What was the most significant event on July 18 during the U.S. Civil War?

Forlorn Hope seems to be an appropriate epithet for all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and its leader Col. Robert Gould Shaw was killed in action along with the 54th Massachusetts losing 42% of its ranks in the attack.
Saturday, July 18, 1863: Second Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina “Gen. Gillmore, commander of the Federal troops in coastal South Carolina, orders an assault to go forward that will capture or destroy Battery Wagner, the principal fortification on the southern tip of the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Gen. George Strong’s brigade being the tip of the spear, the task falls to him again. This time, the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is selected to lead the attack.
After shelling the fort for several days with 41 guns on land, the Navy moves in a half dozen monitors, and they pound the fort, even knocking the large 32-pounder there off of its carriage. In the bombardment, however, only 8 Rebels have been killed. Inside the fort are 1,300 infantry troops under Gen. William Taliaferro. At dusk, as the 54th moves forward down the beach, 650 strong, the remaining troops in the brigade also move forward in support, including the 6th Connecticut. At 100 yards, the Confederate artillery opens up with canister, and the Rebel infantry open fire.
The 54th endures horrendous losses, but reaches the moat, splashes its way across, and surges up the outer slope of the fort. The troops gain the wall and parapet and hold it for a while, although no supports are advancing to assist. Shaw is killed while scaling the fort walls, and his men falter.
Part of the 54th assists the 6th Conn. as it moves forward, but this force withdraws as well. The rest of Strong’s brigade surges forward and take heavy losses, including the commanders of each regiment and Gen. Strong himself, who is killed. Another brigade under Putnam was supposed to advance, but Putnam claims that Gen. Gillmore told him not to go forward after all. Putnam is finally convinced to charge, and like Strong’s brigade, his troops lose high numbers: every regimental commander is shot, as is Putnam himself. The Rebels lose 222 total casualties, but the Federals lose 246 killed, 890 wounded, and 391 captured. Confederate Victory.”
Saturday, July 18, 1863: Second Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina. The 54th Massachusetts suffers about 42% casualties or more. Shaw is buried in a mass grave with the bodies of his men, which is meant to be an insult. In response to this act, Col. Shaw’s father, George Shaw, issues this public statement: “We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers....We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. – what a body-guard he has!
Although the 54th Massachusetts is not the first black regiment formed, it is the first black outfit to be involved in a high-profile battle under the eye of an avid press. As the story of the desperate attack on Fort Wagner hits the newspapers, and captures the public imagination, Northern support for black units strengthens, when it is clear that these troops are the equal of white soldiers in every respect.”
Below are a number of journal entries from 1863 and 1864 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly. Included is Col Robert Gould Shaw’s final letter to his wife Annie.
Saturday, July 18, 1863: Col. Basil Duke, one of Morgan’s commanders, notes in his memoirs the zeal of the raiders to pillage and spoil the countryside: “The Provost guard had great difficulty in restraining the men from pillaging, and was unsuccessful in some instances. . . . This disposition for wholesale plunder exceeded anything that any of us had ever seen before. The men seemed actuated by a desire to ‘pay off’ in the ‘enemy’s country’ all scores that the Federal army had chalked up in the South…. They did not pillage with any sort of method or reason — it seemed to be a mania, senseless and purposeless.”
Saturday, July 18, 1863: [Col, commander of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment] Robert Gould Shaw's final letter to his wife Annie. [He started it on July 15 and finished it on July 18.] Robert Gould Shaw began this letter to his wife on July 15, 1863, just after the 54th Massachusetts had fought its first engagement against Confederate troops on James Island. Shaw continued to work on the letter over the following days as the 54th drew nearer and nearer to the fortification known as Battery Wagner to the Confederates and Fort Wagner to the Union troops on Morris Island. James’ Island, S.C. July 15,1863
“My Dearest Annie, your letters of June 3d, 14th, and 28th, and July 3d, 4th, and 5th, came to-day, and I felt horridly ashamed of myself for having blamed you for not taking care to post your letters. Do excuse it. It will show you how much I value your dear letters.
You don’t know what a fortunate day this has been for me and for us all, excepting some poor fellows who were killed and wounded. We have at last fought alongside of white troops. Two hundred of my men on picket this morning were attacked by five regiments of infantry, some cavalry, and a battery of artillery. The Tenth Connecticut (of Stevenson’s Brigade) were on their left, and say they should have had a bad time, if the Fifty-fourth men had not stood so well. The whole Division was under arms in fifteen minutes, and after coming up close in front of us, the enemy, finding us so strong, fell back. The other regiments lost in all, three men wounded. We lost seven killed, twenty-one wounded, six missing, supposed killed, and nine unaccounted for. These last are probably killed or captured. All these belonged to the four companies which were on picket. The main body, excepting artillery, was not engaged at all.
All this is very gratifying to us personally, and a fine thing for the coloured troops. It is the first time they have been associated with white soldiers, this side of the Mississippi. To make my happiness and satisfaction complete, the afternoon brought your and Mother’s letters. . . .
I have just come in from the front with my regiment, where we were sent as soon as the Rebels retired. This shows that the events of the morning did not destroy the General’s confidence in us.
We found some of our wounded, who say the Rebels treated them kindly. Other men report that some prisoners were shot. It is very common for frightened men to tell fearful stories of what they have seen; the first report comes from the wounded men themselves; the second from the stragglers. . . .
Good bye, darling, for the night. I know this letter will give you pleasure, because what we have done to-day wipes out the remembrance of the Darien affair, which you could not but grieve over, though we were innocent participators. You will have some satisfaction in telling it to your father, your Uncle Charles, and Aunt Fanny, to all of whom please give my sincere regards. Whenever you see your grandfather and grandmother, do not forget to give them my respects. To our Mamma, and Clem. I needn’t say I send my warmest love. I got my horse, India-rubber tube, and some clean clothes to-day.
July 17th, 4 P.M. James Island was evacuated last night by our forces. My regiment started first, at 91/2 P.M. Not a thing was moved until after dark, and the Rebels must have been astonished this morning. Terry went there originally only to create a diversion from Morris Island, and it was useless to stay and risk being driven off, after Morris was taken. It thundered and lightened, and rained hard all night, and it took us from 10 P.M. to 5 A.M. to come four miles. Most of the way we had to march in single file along the narrow paths through the swamps. For nearly half a mile we had to pass over a bridge of one, and in some places, two planks wide, without a railing, and slippery with rain— mud and water below several feet deep—and then over a narrow dike so slippery as to make it almost impossible to keep one’s feet. It took my regiment alone nearly two hours to pass the bridge and dike. By the time we got over, it was nearly daylight, and the Brigade behind us had a pretty easy time. I never had such an extraordinary walk.
We are now lying on the beach opposite the southern point of Folly Island, and have been here since five this morning. When they can get boats, they will set us across, I suppose.
There is hardly any water to be got here, and the sun and sand arc dazzling and roasting us. I shouldn’t like you to see me as I am now; I haven’t washed my face since day before yesterday. My conscience is perfectly easy about it, though, for it was an impossibility, and every one is in the same condition. Open air dirt, i.e. mud, & is not like the indoor article.
. . . I have had nothing but crackers and coffee these two days. It seems like old times in the army of the Potomac. Good bye again, darling Annie. Rob
July 18th. Morris Island—We are in General Strong’s Brigade, and have left Montgomery, I hope for good. We came up here last night, and were out again all night in a very heavy rain. Fort Wagner is being very heavily bombarded. We are not far from it.”
Monday, July 18, 1864: The Diary of Judith White McGuire. [On this day 150 years ago, the people of Richmond waited for news from Jubal Early's raid into Maryland while the siege at Petersburg ground on relentlessly] “Since the last note in my diary we have been pursuing our usual course. The tenor of our way is singularly rough and uneven, marked by the sound of cannon, the marching of troops, and all the paraphernalia of grim visaged war; but we still visit our friends and relatives, and have our pleasant social and family meetings, as though we were at peace with all the world. The theme of every tongue is our army in Maryland. What is it doing? What will be the result of the venture? The last accounts are from the Washington papers. Early, they say, is before Washington, throwing in shells, having cut the railroads and burnt the bridges. We are of course all anxiety and rumour is busier than ever. The army, it is said, has driven innumerable horses, beeves, etc., into Virginia. I trust so; it is surmised that to supply the commissariat is the chief object of the trip. Grant still before Petersburg, sending transports, etc., with troops to defend Washington.”

Pictures: 1863-07-18 54th Massachusetts regiment fort Wagner painting; 1864-07-18 Cool Spring first attacks map; 1863-07-18 The Second Battle of Fort Wagner Charge of 54th Mass Map; 1861-07-18 picture of Blackburn’s ford

A. Thursday, July 18, 1861: Action at Blackburn’s Ford, Virginia. A Union brigade probed the Confederate defenses along Bull Run to locate the Confederate left flank. At Blackburn's Ford, the Col. Israel B. Richardson’s brigade attempted to cross but CSA Brig Gen James Longstreet’s brigades rifle and artillery fire broke up the attack. The sharp firefight revealed that the Confederate position along this stretch of Bull Run was formidably defended, and this knowledge contributed to McDowell’s decision to focus the Union efforts elsewhere along the Confederate line.
Battle: On July 18, Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler advanced to Centreville and found that Centreville was unoccupied by Confederate troops. He then marched southeast to Mitchell's Ford and Blackburn's Ford, arriving at the latter about 11 a.m. Looking south across the stream, Tyler believed that the road to Manassas Junction was clear, but he failed to see the Confederate brigade of Brig. Gen. James Longstreet concealed in the woods behind the ford. He ordered two howitzers under Capt. Romeyn B. Ayres to bombard the Confederates he could see, guns of the Alexandria Artillery and the Washington Artillery, but the fire had no visible effect. He ordered Col. Israel B. Richardson and part of his brigade forward.
Richardson's advance met initial resistance from the 1st, 11th, and 17th Virginia Infantry regiments of Longstreet's brigade. Tyler ordered Ayres to move his guns closer to the action, accompanied by cavalry, and he sent the rest of Richardson's brigade toward the ford. Richardson's assault fell apart as the 12th New York Infantry began to retreat under heavy fire, causing a wave of panic to spread through the Union line.
Col. Jubal A. Early arrived with his Confederate brigade after marching 2 miles north from Beauregard's headquarters at Wilmer McLean's house. The availability of this additional firepower completed the Confederate victory, and a reinforced Washington Artillery kept the Union troops under fire as they retreated. Colonel Patrick T. Moore of the 1st Virginia Infantry, later a Confederate brigadier general, received a severe head wound in the skirmish and was incapacitated for further field service.
Background: The Battle of Blackburn's Ford took place on July 18, 1861, in Prince William County and Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of the First Manassas Campaign of the American Civil War. On July 16, 1861, the untried Union Army of Northeastern Virginia under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell, 35,000 strong, marched out of the Washington, D.C., defenses to give battle to the Confederate Army of the Potomac, which was concentrated around the vital railroad junction at Manassas. Moving slowly, the army reached Fairfax Court House on July 17; the next day, McDowell ordered division commander Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler to look for a fording point across Bull Run Creek and to "keep up the impression that we are moving on Manassas".
The Confederates, about 22,000 men under the command of Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, were concentrated near Bull Run, with detachments spread north of the creek to observe the Federals. When McDowell started his advance from Washington, the Confederate detachments slowly retreated and rejoined the main body. Beauregard expected to be attacked either on the 18th or the 19th near Mitchell's Ford; meanwhile, he continued to ask for reinforcements, especially from Joseph E. Johnston's army in the Shenandoah Valley.
Thursday, July 18, 1861: Blackburn’s Ford. At 9 a.m. on the morning of July 18, 1861, the vanguard of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell’s Union army arrived at Centreville having met no organized Confederate opposition. Southern troops had fallen back to defensive positions behind Bull Run the night before. Acting under orders to “Observe well the roads to Bull Run and to Warrenton; Do not bring on an engagement, but keep up the impression that we are moving on Manassas,” General Daniel Tyler, commanding McDowell’s First Division, proceeded to make a reconnaissance towards Blackburn’s Ford. A squadron of cavalry and two companies of infantry from Colonel Israel Richardson’s brigade led the advance.
A Confederate brigade under General James Longstreet, consisting of Virginia and North Carolina infantry regiments and supported by seven guns of the famed Washington Artillery of New Orleans, stood poised to meet the Union advance at Blackburn’s Ford. Longstreet’s troops remained largely concealed by the woods along Bull Run. General P.G.T. Beauregard, commander of Confederate forces at Manassas since June 1st, moved closer to the coming action and made his headquarters at Yorkshire, the nearby home of Wilmer McLean. McLean’s barn would serve as a Confederate field hospital during the battle.
By late morning Tyler was in a position overlooking Blackburn’s Ford on Bull Run. Although he observed a Confederate battery across the run, rebel troops could not be detected in any strength. “Desiring to ascertain the extent of [the Confederate] force,” Tyler called forward his artillery and Richardson’s entire infantry brigade, composed of the 1st Massachusetts, 12th New York, 2nd Michigan and 3rd Michigan, the latter two regiments being deployed facing Mitchell’s Ford.
Tyler’s guns opened fire shortly after noon but received no appreciable response. Determined to feel out the enemy, Tyler directed Richardson to advance a line of skirmishers. Upon approaching the wooded stream banks, a gray clad battalion from the 1st Massachusetts drew scattering shots from skirmishers of the 1st Virginia Infantry. In response, Tyler sent forward a section of 12-pounder field howitzers from Romeyn Ayres’ battery with a squadron of cavalry for support. Richardson also directed the 12th New York and 1st Massachusetts to move forward in support of the artillery pieces. As the two howitzers opened fire the entire stream bottom erupted with heavy volleys of musketry. The New Yorkers became heavily engaged, yet fell back in disorder shortly thereafter, dangerously exposing the left flank of the 1st Massachusetts. Captain Ayres recalled his exposed pair of howitzers after they had expended all of their canister rounds and some spherical case shot.
Satisfied that the enemy was present in strong force, Tyler ordered Richardson’s battered infantry to disengage and withdraw. Ayres’ six guns, assisted by two 20-pounder Parrott rifles, kept up a steady but ineffective artillery exchange with Confederate batteries until 4p.m. In the course of one hour, Union artillery fired a total of 415 shots, while Confederate cannon returned 310 rounds. During this exchange a Union Parrott shell reportedly struck the chimney of Mr. McLean’s detached kitchen and the resulting debris destroyed a meal being prepared for General Beauregard.
General Tyler reported 83 casualties while General Beauregard noted a total of 68 killed and wounded in this relatively small affair. Two soldiers in Company K, 12th New York (Cpl. James E. Cross and Pvt. Charles F. Rand) would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for refusing to retreat at Blackburn’s Ford. The disorderly withdrawal of many Union troops, however, contributed to the perception of a Confederate victory, and left southern troops flushed with confidence. Although General McDowell severely criticized Tyler for aggressively exceeding his orders, the Union repulse at Blackburn’s Ford did yield valuable information to the Union commander. The sharp firefight revealed that the Confederate position along this stretch of Bull Run was formidably defended, and this knowledge contributed to McDowell’s decision to focus the Union efforts elsewhere along the Confederate line. Yet the Battle at Blackburn’s Ford would serve only as a minor prelude to greater bloodshed and a much more decisive defeat for Union forces just a little further upstream on July 21, 1861.
B. Friday, July 18, 1862: Battle of Vassar Hill, Missouri. CSA Colonel Joseph C. Porter’s force set up an ambush against the Federal cavalry which was pursuing him. He attacked part of the Second Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, known as “Merrill’s Horse,” commanded by Major John Y. Clopper near Memphis, Missouri. The Federals suffered severe losses during the skirmish.
Details: Battle of Vassar Hill, Missouri [AKA Oak Ridge or Pierce’s Mill]. Scotland County is in the northernmost tier of Missouri counties, bordering Iowa. On July 18, 1862, following incidents at Cherry Hill and at the Scotland County seat of Memphis, Porter determined to set an ambush for Union cavalry that were in pursuit. He carried out his plan near the modern town of Bible Grove, about seven miles southwest of Memphis. Porter’s adversary was composed for the most part of the Second Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, known as “Merrill’s Horse,” commanded by Major John Y. Clopper.
At a bridge over Fabius Creek near Vassar Hill, Porter left a detail of men to feign that they were destroying the structure, while he proceeded two to two and a half miles further to deploy his men for an ambush along the road. He selected an area of “dense woods” on a hill and directed his men to dismount, hitch their horses in a secure concealed place, lie down in prone positions, and await the Federal column. Soon the decoys from the bridge rode past the ambush spot, followed by an advance scouting party from the Union column. A volley was fired by Porter’s men at close range and all but three of the 21-man advance party were unhorsed. The three mounted men raced back to warn the main column of the ambush. In the meantime, Porter repositioned his men in a new ambush location along the road a half mile to the north.
Clopper’s Second Missouri cavalrymen were the first element of the column to arrive, and another advance party rode into the second ambush. This time surprise was not complete, but the advance party suffered casualties before rejoining the main column. Clopper ordered a series of costly mounted charges at the concealed Confederates, but was not successful in dislodging them. It is generally conceded that the Merrill’s Horse troopers charged the Confederate position six or seven times. Major Rogers came up with his 11th MSM Cavalry troopers, dismounted them, and joined the fight. While the Union troops withdrew some distance to regroup, the Confederates withdrew from the battlefield and resumed their march.
The Battle of Vassar Hill is also known as “Oak Ridge” and “Pierce’s Mill.”
C. Saturday, July 18, 1863: Second Battle Fort Wagner assault. The 54th Massachusetts, comprised primarily of free blacks from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, attack Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor, losing 30% of their men and forcing Quincey Gillmore to lay siege to the city. After the heavy land and sea bombardment subsided, Gillmore sent forward his Federal regiments. The assault was led by the 54th Massachusetts regiment; a Boston regiment filled with free African-Americans, and led by the Harvard educated Col. Robert Gould Shaw. The decision to have the 54th Massachusetts lead this dangerous attack was fraught with all sorts of political and military risk, but in the end it was Shaw’s men that led the attack up the narrow beach.
As the Federal soldiers neared the fort they were subjected to artillery and musket fire that shredded the exposed Yankee ranks. Despite their heavy losses, the remnants of the 54th Massachusetts reached and scaled the earthen walls of Fort Wagner. Descending into the fort, the 54th engaged in a bloody hand-to-hand struggle with the Confederate defenders. Col. Shaw, shouting “Onward boys! Onward boys!” was quickly shredded by a number of Confederate bullets and died on the sandy ramparts.
Subsequent assaults by the 6th Connecticut, 48th New York, 3rd New Hampshire, 9th Maine, 76th Pennsylvania, 7th New Hampshire, 100th New York, 62nd Ohio, and 67th Ohio pressed the hard fighting Confederate defenders to their limits, but failed to take the fort. Faced with a stinging defeat, the surviving Federal soldiers streamed back to their positions south of the fort late in the evening of July 18th. Federal casualties reached 1,515, with the 54th Massachusetts losing 42% of its ranks in the attack. General Strong and Colonels Shaw, Putnam, and Chatfield all were killed or mortally wounded in the attack. Light by comparison, Confederate losses numbered 174 men.
After this bloody repulse, Gillmore’s settled into their Morris Island positions for a lengthy and costly siege that finally led to the Confederate abandonment of Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863 – far later than he had hoped.
Background: After the successful amphibious operation against Port Royal and the stunning, long range artillery bombardment that led to the swift capture of Fort Pulaski, Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore was assigned to lead the 1863 campaign against the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Gillmore, who graduated first in his West Point class of 1849, was a rising star within the Union ranks.
Gillmore’s plan, supported by a heavy naval presence, was to seize Morris Island so that he could place heavy rifled guns on Cummings Point that would in turn eliminate the Confederate stronghold at nearby Fort Sumter. Once Sumter was reduced, the army and the navy could move swiftly to capture Charleston, the birthplace of the rebellion.
On July 10, 1863, Gillmore’s Federal soldiers landed on the southern end of Morris Island and quickly pushed back the meager Confederate forces holding that part of the island. Unfortunately for the Northerners, this swift amphibious attack had failed to capture all of Morris Island. The Confederate defenders, now reinforced, still occupied Fort Wagner, a stronghold created out of sand, earth, and palmetto logs.
Hoping to finish the capture of Morris Island the next morning, Brig. Gen. George Strong sent forth the 7th Connecticut, 76th Pennsylvania, and 9th Maine in an early morning attack upon Fort Wagner. This precipitous attack against Fort Wagner was driven back with heavy loss.
The undeterred Federals prepared for a new and better coordinated attack upon Fort Wagner. The new plan included a close range land and sea bombardment of the fort, followed by a land assault by 5,000 soldiers.
Facing the Federal onslaught were more than 1,620 Confederate soldiers under the command of Brig. Gen. William Taliaferro. Fort Wagner bristled with 14 heavy guns, mortars, and carronades, and field pieces situated amongst a well laid out fortress, designed to withstand modern rifled artillery fire.
D. Monday, July 18, 1864: The Battle of Cool Spring, Virginia.
Background: Following the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11, 1864, and his failure to take Washington, DC, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley to regroup. President Abraham Lincoln had ordered an immediate pursuit of the Confederates in hopes of seizing an opportunity to crush Early’s command while it was separated from General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which at the time was struggling against General Ulysses S. Grant’s armies in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond.
The pursuit of Early’s army was led by Maj. Gen. Horatio Wright, commanding the Union Sixth Corps and elements of the Nineteenth Corps. Wright was soon joined by a portion of the Eighth Corps, under Brig. Gen. George Crook. This column of approximately 10,500 men was to pursue Early until it was certain that he was returning to the Richmond and Petersburg front.
On July 17, Early’s command entered the Shenandoah Valley. Early established his headquarters in Berryville Virginia, and left Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon’s division to guard Snicker’s Ford on the Shenandoah River. Union cavalry followed Early and seized Snicker’s Gap, making several attempts to cross at Snickers Ford, also known as Castleman’s Ferry, but were repulsed by Gordon’s men.
Growing uneasy about the increasing Union presence at Snicker’s Ford and determined to resist any further pursuit the next day, Early moved Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes’ and Brig. Gen. Gabriel Wharton’s divisions within supporting distance of Gordon.
Union general Wright believed that Snickers Ford was held only by a strong rearguard and decided to attack. On July 18, Wright ordered the 3,250-man division under Col. Joseph Thoburn of Crook’s Eighth Corps to cross at Island Ford, one mile north of Gordon’s position. While Wright kept the Confederates focused on Snickers Ford, at 3pm Thoburn moved under cover of the hills and trees to Island Ford and intended to swing south to take Gordon’s division in the flank and rear.
From prisoners captured in crossing at Island Ford, Thoburn learned he was not facing a determined rear guard, but in fact the bulk of Early’s command. Word was immediately sent back to Wright regarding these developments while Thoburn continued to push his command across the ford and deploy his artillery on the heights to the east.
Thoburn was ordered to await reinforcements from the Sixth Corps before proceeding further and deployed his division in two lines of battle on the flood plains west of the Shenandoah River. The first line was advanced 100 yards from the river into a wheatfield, while the second line took cover behind a low stone wall near the river.
As news of the Union crossing reached Early in Berryville, Rodes’ and Wharton’s divisions were sent to support Gordon. Wharton’s command was moved directly towards Island Ford, Rodes Division advanced past Cool Spring farm forming on Wharton’s left.
Rodes attacked Thoburn’s right and heavy fighting erupted for possession of a stone wall that bisected the wheat field. Wharton joined the attack and began to exact a heavy toll on Thoburn’s men, forcing them to fall back in disorder to the protection of the second stone wall near the river. A final desperate attempt was made by the Confederates to dislodge Thoburn, but they were severely cut up by the hail of artillery fire from the bluffs on the east side of the Shenandoah River. Stiffening Union resistance at the second wall, coupled with deadly artillery support, forced the Confederate divisions to pull back beyond the ridge line in the Union front. Although reinforcements from the Sixth Corps arrived on the east bank of the river, Wright realized the futility of further escalation and ordered Thoburn to fall back across the river during the night. Some 400 men on each side were killed, wounded or captured.

1. Thursday, July 18, 1861: A sizeable action took place at Blackburn’s Ford on the Bull Run Creek. Troops from McDowell’s force encountered well dug in Confederates under the command of James Longstreet. While the Union force was suitably engaged a large Confederate force withdrew to Manassas Junction.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1861/
2. Friday, July 18, 1862: Friday, July 18, 1862: Henderson, Kentucky - On July 18, a Confederate cavalry raiding party, commanded by Col. John H. Morgan, entered the town of Henderson. Henderson is located just below Evansville and Newburg, Indiana. The raiders attacked the townspeople and then managed to capture Henderson.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1862s.html
3. Friday, July 18, 1862: Newburg, Indiana - On July 18, a group of Confederate troops crossed the Ohio River and raided the town of Newburg. Newburg was located near Evansville. http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1862s.html
4. Friday, July 18, 1862: Tennessee: General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry set out for Lebanon, where a 500-man Union cavalry detachment is said to be stationed.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/20/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-16-22-1862/
5. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- Gen. Seymour, whose division was assigned to make the attack, wrote about this action in his report: “General Strong was to take the advance. I had informed him that he should be promptly supported if it were necessary. . . . Half the ground to be passed over was undulating, from small sand-hills, affording some shelter, but not so rough as to prevent free movement of troops. That part of it next the fort was quite smooth and unobstructed to the very ditch.
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, a colored regiment of excellent character, well officered, with full ranks, and that had conducted itself commendably a few days previously on James Island, was placed in front. . . .
Once in advance of our batteries, a few encouraging words were given to the men and the First Brigade launched forward. It had not moved far before the fort, liberated somewhat from the pressure of our fire, opened with rapid discharges of grape and canister, and its parapet was lit by a living line of musketry. More than half the distance was well passed, when, present myself with the column, I saw that to overcome such resistance, overpowering force must be employed. . . . Fragments of each regiment, however-brave men, bravely led-went eagerly over the ditch, mounted the parapet and struggled with the foe inside. But these efforts ere too feeble to affect the contest materially. . . . By a combined and determined rush over the southeast angle of the fort, the enemy was driven from that portion of the work. Some hundred men were now inside, with Colonel Putnam at their head. The bastion-like space between the bomb-proof and the parapet was fully in our possession. Some of our officers and men mounted the bomb-proof itself, which completely commanded the interior of the fort. Strong efforts were made by the enemy to drive our brave fellows out, but unsuccessfully, and rebel officers and men were captured and sent to the rear. . . . And now Colonel Putnam, while waiting patiently for expected succor, and urging his men to maintain the advantage that had been gained, was shot, dead, on the parapet, as brave a soldier, as courteous a gentleman, as true a man as ever walked beneath the Stars And Stripes.
General Strong had long since been wounded. Colonel Chatfield, Sixth Connecticut; Colonel Barton, Forty-eighth New York; and Colonel Shaw, Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, had fallen, after the most gallant efforts, in front of their commands; and during the advance of the Second Brigade I had been struck by a grape-shot and was compelled to retire. . . .
Finally despairing, after long waiting, of further assistance, the senior officers at the fort withdrew our men (with exception of about 100, who could not be reached, and who were soon after captured), and what had been so dearly bought was abandoned to the enemy. . . .
Unsuccessful as we were, the highest praise is due to those noble men who did their full duty that night. Who can forget, while courage and generosity are admired by man, that glorious soldier, Strong, or the heroic Putnam, or Chatfield, the beloved, or Shaw, faithful and devoted upon death. Many more than these deserve lasting record, of the rank and file as well as of officers, but the loss of those of high command, and the scattering of the many wounded who were prominent actors in this scene, with the difficultly of procuring sufficient information otherwise, compel me to but a meager outline. On every inch of the sands in front of Fort Wagner will be forever traced in undying glory the story of the determination and courage of these men.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
6. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- Col. Basil Duke, one of Morgan’s commanders, notes in his memoirs the zeal of the raiders to pillage and spoil the countryside: “The Provost guard had great difficulty in restraining the men from pillaging, and was unsuccessful in some instances. . . . This disposition for wholesale plunder exceeded anything that any of us had ever seen before. The men seemed actuated by a desire to ‘pay off’ in the ‘enemy’s country’ all scores that the Federal army had chalked up in the South…. They did not pillage with any sort of method or reason — it seemed to be a mania, senseless and purposeless.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
7. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- President Lincoln spends most of the day closeted with Judge Advocate General James Holt, studying death sentences given to deserting soldiers. Lincoln is opposed to the death sentence as a punishment for this military crime, and usually commutes as many of these sentences as possible.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
8. Saturday, July 18, 1863: South Carolina operations/Siege of Charleston. “The 54th Massachusetts, comprised primarily of free blacks from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, attack Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor, losing 30% of their men and forcing Quincey Gillmore to lay siege to the city.”
https://bjdeming.com/2013/07/21/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-15-21-1863/
9. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- Gen. John Hunt Morgan’s extended raid in Ohio continues, with exhaustion beginning to take its toll. Straggling becomes rampant and discipline begins to erode. The Rebels’ horses are giving out, and their ride is slowed by the necessity to requisition fresh horses from local farms and towns. Ohio militia is waiting for them at every bend in the road.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
10. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- Second Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina – Gen. Gillmore, commander of the Federal troops in coastal South Carolina, orders an assault to go forward that will capture or destroy Battery Wagner, the principal fortification on the southern lip of the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Gen. George Strong’s brigade being the tip of the spear, the task falls to him again. This time, the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is selected to lead the attack.
After shelling the fort for several days with 41 guns on land, the Navy moves in a half dozen monitors, and they pound the fort, even knocking the large 32-pounder there off of its carriage. In the bombardment, however, only 8 Rebels have been killed. Inside the fort are 1,300 infantry troops under Gen. William Taliaferro. At dusk, as the 54th moves forward down the beach, 650 strong, the remaining troops in the brigade also move forward in support, including the 6th Connecticut. At 100 yards, the Confederate artillery opens up with canister, and the Rebel infantry open fire.
The 54th endures horrendous losses, but reaches the moat, splashes its way across, and surges up the outer slope of the fort. The troops gain the wall and parapet and hold it for a while, although no supports are advancing to assist. Shaw is killed while scaling the fort walls, and his men falter.
Part of the 54th assists the 6th Conn. as it moves forward, but this force withdraws as well. The rest of Strong’s brigade surges forward and take heavy losses, including the commanders of each regiment and Gen. Strong himself, who is killed. Another brigade under Putnam was supposed to advance, but Putnam claims that Gen. Gillmore told him not to go forward after all. Putnam is finally convinced to charge, and like Strong’s brigade, his troops lose high numbers: every regimental commander is shot, as is Putnam himself. The Rebels lose 222 total casualties, but the Federals lose 246 killed, 890 wounded, and 391 captured. Confederate Victory.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
11. Saturday, July 18, 1863 --- The 54th Massachusetts suffers about 42% casualties or more. Shaw is buried in a mass grave with the bodies of his men, which is meant to be an insult. In response to this act, Col. Shaw’s father, George Shaw, issues this public statement: “We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers....We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. – what a body-guard he has!
Although the 54th Massachusetts is not the first black regiment formed, it is the first black outfit to be involved in a high-profile battle under the eye of an avid press. As the story of the desperate attack on Fort Wagner hits the newspapers, and captures the public imagination, Northern support for black units strengthens, when it is clear that these troops are the equal of white soldiers in every respect.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
12. Saturday, July 18, 1863: [Col, commander of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment] Robert Gould Shaw's final letter to his wife Annie. [He started it on July 15 and finished it on July 18.] Robert Gould Shaw began this letter to his wife on July 15, 1863, just after the 54th Massachusetts had fought its first engagement against Confederate troops on James Island. Shaw continued to work on the letter over the following days as the 54th drew nearer and nearer to the fortification known as Battery Wagner to the Confederates and Fort Wagner to the Union troops on Morris Island. James’ Island, S.C. July 15,1863
“My Dearest Annie, your letters of June 3d, 14th, and 28th, and July 3d, 4th, and 5th, came to-day, and I felt horridly ashamed of myself for having blamed you for not taking care to post your letters. Do excuse it. It will show you how much I value your dear letters.
You don’t know what a fortunate day this has been for me and for us all, excepting some poor fellows who were killed and wounded. We have at last fought alongside of white troops. Two hundred of my men on picket this morning were attacked by five regiments of infantry, some cavalry, and a battery of artillery. The Tenth Connecticut (of Stevenson’s Brigade) were on their left, and say they should have had a bad time, if the Fifty-fourth men had not stood so well. The whole Division was under arms in fifteen minutes, and after coming up close in front of us, the enemy, finding us so strong, fell back. The other regiments lost in all, three men wounded. We lost seven killed, twenty-one wounded, six missing, supposed killed, and nine unaccounted for. These last are probably killed or captured. All these belonged to the four companies which were on picket. The main body, excepting artillery, was not engaged at all.
All this is very gratifying to us personally, and a fine thing for the coloured troops. It is the first time they have been associated with white soldiers, this side of the Mississippi. To make my happiness and satisfaction complete, the afternoon brought your and Mother’s letters. . . .
I have just come in from the front with my regiment, where we were sent as soon as the Rebels retired. This shows that the events of the morning did not destroy the General’s confidence in us.
We found some of our wounded, who say the Rebels treated them kindly. Other men report that some prisoners were shot. It is very common for frightened men to tell fearful stories of what they have seen; the first report comes from the wounded men themselves; the second from the stragglers. . . .
Good bye, darling, for the night. I know this letter will give you pleasure, because what we have done to-day wipes out the remembrance of the Darien affair, which you could not but grieve over, though we were innocent participators. You will have some satisfaction in telling it to your father, your Uncle Charles, and Aunt Fanny, to all of whom please give my sincere regards. Whenever you see your grandfather and grandmother, do not forget to give them my respects. To our Mamma, and Clem. I needn’t say I send my warmest love. I got my horse, India-rubber tube, and some clean clothes to-day.
July 17th, 4 P.M. James Island was evacuated last night by our forces. My regiment started first, at 91/2 P.M. Not a thing was moved until after dark, and the Rebels must have been astonished this morning. Terry went there originally only to create a diversion from Morris Island, and it was useless to stay and risk being driven off, after Morris was taken. It thundered and lightened, and rained hard all night, and it took us from 10 P.M. to 5 A.M. to come four miles. Most of the way we had to march in single file along the narrow paths through the swamps. For nearly half a mile we had to pass over a bridge of one, and in some places, two planks wide, without a railing, and slippery with rain— mud and water below several feet deep—and then over a narrow dike so slippery as to make it almost impossible to keep one’s feet. It took my regiment alone nearly two hours to pass the bridge and dike. By the time we got over, it was nearly daylight, and the Brigade behind us had a pretty easy time. I never had such an extraordinary walk.
We are now lying on the beach opposite the southern point of Folly Island, and have been here since five this morning. When they can get boats, they will set us across, I suppose.
There is hardly any water to be got here, and the sun and sand arc dazzling and roasting us. I shouldn’t like you to see me as I am now; I haven’t washed my face since day before yesterday. My conscience is perfectly easy about it, though, for it was an impossibility, and every one is in the same condition. Open air dirt, i.e. mud, & is not like the indoor article.
. . . I have had nothing but crackers and coffee these two days. It seems like old times in the army of the Potomac. Good bye again, darling Annie. Rob
July 18th. Morris Island—We are in General Strong’s Brigade, and have left Montgomery, I hope for good. We came up here last night, and were out again all night in a very heavy rain. Fort Wagner is being very heavily bombarded. We are not far from it.”
http://www.civilwar-online.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1863
13. Saturday, July 18, 1863: Union forces suffered losses in their attempt to capture Battery Wagner, near Charleston. Battery Wagner was a Confederate redoubt about 2,500 metres from Fort Sumter. 1,515 Union men were lost in the attack, including seven senior Union commanders. The Confederacy lost 174 men.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1863/
14. Monday, July 18, 1864: Shenandoah operations, Early’s Raid: Battle of Cool Spring/Snicker’s Ferry/Parker’s Ford ends.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
15. Monday, July 18, 1864: Horace Greeley is sent to Canada to negotiate an end to the Civil War. Lincoln gives him broad powers to come to a settlement, only requiring that it include the restoration of the Union and a renunciation of slavery. The Confederates would not accept these conditions.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186407
16. Monday, July 18, 1864: Lincoln rejected tentative peace talks with the South as they based their proposals on the basis that there would be an independent South.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1864/
17. Monday, July 18, 1864: The Diary of Judith White McGuire. [On this day 150 years ago, the people of Richmond waited for news from Jubal Early's raid into Maryland while the siege at Petersburg ground on relentlessly] “Since the last note in my diary we have been pursuing our usual course. The tenor of our way is singularly rough and uneven, marked by the sound of cannon, the marching of troops, and all the paraphernalia of grim visaged war; but we still visit our friends and relatives, and have our pleasant social and family meetings, as though we were at peace with all the world. The theme of every tongue is our army in Maryland. What is it doing? What will be the result of the venture? The last accounts are from the Washington papers. Early, they say, is before Washington, throwing in shells, having cut the railroads and burnt the bridges. We are of course all anxiety,.and rumour is busier than ever. The army, it is said, has driven innumerable horses, beeves, etc., into Virginia. I trust so; it is surmised that to supply the commissariat is the chief object of the trip. Grant still before Petersburg, sending transports, etc., with troops to defend Washington.”
http://www.civilwar-online.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1864
18. Monday, July 18, 1864: Grant wants to establish a single military department to control all operations around Washington and in the Shenandoah Valley. Lincoln issues a call for 500,000 volunteers.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
19. Monday, July 18, 1864: Georgia operations, Atlanta campaign. General Hood takes command of the 50,000-man army. Some 80,000 Federal troops are five miles from Atlanta, which is encircled by a 1-1/4-mile ring of fortified lines.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
20. Monday, July 18, 1864: Per Sherman: “On the 18th all the armies moved on a general right wheel, Thomas to Buckhead, forming line of battle facing Peach-Tree Creek; Schofield was on his left, and McPherson well over toward the railroad between Stone Mountain and Decatur, which he reached at 2 p.m. of that day, about four miles from Stone Mountain, and seven miles east of Decatur, and there he turned toward Atlanta, breaking up the railroad as he progressed, his advance-guard reaching Ecatur about night, where he came into communication with Schofield’s troops, which had also reached Decatur. About 10 A.M. of that day (July 18th), when the armies were all in motion, one of General Thomas’s staff-officers brought me a citizen, one of our spies, who had just come out of Atlanta, and had brought a newspaper of the same day, or of the day before, containing Johnston’s order relinquishing the command of the Confederate forces in Atlanta, and Hood’s order assuming the command. I immediately inquired of General Schofield, who was his classmate at West Point, about Hood, as to his general character, etc., and learned that he was bold even to rashness, and courageous in the extreme; I inferred that the change of commanders meant “fight.” Notice of this important change was at once sent to all parts of the army, and every division commander was cautioned to be always prepared for battle in any shape. This was just what we wanted, viz., to fight in open ground, on any thing like equal terms, instead of being forced to run up against prepared intrenchments; but, at the same time, the enemy having Atlanta behind him, could choose the time and place of attack, and could at pleasure mass a superior force on our weakest points. Therefore, we had to be constantly ready for sallies.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
21. Monday, July 18, 1864: Peace negotiations: “Horace Greeley is sent to Canada to negotiate an end to the Civil War. Lincoln gives him broad powers to come to a settlement, only requiring that it include the restoration of the Union and a renunciation of slavery. The Confederates would not accept these conditions.” (5, including quote; link added) See links at July 15 and 16 on the Lincoln Log for more information. “J. R. Gilmore reports to Lincoln on interview with President Davis: South fighting for independence and not slavery; terms of peace must be based on recognition of independence.”
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/

A Thursday, July 18, 1861: The Battle of Blackburn's Ford took place on July 18, 1861, in Prince William County and Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of the First Manassas Campaign of the American Civil War. A Union brigade was ordered to probe the Confederate defenses along Bull Run to locate the Confederate left. At Blackburn's Ford, the brigade attempted to cross but Confederate fire broke up the attack and Union commanders decided to cross the creek farther upstream.
Background: On July 16, 1861, the untried Union Army of Northeastern Virginia under Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell, 35,000 strong, marched out of the Washington, D.C., defenses to give battle to the Confederate Army of the Potomac, which was concentrated around the vital railroad junction at Manassas. Moving slowly, the army reached Fairfax Court House on July 17; the next day, McDowell ordered division commander Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler to look for a fording point across Bull Run Creek and to "keep up the impression that we are moving on Manassas".
The Confederates, about 22,000 men under the command of Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, were concentrated near Bull Run, with detachments spread north of the creek to observe the Federals. When McDowell started his advance from Washington, the Confederate detachments slowly retreated and rejoined the main body. Beauregard expected to be attacked either on the 18th or the 19th near Mitchell's Ford; meanwhile, he continued to ask for reinforcements, especially from Joseph E. Johnston's army in the Shenandoah Valley.
Battle: On July 18, Tyler advanced to Centreville and found that Centreville was unoccupied by Confederate troops. He then marched southeast to Mitchell's Ford and Blackburn's Ford, arriving at the latter about 11 a.m. Looking south across the stream, Tyler believed that the road to Manassas Junction was clear, but he failed to see the Confederate brigade of Brig. Gen. James Longstreet concealed in the woods behind the ford. He ordered two howitzers under Capt. Romeyn B. Ayres to bombard the Confederates he could see, guns of the Alexandria Artillery and the Washington Artillery, but the fire had no visible effect. He ordered Col. Israel B. Richardson and part of his brigade forward.
Richardson's advance met initial resistance from the 1st, 11th, and 17th Virginia Infantry regiments of Longstreet's brigade. Tyler ordered Ayres to move his guns closer to the action, accompanied by cavalry, and he sent the rest of Richardson's brigade toward the ford. Richardson's assault fell apart as the 12th New York Infantry began to retreat under heavy fire, causing a wave of panic to spread through the Union line.
Col. Jubal A. Early arrived with his Confederate brigade after marching 2 miles north from Beauregard's headquarters at Wilmer McLean's house. The availability of this additional firepower completed the Confederate victory, and a reinforced Washington Artillery kept the Union troops under fire as they retreated. Colonel Patrick T. Moore of the 1st Virginia Infantry, later a Confederate brigadier general, received a severe head wound in the skirmish and was incapacitated for further field service.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blackburn%27s_Ford
A+ Thursday, July 18, 1861: Blackburn’s Ford. At 9 a.m. on the morning of July 18, 1861, the vanguard of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell’s Union army arrived at Centreville having met no organized Confederate opposition. Southern troops had fallen back to defensive positions behind Bull Run the night before. Acting under orders to “Observe well the roads to Bull Run and to Warrenton; Do not bring on an engagement, but keep up the impression that we are moving on Manassas,” General Daniel Tyler, commanding McDowell’s First Division, proceeded to make a reconnaissance towards Blackburn’s Ford. A squadron of cavalry and two companies of infantry from Colonel Israel Richardson’s brigade led the advance.
A Confederate brigade under General James Longstreet, consisting of Virginia and North Carolina infantry regiments and supported by seven guns of the famed Washington Artillery of New Orleans, stood poised to meet the Union advance at Blackburn’s Ford. Longstreet’s troops remained largely concealed by the woods along Bull Run. General P.G.T. Beauregard, commander of Confederate forces at Manassas since June 1st, moved closer to the coming action and made his headquarters at Yorkshire, the nearby home of Wilmer McLean. McLean’s barn would serve as a Confederate field hospital during the battle.
By late morning Tyler was in a position overlooking Blackburn’s Ford on Bull Run. Although he observed a Confederate battery across the run, rebel troops could not be detected in any strength. “Desiring to ascertain the extent of [the Confederate] force,” Tyler called forward his artillery and Richardson’s entire infantry brigade, composed of the 1st Massachusetts, 12th New York, 2nd Michigan and 3rd Michigan, the latter two regiments being deployed facing Mitchell’s Ford.
Tyler’s guns opened fire shortly after noon but received no appreciable response. Determined to feel out the enemy, Tyler directed Richardson to advance a line of skirmishers. Upon approaching the wooded stream banks, a gray clad battalion from the 1st Massachusetts drew scattering shots from skirmishers of the 1st Virginia Infantry. In response, Tyler sent forward a section of 12-pounder field howitzers from Romeyn Ayres’ battery with a squadron of cavalry for support. Richardson also directed the 12th New York and 1st Massachusetts to move forward in support of the artillery pieces. As the two howitzers opened fire the entire stream bottom erupted with heavy volleys of musketry. The New Yorkers became heavily engaged, yet fell back in disorder shortly thereafter, dangerously exposing the left flank of the 1st Massachusetts. Captain Ayres recalled his exposed pair of howitzers after they had expended all of their canister rounds and some spherical case shot.
Satisfied that the enemy was present in strong force, Tyler ordered Richardson’s battered infantry to disengage and withdraw. Ayres’ six guns, assisted by two 20-pounder Parrott rifles, kept up a steady but ineffective artillery exchange with Confederate batteries until 4p.m. In the course of one hour, Union artillery fired a total of 415 shots, while Confederate cannon returned 310 rounds. During this exchange a Union Parrott shell reportedly struck the chimney of Mr. McLean’s detached kitchen and the resulting debris destroyed a meal being prepared for General Beauregard.
General Tyler reported 83 casualties while General Beauregard noted a total of 68 killed and wounded in this relatively small affair. Two soldiers in Company K, 12th New York (Cpl. James E. Cross and Pvt. Charles F. Rand) would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for refusing to retreat at Blackburn’s Ford. The disorderly withdrawal of many Union troops, however, contributed to the perception of a Confederate victory, and left southern troops flushed with confidence. Although General McDowell severely criticized Tyler for aggressively exceeding his orders, the Union repulse at Blackburn’s Ford did yield valuable information to the Union commander. The sharp firefight revealed that the Confederate position along this stretch of Bull Run was formidably defended, and this knowledge contributed to McDowell’s decision to focus the Union efforts elsewhere along the Confederate line. Yet the Battle at Blackburn’s Ford would serve only as a minor prelude to greater bloodshed and a much more decisive defeat for Union forces just a little further upstream on July 21, 1861.
https://www.nps.gov/mana/learn/historyculture/the-skirmish-at-blackburns-ford.htm
B Friday, July 18, 1862: near Memphis, Missouri - On July 18, a Confederate force set up an ambush and attacked a Union party near Memphis. The Federals suffered severe losses during the skirmish.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1862s.html
B+ Friday, July 18, 1862: Battle of Vassar Hill, Missouri [AKA Oak Ridge or Pierce’s Mill]. Scotland County is in the northernmost tier of Missouri counties, bordering Iowa. On July 18, 1862, following incidents at Cherry Hill and at the Scotland County seat of Memphis, Porter determined to set an ambush for Union cavalry that were in pursuit. He carried out his plan near the modern town of Bible Grove, about seven miles southwest of Memphis. Porter’s adversary was composed for the most part of the Second Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, known as “Merrill’s Horse,” commanded by Major John Y. Clopper.
At a bridge over Fabius Creek near Vassar Hill, Porter left a detail of men to feign that they were destroying the structure, while he proceeded two to two and a half miles further to deploy his men for an ambush along the road. He selected an area of “dense woods” on a hill and directed his men to dismount, hitch their horses in a secure concealed place, lie down in prone positions, and await the Federal column. Soon the decoys from the bridge rode past the ambush spot, followed by an advance scouting party from the Union column. A volley was fired by Porter’s men at close range and all but three of the 21-man advance party were unhorsed. The three mounted men raced back to warn the main column of the ambush. In the meantime, Porter repositioned his men in a new ambush location along the road a half mile to the north.
Clopper’s Second Missouri cavalrymen were the first element of the column to arrive, and another advance party rode into the second ambush. This time surprise was not complete, but the advance party suffered casualties before rejoining the main column. Clopper ordered a series of costly mounted charges at the concealed Confederates, but was not successful in dislodging them. It is generally conceded that the Merrill’s Horse troopers charged the Confederate position six or seven times. Major Rogers came up with his 11th MSM Cavalry troopers, dismounted them, and joined the fight. While the Union troops withdrew some distance to regroup, the Confederates withdrew from the battlefield and resumed their march.
The Battle of Vassar Hill is also known as “Oak Ridge” and “Pierce’s Mill.”
http://www.mobattlefields.com/campaigns/
Friday, July 18, 1862: Battles: Morgan’s First Kentucky Raid: Battle of Cynthiana, Kentucky and capture of Paris, Winchester, and Richmond, Kentucky.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/20/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-16-22-1862/
July 18, 1862: Battle of Cynthiana - Gen. Boyle, in command of U.S. troops at Louisville, has been calling upon the governors of Ohio and Indiana to send him more troops, in the panic over the raid of John Hunt Morgan’s Rebel riders up through the center of the state of Kentucky. At the town of Cynthiana in northern Kentucky, Lt. Col. John Landram defends with one brass gun and 340 Yankee troops. Morgan attacks by dividing his force and riding them across the Licking River on three separate fords. Fighting in the streets of the town see-saws for a while, and then Landram orders his shrinking force to retreat. The Rebels scoop up a large number of prisoners. The Rebels have lost about 40 men killed and wounded, while the Yankees have lost over 70 shot, in addition to the prisoners.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+18%2C+1862
C Saturday, July 18, 1863: The 54th Massachusetts, comprised primarily of free blacks from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, attack Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor, losing 30% of their men and forcing Quincey Gillmore to lay siege to the city. The film "Glory" is based on this action.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186307
C+ On July 18, 1863, after the heavy land and sea bombardment subsided, Gillmore sent forward his Federal regiments. The assault was led by the 54th Massachusetts regiment; a Boston regiment filled with free African-Americans, and led by the Harvard educated Col. Robert Gould Shaw. The decision to have the 54th Massachusetts lead this dangerous attack was fraught with all sorts of political and military risk, but in the end it was Shaw’s men that led the attack up the narrow beach.
As the Federal soldiers neared the fort they were subjected to artillery and musket fire that shredded the exposed Yankee ranks. Despite their heavy losses, the remnants of the 54th Massachusetts reached and scaled the earthen walls of Fort Wagner. Descending into the fort, the 54th engaged in a bloody hand-to-hand struggle with the Confederate defenders. Col. Shaw, shouting “Onward boys! Onward boys!” was quickly shredded by a number of Confederate bullets and died on the sandy ramparts.
Subsequent assaults by the 6th Connecticut, 48th New York, 3rd New Hampshire, 9th Maine, 76th Pennsylvania, 7th New Hampshire, 100th New York, 62nd Ohio, and 67th Ohio pressed the hard fighting Confederate defenders to their limits, but failed to take the fort. Faced with a stinging defeat, the surviving Federal soldiers streamed back to their positions south of the fort late in the evening of July 18th. Federal casualties reached 1,515, with the 54th Massachusetts losing 42% of its ranks in the attack. General Strong and Colonels Shaw, Putnam, and Chatfield all were killed or mortally wounded in the attack. Light by comparison, Confederate losses numbered 174 men.
After this bloody repulse, Gillmore’s settled into their Morris Island positions for a lengthy and costly siege that finally led to the Confederate abandonment of Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863 – far later than he had hoped.
Background: After the successful amphibious operation against Port Royal and the stunning, long range artillery bombardment that led to the swift capture of Fort Pulaski, Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore was assigned to lead the 1863 campaign against the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Gillmore, who graduated first in his West Point class of 1849, was a rising star within the Union ranks.
Gillmore’s plan, supported by a heavy naval presence, was to seize Morris Island so that he could place heavy rifled guns on Cummings Point that would in turn eliminate the Confederate stronghold at nearby Fort Sumter. Once Sumter was reduced, the army and the navy could move swiftly to capture Charleston, the birthplace of the rebellion.
On July 10, 1863, Gillmore’s Federal soldiers landed on the southern end of Morris Island and quickly pushed back the meager Confederate forces holding that part of the island. Unfortunately for the Northerners, this swift amphibious attack had failed to capture all of Morris Island. The Confederate defenders, now reinforced, still occupied Fort Wagner, a stronghold created out of sand, earth, and palmetto logs.
Hoping to finish the capture of Morris Island the next morning, Brig. Gen. George Strong sent forth the 7th Connecticut, 76th Pennsylvania, and 9th Maine in an early morning attack upon Fort Wagner. This precipitous attack against Fort Wagner was driven back with heavy loss.
The undeterred Federals prepared for a new and better coordinated attack upon Fort Wagner. The new plan included a close range land and sea bombardment of the fort, followed by a land assault by 5,000 soldiers.
Facing the Federal onslaught were more than 1,620 Confederate soldiers under the command of Brig. Gen. William Taliaferro. Fort Wagner bristled with 14 heavy guns, mortars, and carronades, and field pieces situated amongst a well laid out fortress, designed to withstand modern rifled artillery fire.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/battery-wagner.html?tab=facts
D Monday, July 18, 1864: The Battle of Cool Spring, Virginia.
Background: Following the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11, 1864, and his failure to take Washington, DC, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley to regroup. President Abraham Lincoln had ordered an immediate pursuit of the Confederates in hopes of seizing an opportunity to crush Early’s command while it was separated from General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which at the time was struggling against General Ulysses S. Grant’s armies in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond.
The pursuit of Early’s army was led by Maj. Gen. Horatio Wright, commanding the Union Sixth Corps and elements of the Nineteenth Corps. Wright was soon joined by a portion of the Eighth Corps, under Brig. Gen. George Crook. This column of approximately 10,500 men was to pursue Early until it was certain that he was returning to the Richmond and Petersburg front.
On July 17, Early’s command entered the Shenandoah Valley. Early established his headquarters in Berryville Virginia, and left Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon’s division to guard Snicker’s Ford on the Shenandoah River. Union cavalry followed Early and seized Snicker’s Gap, making several attempts to cross at Snickers Ford, also known as Castleman’s Ferry, but were repulsed by Gordon’s men.
Growing uneasy about the increasing Union presence at Snicker’s Ford and determined to resist any further pursuit the next day, Early moved Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes’ and Brig. Gen. Gabriel Wharton’s divisions within supporting distance of Gordon.
Union general Wright believed that Snickers Ford was held only by a strong rearguard and decided to attack. On July 18, Wright ordered the 3,250-man division under Col. Joseph Thoburn of Crook’s Eighth Corps to cross at Island Ford, one mile north of Gordon’s position. While Wright kept the Confederates focused on Snickers Ford, at 3pm Thoburn moved under cover of the hills and trees to Island Ford and intended to swing south to take Gordon’s division in the flank and rear.
From prisoners captured in crossing at Island Ford, Thoburn learned he was not facing a determined rear guard, but in fact the bulk of Early’s command. Word was immediately sent back to Wright regarding these developments while Thoburn continued to push his command across the ford and deploy his artillery on the heights to the east.
Thoburn was ordered to await reinforcements from the Sixth Corps before proceeding further and deployed his division in two lines of battle on the flood plains west of the Shenandoah River. The first line was advanced 100 yards from the river into a wheatfield, while the second line took cover behind a low stone wall near the river.
As news of the Union crossing reached Early in Berryville, Rodes’ and Wharton’s divisions were sent to support Gordon. Wharton’s command was moved directly towards Island Ford, Rodes Division advanced past Cool Spring farm forming on Wharton’s left.
Rodes attacked Thoburn’s right and heavy fighting erupted for possession of a stone wall that bisected the wheat field. Wharton joined the attack and began to exact a heavy toll on Thoburn’s men, forcing them to fall back in disorder to the protection of the second stone wall near the river. A final desperate attempt was made by the Confederates to dislodge Thoburn, but they were severely cut up by the hail of artillery fire from the bluffs on the east side of the Shenandoah River. Stiffening Union resistance at the second wall, coupled with deadly artillery support, forced the Confederate divisions to pull back beyond the ridge line in the Union front. Although reinforcements from the Sixth Corps arrived on the east bank of the river, Wright realized the futility of further escalation and ordered Thoburn to fall back across the river during the night. Some 400 men on each side were killed, wounded or captured.
Aftermath: Both forces cautiously watched each other throughout the next day. On July 19, Maj. Gen. David Hunter broke the stalemate, sending a force from Harpers Ferry to pressure Early's position from the north by moving into Martinsburg, WV. Early withdrew from the Berryville area the following day, thereby setting in motion the Shenandoah Campaign of 1864.
FYI SPC Deb Root-WhiteLt Col Charlie Brown CWO2 John HeinzlGySgt Jack Wallace SPC Diana D. CWO4 Terrence Clark SPC Michael Oles SR SPC Michael Terrell TSgt David L. CPL Ronald Keyes Jr PO1 John Johnson SPC (Join to see) SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SP5 Dave (Shotgun) Shockley SGT Paul Russo[~1757912"LTC Keith L Jackson] A1C Pamela G RussellLTC Trent KlugMSG Roy CheeverPO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln

Thank You Brother Steve for all your typing of all this info about the Civil War. All four choices looked equally as horrendous, so I voted for all the above.

LTC Stephen F. Thanks for sharing Stephen!

Great post LTC Stephen F. for Civil War history; I am going with all events.

One of the more interesting facts about the 54th Massuchusetts is that unlike many African American regiments during the war, they never had the word "Colored" in their official unit description.
That shows how far ahead of society the founders, officers and men of the unit were.

I love the history in the pictures LTC Stephen F., thanks.