What was the most significant event on April 4 during the U.S. Civil War 2017 update??

2017-04-20T00:02:01-04:00

In the Civil War, rivers were significant obstacles. Controlling fording sites and ferries in addition to bridges gave the defender a significant advantage. Meanwhile the attacker used cavalry to find sites and secure them with artillery and infantry help. Engineers were employed for building pontoon bridges, improving the fording sites and the roads that approached the rivers. Engineers used timber or stone and gravel to firm up dirt roads which became muddy morasses after rains or thousands of feet and animal hoofs moving over them.
Bypassing strongpoints has been a military strategy and tactic since ancient warfare. A good defense should be built so that it could not be flanked easily. Anchoring a defense on a mountain range or swiftly flowing and wide-enough river that it could not be damned or artillery lobbed over it are good examples. The French failed to do this in the Great War [Argonne Offensive] and in WWII twice [bypassing the Maginot line in 1940 and sweeping through the Argonne/Ardennes in late 1944].
In 1863, Maj Gen US Grant was systematically working his way south down the Mississippi River. The defenses of Vicksburg were formidable. U.S. Grant took advantage of his naval gunboat and transport advantage and moved the bulk of his army below Vicksburg “by marching them from Milliken’s Point to New Carthage – both on the western side of the Mississippi. Sent to see if this was even possible was General John McClernand and his XIII Corps. They had started off on March 31 under the watch of General Peter Osterhaus, a Prussian who graduated from the Berlin Military Academy and served in the Prussian Army before emigrating to America.” Just as Prussians helped us in the Revolutionary War, some Prussians helped the Federal forces during the Civil war.
In 1864, the Federal Army re-designated d'Afrique Corps units which were manned by colored soldiers and Caucasian officers into US Army colored infantry regiments:
1st Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized April 28, 1863 on re-designated 95th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.
2nd Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized August 15, 1863 on re-designated 96th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.
3rd Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized August 26, 1863 on re-designated 97th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1864.
4th Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized September 3, 1863 on re-designated 98th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1864.
5th Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was formed from the 15th Corps d'Afrique Infantry Regiment on February 10, 1864 and re-designated 99th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.

Thursday, April 4, 1861: Virginia totters on the edge. “Union sympathy in the deeper South was gone. The trip Lamon and Hurlbut made to Charleston proved that. But what about Virginia? The border state had been holding an on again, off again secession convention since early January. Lincoln, wishing to take the true pulse of nationalism in Virginia, sent George W. Summers, a Unionist, to the convention. Summers, knowing that an important vote (the vote) would soon be coming, sent John B. Baldwin in his stead.
Baldwin arrived in Washington in the morning on this date, and met with Lincoln right away. The President told his visitor that he had come three or four days too late, though Baldwin left as soon as he was summoned. What Lincoln meant was that it was too late to do any good.
The Secession Convention in Virginia was an embarrassment to Lincoln, who thought that the Unionists should adjourn it before more of their ilk switched sides.
Virginia’s Unionists were barely that. They were tottering on the edge just as much as their state was. More than Union, they wanted peace. If appeasing the Southern states – The Confederacy – would keep the peace, they felt, then conciliation and compromise was needed.
But the compromise that the South wanted was exactly what Lincoln could not give. Fort Sumter and Pickens, said Baldwin, must be abandoned as a gesture of peace; the administration’s policy must be one of peace.
Lincoln then asked what might happen if Sumter were resupplied with only provisions – no troops, no aggressive maneuvers, just supplies? That wouldn’t work, Baldwin insisted, it would never be allowed. Once shots were fired, no matter who shot first, the Upper South, including Virginia, would secede.
There had been rumors of Lincoln offering to surrender Sumter if Virginia would stay in the Union (trading a fort for a state), but they had since proved to be unprovable. [1]
The vote that would take Virginia out of the Union was put before the Secession Convention. It was rejected 88 to 45, keeping the state true to the Union. For the time being, anyway. [2]
[1] Lincoln and the Decision for War by Russell McClintock – completely from Baldwin’s own testimony in 1866.
[2] Days of Defiance by Maury Klein.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/virginia-totters-on-the-edge-orders-for-sumter/
Friday, April 4, 1862: McClellan’s first good day is also his last. “Though the Confederates in the Shenandoah Valley and south of Washington had fallen back, Lincoln was still apprehensive over covering the capital. The Rebels had fallen back to Fredericksburg, Orange Court House and Mount Jackson (in the Valley), but Washington wasn’t fully aware of how many were where. So worried and so in the dark were Lincoln and most of his Cabinet, that he ordered the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac to remain in Washington, while the rest of the Army (sans Fifth Corps in the Valley) marched out from Fortress Monroe on the Virginia Peninsula.
The order was specific and condemning. “The President, deeming the force to be left in front of Washington insufficient to insure its safety,” wrote Adjutant-General Thomas to McClellan, “has directed that McDowell’s army corps should be detached from the forces operating under your immediate direction.”
While not an outright claim that McClellan had disobeyed the President’s order to ensure Washington’s security, it made it clear that he wasn’t happy with McClellan and that McDowell’s Corps was no longer under his (McClellan’s) “immediate direction.”
But perhaps “immediate direction” wasn’t sufficient. If McDowell wasn’t under McClellan’s immediate direction, did it then mean that McDowell would soon be released to once again fall under McClellan’s direction?
To answer this question, Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton took it a step farther by carving out two new departments, focusing McClellan’s command to the Virginia Peninsula. First, the Department of the Shenandoah, comprised of the Shenandoah Valley, would be commanded by General Nathaniel Banks, retaining the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac as an independent command. While McClellan wasn’t expecting to have Banks with him on the Peninsula, neither was he expecting to lose him entirely.
Second, and most importantly, the Department of the Rappahannock was to be commanded by General Irvin McDowell. Not only was McDowell and his First Corps plucked away from McClellan, the Army of the Potomac and the Peninsula Campaign, it was now also an independent command covering the capital and the ground south. [1]
Meanwhile, General McClellan was busy readying his men to strike out towards Yorktown. Just thirty-six hours after he personally arrived at Fortress Monroe, his Army of the Potomac, now 66,700-strong, was on the move.
Opposing this Federal horde was the small Confederate Army of the Peninsula, under General “Prince” John Bankhead Magruder. Magruder was charged with stalling the largest army ever assembled on the continent with only 13,000 men.
On this day, everything seemed to be working well for General McClellan. He had not yet received the news that General McDowell would not be joining him and on the Peninsula, Magruder’s advance troops were giving up ground that he (McClellan) thought they would hotly contest. Confederate prisoners had related that Magruder had but 8,000 troops. McClellan’s own intelligence, usually bizarrely inaccurate, was as close as it would ever be to reality, giving the enemy figure at 15,000. Either way, McClellan was certain that he could do as he pleased in front of Yorktown. [2]
All of this great fortunate had bloomed from what seemed like a rocky start. When McClellan arrived at Fortress Monroe, his original plan was to have the Navy support his advance along the James and York Rivers, and finally help in the bombardment of Yorktown and the Rebel fort at Gloucester, across the river.
The Navy, however, was worried about the CSS Virginia, still at large, so could not commit to the joint Army-Navy plan that McClellan originally had in mind. But no matter, the focus of the plan was Yorktown. If the fort at Gloucester could be taken out, Yorktown would undoubtedly fall. [3]
Blissfully ignorant of the goings on in Washington, McClellan wired General McDowell and the division commanders of the First Corps of his plans to sack Gloucester. He fully expected to see McDowell himself either this evening or the next morning. As for the First Corps, McClellan wanted it to land up the York River from Gloucester cutting the town off from its line of supply. [4]
On the first day of campaigning, all seemed to be going very well for General McClellan.
[1] Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 11, Part 3, p66; 67-68.
[2] To the Gates of Richmond by Stephen W. Sears, Mariner Books, 1992.
[3] The Peninsula Campaign of 1862; A Military Analysis by Kevin Dougherty, University Press of Missouri, 2005.
[4] Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 11, Part 3, p68.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/mcclellans-first-good-day-is-also-his-last/
Friday, April 4, 1862: Bad Roads, Bad Weather and Bad Marching Plague the Rebels Before Shiloh
Such good fortune did not extend to the Confederates trying to march upon General Grant at Pittsburg Landing, along the Tennessee River. Generals Johnston and Beauregard, commanding the Army of Mississippi, had wished to march on the 3rd and attack on the 4th. As early as the previous evening, it was clear that such a plan was unrealistic. Marching would have to continue on this date (the 4th) and an attack could be made on the 5th.
The problems of the previous day continued. General Bragg, commanding a corps, found the roads that he was to use to be impassible and so used the roads that General Hardee and his corps were to occupy. Hardee agreed to wait for Bragg, but somehow General Polk’s Corps got ahead of Bragg, which had to stop to let Bragg’s Corps march by. [5]
Somehow or another, the entire Confederate Army of Mississippi was where it was supposed to be by midnight. The various corps and divisions, being but eight miles from the Union position, were poised to attack the next morning.
Methodist Shiloh Meeting House, surrounded by Sherman's tents.
The soldiers, who would probably be back on the march before dawn, did what they could to rest as the dark heavens rained down upon them in torrents. They had few blankets, fewer tents and scant rations. They were muddy, soaked, freezing and hungry. If they could sleep at all, they’d have to get up and do it all over again the next day. [6]
Union General Grant, at his headquarters in Savannah, ten miles north of Pittsburg Landing, seemed to suspect little. True, there was word of a Confederate advance possibly trying to get around the position at Pittsburg Landing to attack the relatively light troops across the river from Savannah, but Grant paid it little mind. Just to be safe, he ordered additional troops to that location. In a message to General Sherman, commanding at Pittsburg Landing, Grant revealed that he “looked for nothing of the kind” when it came to a Confederate attack. Still, he cautioned Sherman to be on the look out.
In fact, Grant had no idea that Johnston and Beauregard had left their base at Corinth, twenty-five miles to the south. [7]
[5] Army of the Heartland; The Army of Tennessee 1861-1862 by Thomas Lawrence Connelly, Louisiana State University, 1967.
[6] Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862 by O Edward Cunningham, Savas Beatie, 2007.
[7] Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 10, p91; 93.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/mcclellans-first-good-day-is-also-his-last/

Pictures: 1862-04-04 Artillery enroute to Shiloh; 1863-04-23 confederate artillery versus union cavalry photo; 1863-04 Vicksburg's Defenses Map; 1861-04 Fort Sumter, with Charleston in the background

A. 1861: Orders for Fort Sumter, “Major Anderson’s letter to Washington informing them that he had but a week’s worth of rations finally found its way to Lincoln’s desk. Astounded that he had such little time, the President sent orders to Gustavus Fox (now in Washington again) that he was to head up the expedition to “succor Fort Sumter.”
The letter ordered Fox to “take charge of the transports in New York having the troops and supplies on board to the entrance of Charleston Harbor.” He was to first attempt to land the supplies and if attacked, “place both troops and supplies in Fort Sumter.” [3]
The President (via Secretary of War Simon Cameron) then shot off a letter to Anderson asking him to hold on until the 11th or 12th, when the expedition to resupply the fort was to be attempted. The decision to surrender or hold out prior to the resupplying would be up to Anderson. [4]
Orders to resupply both Fort Pickens in Pensacola and Fort Sumter in Charleston had been given, but was it now too late?
B. 1863: Federal troops nearly secure New Carthage, Louisiana. Maj Gen John McClernand noted that there was more than enough dry land around New Carthage to camp an entire army. Getting the men there, however, was no easy task. Then five escaped slaves arrived and led a Federal force to capture a boat capable of transporting the Federal soldiers. The rebels got wind of the operation and tried to corner the Federals. But the Federals were able to dislodge themselves and the boat, making it back to New Carthage without injury. The winds of war were favoring US Grant and it seemed he would be able to get the bulk of his army below Vicksburg by marching them from Milliken’s Point to New Carthage – both on the western side of the Mississippi.
C. 1864: Federal victory at the Battle of Elkin's Ferry. Maj Gen Frederick Steele sent Colonel William McLean across with two regiments and a section of artillery to establish a bridgehead and reconnoiter enemy positions. McLean’s total force numbered about 2,000 men. After clashing with Confederate skirmishers, McLean ordered Lieutenant Colonel Francis M. Drake to position six companies of infantry and a section of artillery astride the road leading from Elkin's Ferry. His caution was prudent, for on the morning of April 4, Confederate General John S. Marmaduke arrived with two brigades of cavalry and a section of artillery to attack the Union forces.
For two hours Drake’s 300 men held out against 1,200 enemy troopers but eventually, the Union left gave way, leaving the artillery exposed. The Federals’ guns, however, were saved when some of McLean’s reserves came up and repelled several enemy charges. Eventually, 2,000 Union reinforcements under the command of General Samuel Rice arrived on the scene. Realizing that the odds were against him, Marmaduke retired from the field of battle, leaving the rest of Steele’s force free to complete the crossing of the Little Missouri River.
From beginning to end, the battle lasted about five hours and produced 92 casualties (although estimates vary). The Union force apparently lost 38 men, while the Southerners suffered 54 some casualties.
D. 1865: CSA General Robert E. Lee is waiting for supplies that do not arrive at Amelia Court House to feed his army. Lee’s route toward North Carolina is blocked by Major General Philip H. Sheridan as his forces arrives at Jetersville, which is southwest of Amelia Court-House and his men block the Danville Railroad. Meanwhile, Major General George G. Meade is closing in from the east.

FYI LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell] SSgt Robert Marx LTC Trent Klug MAJ Private RallyPoint Member LTC John Griscom MSgt James Parker CPT Kevin McComas SPC Maurice Evans SFC Ralph E Kelley Maj John Bell MAJ Private RallyPoint Member LTG Benjamin Freakley

Virginia Totters on the Edge; Orders for Sumter

Thursday, April 4, 1861 Union sympathy in the deeper South was gone. The tripLamon and Hurlbut made to Charleston proved that. But what about Virginia? The border state had been holding an on agai…

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Apr 20 at 2017 12:05 AM

2017-04-20T00:05:27-04:00

In 1864, there were military engagements in the eastern and western theaters.
1. In Virginia at Kings and Queens Courthouse, Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick was commanding a Union force consisting of 2 cavalry brigades, 3 infantry regiments, and an artillery battery. They attacked a Confederate camp near King and Queen Court House. The Federals routed the 1,200-man Confederate force, destroyed the military stores, and took 35 prisoners.
2. The USS Sciota, a Federal gunboat on blockade duty off Galveston, Texas, gave chase and captured the Confederate blockade runner Mary Sorley dashing out of the port.

Monday April 4, 1864: ‘…And yelling like demons’ – Francis Drake and the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry “The Federal brigade under Adolph Engelmann hardly slept. Surrounding them, every forest sound, every twig snapping, every cricket, could have been a Rebel. They bivouacked near Spoonville, Arkansas, having skirmished their way north from the Little Missouri River. They moved away from the main body of Frederick Steele’s Union Army of Arkansas, which was advancing south to eventually aid Nathaniel Banks, now occupying Natchetoches, Louisiana. Engelmann had been detached to see if anything could be discovered about another Federal column under John Thayer moving from Fort Smith. They were to have met Steele’s command at Arkadelphia four days prior, but no word had been heard of them since.
Before dawn they awoke, expecting a battle. But the first slivers of dawn, revealed no enemy before them. Col. Engelmann dispatched several squads of cavalry, but they came up only with straggling Rebels who busied themselves by burning cotton so it might not fall into Federal hands. Another patrol of cavalry was sent to dismantle a nearby steam mill, while still another was sent toward Arkadelphia to see what might have become of General Thayer and his band from Fort Smith.
The Confederates that had been before Engelmann were gone by morning because they had been recalled by General John Marmaduke, commanding his division. With General Steele’s main Federal body at Elkin’s Ferry along the Little Missouri, he established a defense at that crossing, placing two brigades close enough to meet any move by Steele’s Yankees.
To General Marmaduke’s perception, Steele began to cross his entire force at Elkin’s. His line, with Colton Greene’s brigade on the left and William Cabell on the right, with some artillery peppered here and there, could field far fewer than could the Federals. But as the enemy emerged from the ford, Marmaduke ordered an attack.
Behind Union lines the night previous, Col. William McLean, commanding on of Steele’s brigades, believed he was about to be assailed by the Rebels across the Little Missouri. A number of Confederates had been rounded up that day, and he had learned that Marmaduke himself was just across the water. And so he ordered three companies each from the 36th Iowa and the 43rd Indiana to take a position on the main road leading from his camp to the crossing. There, under the command of Lt. Col. Francis Drake, they spent the night as pickets, watching for any movements of the Rebels.
When Lt. Col. Drake arrived at the ferry, from a quick observation, he could tell that the Rebels were spoiling for an attack. Believing it would not come that night, he ordered most of his men to get any sleep they could, while keeping the rest on lookout. At 4am, he ordered them to rise and make breakfast. There would soon, he surmised, be a battle.
“Soon after daylight,” reported Drake, “the enemy engaged the cavalry pickets, and almost simultaneously made a determined effort to turn my left flank.” Drake sent skirmishers to his left, and another company front. Still more Rebels could be seen advancing through a nearby orchard.
“The engagement was now becoming very warm,” Drake continued, “and my men were falling wounded on my right and left, but by a very determined effort we finally succeeded in driving back the rebel column into the woods in front of the orchard.” With that, Drake sent word to Col. McLean, telling him that his six companies were tangling with at least 2,000 Confederates. Reinforcements were needed at once.
Their comrades, helmed by Lt. Col. Drake, still clung for life as “a strong effort was now made by the enemy to turn my right flank.” He moved forward a company to protect it, but it was the last of his reserves. “My whole force was now deployed,” Drake wrote, “covering the enemy’s front, and the engagement was general along my entire line.”
Along with Drake’s command came two pieces of artillery under the care of Lt. Peetz. They had been placed to command a wide view of the crossing, but had remained silent thus far. “I now called upon Lieutenant Peetz to open upon them with his battery,” continued Drake, “which he had barely commenced doing when the enemy opened upon us with four field pieces, and for near one hour from this time the engagement on both sides was very severe.”
Drake’s troops were holding their own, 300 men against several times their number. They had lost ground, to be sure, falling back fifty yards in rear of their previous night’s camp. But here a strange lull ensued. “Taking advantage of which,” Drake wrote, “I ordered my line to advance to our old position and take the men’s knapsacks, which had been left on the ground where we encamped, now in possession of the enemy. The men went forward, retook their knapsacks, and Company D, Captain Hale, captured while doing so Lieutenant Fackler, an aide-de-camp of General Marmaduke.”
It was around this time that Col. McLean finally received the call for reinforcements. He then ordered the rest of the 36th Iowa, Col. Charles Kittredge commanding, to join the defense. Col. Kittredge rode forward to speak to Drake, “who was gallantly holding his ground against such immense odds.” As the two spoke, Marmaduke’s captured staff officer was brought forward.
Shortly after, McLean came up in person, as it seemed proof enough that Marmaduke himself was close at hand. And now McLean called upon his immediate commander, for reinforcements. Salomon quickly dispatched two regiments, but it would take time for both to gather themselves and arrive.
As the Rebels, at this point, seemed to be holding back their own advance, McLean ordered Kittredge’s Iowa regiment to lie down. This did not sit well with Kittredge, but he followed the order and waited for the next, allowing them to aid their comrades.
This thrust forward to retrieve their knapsacks actually drove the Rebels back a bit. “We were now in possession of the ground held by us at the commencement of the engagement,” recalled Drake, “and were fully assured from appearances that so far the enemy had received more than he had bargained for.”
But this would not last. Peering around, Drake was certain that the Rebels were about to post artillery on his flanks to enfilade his position with a deadly crossfire. At once, he sent skirmishers in both directions, and both soon found that he was not wrong: “The enemy had posted a piece of artillery in front of each of my flanks, and with a cross-fire and a direct fire from his four pieces of artillery commenced raking the wood with solid shot, grape, and shell, while his combined forces in one continuous line rushed upon us, firing volleys of musketry and yelling like demons. For some time we held a perfect line, falling back slowly, and contesting every inch of ground, expecting support, until my line on the left of the road, being forced into an open field, gave way entirely, and fell back on their reserves. I now determined to hold my position on the right of the road at all hazards until re-enforced.”
But where were the reinforcements? Twice he had called, and even though he had parlayed with Col. Kittredge, he was as yet unaided. But Kittredge had been ordered to lie down by Col. McLean, and obeyed, though unwillingly so.
“The firing now being brisk and the battery fully occupied,” reported Col. Kittredge, “I advanced my line of battle a few steps, my right resting directly upon the left of the battery, the men lying down as before, being slightly protected by a rise in the ground directly in front.” The fighting became fierce and drew closer.
“I became satisfied,” continued Kittredge, “they were charing upon the battery, and as they made their appearance in the open ground, I ordered my command to stand a fire. Our battery now limbered up and retreated across the creek in our rear. I, however, poured in a few well-directed volleys, which sent the enemy back as rapidly as they had advanced a few moments before. The firing now nearly ceased on both sides.”
To Lt. Col. Drake, Kittredge’s support seemed much less impressive: “About the time my left gave way, Colonel Kittredge took a position with the balance of the Thirty-sixth Iowa in rear of the field, and repulsed the enemy’s charge on my left.” But to Kittredge, Drake was a hero. He concluded his report by stating that “Drake especially deserves honorable mention for the gallant manner in which he performed his duties.” Kittredge was, apparently, not prone to gushing.
By the end of the battle, Drake’s line had fallen back to a position nearly parallel with Kittredge’s line. But they had held without reinforcements, which were just now arriving.
“Immediately after the charge and repulse of the enemy,” reported Col. McLean, “the re-enforcement sent for by me arrived.” Two regiments from General Samuel Rice’s brigade finally wandered onto the field, “but before they were put in position by him [Rice], the enemy withdrew, not, however, until a grape-shot from their battery had inflicted a slight wound upon the general’s head, from the effects of which I am gratified to say he has recovered.”
The casualties were light on both sides, with the Federals tending to only 30 wounded (and apparently none killed), while the attacking Rebels suffered 18 killed and 50 wounded.
Through the afternoon and evening, no word had returned concerning the whereabouts of General Thayer and the column from Fort Smith. General Steele, having been fed reports of the day’s battle, then determined to rest yet another day in wait. [1]
[1] Sources: Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 34, Part 1, p696, 705-706, 709, 710-711, 721, 823, 831-832, 838.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/and-yelling-like-demons-francis-drake-and-the-battle-of-elkins-ferry/

Below are several journal entries from 1862, 1863, 1864 and 1865 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly. … I am including journal entries from Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade," Sixth Division of the Seventeenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee for each year. I have been spending some time researching Civil War journals and diaries and editing them to fit into this series of Civil War discussions.
In 1862, Josiah Marshall Favill, an officer in the Army of the Potomac, writes of his division’s advance deeper into Virginia,
In 1864, (a) George Michael Neese, of the Confederate artillery, writes in his journal of his return home to the Shenandoah Valley on a furlough; (b) Pres. Lincoln puts the finishing touches on a document that records his recent interview with A.G. Hodges, Senator Dixon of Kentucky, and Gov. Bramlette of Kentucky; (c) Lt. Col. Drake provides an account of the battle of Elkins Ferry.
Friday, April 4, 1862: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, “Crocker's Brigade,” “It rained and hailed this afternoon, and by night it got very warm. We were ordered under arms at 6 p. m., and we formed a hollow square on the parade ground. We remained in line until 10 o'clock, when we were ordered back to our tents. It was reported out in front that the rebels were advancing in force from Corinth, but at 10 o'clock the word came that they had bivouacked for the night.”
Friday, April 4, 1862: Josiah Marshall Favill, an officer in the Army of the Potomac, writes of his division’s advance deeper into Virginia, and how the Virginian people behave in inconsistent ways towards the dreaded Yankees: On the 25th, we marched to Warrenton Junction, meeting with no resistance, the cavalry alone doing a little skirmishing. Blenker’s division of Germans marched with us, and appeared to be a bad lot of fellows, without order or discipline. . . . This advance to Warrenton has been a regular romance, brilliant weather, enemy running away, plenty to eat, and as we are now accustomed to sleeping in the open air, we all feel well, and enjoyed it immensely. We remained in and about Warrenton until the 1st of April, having our headquarters at a fine large mansion house, still occupied by the ladies of the family. We spent the evenings in the parlor, with the young women, who entertained us with rebel songs and music. They were very rebellious, but quite delighted with the attention they received from so many of us; besides we stocked their larder, supplied them with coffee, tea, sugar, placed guards over their barns and stock, and in many other important respects, greatly benefited them. Nearly all the inhabitants had fled, those remaining being exclusively women and superannuated men. These Southern men, although heaping most outrageous abuse upon the Northern armies, seem to have no fear for their wives and daughters, whom they leave behind in charge of their property with apparent confidence, which proves that they do not really believe what they say about us. A little politeness on the part of these women invariably brings safety to their fences, horses, and barns, and a full supply of coffee, sugar, and tea, which in the confederacy are already an expensive luxury.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1862
Saturday, April 4, 1863: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade “Crocker's Brigade,” “Nothing of importance. The weather is getting very warm, but it is pleasant. I wrote another letter to Jason Sparks.”
Monday April 4, 1864: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, “Crocker's Brigade,” “It rained all last night and nearly all day. I attended a party this evening at Mr. Fossett's and we all had a fine time which passed off very rapidly. There were fourteen couples present. I remained over night with my old bunk-mate, James. I enjoyed my visit with him, talking over the times when we started into the service together.”
Monday, April 4, 1864: George Michael Neese, of the Confederate artillery, writes in his journal of his return home to the Shenandoah Valley on a furlough: Left camp this morning on a fifteen-day furlough, the first thing of the kind I have had since the war commenced. There is a charming euphony and sweet music in the words, “Going home,” such as those who never soldiered nor roamed ever yet have heard.
I took the train at Gordonsville. It was raining very hard then, and before the train reached the Blue Ridge the rain had changed to snow, and here at Staunton gentle spring is reveling under a mantle of snow four inches thick. When we were coming up the eastern side of the Blue Ridge it was snowing very fast, and the snow scene was beautiful and grand; every evergreen bush and shrub and the branches of the trees were gracefully bending and drooping under a burden of beautiful snow, and in a thousand places on the mountain side the shiny green leaves of mountain laurel peeped out from under the glittering crystal shroud that was spread and hung over the mountain’s rocky, irregular, and slopy breast. . . .
The train arrived in Staunton this evening at six o’clock, and we furloughed men, of whom there are five, put up for lodging at the Virginia Hotel; we all slept in one room and our lodging cost us five dollars each. A meal here costs five dollars, and I will have to browse in order to satisfy the longings of the inner man or else I will not have enough Confed. to get me back to my command; five dollars for a nap and five dollars for a meal will soon, all too soon, clean up the contents of my pocketbook and ruin my credit.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1864
Monday, April 4, 1864: On this date, Pres. Lincoln puts the finishing touches on a document that records his recent interview with A.G. Hodges, Senator Dixon of Kentucky, and Gov. Bramlette of Kentucky: I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel, and yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling. . . . I have done no official act in mere deference to my abstract judgment and feeling on slavery. . . . I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful, by becoming indispensible to the preservation of the constitution, through the preservation of the nation. Right or wrong, I assumed this ground, and now avow it. . . . I made earnest, and successive appeals to the border states to favor compensated emancipation, . . . They declined the proposition; and I was, in my best judgment, driven to the alternative of either surrendering the Union, and with it, the Constitution, or of laying strong hand upon the colored element. I chose the latter. In choosing it, I hoped for greater gain than loss, but of this I was not entirely confident. More than a year of trial now shows no loss by it in our foreign relations, none in our home popular sentiment, none in our white military force, no loss by it anyhow, or anywhere. On the contrary, it shows a gain of quite one hundred and thirty thousand soldiers, seamen, and laborers. These are palpable facts, about which, as facts, there can be no caviling. We have the men; and we could not have had them without the measure. . . . I add a word which was not in the verbal conversation. In telling this tale I attempt no compliment to my own sagacity. I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.
Later in the evening, he and Mrs. Lincoln attend a performance of "Der Freischütz" at Grover’s Theatre.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1864
Monday, April 4, 1864: When Lt. Col. Drake arrived at the ferry, from a quick observation, he could tell that the Rebels were spoiling for an attack. Believing it would not come that night, he ordered most of his men to get any sleep they could, while keeping the rest on lookout. At 4am, he ordered them to rise and make breakfast. There would soon, he surmised, be a battle.
“Soon after daylight,” reported Drake, “the enemy engaged the cavalry pickets, and almost simultaneously made a determined effort to turn my left flank.” Drake sent skirmishers to his left, and another company front. Still more Rebels could be seen advancing through a nearby orchard.
“The engagement was now becoming very warm,” Drake continued, “and my men were falling wounded on my right and left, but by a very determined effort we finally succeeded in driving back the rebel column into the woods in front of the orchard.” With that, Drake sent word to Col. McLean, telling him that his six companies were tangling with at least 2,000 Confederates. Reinforcements were needed at once.
Their comrades, helmed by Lt. Col. Drake, still clung for life as “a strong effort was now made by the enemy to turn my right flank.” He moved forward a company to protect it, but it was the last of his reserves. “My whole force was now deployed,” Drake wrote, “covering the enemy’s front, and the engagement was general along my entire line.”
Along with Drake’s command came two pieces of artillery under the care of Lt. Peetz. They had been placed to command a wide view of the crossing, but had remained silent thus far. “I now called upon Lieutenant Peetz to open upon them with his battery,” continued Drake, “which he had barely commenced doing when the enemy opened upon us with four field pieces, and for near one hour from this time the engagement on both sides was very severe.”
Drake’s troops were holding their own, 300 men against several times their number. They had lost ground, to be sure, falling back fifty yards in rear of their previous night’s camp. But here a strange lull ensued. “Taking advantage of which,” Drake wrote, “I ordered my line to advance to our old position and take the men’s knapsacks, which had been left on the ground where we encamped, now in possession of the enemy. The men went forward, retook their knapsacks, and Company D, Captain Hale, captured while doing so Lieutenant Fackler, an aide-de-camp of General Marmaduke.”
It was around this time that Col. McLean finally received the call for reinforcements. He then ordered the rest of the 36th Iowa, Col. Charles Kittredge commanding, to join the defense. Col. Kittredge rode forward to speak to Drake, “who was gallantly holding his ground against such immense odds.” As the two spoke, Marmaduke’s captured staff officer was brought forward.
Shortly after, McLean came up in person, as it seemed proof enough that Marmaduke himself was close at hand. And now McLean called upon his immediate commander, for reinforcements. Salomon quickly dispatched two regiments, but it would take time for both to gather themselves and arrive.
As the Rebels, at this point, seemed to be holding back their own advance, McLean ordered Kittredge’s Iowa regiment to lie down. This did not sit well with Kittredge, but he followed the order and waited for the next, allowing them to aid their comrades.
This thrust forward to retrieve their knapsacks actually drove the Rebels back a bit. “We were now in possession of the ground held by us at the commencement of the engagement,” recalled Drake, “and were fully assured from appearances that so far the enemy had received more than he had bargained for.”
But this would not last. Peering around, Drake was certain that the Rebels were about to post artillery on his flanks to enfilade his position with a deadly crossfire. At once, he sent skirmishers in both directions, and both soon found that he was not wrong: “The enemy had posted a piece of artillery in front of each of my flanks, and with a cross-fire and a direct fire from his four pieces of artillery commenced raking the wood with solid shot, grape, and shell, while his combined forces in one continuous line rushed upon us, firing volleys of musketry and yelling like demons. For some time we held a perfect line, falling back slowly, and contesting every inch of ground, expecting support, until my line on the left of the road, being forced into an open field, gave way entirely, and fell back on their reserves. I now determined to hold my position on the right of the road at all hazards until re-enforced.”
But where were the reinforcements? Twice he had called, and even though he had parlayed with Col. Kittredge, he was as yet unaided. But Kittredge had been ordered to lie down by Col. McLean, and obeyed, though unwillingly so.
“The firing now being brisk and the battery fully occupied,” reported Col. Kittredge, “I advanced my line of battle a few steps, my right resting directly upon the left of the battery, the men lying down as before, being slightly protected by a rise in the ground directly in front.” The fighting became fierce and drew closer.
“I became satisfied,” continued Kittredge, “they were charing upon the battery, and as they made their appearance in the open ground, I ordered my command to stand a fire. Our battery now limbered up and retreated across the creek in our rear. I, however, poured in a few well-directed volleys, which sent the enemy back as rapidly as they had advanced a few moments before. The firing now nearly ceased on both sides.”
To Lt. Col. Drake, Kittredge’s support seemed much less impressive: “About the time my left gave way, Colonel Kittredge took a position with the balance of the Thirty-sixth Iowa in rear of the field, and repulsed the enemy’s charge on my left.” But to Kittredge, Drake was a hero. He concluded his report by stating that “Drake especially deserves honorable mention for the gallant manner in which he performed his duties.” Kittredge was, apparently, not prone to gushing.
By the end of the battle, Drake’s line had fallen back to a position nearly parallel with Kittredge’s line. But they had held without reinforcements, which were just now arriving.
“Immediately after the charge and repulse of the enemy,” reported Col. McLean, “the re-enforcement sent for by me arrived.” Two regiments from General Samuel Rice’s brigade finally wandered onto the field, “but before they were put in position by him [Rice], the enemy withdrew, not, however, until a grape-shot from their battery had inflicted a slight wound upon the general’s head, from the effects of which I am gratified to say he has recovered.”
http://civilwardailygazette.com/and-yelling-like-demons-francis-drake-and-the-battle-of-elkins-ferry/
Tuesday, April 4, 1865: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, “Crocker's Brigade,” “The quartermaster distributed new clothing today. I drew a hat, a pair of shoes and a pair of socks. We are enjoying full rations again, and also our new clothing. We no longer have to search our haversacks for a crumb of hardtack.”

A. Monday, April 4, 1861: Orders for Fort Sumter, “Major Anderson’s letter to Washington informing them that he had but a week’s worth of rations finally found its way to Lincoln’s desk. Astounded that he had such little time, the President sent orders to Gustavus Fox (now in Washington again) that he was to head up the expedition to “succor Fort Sumter.”
The letter ordered Fox to “take charge of the transports in New York having the troops and supplies on board to the entrance of Charleston Harbor.” He was to first attempt to land the supplies and if attacked, “place both troops and supplies in Fort Sumter.” [3]
The President (via Secretary of War Simon Cameron) then shot off a letter to Anderson asking him to hold on until the 11th or 12th, when the expedition to resupply the fort was to be attempted. The decision to surrender or hold out prior to the resupplying would be up to Anderson. [4]
Orders to resupply both Fort Pickens in Pensacola and Fort Sumter in Charleston had been given, but was it now too late?
B. Saturday, April 4, 1863: Federal troops nearly secure New Carthage, Louisiana – Another first step to bypassing Vicksburg. Union General Grant believed that he could get the bulk of his army below Vicksburg by marching them from Milliken’s Point to New Carthage – both on the western side of the Mississippi.
Sent to see if this was even possible was General John McClernand and his XIII Corps. The vanguard and the Rebels fought it out before the latter scurried for safer ground.
For Vicksburg, Richmond played an important role into getting much-needed supplies into the besieged city. And so reinforcements were called up to hold it and Osterhaus’ own cavalry continued on towards New Carthage. The infantry, however, had to wait for a bridge to be built across Roundway Bayou, near Richmond.
While they waited, the cavalry tussled with the Rebels at a plantation near New Carthage. They returned to Richmond, where General Osterhau made his headquarters, and reported the road to their destination was blocked. Determined not to be held up by a few Rebels, Osterhaus, on the morning of this date, went with several regiments of cavalry and a few of infantry across the new bridge which had just been finished the day before.
Taking in the situation, Osterhaus saw plenty of water separating them from him. There may be various Rebel scouting parties here or there, but any sizable Confederate force was no threat at all to him. The scouting parties, however, were more than enough to keep the lead flying through the air. As both Osterhaus and McClernand looked for dry routes into New Carthage, it seemed like enemy pickets were everywhere.
McClernand noted that there was more than enough dry land around New Carthage to camp an entire army. Getting the men there, however, was no easy task. McClernand sent a message to Grant asking for a transport and a gunboat. In the meantime, Osterhaus wanted to secure a foothold at New Carthage, but the Rebels had absconded with all the boats.
Just then, five escaped slaves entered Union lines. They reported a craft eight miles before New Carthage which had been hidden by the Rebels, who also guarded it. Finding them more than willing to retrieve it, General Osterhaus sent them and twenty of his cavalry the following day.
The Federals, led by the escaped slaves, captured the boat, but were cornered by a mess of Rebels across a bayou from them. Somehow or another, they were able to dislodge themselves and the boat, making it back to New Carthage without injury.
And so the expedition to secure New Carthage for the Federals was going fairly well. Before long, thought McClernand, the small town would be the base of operations for Grant’s entire Army of the Tennessee.
C. Monday April 4, 1864: The Battle of Elkin's Ferry. In the spring of 1864, more than 40,000 Union soldiers began converging on Shreveport, Louisiana, the target of General Nathaniel Banks’ Red River Campaign. A portion of those forces were under the command of General Frederick Steele. Steele’s, in an operation that would become known as the Camden Expedition, would support Banks by advancing on Shreveport from the North. In March, Steele set out from Little Rock, Arkansas, and reached the Little Missouri River on April 3. Steele chose to cross at Elkin's Ferry. Here, Steele met his first real opposition during the campaign.
Colonel William McLean was sent across with two regiments and a section of artillery to establish a bridgehead and reconnoiter enemy positions. McLean’s total force numbered about 2,000 men. After clashing with Confederate skirmishers, McLean ordered Lieutenant Colonel Francis M. Drake to position six companies of infantry and a section of artillery astride the road leading from Elkin's Ferry. His caution was prudent, for on the morning of April 4, Confederate General John S. Marmaduke arrived with two brigades of cavalry and a section of artillery to attack the Union forces.
For two hours Drake’s 300 men held out against 1,200 enemy troopers but eventually, the Union left gave way, leaving the artillery exposed. The Federals’ guns, however, were saved when some of McLean’s reserves came up and repelled several enemy charges. Eventually, 2,000 Union reinforcements under the command of General Samuel Rice arrived on the scene. Realizing that the odds were against him, Marmaduke retired from the field of battle, leaving the rest of Steele’s force free to complete the crossing of the Little Missouri River.
From beginning to end, the battle lasted about five hours and produced 92 casualties (although estimates vary). The Union force apparently lost 38 men, while the Southerners suffered 54 some casualties.
D. Tuesday, April 4, 1865: CSA General Robert E. Lee is waiting for supplies that do not arrive at Amelia Court House to feed his army. Lee’s route toward North Carolina is blocked by Major General Philip H. Sheridan as his forces arrives at Jetersville, which is southwest of Amelia Court-House and his men block the Danville Railroad. Meanwhile, Major General George G. Meade is closing in from the east.

Pictures: 1864-04-04 Battle of Elkin's Ferry, Arkansas Map; 1864-04-04 Corps D'Afrique; 1865-04-04 President Abraham Lincoln visits Richmond (Virginia). Lincoln travels up the James River on the River Queen, then transfers the M.S.S. Malvern; CDV of an outstanding pose of Fighting Cavalry Gen. Phil Sheridan

1. Monday, April 4, 1861: Virginia votes not to hold a referendum on secession, 89-45.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1861
2. Friday, April 4, 1862: Confederate General Johnston's forces are again delayed and fail to attack Grant at Shiloh. Grant's reinforcements continue to arrive. Grant does not expect an open attack from the Confederates. Union General McClellan proceeds to Yorktown, VA and calls for more reinforcements.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-b/part-fifty-one
3. Friday, April 4, 1862. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force at Yorktown behind the Warwick Line.
The Union Army pushed through Magruder's initial line of defense but the following day encountered his more effective Warwick Line. The nature of the terrain made it difficult to determine the exact disposition of the Confederate forces. A victim of faulty intelligence, McClellan estimated that the Confederates had 40,000 troops in the defensive line and that Johnston was expected to arrive quickly with an additional 60,000. Magruder, an amateur actor before the war, exacerbated McClellan's confusion by moving infantry and artillery in a noisy, ostentatious manner to make the defenders seem a much larger forces than their actual numbers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown_(1862)
4. Friday, April 4, 1862: On the road to Shiloh, the Confederates are having a tough time. Heavy rains lash the columns and make the roads impassable for wagons and artillery. Also, the confusing array of highways lead to confusion and blocked routes. Johnston and Beauregard decide that an attack on the morrow, April 5, is impossible. The troops camp where they are.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1862
5. Saturday, April 4, 1863: Reports from Florence, Alabama, say that the Confederates are building bridges and floats for crossing the Tennessee River in order to simplify troop movements through that area.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-c/part-one-hundred-three
6. Saturday, April 4, 1863: Union General Hooker prepared the Army of the Potomac (US) for an attack on Richmond. The Army’s Secret Service Department was ordered to prepare updated maps on the defenses at Richmond.
7. https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-c/part-one-hundred-three
8. Monday, April 4, 1864: Major General Philip Sheridan moves from command of an infantry division in the Army of the Cumberland to command cavalry in the Army of the Potomac.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186404
9. Monday, April 4, 1864: Washington, DC: The U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution that the United States will never allow a monarchy in Mexico, in reference to the 25,000 French troops that are in Mexico to do just that---to install Archduke Maximilian of Austria as Emperor of Mexico on April 10.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1864
10. Monday, April 4, 1864: The USS Sciota, a Federal gunboat on blockade duty off Galveston, Texas, gives chase and captures the Mary Sorley, a Confederate blockade runner, dashing out of the port.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=April+4%2C+1864
11. Monday April 4, 1864: Kings and Queens Courthouse, Virginia - On April 4, Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick was commanding a Union force consisting of 2 cavalry brigades, 3 infantry regiments, and an artillery battery. They attacked a Confederate camp near King and Queen Court House. The Federals routed the 1,200-man Confederate force, destroyed the military stores, and took 35 prisoners.
https://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1864s.html
12. Monday, April 4, 1864: During the Camden Expedition in southwestern Arkansas, Union forces sought a ford (shallow crossing) to cross the Little Missouri River, because other roads were impassible. They reached Elkin’s Ferry before the Confederates. As they crossed, the Confederates attempted to stop them but to no avail. The Confederates loss 54 men trying to stop the Union from crossing, and 38 Union soldiers never made it across. Forces under Brig. General Judson Kilpatrick (US) at Kings and Queens Courthouse, Virginia attack 1200 rebels and destroyed the military stores, and take 35 prisoners.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-156
13. Monday, April 4, 1864: the Federal Army re-designated d'Afrique Corps units which were manned by colored soldiers and Caucasian officers into US Army colored infantry regiments:
1st Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized April 28, 1863 on re-designated 95th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.
2nd Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized August 15, 1863 on re-designated 96th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.
3rd Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized August 26, 1863 on re-designated 97th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1864.
4th Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was organized September 3, 1863 on re-designated 98th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1864.
5th Corps d'Afrique Engineer Regiment was formed from the 15th Corps d'Afrique Infantry Regiment on February 10, 1864 and re-designated 99th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment on April 4, 1864.
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Civil_War_Colored_Troops_Other_Units
14. Monday, April 4, 1864: In Washington, D.C., the US House of Representatives passes a resolution denouncing any intentions by Napoleon III of France to install a monarchy in Mexico under Maximilian, the younger brother of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. Lincoln had enough to worry about here, without France trying taking over Mexico. He knew that could never be a good thing for the US.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-156
15. Tuesday, April 4, 1865: Tuesday, April 4, 1865: Lincoln tours Richmond and is greeted and cheered by many African Americans who up to this day had been slaves in numerous households in the city. Newspapers write: “He has no right to put [his life] at the mercy of any lingering desperado in Richmond, or of any stray bullet in the field, unless some special service can be rendered by his personal presence.” Lincoln, accompanied by a small group of soldiers and a growing entourage of freed slaves, walks to the Confederate White House and sits and remarks, “This must have been President Davis’s chair.” Grant decides that an active pursuit of Lee’s men was not required. He got his army to follow them, but only on a parallel course. However, Grant was wary about any attempt by Lee to link up with what was left of Johnston’s men (CSA). Attempting to bolster the Confederacy, President Davis (CSA) urges a continuation of the struggle.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1865/week-208

A Thursday, April 4, 1861: Orders for Fort Sumter, “Major Anderson’s letter to Washington informing them that he had but a week’s worth of rations finally found its way to Lincoln’s desk. Astounded that he had such little time, the President sent orders to Gustavus Fox (now in Washington again) that he was to head up the expedition to “succor Fort Sumter.”
The letter ordered Fox to “take charge of the transports in New York having the troops and supplies on board to the entrance of Charleston Harbor.” He was to first attempt to land the supplies and if attacked, “place both troops and supplies in Fort Sumter.” [3]
The President (via Secretary of War Simon Cameron) then shot off a letter to Anderson asking him to hold on until the 11th or 12th, when the expedition to resupply the fort was to be attempted. The decision to surrender or hold out prior to the resupplying would be up to Anderson. [4]
Orders to resupply both Fort Pickens in Pensacola and Fort Sumter in Charleston had been given, but was it now too late?
[3] Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1, p235-236.
[4] Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1, p235.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/virginia-totters-on-the-edge-orders-for-sumter/
B Saturday, April 4, 1863: Federal troops nearly secure New Carthage – Another first step to bypassing Vicksburg. “When last we left Union General Grant, he had figured out that directly attacking the Confederate defenses at Vicksburg was an incredibly bad idea. In light of this, he believed that he could get the bulk of his army below Vicksburg by marching them from Milliken’s Point to New Carthage – both on the western side of the Mississippi.
Sent to see if this was even possible was General John McClernand and his XIII Corps. They had started off on March 31 under the watch of General Peter Osterhaus, a Prussian who graduated from the Berlin Military Academy and served in the Prussian Army before emigrating to America. As Osterhaus’ troops (of McClernand’s Corps) picked their way south, they discovered Confederate cavalry in the small town of Richmond, along the road to New Carthage.
The vanguard and the Rebels fought it out before the latter scurried for safer ground. Their presence, however, convinced both Osterhaus and Mcclernand that if the road from Milliken’s Point to New Carthage was to be kept open, Richmond had to be held.
For Vicksburg, Richmond played an important role into getting much-needed supplies into the besieged city. And so reinforcements were called up to hold it and Osterhaus’ own cavalry continued on towards New Carthage. The infantry, however, had to wait for a bridge to be built across Roundway Bayou, near Richmond.
While they waited, the cavalry tussled with the Rebels at a plantation near New Carthage. They returned to Richmond, where General Osterhau made his headquarters, and reported the road to their destination was blocked. Determined not to be held up by a few Rebels, Osterhaus, on the morning of this date, went with several regiments of cavalry and a few of infantry across the new bridge which had just been finished the day before.
The Federal troops observed stark contrasts between the plantations barely touched by war, and those bearing the brunt of it. As they march south, the white people, their lives tied to the institution of slavery, were beaten. Some had burned their plantations rather than have them fall into Union hands. The escaped slaves, however, were excited and jubilant to see the Yankee soldiers, greeting them with tears in their eyes.
When they reached the plantation in question, the Rebels wisely retreated to another plantation two miles north of New Carthage. But, due to flooding, the road had been completely submerged. Curious as to where the Rebel camp was, Osterhaus and some cavalry continued on, bypassing the flooded road and plantation. After pushing forward six or so miles, he discovered what he was looking for atop a hill on the Perkins Plantation, along the Mississippi River.
Taking in the situation, Osterhaus saw plenty of water separating them from him. There may be various Rebel scouting parties here or there, but any sizable Confederate force was no threat at all to him. The scouting parties, however, were more than enough to keep the lead flying through the air. As both Osterhaus and McClernand looked for dry routes into New Carthage, it seemed like enemy pickets were everywhere.
McClernand noted that there was more than enough dry land around New Carthage to camp an entire army. Getting the men there, however, was no easy task. McClernand sent a message to Grant asking for a transport and a gunboat. In the meantime, Osterhaus wanted to secure a foothold at New Carthage, but the Rebels had absconded with all the boats.
Just then, five escaped slaves entered Union lines. They reported a craft eight miles before New Carthage which had been hidden by the Rebels, who also guarded it. Finding them more than willing to retrieve it, General Osterhaus sent them and twenty of his cavalry the following day.
The Federals, led by the escaped slaves, captured the boat, but were cornered by a mess of Rebels across a bayou from them. Somehow or another, they were able to dislodge themselves and the boat, making it back to New Carthage without injury.
And so the expedition to secure New Carthage for the Federals was going fairly well. Before long, thought McClernand, the small town would be the base of operations for Grant’s entire Army of the Tennessee. [1]
[1] Sources: Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 24, Part 1, p490-492; Part 3, p170-171; Vicksburg by Michael B. Ballard.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/federal-troops-nearly-secure-new-carthage-another-first-step-to-bypassing-vicksburg/
C Monday April 4, 1864: The Battle of Elkin's Ferry. In the spring of 1864, more than 40,000 Union soldiers began converging on Shreveport, Louisiana, the target of General Nathaniel Banks’ Red River Campaign. A portion of those forces were under the command of General Frederick Steele. Steele’s, in an operation that would become known as the Camden Expedition, would support Banks by advancing on Shreveport from the North. In March, Steele set out from Little Rock, Arkansas, and reached the Little Missouri River on April 3. Steele chose to cross at Elkin's Ferry. Here, Steele met his first real opposition during the campaign.
Colonel William McLean was sent across with two regiments and a section of artillery to establish a bridgehead and reconnoiter enemy positions. McLean’s total force numbered about 2,000 men. After clashing with Confederate skirmishers, McLean ordered Lieutenant Colonel Francis M. Drake to position six companies of infantry and a section of artillery astride the road leading from Elkin's Ferry. His caution was prudent, for on the morning of April 4, Confederate General John S. Marmaduke arrived with two brigades of cavalry and a section of artillery to attack the Union forces.
For two hours Drake’s 300 men held out against 1,200 enemy troopers but eventually, the Union left gave way, leaving the artillery exposed. The Federals’ guns, however, were saved when some of McLean’s reserves came up and repelled several enemy charges. Eventually, 2,000 Union reinforcements under the command of General Samuel Rice arrived on the scene. Realizing that the odds were against him, Marmaduke retired from the field of battle, leaving the rest of Steele’s force free to complete the crossing of the Little Missouri River.
From beginning to end, the battle lasted about five hours and produced 92 casualties (although estimates vary). The Union force apparently lost 38 men, while the Southerners suffered 54 some casualties.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/elkins-ferry.html
D Tuesday, April 4, 1865: General Lee is waiting for supplies that do not arrive at Amelia Court House to feed his army. Lee’s route toward North Carolina is blocked by Major General Philip H. Sheridan as his forces arrives at Jetersville, which is southwest of Amelia Court-House and his men block the Danville Railroad. Major General George G. Meade (US) is closing in from the east.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1865/week-208

‘…And Yelling Like Demons’ – Francis Drake and the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry

April 4, 1864 (Monday) The Federal brigade under Adolph Engelmann hardly slept. Surrounding them, every forest sound, every twig snapping, every cricket, could have been a Rebel. They bivouacked ne…

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Apr 20 at 2017 1:51 AM

2017-04-20T01:51:59-04:00

Engineer work was crucial to both Armies. While engineer units were not as prevalent as they are in the modern army, Regular troops and slave or hired Labor often did a lot of the engineer work such as digging earthworks contructing Abatis, Gabions and Chevueax de Frixe. It was the lack of and tardiness of the arrival of Pontoon units that led to the Federal Debacle at Fredricksburg in Dec 1862.

Response by TSgt Joe C. made Apr 20 at 2017 4:43 AM

2017-04-20T04:43:57-04:00

I am voting for all as important today LTC Stephen F.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Apr 20 at 2017 5:38 AM

2017-04-20T05:38:06-04:00

Another great history lesson, thank you.