1865, with President Lincoln in attendance, but was delayed due to Civil War-related construction supply shortages].

Additions to the building in the Beaux Arts style, by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer and his chief designer Julian Abele and completed in 1910 and 1911, expanded the building to occupy an entire city block. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Adorning the walls and hallways is The Union League of Philadelphia’s distinguished collection of art and artifacts. The collection is a rich, historical chronicle of Philadelphia’s unique imprint upon the American landscape from the 19th century to today and is recognized by historians and art experts as valuable components of our shared American history. A major Heritage Center is currently being added on-site to provide a permanent venue where The Union League of Philadelphia's extensive Civil War-related archives and collections can be stored and viewed by members and visiting scholars.

BLT Architects designed long-term interior renovations for the Union League of Philadelphia building to ensure structural integrity, enhance operating cost effectiveness, and respond to the constantly evolving needs of the club’s members. In 2005 the main kitchen was upgraded to improve handicap access. The Heritage room, one of the building’s most historic rooms; The Meredith, a fine dining room; the Cigar Lounge and first floor's Grand Corridor were all renovated and updated. In 2007 the Inn at the Union League of Philadelphia building was renovated by BLT Architects with the addition of 17 new guestrooms. In 2009 BLT Architects updated dining facilities for the restaurant at the Union League of Philadelphia building to accommodate its 3,500 members.

In the 21st century, the Union League of Philadelphia is home to members who keep alive the League’s traditions. As they did in 1862, today’s members represent the Philadelphia region’s Republican leaders in business, education, religion, the arts and culture. The Union League of Philadelphia’s civic participation and philanthropic outreach takes the form of three charitable foundations: The Youth Work Foundation, The Scholarship Foundation and The Abraham Lincoln Foundation, which educate the public about our nation’s history, recognize student role models in our region’s schools, and provide awards and scholarships to deserving students.

25 June 1862: Wednesday - the Seven Days begin

Government - Union
President Lincoln leaves West Point in the morning after his conference with GEneral Scott and reaches WAshington in early evening.

Civilian - Union
At Pekin, Illinois, a grup known as the Union League is organized. A patriotic and political group, it will have considerable influence in poostwar years. Its wartime purpose was to bolster Northern morale and faith.

Military - Union
Virginia

What will become known as the Seven Days Campaign before Richmond begins mildly enough, with the secondary engagement known variously as Oak Grove, King's School House, French's Field, or The Orchard.

General Georgw B. McClellan orders forward advance units on his left which he said were prepatory to a general forward movement. However, the main attack by men of Samuel Heintzelman's corps was well met by Confederate forces under Benjamin Huger.

By evening there was little change in the lines a few miles east of Richmond.

Union lost at least 51 killed, 401 wounded, and 64 missing for 516
Confederates lost 40 killed, 263 wounded, and 13 missing for 316.

In the Confederate ranks, the mild Union advance did not upset the plans for the attack scheduled for June 26. Jackson's forces were approaching from the west and north, and it was hoped all would be ready for a coordinated attack on McClellan's right.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish at Yellville.

Western Virginia
There is a skirmish at Mungo Flats.

Tennessee
There is a skirmish near La Fayette Station

Mississippi
On the Mississippi, Thomas Williams and his 3,000 Union troops , escorted by Farragutt's squadron arrives opposite Vicksburg, where they are about to start attempting to dig a canal across Swampy Toe in an attempt to isolate the city.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Friday, June 24, 2011

24 June 1862: Tuesday

Government - Confederacy
President Davis tells General Van Dorn at Vicksburg, "The people will sustain you in your heroic determination, and may God bless you with success."

Military - Confederacy
Virginia
Skirmishing increases at Mechanicsville, just north of Richmond, as Confederates probe the Union lines.

North Carolina
A recommaissance takes place from Washington to Tranter's Creek.

Mississippi
There is a skirmish at Hamilton's Plantation, near Grand Gulf, Mississippi.


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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Thursday, June 23, 2011

23 June, 1862: Monday

Government - Union
President Lincoln leaves Washington, DC late in the afternoon for New York and West Point, where he will confer with General Winfield Scott.

Military - Confederacy
Virginia
Robert E. Lee gathers his principle genwrals at Dabbs' House, north of Richmond. Stonewall Jackson is one of those present - he had went on ahead of his army, wich was coming from the Shenandoah.

Although Lee had already decided to take the offensive, many details had to be worked out. Richmond could not withstand a seige, an offensive now was imperative. Lee pointed out that this attack must turn McClellan's line.

After stating his case, Lee withdrew, allowing the other officers to work out the plans which were approved. The drive was to begin June 26. After this, Jackson headed west again to hurry forward his indispensable three divisions.

An unrelated skirmish takes place at New Kent Court House.

Missouri
A skirmish takes place at Pineville and near Raytown.

Arkansas
A skirmish takes place at Augustus.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

22 June, 1862: Sunday

Virginia - Military
There is very little action on this day, although the sodliers, both Confederate and Union in Virgina, await the battle they know must come.

Thirty Sisteres of Charity arrive at Fort Monre to administer to the sick and wouded of the Army of the Potomac.


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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

21 June 1862: Saturday

Government - Confederacy
President Davis writes to his wife: "We are preparing and taking position for the struggle which must be near at hand. The stake is too high to permit the pulse to keep its even beat. ... A total defeat of McClellan will relieve the Confederacy of its embarrasments in the East, and then we must make a desperate effort to regain what Beauregard has abndoned in the West."

Government - Union
Lincoln sends a telegram to McClellan, requesting McClellan to give him his views as to military affairs throughout the country.

Military - Union
Virginia
There are a few slight skirmishers along the battle lines on the Chickahominy near Richmond.

There is a skirmish near Fair Oaks Station.

South Carolina
There is a skirmish At Simmon's Bluff.

Tennessee
There is a skirmish at Rankin's Ferry, near Jasper.

Mississippi
There is a skirmish at Colwater Station.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Monday, June 20, 2011

20 June 1862, Friday

Union - Military
Louisiana
From Baton Rouge, a Union expedition gets under way toward Vicksburg. Three thousand men under Brigadier General Thomas Williams and 3,000 men board ship and travel north, accompanied by Farragut's gunboats. Their intent is to establish a base at Swampy Toe on the West side of the Mississippi opposite Vicksburg, and to dig a canal by which small vessels could bypass the ever increasing batteries on the east side.

Confederacy - Military
Major GEneral Earl Van Dorn assumes command of the Confederate Department of Southern Mississippi and East Louisiana, tasked with the defense of the Mississippi.

Louisiana
There is a skirmish at Bayou des Allemands.

Virginia
There is a skirmish near New Bridge and at Gill's Bluff on the James.

Kentucky
Several days of guerilla activities ((by the Confederates) begin in Owen County.

Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Sunday, June 19, 2011

19 June, 1862: Thursday

Government - Confederacy
In Richmond, President Davis writes Governor John J. Pettus of Mississippi, "My efforts to provide for the military wants of your section have been sadly frustrated.

Government - Union
President Lincoln signs into law a measure prohibiting slavery in the territories of the United States.

Military - Union
Virginia
There is a skirmish near Richmond on the Charles City Road.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish at Knight's Cove.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Transport Museum Reports Theft Of Civil War Coins

Webster-Kirkwood Times: Transport Museum Reports Theft Of Civil War Coins

Historic Civil War coins have been stolen from an exhibit at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation.

"We are deeply saddened and shocked that someone would steal these significant Civil War artifacts from our display," said David Ahner, president of the Transport Museum Association and Museum Management Committee.

"Money of the U.S. Civil War," a traveling exhibit on loan from the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo., opened on Friday, June 10, in the Musick Mezzanine in the Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center at the Museum of Transportation.

On Sunday morning, June 12, six significant Civil War coins were discovered missing from the display. This exhibit is the first in a series at the museum commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.

"The Museum of Transportation is reaching out to the St. Louis community to request help in recovering these historically irreplaceable artifacts," said Ahner. "These coins are important piece of our collective history. They must be returned so future generations can appreciate our nation's past."

If anyone has information about these coins, contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477), www.stlrcs.org or St. Louis County Police, 889-2341. The museum, located at 3015 Barrett Station Road, is a division of St. Louis County Parks.

Immerse Yourself in Civil War History in Litchfield

St. Louis Park Patch: Immerse Yourself in Civil War History in Litchfield

The Meeker County Historical Society is open Tuesday through Sunday.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War—the bloodiest conflict in the nation’s history that resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 Union and Confederate combatants and civilians.

To get a feel for this epic period, visit the Meeker County Historical Society in Litchfield, which is 65 miles west of the Twin Cities on Highway 12. The Historical Society is housed in a G.A.R. Hall, the only one still standing in Minnesota. The G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) was a fraternal organization founded after the Civil War and its membership was made up of Union veterans. Many G.A.R. halls were built throughout the North, but few remain today.

The one in Litchfield is open Tuesdays through Sundays from Noon to 4 pm. It contains a good number of Civil War artifacts as well as a 1868 log cabin, farming and blacksmithing equipment, clothing and American Indian items.

The Society is located in downtown Litchfield at 308 Marshall Ave., which is the main street of the city and is on the east side of the town square, Central Park.

Further information is available by calling 320-693-8911, emailing mchsgar@hutchtel.net or visiting www.garminnesota.org

18 June, 1862: Wednesday

Government - Union
President Lincoln asks General McClellan when he could attack Richmond. The President also discusses drafts of his Emancipation Proclamation with Vice President Hannibal Hamlin.

Military - Union
Kentucky
Northern troops under Brigadier General George W. Morgan occupy Cumberland Gap, an important trail through the rugged mountains where Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia join. The Confederates destroyed their stores and withdrew.

There is a skirmish at nearby Wilson's Gap.

Mississippi
Below Vincksburg on the Mississippi, Admiral Farragut continues to assemble his flotilla, including the mortar fleet, prepatory to a move northward past Vicksburg batteries.

In Vincksburg, the Confederates are building extensive fortifications that had long been neglected, and were preparing for attack.

Missouri
There is a skirmish at Hambright's Station.

Virginia
There is a skirmish at Fair Oaks, east of Richmond.



Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Friday, June 17, 2011

Union Major General: Franz Sigel


Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.

Early life
Sigel was born in Sinsheim, Baden (Germany), and attended the gymnasium in Bruchsal.

He graduated from Karlsruhe Military Academy in 1843, and was commissioned a lieutenant in the Baden Army. He got to know the revolutionaries Friedrich Hecker and Gustav von Struve and became associated with the revolutionary movement. He was wounded in a duel in 1847. The same year, he retired from the army to begin law school studies in Heidelberg. After organizing a revolutionary free corps in Mannheim and later in the Seekreis county, he soon became a leader of the Baden revolutionary forces (with the rank of colonel) in the 1848 Revolution, being one of the few revolutionaries with military command experience. In April 1848, he led the "Sigel-Zug", recruiting a militia of more than 4,000 volunteers to lead a siege against the city of Freiburg.

His army was defeated badly on April 23, 1848 by the better-equipped and more experienced Prussian and Württemberg troops. In 1849, he became Secretary of War and commander-in-chief of the revolutionary republican government of Baden. Wounded in a skirmish, Sigel had to resign his command but continued to support the revolutionary war effort as adjutant general to his successor Ludwik Mieroslawski. In July, after the defeat of the revolutionaries by Prussian troops and Mieroslawski's departure, Sigel led the retreat of the remaining troops in their flight to Switzerland. Sigel later went on to England. Sigel emigrated to the United States in 1852, as did many other German Forty-Eighters.

Sigel taught in the New York City public schools and served in the state militia. He married a daughter of Rudolf Dulon and taught in Dulon's school. In 1857, he became a professor at the German-American Institute in St. Louis. He was elected director of the St. Louis public schools in 1860. He was influential in the Missouri immigrant community, and attracted Germans to the Union and anti-slavery causes when he openly supported them in 1861.

Civil War
Shortly after the start of the war, Sigel was commissioned colonel of the 3rd Missouri Infantry, a commission dating from May 4, 1861. He recruited and organized an expedition to southwest Missouri, and subsequently fought the Battle of Carthage, where a force of pro-Confederate Missouri militia handed him a setback in a strategically insignificant fight. However, Sigel's defeat did help spark recruitment for the Missouri State Guard and local Confederate forces. Sigel later took part in a skirmish at Dug Springs.

Throughout the summer, President Abraham Lincoln was actively seeking the support of anti-slavery, pro-Unionist immigrants. Sigel, always popular with the German immigrants, was a good candidate to advance this plan. He was promoted to brigadier general on August 7, 1861, to rank from May 17, one of a number of early political generals endorsed by Lincoln.

Sigel served under Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon in the capture of the Confederate Camp Jackson in St. Louis and at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, where his command was routed after making a march around the Confederate camp and attacking from the rear. Sigel conducted the retreat of the army after the death of General Lyon.

His finest performance came on March 8, 1862, at the Battle of Pea Ridge, where he commanded two divisions and personally directed the Union artillery in the defeat of Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn on the second day of the battle.

Sigel was promoted to major general on March 21, 1862. He served as a division commander in the Shenandoah Valley and fought unsuccessfully against Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, who managed to outwit and defeat the larger Union force in a number of small engagements. He commanded the I Corps in Maj. Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia at the Second Battle of Bull Run, another Union defeat, where he was wounded in the hand.

Over the winter of 1862–63, Sigel commanded the XI Corps, consisting primarily of German immigrant soldiers, in the Army of the Potomac. During this period, the corps saw no action; it stayed in reserve during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Sigel had developed a reputation as an inept general, but his ability to recruit and motivate German immigrants kept him alive in a politically sensitive position.

Many of these soldiers could speak little English beyond "I'm going to fight mit Sigel", which was their proud slogan and which became one of the favorite songs of the war. They were quite disgruntled when Sigel left the corps in February 1863 and was replaced by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, who had no immigrant affinities. (The two black marks in the XI Corps' reputation—Chancellorsville and Gettysburg—would occur after he was relieved.)

The reason for Sigel's relief is unclear. Some accounts cite failing health; others that he expressed his displeasure at the small size of his corps and asked to be relieved. General-in-chief Henry W. Halleck detested Sigel and managed to keep him relegated to light duty in eastern Pennsylvania until March 1864. President Lincoln, for political reasons, directed Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to place Sigel in command of the new Department of West Virginia.

In his new command, Sigel opened the Valley Campaigns of 1864, launching an invasion of the Shenandoah Valley. He was soundly defeated by Maj. Gen. John C. Breckenridge at the Battle of New Market, on May 15, 1864, which was particularly embarrassing due to the prominent role young cadets from the Virginia Military Institute played in his defeat. In July, he fought Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early at Harpers Ferry, but soon afterward was relieved of his command for "lack of aggression" and replaced by Maj. Gen. David Hunter. Sigel spent the rest of the war without an active command.

Postbellum career
Sigel resigned his commission on May 4, 1865. He worked as editor of the Baltimore Wecker for a short time, and then as a newspaper editor in New York City. He filled a variety of political positions there, both as a Democrat and a Republican.

In 1869, he ran on the Republican ticket for Secretary of State of New York but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat Homer Augustus Nelson. In May 1871 he was collector of internal revenue, and then in October 1871 register of the city. In 1887, President Grover Cleveland appointed him pension agent for the city of New York. He also lectured, worked in advertising and published the New York Monthly, a German-American periodical, for some years.

Franz Sigel died in New York in 1909 and is buried there in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Honors
Statues of him stand in Riverside Park in Manhattan and in Forest Park in St. Louis. There is also a park named for him in the Bronx, just south of the Courthouse near Yankee Stadium. Seigel Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was named after him, as well as the village of Sigel, Pennsylvania, founded in 1865. Sigel Township, Minnesota, settled in 1856 and organized in April 1862, was also named for Sigel. In about 1873 Sigel himself visited Sigel Township and New Ulm, Minnesota.

17 June 1862: Tuesday

Union - Military
In command changes, Major General John Charles Fremont resigns his post when ordered to serve under Major General John Pope. Pope is being brought east from the Mississippi Valley to command a new Army of Virginia which will consist primarily of Fremont's and Banks' commands. Franz Sigel is given Fremont's position.

Confederates - Military (I)
General Braxton Bragg is named commander of the Western Department of the Confederate Army, now mainly in and around Tupelo, Mississippi. He succeeds the ailing and disgruntled Beauregard. Bragg, never a popular commander, is thus given an opportunity to see what he could do with the precarious military situation in the West.

Confederates - Military
Virginia

Stonewall Jackson and his troops begin leaving the valley of the Shenandoah. The men are shipped rapidly east towards Richmond and a hoped-for offensive on the Peninsula of Virginia against McClellan.

Missouri
There is a skirmish at Eminence, and near Warrensburg.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish near Smithville

Louisiana
There is a skirmish near Pass Manchac.


____________
BibliographyThe Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Confederate Brig Gen: Nathan George. Evans


Nathan George "Shanks" Evans (February 3, 1824 – November 23, 1868) was a captain in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry who became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

Evans was born in Marion, South Carolina, the third son of Thomas and Jane Beverly (née Daniel) Evans. He briefly attended Randolph-Macon College before receiving an appointment to West Point from John C. Calhoun. After graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1848, Evans served on the western frontier with the dragoons and cavalry before resigning in 1861 to enter Confederate service. He was commissioned a colonel and commanded a small brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run, where it was said his command went far toward saving the day for the South. During the thick of the fight, he was everywhere, closely followed by an aide carrying a "barrelito" (small barrel) of Evans' favorite whiskey on his back.

A number of examples of Evans' good tactical leadership and bravery in battle are recorded. However, his abrasive personality and his passion for intoxicating beverages led to his constant difficulties with colleagues and superiors.

He was given command of a brigade of Mississippi and Virginia troops and assigned to guard the upper fords of the Potomac River, above Washington, D.C.. In October 1861, a Union force crossed the river near Leesburg, Virginia, and at the Battle of Ball's Bluff Evans' command drove the enemy into the Potomac River, inflicting great loss. Evans was promoted to brigadier general to be effective from the day of the battle.

He was then sent to assist in defending the coastal areas just south of Charleston. He was placed in command of the First Military District which included Secessionville, just days before the battle there, but played little part in it. In July 1862, he was given command of a newly-formed brigade of South Carolina troops and led it to Richmond to join Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Evans' Brigade participated in the battles of Second Manassas, South Mountain and Antietam in 1862 and was then assigned to Eastern North Carolina to oppose a major Union raid on Kinston and Goldsboro. After this campaign, he was tried and acquitted for drunkenness during the Battle of Kinston.

In the summer of 1863, Evans' Brigade was assigned to General Joseph E. Johnston's army during the Vicksburg Campaign. After this campaign, the brigade returned to Charleston where Evans quarreled with General Roswell S. Ripley and was tried for disobedience of orders. Following Evans' acquittal, General P.G.T. Beauregard still considered Evans incompetent and would not return him to command. He was finally reinstated to command in the spring of 1864, but was severely injured in a buggy accident in Charleston as he was preparing to take his brigade north to the Petersburg Campaign.

Although Evans recovered somewhat from his injury, he was never returned to command. He held a lesser position at the War Department for a time and fled Richmond with President Jefferson Davis. He and his brother-in-law, Brigadier General Martin W. Gary, accompanied the Davis party until it spent the night of May 1, 1865, at the Gary family home in Cokesbury, South Carolina.

After the war, Evans became a high school principal in Cokesbury and then in Midway, Alabama, where he died in 1868, at age 44, probably from the effects of his previous Charleston accident. He was buried in Tabernacle Cemetery in Cokesbury.

General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, son of Robert E. Lee, once wrote of Evans:
"Shanks" Evans, as he was so called, was a graduate of the military academy, a native South Carolinian, served in the respected old Second Dragoons, and was a good example of the rip-roaring, scorn all-care element which so largely abounded in that regiment. Evans had the honor of opening the fight (First Manassas), we might say fired the first gun of the war.

Union Brig. Gen: Henry Washington Benham


Henry Washington Benham (April 17, 1813 – July 1, 1884) was an American soldier and civil engineer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Benham was born at Cheshire, Connecticut He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1837. He was connected with various government works as a member of the Engineer Corps, and served in the Mexican War in 1847-48. From 1849 to 1852, he was superintending engineer of the sea wall for the protection of Great Brewster Island, Boston Harbor, and from 1852 to 1853 of the Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard.

In 1861 he was appointed engineer of the Department of the Ohio; in the same year he was promoted to be a brigadier general of volunteers and commanded a brigade at New Creek. He disobeyed orders and was subject to a court martial after the battle of James Island on June 16, 1862, at which he was in immediate command under Gen David Hunter. From 1863 to 1865, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was in command of the engineer brigade of the Army of the Potomac.

Benham was mustered out of the volunteer service with rank of brevet major general, U. S. Volunteers and the U. S. Army. Promoted to colonel in 1867, he was in charge of the Boston Harbor sea wall from 1866 to 1873, and of the defenses of New York Harbor from 1877 to 1882. He was an expert in the construction of pontoon bridges.

16 June 1862: Monday (Engagement of Secessionville, SC)

Military - Confederacy
Virginia

The rest of JEB Stuart's cavalry arrives in Richmond.

There is a skirmish in the Shenandoah at Mount Jackson.

Tennessee
There is a skirmish at Winchester.

Military - Union
South Carolina

Union troops under Brigadier General H. W. Benham from James Island near Charleston assault Confederate works at Secessionville, SC, a hamlet on the low-lying island, which was defended by men under N. G. Evans.

Benham's assaults failed completely, and he disobeyed orders and advice in making the drive. (Eventually he would be relieved of his command.)

The outcome of the operation seriously retarded Union operations aimed at controlling Charleston Harbor.

Union: 6,600 men-107 killed, 487 wounded, 89 missing for 683 casualties.
Confederates: 2,500 men, 52 killed, 144 wounded, 8 missing for a total of 204.

________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

15 June, 1862: Sunday

Government - Union
President Lincoln writes to Fremont in the Shenandoah that Jackson "is much more likely to go to Richmond than Richmond is to come to him." The President believes that Confederate moves were to make it appear that they were reinforcing the valley when their intention was to move Jackson from the valley to Lee.

Military - Confederates
Virginia

A triumphant JEB Stuart arrives in Richmond to report personally to General Lee on his successful ride around McClellan.

There is controversy to the value of Stuart's ride. He was able to tell Lee about the terrain, Union dispositions, and the condition of the country, but his actions also alerted McClelln to the danger on his flanks and made him better prepared to resist the attack that came later in the month.

There is a skirmish at Seven Pines.

Florida
Union naval forces descend upon St. Mark's.

Tennessee
There is fighting at Big Creek Gap in the Cumberland Mountains.

__________
BibliographyThe Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

14 June 1862: Saturday

Military - Confederates
Virginia

Working quickly, JEB Stuart's Confederates rebuild the destroyed bridge on the Chickahominy at Forge Site. After three hours the band of men proceed. Stuart was only 35 miles from Richmond and he had to go around the left flank of the enemy this time.

Stuart himself hurried on to report and left the command in the hands of Fitzhugh Lee. The main column moved via Charles City Court House and Malvern Hill to Richmond, arriving on June 16.

Mississippi
There is a skirmish at Clear Creek, near Baldwyn.

Florida
A two-day Union expedition from Pensacola to Milton and back begins.

_______________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Monday, June 13, 2011

13 June 1862: Friday

Military - Confederacy
Virginia

Turning southeast from the Santa Anna north of Richmond, Stuart's troopers move around the right flank of McClellan's army, through Hanover Curt House. At Haw's Shop there is a brief skirmish, and another at Old Church a few miles farther on.

Now was the time for the decision to go back or continue on around the Army of the Potomac. Stuart decided to go ahead. At Tunstall's Station a Union train escapes the raiders, but Stuart rode on into the night and by morning attempted to cross the Forge Bridge over the Chickahominy.

There is a skirmish at New Market in the Shenandoah.

South Carolina
There is a skirmish near Hilton Head.


______________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Sunday, June 12, 2011

JEB Stuart


James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use of cavalry in support of offensive operations. While he cultivated a cavalier image (red-lined gray cape, yellow sash, hat cocked to the side with a ostrich plume, red flower in his lapel, often sporting cologne), his serious work made him the trusted eyes and ears of Robert E. Lee's army and inspired Southern morale.

Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854 and served in Texas and Kansas with the U.S. Army, a veteran of the frontier conflicts with Native Americans and the violence of Bleeding Kansas. He participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry. Resigning when his home state of Virginia seceded, he served first under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, but then in increasingly important cavalry commands of the Army of Northern Virginia, playing a role in all of that army's campaigns until his death.

He established a reputation as an audacious cavalry commander and on two occasions (during the Peninsula Campaign and the Maryland Campaign) circumnavigated the Union Army of the Potomac, bringing fame to himself and embarrassment to the North. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, he distinguished himself as a temporary commander of the wounded Stonewall Jackson's infantry corps.

Arguably Stuart's most famous campaign, Gettysburg, was marred when he was surprised by a Union cavalry attack at the Battle of Brandy Station and by his separation from Lee's army for an extended period, leaving Lee unaware of Union troop movements and arguably contributing to the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg. Stuart received significant criticism from the Southern press as well as the postbellum proponents of the Lost Cause movement, but historians have failed to agree on whether Stuart's exploit was entirely the fault of his judgment or simply bad luck and Lee's less-than-explicit orders.

During the 1864 Overland Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's cavalry launched an offensive to defeat Stuart, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern.

12 June 1862: Thursday (Jeb Stuart Begins Ride Around McClellan)

Government - Union
President Lincoln wires to General Fremont that : "Jackson is largely reinforced, and is turning upon you. Stand well on your guard...

Military - Confederacy
Virginia

At 2 am, Brigadier General James Ewell Brown Stuart and his 1,200 cavalry and some artillery start out on an expedition from Richmond that will eventually develop into the now famous ride around the entire Union army on the Peninsula, which will last for four days.

On this first day, the ride covers some 22 miles and they encamp for the evening near the South Santa Anna at Winston Farm.

Meanwhile, Confederates under Robert E. Lee send reinforcements to Stonewall Jackson in the valley to give the impression that a major thrust would be made northward in that area. Jackson's men were encamped near Weyer's Cave while Union troops left Harrisonburg and occupied Mount Jackson.

Arkansas
There is skirmishing at Waddell's Farm near Village Creek. There is also a skirmish near Jacksonport.


South Carolina

There is a skirmish on Hutchinson's Island.



________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Saturday, June 11, 2011

11 June 1862: Tuesday

Confederates - Government
Jefferson Davis writes to his wife of his worry over the "prejudice in our Army against Labor." As for the enemy, he stated, "If we succeed in rendering his works useless to him and compel him to meet us on the field, I have much confidence in our ability to give him a complete defeat, and then it may be possible to teach him the pains of invasion and to feed our Army on his territory."

Union - Military
Virginia

General Fremont pulls back from the Port Republic area to Mount Jackson in the Shenandoah, under orders from Washington.

Mississippi
There is a skirmish near Boonesville, not far from Corinth.

Kentucky
There is a skirmish at Monterey.

Missouri
There are skirmishes at Cassville, Deep Water and Pink Hill.

Tennessee
In the mountains there is a skirmish at Big Creek Gap.

_____
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Friday, June 10, 2011

10 June 1862: Tuesday

Military - Union
Mississippi

At Corinth. General Halleck reassigns Ulysses Grant, D. C. Buell and John Pope to their seperate army corps. GRant, after being second in command in the Corinth campaign, was thus again actually leading troops.


South Carolina
There is skirmishing at James Island, near Charleston.

Tennessee
There are skirmishes at Winchester, Rogers' Gap and Wilson's Gap.

Western Virgina
There is a skirmish at the mouth of West Fork.

Arkansas
There is skirmishing on the White River.


Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Thursday, June 9, 2011

9 June 1862: Monday (Battle of Port Republic)

Confederates - Military
Virginia

Stonewall Jackson left an enlarged brigade west of the south fork of the Shenandoah River. They were to watch Fremont while Ewell's men were brought across the stream to Port Republic. Jackson's command opposed Shield's main Union force under E. B. Tyler north of the village.

At first the attacking Confederates were driven back, but the arrival of Ewell allowed them to envelop a portion of the Union line. By late morning Tyler's men retired and the Confederates followed, but only briefly.

Fremont, meanwhile, had pushed cautiously ahead but had not crossed the river. The Union had no more than 3,000 engaged to 5,000 for Jackson. The Union had 67 killed, 393 wounded, and 558 missing or captured for 1018, to total losses for the Confederates of 804.

Cross Keys and Port Republic were the last battles in Jackson's brilliant Shenandoah Valley Campaign. In 38 days,from April 29-June 5, he had marched about 400 miles, and kept many thousands of Union troops guessing. Despite the fact that Jackson was outnumbered, the Union forces were unable to bring him to bay.

Union - Military
After Port Royal, Shield's division was ordered back with the rest of McDowell's corps toward Fredericksburg. President Lincoln ordered Fremont to halt at Harrisonburg and pursue Jackson no further.


Mississippi

Union vessels Wissahickon and Itasca, on the Mississippi, engage Confederate-held batteries of Grand Gulf.

South of Corinth, Union reconnaissance continues to Baldwyn and Guntown.


Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

8 June, 1862: Sunday (Battle of Cross Keys, VA)

Confederacy - Military
Virginia
Stonewall Jackson and his troops, at Port Republic, faces two Union columns coming south up the Shenandoah, one to the west commanded by Fremont and one to the north commanded by James Shield.

Jackson is attacked by Fremont on the west side of the South Fork of the Shenandoah at Cross Keys. At the same time he is almost captured by a small Union party from the north at nearby Port Republic, but they were beaten off.

The main Confederate fighting at Cross Keys was conducted by R. S. Ewell, who successfully defended his position and forced Fremont partially to withdraw.

Ewell had about 6,500 men. Fremont had 10,500 men.

Union: 114 killed, 443 wounded, 127 missing, for a total of 684
Confederates: 41 killed, 232 wounded, 15 missing, for 288.

Meanwhile, Stonewall Jackson watched for Shield's column from the north under Brigadier General Erastus B. Tyler, who was expected to attack soon.

There is skirmishing near Fair Oaks and on the New Market Road near the Chickahominy.


Western Virginia

There is a skirmish at Muddy Creek.


South Carolina

There are skirmishes for two days near Charleston Harbor as Union troops try to enlarge their holdings on the key islands near the harbor.


Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

7 June, 1862: Saturday

Union - Government (Military)
Louisiana

General Benjamin Butler has William B. Mumford hanged for tearing down and destroying the United States flag over the New Orleans Mint. Even many people who had been favorable to Butler's policies in New Orleans were critical of this punishment. The event raises bitter recriminations in Richmond and throughout the Confederacy.

Union - Military
Tennessee

From north of the Tennessee River, Union troops under Ormsby Mitchel shell and launch an attack on Chattanooga which is repelled. However, this attack convinces Confederates that they must fortify and garrison Chattanooga more effectively.

Union troops take Jackson, a fairly important rail and road center.

There is a skirmish at Readyville.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish at Fairview, and at Little Red River.

Virginia
In the Shenandoah, there is more skirmishing near Harrisonburg between retiring Confederate cavalry and advancing Union troops.

Western Virginia
There is a skirmish at Big Bend.

South Carolina
There is skirmishing on James Island in the Charleston Harbor area.


Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Monday, June 6, 2011

Huge bell salvaged from Gulf

PNJ.com: Huge bell salvaged from Gulf

GULF SHORES, Ala. — A part of forgotten history buried in what some explorers call the Graveyard of the Gulf is finding new life 150 years later.

A Gulf Shores maritime exploration group has located the remains of the British Barque Amstel, a merchant sailing ship that was grounded in shallow waters in the early days of the Civil War.

Fathom Exploration of Gulf Shores found the ship's cargo — including a 700-pound bronze bell — in about 30 feet of water in the area known as the Mobile Bar near the entrance of Mobile Bay.

David Anderson, who located the remains about eight years ago, researched the site and the cargo for eight years before revealing his find on Thursday.

"There is no ship," said Anderson, president and CEO of Fathom. "There is no mast sticking up and no wood or hull structure to be seen. Simply, the cargo mound is what you see."

But the cargo is impressive.

Anderson unveiled the 30-inch tall bell — with a 31-inch diameter — at a news conference Thursday at Lulu's restaurant and entertainment complex in Gulf Shores. He also showed off a rugged slab of Pennsylvania Blue Stone, tons of which were found in the wreckage field.

He believes the stone was meant for the construction of a building, while the bell was meant for, well, who knows?

"It's way too big for a ship's bell," he said. "It was most likely meant to go in a large church or town hall or university."

So, "If you were building something big in the spring of 1861 and lost your cargo, then we probably found it," he told the crowd of about 50 people.

Years of research
Anderson said his research has led him to believe that the 250-foot Amstel originally was a Dutch ship that was sold or leased to a British firm.

In May of 1861, just weeks into the beginning of the Civil War, the Amstel was sailing into Mobile Bay from New England to pick up cotton. President Lincoln had ordered a blockade of all Southern ports, but the blockade was not yet in effect at Mobile Bay.

The ship was grounded in the shallows of Mobile Bar — a hazardous sandbar stretch — as it attempted to enter Mobile Bay. Before a salvage ship could carry its cargo off, Union ships enforced the blockade and the Amstel was abandoned on the sandbar within sight of nearby Fort Morgan.

(Page 2 of 2)


Over time, the ship disintegrated and was forgotten.

Anderson and his group were unaware of the Amstel when they discovered its cargo in the early 2000s while doing underwater survey work.

For a few years — before they found the bell in the dark, murky waters — Anderson and his crew didn't think the wreck was anything special.

It wasn't until 2004 that Anderson found the bell, saw the 1861 date on it, and began his research.

Shared with all
Jim Phillips, owner of MBT Divers in Pensacola, attended the news conference. He is a friend of Anderson's and has been teased by the unknown find for years.

"He wouldn't tell me," Phillips said, moments after Anderson rang the bell three times with a heavy mallet. "He said 'You have to be patient. You have to be patient'. It's pretty exciting. But around here, every time you go down, it's an adventure. You don't know what you will find."

Anderson said the excavation and study of the Amstel will take years.

The fate of the ship's cargo eventually should be settled by a federal court, though Anderson has no idea when that could happen.

For now, Anderson and his company have filed paperwork in court to protect their status as the finders of the wreck. To keep looters away, they are not revealing the exact location of the wreck.

The bell, made by the Meneely Bell Foundry of West Troy, N.Y., in 1861, will remain on display at Lulu's on a temporary basis.

Anderson said he hopes that the bell's final resting place will be somewhere in Alabama where it can be appreciated by the public.

6 June 1862: Friday (Battle of Memphis, TN)

Union - Military
Tennessee

Crowds of people lined the bluffs of the Mississippi at Memphis early in the morning to witness what would be the last "fleet action" of the war on the rivers. Commodore Charles Davis, with five Union ironclads and four rams, mounting a total of 68 guns, had passed Fort Pillow and headed for Memphis.

Opposed to this force were eight inferior Confederate makeshifts, mounting 28 guns, under Captain James E. Montgomery.

The battle became a melee with ramming by both sides and close-quarter fighting. After notable action by the Queen of the West and other Union rams, the gunboats entered into the action and blasted the weekly protected Confederates. Only one Southern gunboat, Van Dorn, escaped. Three were destroyed, four others fell into Union hands. he Confederates also lost five large transports and other vessels which were in the process of being built.

The fight was over after about two hours. The crowds on the bluffs went home, many of them in tears.

By 11 am, the mayor of Memphis had surrendered the city, and the Union troops that had accompanied the flotilla took possession.

The Mississippi was now open to the Union except in the state of Mississippi. Vicksburg was their next target.

Confederates-Military
Virginia

In the Shenandoah, near Harrisonburg, Jackson and his troops continue their retreat toward Fort Republic. In a rearguard action, Jackson's colorful, popular cavalry chief, Turner Ashby, is killed.

By this time, with Fremont coming south in one branch of the Shenandoah and men of Shields' command in the other, another trap could possibly be set for Stonewall.

Mississippi
South of Corinth, fighting continues with action from Boonesville toward Baldwyn.

Kentucky
There is skirmishing near Tompkinsville.

Indian Territory
There is skirmishing near Grand River.

South Carolina
There is skirmishing near Port Royal Ferry.

___________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Sunday, June 5, 2011

5 June 1862: Thursday

Government - Union
President Lincoln signs a bill granting him authorization to appoint diplomatic representatives to Haiti and and Liberia, the first black-led nations to be recognized by the United States.

Military - Union
Tennessee

Union troops find Fort Pillow, Tennessee deserted. The navy gunboats push rapidly down the Mississippi toward Memphis.

Arkansas
There is a skirmish at Little Red River, Arkansas.

Missouri
There is a skirmish near Sedalia.

Indian Territory
There is a skirmish near Round Grove.

North Carolina
There is a skirmish near Tranter's Creek.

Virginia
There is a skirmish at New Bridge.

__________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Saturday, June 4, 2011

4 June 1862: Wednesday

Confederates - Government
Jefferson Davis receives calls for troops from many places, "but if he weakens one to support another he might even be in worse trouble."

Confederate - Civilian
Frightened Southern planters burn immense amounts of cotton on the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers to prevent its capture.

Confederate - Military
Tennessee

Confederate troops complete their evacuation of Fort Pillow on the Mississippi.

There is a skirmish at Sweden's Cove near Jasper, Tennessee.

Alabama
There is skirmishing at Huntsville. O. Mitchel's Union troops still pose a threat to Chattanooga from there.

Mississippi
There are skirmishes at Osborn's and Wolf's Creeks.

Western Virginia
There is a skirmish at Big Bend.

Missouri
There are skirmishes for several days around Miami, Cambridge, Frankfort, Waverly and Pink Hill.

Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Friday, June 3, 2011

3 June 1862: Tuesday (Evacuation of Fort Pillow, TN begins)

Confederates - Government
President Davis is 54 on this day. He writes his wife: It is hard to see incompetence losing opportunity and wasting hard-gotten means, but harder still to bear, is the knowledge that there is no available remedy."

Confederates - Military
Tennessee

The fall of Corinth, Mississippi to the Union broke the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, a vital Confederate east-west link. It also rendered the northern outposts of the South on the Mississippi useless and practically doomed the city of Memphis, Tennessee.

Beginning on this day, the Confederates at Fort Pillow, threatened by the Navy flotilla north of them, had no recourse but to take all the guns they could and pull out. The earthworks on the bluff above the river were vacated completely by the night of June 4. Only a weak Confederate Navy flotilla remained between the Union troops and Memphis.

Virginia
In the Shenandoah, Stonewall Jackson continues his withdrawal southward.

Union - Military
Virginia
Along the Chickahominy, General McClellan sent out a reconnaissance to the James to make contact with the Union river boats.

South Carolina
There is a skirmish on James Island, not far from Charleston, as Union troops begin their drive to take or render impotent the city where the war had its inception.

Mississippi
There is skirmishing at Blackland and a reconnaissance toward Baldwyn and Carrollsville south of Corinth.

Halleck studies the Confederate dispositions at Tupelo.


_______
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Thursday, June 2, 2011

2 June 1862: Monday

Civilian - Confederacy
Tennessee
Confederates in Memphis hold a mass meeting to rally their people to the defense of the city.

Government - Union
President Lincoln telegraphs Generals McClellan and McDowell, checking carefully on weather and events.

Union - Military
Virginia
Near Richmond, both the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia rest from the previous two days of battles at Seven Pines or Fair Oaks. (Though officially the Army of Northern Virginia since April, it only popularly became known as such since Lee took over.)

Mississippi
Union troops under John Pope follow Bearegard's Confederates, and fight with them briefly at Rienzi.

Arkansas
There is fighting at Galloway's Farm near Jacksonport.

Missouri
There is fighting on the Little Blue in Jackson County.

North Carolina

There is fighting at Tranter's Creek.

Military - Confederacy
Virginia

There is skirmishing at Strasburg and Woodstock as Stonewall Jackson and his troops "escape from the Union pincers."

_______________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

1 June 1862: Sunday (Battle of Seven Pines, VA ends)

Government - Union
Throughout the day, President Lincoln in Washington awaits news, wires McClellan: "Hold all your ground, or yield any only inch by inch, and in good order.

The Department of Virginia is extended and included in General McClellan's command. Major General John Wool is assigned to the Middle Department, and Major General John A Dix is assigned to command Fort Monroe.

Confederacy - Government
Late that evening, President Davis will write of the two-day battle near the Chickahominy: On Saturday we had a severe battle and suffered severely in attacking the enemy's entrenchments of which our Generals were poorly informed...Unaccountable delays in bringing some of our troops into action prevented us from gaining a decisive victory on Saturday. The opportunity being lost we must try to find another."


Confederates - Military
Virginia

The Battle of Seven Pines/Fair Oaks concludes. The battle near the Chickahominy just east of Richmond continues with a Confederate attack by James Longstreet. It is a faltering attempt which is repulsed by reinforced Union troops.

Joseph E. Johnston, severely wounded on May 30, is still alive. Robert E. Lee is appointed to command, but at the time this is not known to be a good choice. This Lee "was the Lee of failure in western Virginia, no real success in South Carolina, and a brief term as adviser to President Davis."

In mid-afternoon Lee orders a withdrawal to the original positions.

Total cost on the day:
Confederates: 980 killed, 4749 wounded, 405 missing for a total of 6,134 casualties out of about 42,000 effectives
Union: 790 killed, 3594 wounded, 647 missing or captured for 5031 casualties out of about 42,000 engaged, although many additional Union troops present never saw action.

McClellan was still near Richmond, with forces vastly outnumbering the Confederates, although he would not admit it or honestly didn't know it.

Meanwhile, Stonewall Jackson and his troops were at Strasbourg, with Fremont's troops advancing towards him from Warrensville. Shields of McDowell's command was at Front Royal. But as he moved south up the valley pike between the two foes who meant to cut him off in a pincer movement, Jackson, outnumbered, was adding to his reputation. His troops were marching swiftly up the valley toward Harrisonburg and out of danger.

____________
Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971