What was the most significant event on June 14 during the U.S. Civil War?

2016-06-15T22:04:00-04:00

From humble northern beginnings in 1861: Ulysses S. Grant's first command in the Civil War was the Seventh District Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, later mustered into U. S. service as the 21st Illinois Volunteers. Grant first saw this regiment at Mattoon where he had gone as mustering officer to enroll the regiment in the state service. The regiment was then commanded by Colonel Simon S. Goode, who proved incapable of maintaining discipline. The regiment left Mattoon by train for Springfield on June 14, 1861; that evening Governor Richard Yates conferred with officers of the regiment and the following day appointed Grant to command of the regiment.
From humble southern beginnings in 1861: Nathan Bedford Forrest volunteered as a private in the Confederate Army on June 14, 1861, but at the request of Tennessee’s governor, Isham G. Harris, he raised and equipped an entire cavalry battalion at his own expense; the former private was made a lieutenant colonel.
Confederacy abandoned Harpers Ferry in 1861: Joe Johnston begins to withdraw from Harpers Ferry by blowing up the 800-foot B&O trestle over the Potomac River
Crew of the USS Marmora torch Eunice, Arkansas in 1863: Eunice, Arkansas - On June 14, the U.S.S. Marmora was traveling on the river near Eunice. Suddenly, a group of Confederate guerrillas opened fire on the ship from the shoreline, where they had been hiding. After a few minutes, the Confederates left.
The Marmora pulled onto the shore and entered the town. They asked the town people where the guerrillas were at and nobody answered. The Federals then ordered all of the people to get out of the town and then torched the town, burning it.
1864: The U.S.S. Kearsarge weighs anchor off the coast of France near Cherbourg, waiting for the C.S.S. Alabama.
1863 was Banks' second major assault to take Port Hudson. Below are two accounts from part of this attack. One is from Colonel Benjamin Johnson of the 15th Arkansas: “The Battle of Port Hudson at TheHardyParty.com. I could not dislodge the enemy's sharpshooters from behind the logs, stumps, ravines etc., in front and around my position, for they were well sheltered. In addition, they threw up some deep rifle pits all around my works, distant about two hundred and fifty yards, and from all of these, aided by artilery, He kept up a terrible and steady fire upon every part of my position, until the morning of the 14th June. During this time, I worked almost in-cessantly, principaly at night - owing to the fire through the day which prevented me from work - and by the 14th June, my works were far advanced toward com-pletion at every point. Some nights I caused my men to work all night, and by nine o'clock A.M. of the next day I would find all of my work destroyed by the heavy artilery, fired from the enemy's guns. By the 14th June I had lost in addition to the losses on the 27 May, about thirty more men in killed and wounded and my sick list, not withstanding every effort of mine to prevent it, was quite large. And even many of my men that I compelled to remain and report for duty, were so worn down with ague and fever, and desentary as scarcely to be called soldiers or be of any service to me. But they could fight, and so I kept them. When all was summed up, I could muster only about one hundred and twenty five men. With about forty additional, from the 49 Ala. regt. who were at the back of my camp as a reserve. Anticipating a furious assault on the morning of the 14th, I ordered, the night before, every man into the ditches, from about my camp, who were able to load and fire a gun. For nearly an hour before daylight on that morning, my position was subjected to the most terrible cannonade that I had yet experienced, which continued until day began to dawn, when the artilery ceased, and the infantry of the enemy began to advance to the assault with about the same numbers and in the same [formation]- the crescent - as on the 27th May, encircling my entire position except my extreme left flank, or northern front. I acted as I did on the 27th and likewise, broke his center twice, but instead of moving his right wing as before toward his center, he moved it by the "flank" under cover of his artilery and sharpshooters up to my ditch again and by digging a small place, or bank ¹ [front?], that intervened between the head of the ravine and said ditch, which was not more than one foot in thickness, filed into the same, with however a much smaller force than before, most of whom however were either killed, or wounded in attempting to storm my works, and afterwards in attempting to effect his retreat. A portion of the 173 New York while in this ditch made a most determined effort to drive me from my position, and [so] close was the contact that the guns of the combatants were [mingled?] together at one point, and it was only by the most desperate fighting that they were driven off. About half of this party were killed upon the top of my parapet. And amongst the killed was the Major of the regt. I had a small flanking pit, constructed on the outside or rather under my works, and on the left through and from which I kept continued a deadly fire, until he left the ditch. This pit was subterranean, and could not be seen from the outside, and could not betaken by the enemy, unless he should first take my entire ditches or rifle pits. This was the last ground assault made upon me, and so terrible had been the fighting at this point, that the position was called "Fort Desperate".
Opposite from Johnson was the 173rd New York Regiment. A letter to an unknown newspaper regarding the 173rd New York is listed below. “Near Port Hudson,17th June 1863. Last Sunday we had the second attack on the strongholds of our enemies, more severe than the first one. The 173d Regiment being in front, I received the order to advance with my men. As soon as we commenced our advance, a rain of balls came on us and caused a good many casualties, killing and wounding a large number of us. Many of our officers were sick, and only 3 captains remained to command, and we three were fortunately not hurt. Lieut. Schah was killed by my side, when advancing in double quick to the entrenchments. About the same time Serg. Nalte received a shot in the arm, and between them I was fortunate enough to escape.
Lieut. Heinrich Wills was detailed to command 60 men to fill entrenchments with cotton bags, for the purpose of marching over; while he performed this duty a ball entered his leg, which had to be amputated above the knee shortly afterwards. He was taken to the hospital in New Orleans.
Of my company there were 7 wounded. Wenzlik is in good health. Gass, Koch and Kehm of the 133d regiment have visited me to-day and are also well.
A third attack is expected in a few days, by which General Banks surely thinks to get the place. Capt. Cottshoe, one of the three captains above mentioned, was also killed alongside of me, and only we two captains remained from the whole regiment.
Pictures: 1863-06-14 Sketch of Second Winchester; Ulysses S Grant as Brigadier General, 1861; 1863-06-14 Assault on Fort Desperate at Port Hudson_6-14_attack map; nathan-b-forrest before the war
A. 1862: Maj. Gen. James E. B. Stuart’s Confederate troopers, on their ride around McClellan’s army on Saturday spent three hours repairing the wrecked Jones Bridge over the Chickahominy River. The cavalry troopers dismounted and walked one at a time over the bridge while they repaired the bridge. Col. Gouverneur Kemble Warren and his brigade were marching hard after them, and Brig Gen Philip St. George Cooke’s cavalry caught up with them. Unaccountably, Brig Gen. Cooke [Stuarts father-in-law] elected to walk his horsemen with Warren’s infantry, even though Warren begs him to dash after the Rebels and catch them before they cross the river. Cooke does not heed the younger man’s advice.
The Rebel cavalry then went on and continued to the east, through Charles City Courthouse and Malvern Hill
Background: At Jones Bridge over the Chickahominy, one of Stuarts’ troopers grew up at a nearby plantation which had its own little-known ford. When they arrived at daybreak, they found the river twice as wide, and fast-running, and the ford useless. Stuart led his men to the main bridge which, of course, had been destroyed. The Rebels spent precious time finding timbers and lumber from a nearby warehouse, and were able to lay them across the stone abutments from the old bridge, and made a tenuous walkway for one trooper at a time to lead his horse across. As the two cannot came at the end of the line, they got more lumber and were able to make it strong enough to bring the guns, limbers, and caissons across one vehicle at a time. Back at the crossing, just as the Confederates are leaving, a scouting party from Rush’s Lancer, a Pennsylvania regiment, show up on the north bank, and a few shots are exchanged, but the Yankees make no effort to pursue. Stuart’s men get away clean, and as they ride along the north bank of the James River, Stuart dashes ahead and reaches Richmond with the information Gen. Lee needed, and basks in the acclaim for a brilliant raid that exposed the Army of the Potomac’s hanging right flank, but also highly embarrasses Gen. McClellan’s inability to even come close to catching the gray riders. Southern morale gets a substantial boost, and Stuart begins to acquire the status of a legend.
B. 1863: Siege of Port Hudson Louisiana. The second unsuccessful Federal assault began with a sustained shelling of the Confederate works beginning at 11:15 am on June 13, 1863, and lasting an hour. Banks then sent a message to Gardner demanding the surrender of his position. Gardner’s reply was, “My duty requires me to defend this position, and therefore I decline to surrender”. Banks continued the bombardment for the night, but only gave the order for what was to be a simultaneous three prong infantry attack on 1 am of June 14. The attack finally began at 3:30 am, but the lack of any agreed upon plan, and a heavy fog disordered the attack as it began. Grover's column struck the Confederate line at “Fort Desperate” before the others, and the same formidable terrain combined with the enhanced Confederate defense stopped the attacks outside the rebel works. Auger's demonstration at the center arrived after the main attack had failed, and the attack on the southern end of the line was made after daylight, and stood little chance as a result. The infantry attack had only resulted in even more dead and wounded soldiers, 1,792 casualties against 47 rebel, including division commander Brig. Gen. Halbert E. Paine. He led the main attack and fell wounded, losing a leg. After this, the actions against Port Hudson were reduced to bombardment and siege.
C. 1863: Second Battle of Winchester, Virginia – Day 2: Assaults by confederates under Ewell, withdrawal under pressure by Federal forces under Milroy, flanking movements by Confederates; Federals withdraw to the keep as it were. Confederates timetable is flawed. Bulk of Federal forces able to escape along the Martinsburg turnpike in the dark. Milroy takes all but seriously wounded who he leaved to the mercy of Ewell.
The Confederates moved quickly. At 7:30 a.m., Early ordered two of his four brigades, under Brig. Gens. John B. Gordon and Harry T. Hays, to occupy Bower’s Hill southwest of Winchester and to provide a distraction for the remainder of the divisions’ march west. Hays and Gordon immediately got their troops underway and had the hill in their possession by 9 a.m. Two hours later, Gordon began feigning attacks north as Early withdrew Hays’ troops and began his march north by way of Cedar Creek Road.
While Early prepared to march, Milroy was busy himself. The Union commander was paranoid about a possible Confederate encore performance of the successful flanking tactics employed at Chancellorsville, and kept scanning his flanks through a pair of field glasses for any sign of a surprise attack. About 10 a.m., Milroy sent a scouting party under the command of Captain Charles B. Morgan to snoop around the high ground near Little North Mountain and locate any hidden Confederate troops. Morgan reached the area and found nothing. He returned to Milroy about 2 p.m. and gave a report of all clear. Morgan’s failure to detect Early’s approaching column may have been due to his failure to deploy flankers during his reconnaissance. Whatever its cause, the scouting failure gave Milroy a dangerously misguided sense of security.
By 4 p.m., Early’s force had reached its position without a hitch. His three brigades and artillery sat hidden behind a ridge within 1,000 yards of the West Fort. Early allowed his men an hour’s rest to catch their breath before making his presence known. At 5 p.m. he ordered Jones to move his batteries into position and open fire. Jones rolled his pieces forward, positioning 12 guns in an orchard and eight in a nearby cornfield, and began dropping shells on the shocked Federal troops occupying the West Fort. The surprise was total. From the commanding general on down, Union troops scrambled for cover from the unexpected barrage.
On the receiving end of Jones’ attack were Company C of the 116th Ohio Infantry, under Captain Frederick Arkenroe; Battery L of the 5th U.S. Artillery; and the 110th Ohio Infantry, under Colonel J. Warren Keifer. Jones bombarded the West Fort for 45 minutes, effectively silencing Battery L’s guns. Fifteen minutes later, Early had Hays’ 1,500 Louisianians form battle lines, while holding Smith and Avery in reserve. Early gave the order and Hays’ brigade swept forward for the assault. Hays reached the Union breastworks and stormed them in a matter of minutes. The Ohio troops managed to fire three volleys at close quarters before retreating across the fields to the safety of the Flag Fort. The Confederates quickly took the West Fort and Battery L’s cannons, and shot down Captain Arkenroe in the process. Early ordered his reserves forward to help secure the position.
In the meantime, Ewell was observing Early’s assault from his position to the south through a pair of field glasses. The corps commander watched intently as Hays’ Cajun troops swept forward and mounted the West Fort parapets. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Ewell thought he recognized Early leading the charge and began shouting encouragement. ‘Hurrah for the Louisiana boys!’ Ewell bellowed. ‘There’s Early. I hope the old fellow won’t be hurt.’
At that instant, Ewell’s aides heard a sickening thud as the general windmilled his arms to catch his balance. He had been hit square in the chest by a stray bullet. However, this time fortune smiled on Ewell–the bullet, fired from a distance, was too spent to penetrate the skin, giving him nothing more than a nasty bruise.
Back at the West Fort, Early finished securing the position and made the command decision that there was not enough daylight left for an assault on Milroy’s main defenses. Instead, Early ordered his troops to dig in and counted his relatively light losses–79 men killed or missing.
The loss of the West Fort placed Milroy in a precarious position. With the Confederates threatening the remainder of his defenses from the high ground of Apple Pie Ridge, Milroy suddenly changed his tune. He called a council of war around 10 p.m. and decided that Winchester could not be held 24 more hours, let alone four more days, as he had bragged earlier. He ordered his troops to evacuate to Martinsburg via the Martinsburg Turnpike. Wagons and artillery would be destroyed to prevent capture, while soldiers too wounded to walk would be left behind at the mercy of Ewell. The move was scheduled to get underway at 1 a.m.
Unknown to Milroy, his opponent had already divined Milroy’s exact plan of escape. About 8 p.m., Ewell finished studying his maps and reports and surmised that the only logical means of escape for Milroy would be to march to Stephenson’s Depot on the Martinsburg Turnpike. Once at the depot, the enemy had the option of heading on to Martinsburg or else proceeding to Harpers Ferry. Once again the rookie corps commander acted decisively. Ewell sent three brigades under Johnson, bolstered by two batteries of artillery, on a cross-country march to Stephenson’s Depot with orders to cut off Milroy. If Milroy didn’t retreat overnight and chose instead to make a stand at Winchester, Johnson would be within supporting distance of a second attack by Early.
Unfortunately for the Confederates, Johnson had difficulty organizing his troops in the darkness for a night march. In the resulting confusion, the Stonewall Brigade with its 1,400 men under Brig. Gen. James Walker was left behind. Thus, Johnson marched with the strength of two brigades (3,500) to stop a cornered enemy division from escaping.
D. 1864: CSA Maj Gen Leonidas Polk is killed at Pine Mountain, Georgia by an artillery blast. The first shot scattered most of the generals, but Polk, for some reason known but to him, took his time.
A second round struck nearby and the third round entered Polk through an arm, passing through his chest and exiting through the other arm. He was dead. Johnston stood over the man who had baptized him earlier in the campaign and cried. One of the few men who had little use for Rebels, and even less for the clergy was Gen. Sherman, who in a tersely worded statement sent to Gen. Halleck, "We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good progress today..."
Background: As they studied the position Rebel infantry repeatedly warned the officers that Union artillery had the range of their position, but for some reason these men chose to ignore the warning and continued in full sight of the Federal batteries. Although mini-balls had come nearby, the big guns were under orders to conserve ammunition and did not fire until Sherman rode up and ordered them to keep the observers under cover.

FYI PV2 Larry SellnowCMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw COL Lisandro Murphy LTC Trent Klug[SSgt David M.SPC Mike Bennett Raymond Cox PO2 Tom Belcher PO1 John Johnson PO2 Marco Monsalve SN Greg Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill SPC Maurice Evans PO1 Howard Barnes SFC Ralph E Kelley PO3 Edward Riddle SSG William Jones SSG Michael Noll SFC John Davis CSM William Payne
Siege of Port Hudson Louisiana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFJ8_XpyqiA

Longest Seige Port Hudson

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jun 15 at 2016 10:08 PM

2016-06-15T22:08:51-04:00

Below are a number of journal entries from 1862 and 1863 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Friday, June 14, 1861: United States Army officer, John Pope was appointed on June 14, 1861 to brigadier general of volunteers by President Abraham Lincoln. Pope began the war in the Western Department with command of the District of North and Central Missouri.
Saturday, June 14, 1862: Mary Boykin Chestnut writes in her diary: “All things are against us. Memphis gone. Mississippi fleet annihilated, and we hear it all as stolidly apathetic as if it were a story of the English war against China which happened a year or so ago.
The sons of Mrs. John Julius Pringle have come. They were left at school in the North. A young Huger is with them. They seem to have had adventures enough. Walked, waded, rowed in boats, if boats they could find; swam rivers when boats there were none; brave lads are they. One can but admire their pluck and energy. Mrs. Fisher, of Philadelphia, née Middleton, gave them money to make the attempt to get home.
Stuart’s cavalry troopers have rushed through McClellan’s lines and burned five of his transports. Jackson has been reenforced by 16,000 men, and they hope the enemy will be drawn from around Richmond, and the valley be the seat of war.
John Chesnut is in Whiting’s brigade, which has been sent to Stonewall. Mem’s son is with the Boykin Rangers; Company A, No. 1, we call it. And she has persistently wept ever since she heard the news. It is no child’s play, she says, when you are with Stonewall. He doesn’t play at soldiering. He doesn’t take care of his men at all. He only goes to kill the Yankees.”

Sunday, June 14, 1863: Charles H. Lynch, of the 18th Connecticut, records his ground-level view of the battle this day: “ Last night our position was changed from the south to the east side of the town, on the Berryville road. The night was a very dark, stormy one, with severe lightning and thunder. . . .
The enemy had possession of a large brick house a short distance in front of our position in the pits. Their sharpshooters made it hot for us. A charge on the house was ordered. The enemy ran, but we captured a few prisoners. Later in the day the rebs again took possession of the house making it hot for us in the pits. We had to lie low or zip would come a bullet, and at times many of them. Colonel ordered a section of a battery. Two guns putting a few shells through the house, the enemy left it. No more trouble came from that point, the house was ruined. About 6 P. M. General Milroy called in all his forces and formed them around the Star Fort, the largest fort. A fierce battle came on. It was a hot place. The roaring of the big guns, explosion of shells, rattling of musketry, was something fearful. The charging of both sides was hot work. We drove the enemy back and they also forced our lines back. Darkness put an end to the carnage and I had passed through the battle unharmed. The end of the second day. The casualties were great as I could not help seeing. It gave me an opportunity to see what a horrible thing war really was. We were fighting Jackson’s old corps, now commanded by General Ewell, reported to number forty thousand.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
Sunday, June 14, 1863: Sarah Morgan, of Louisiana, hears of the movements around Vicksburg and Port Hudson: “The excitement about Port Hudson and Vicksburg is intense. When I heard on Friday that the last attack was being made on the former place, I took to my prayers with a delirium of fervor. If I was a man, if I had the blessed privilege of fighting, I would be on the breastworks, or perchance on the water batteries under Colonel Steadman’s command. But as I was unfortunately born a woman, I stay home and pray with heart and soul. That is all I can do; but I do it with a will.”
Pictures: 1864-06-14 Bishop-General Leonidas Polk atop Pine Mountain; USS Kearsarge at anchor; 1863-06-13 second Winchester 13; 1864-06-14 Leonidas Polk Killed
Since RallyPoint truncates survey selection text I am posting events that were not included and then the full text of each survey choice below:

A. Saturday, June 14, 1862: Maj. Gen. James E. B. Stuart’s Confederate troopers, on their ride around McClellan’s army on Saturday spent three hours repairing the wrecked Jones Bridge over the Chickahominy River. The cavalry troopers dismounted and walked one at a time over the bridge while they repaired the bridge. Col. Gouverneur Kemble Warren and his brigade were marching hard after them, and Brig Gen Philip St. George Cooke’s cavalry caught up with them. Unaccountably, Brig Gen. Cooke [Stuarts father-in-law] elected to walk his horsemen with Warren’s infantry, even though Warren begs him to dash after the Rebels and catch them before they cross the river. Cooke does not heed the younger man’s advice.
The Rebel cavalry then went on and continued to the east, through Charles City Courthouse and Malvern Hill
Background: At Jones Bridge over the Chickahominy, one of Stuarts’ troopers grew up at a nearby plantation which had its own little-known ford. When they arrived at daybreak, they found the river twice as wide, and fast-running, and the ford useless. Stuart led his men to the main bridge which, of course, had been destroyed. The Rebels spent precious time finding timbers and lumber from a nearby warehouse, and were able to lay them across the stone abutments from the old bridge, and made a tenuous walkway for one trooper at a time to lead his horse across. As the two cannot came at the end of the line, they got more lumber and were able to make it strong enough to bring the guns, limbers, and caissons across one vehicle at a time. Why did the Federals not catch them? Col. Warren and his brigade were marching hard after them, and Cooke’s cavalry caught up with them. Unaccountably, Gen. Cooke elected to walk his horsemen with Warren’s infantry, even though Warren begs him to dash after the Rebels and catch them before they cross the river. Cooke does not heed the younger man’s advice. Back at the crossing, just as the Confederates are leaving, a scouting party from Rush’s Lancer, a Pennsylvania regiment, show up on the north bank, and a few shots are exchanged, but the Yankees make no effort to pursue. Stuart’s men get away clean, and as they ride along the north bank of the James River, Stuart dashes ahead and reaches Richmond with the information Gen. Lee needed, and basks in the acclaim for a brilliant raid that exposed the Army of the Potomac’s hanging right flank, but also highly embarrasses Gen. McClellan’s inability to even come close to catching the gray riders. Southern morale gets a substantial boost, and Stuart begins to acquire the status of a legend.
B. Sunday, June 14, 1863: Siege of Port Hudson Louisiana. The second assault began with a sustained shelling of the Confederate works beginning at 11:15 am on June 13, 1863, and lasting an hour. Banks then sent a message to Gardner demanding the surrender of his position. Gardner’s reply was, “My duty requires me to defend this position, and therefore I decline to surrender”. Banks continued the bombardment for the night, but only gave the order for what was to be a simultaneous three prong infantry attack on 1 am of June 14. The attack finally began at 3:30 am, but the lack of any agreed upon plan, and a heavy fog disordered the attack as it began. Grover's column struck the Confederate line at “Fort Desperate” before the others, and the same formidable terrain combined with the enhanced Confederate defense stopped the attacks outside the rebel works. Auger's demonstration at the center arrived after the main attack had failed, and the attack on the southern end of the line was made after daylight, and stood little chance as a result. The infantry attack had only resulted in even more dead and wounded soldiers, 1,792 casualties against 47 rebel, including division commander Brig. Gen. Halbert E. Paine. He led the main attack and fell wounded, losing a leg. After this, the actions against Port Hudson were reduced to bombardment and siege.
C. Sunday, June 14, 1863: Second Battle of Winchester, Virginia – Day 2:
The Confederates moved quickly. At 7:30 a.m., Early ordered two of his four brigades, under Brig. Gens. John B. Gordon and Harry T. Hays, to occupy Bower’s Hill southwest of Winchester and to provide a distraction for the remainder of the divisions’ march west. Hays and Gordon immediately got their troops underway and had the hill in their possession by 9 a.m. Two hours later, Gordon began feigning attacks north as Early withdrew Hays’ troops and began his march north by way of Cedar Creek Road.
While Early prepared to march, Milroy was busy himself. The Union commander was paranoid about a possible Confederate encore performance of the successful flanking tactics employed at Chancellorsville, and kept scanning his flanks through a pair of field glasses for any sign of a surprise attack. About 10 a.m., Milroy sent a scouting party under the command of Captain Charles B. Morgan to snoop around the high ground near Little North Mountain and locate any hidden Confederate troops. Morgan reached the area and found nothing. He returned to Milroy about 2 p.m. and gave a report of all clear. Morgan’s failure to detect Early’s approaching column may have been due to his failure to deploy flankers during his reconnaissance. Whatever its cause, the scouting failure gave Milroy a dangerously misguided sense of security.
By 4 p.m., Early’s force had reached its position without a hitch. His three brigades and artillery sat hidden behind a ridge within 1,000 yards of the West Fort. Early allowed his men an hour’s rest to catch their breath before making his presence known. At 5 p.m. he ordered Jones to move his batteries into position and open fire. Jones rolled his pieces forward, positioning 12 guns in an orchard and eight in a nearby cornfield, and began dropping shells on the shocked Federal troops occupying the West Fort. The surprise was total. From the commanding general on down, Union troops scrambled for cover from the unexpected barrage.
On the receiving end of Jones’ attack were Company C of the 116th Ohio Infantry, under Captain Frederick Arkenroe; Battery L of the 5th U.S. Artillery; and the 110th Ohio Infantry, under Colonel J. Warren Keifer. Jones bombarded the West Fort for 45 minutes, effectively silencing Battery L’s guns. Fifteen minutes later, Early had Hays’ 1,500 Louisianians form battle lines, while holding Smith and Avery in reserve. Early gave the order and Hays’ brigade swept forward for the assault. Hays reached the Union breastworks and stormed them in a matter of minutes. The Ohio troops managed to fire three volleys at close quarters before retreating across the fields to the safety of the Flag Fort. The Confederates quickly took the West Fort and Battery L’s cannons, and shot down Captain Arkenroe in the process. Early ordered his reserves forward to help secure the position.
In the meantime, Ewell was observing Early’s assault from his position to the south through a pair of field glasses. The corps commander watched intently as Hays’ Cajun troops swept forward and mounted the West Fort parapets. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Ewell thought he recognized Early leading the charge and began shouting encouragement. ‘Hurrah for the Louisiana boys!’ Ewell bellowed. ‘There’s Early. I hope the old fellow won’t be hurt.’
At that instant, Ewell’s aides heard a sickening thud as the general windmilled his arms to catch his balance. He had been hit square in the chest by a stray bullet. However, this time fortune smiled on Ewell–the bullet, fired from a distance, was too spent to penetrate the skin, giving him nothing more than a nasty bruise.
Back at the West Fort, Early finished securing the position and made the command decision that there was not enough daylight left for an assault on Milroy’s main defenses. Instead, Early ordered his troops to dig in and counted his relatively light losses–79 men killed or missing.
The loss of the West Fort placed Milroy in a precarious position. With the Confederates threatening the remainder of his defenses from the high ground of Apple Pie Ridge, Milroy suddenly changed his tune. He called a council of war around 10 p.m. and decided that Winchester could not be held 24 more hours, let alone four more days, as he had bragged earlier. He ordered his troops to evacuate to Martinsburg via the Martinsburg Turnpike. Wagons and artillery would be destroyed to prevent capture, while soldiers too wounded to walk would be left behind at the mercy of Ewell. The move was scheduled to get underway at 1 a.m.
Unknown to Milroy, his opponent had already divined Milroy’s exact plan of escape. About 8 p.m., Ewell finished studying his maps and reports and surmised that the only logical means of escape for Milroy would be to march to Stephenson’s Depot on the Martinsburg Turnpike. Once at the depot, the enemy had the option of heading on to Martinsburg or else proceeding to Harpers Ferry. Once again the rookie corps commander acted decisively. Ewell sent three brigades under Johnson, bolstered by two batteries of artillery, on a cross-country march to Stephenson’s Depot with orders to cut off Milroy. If Milroy didn’t retreat overnight and chose instead to make a stand at Winchester, Johnson would be within supporting distance of a second attack by Early.
Unfortunately for the Confederates, Johnson had difficulty organizing his troops in the darkness for a night march. In the resulting confusion, the Stonewall Brigade with its 1,400 men under Brig. Gen. James Walker was left behind. Thus, Johnson marched with the strength of two brigades (3,500) to stop a cornered enemy division from escaping.
Background: was a hot, cloudy day in northern Virginia. A light breeze seemed to hint that rain was in the air. But whatever the possibility of bad weather, the Fates had dealt a decidedly fine hand to the Confederacy’s newly appointed lieutenant general, Richard Stoddert Ewell, a hand that, if played correctly, could thrust the crippled general into the limelight of Southern glory alongside his late lamented predecessor, the mighty Stonewall Jackson.
On that day, Ewell stood on the outskirts of the little farming town of Winchester, Va., observing the fortifications of a Federal division under the command of Maj. Gen. Robert Milroy and making plans for a dawn attack. The upcoming battle would be Ewell’s first real test as the commander of an entire army corps, a test that ‘Old Bald Head,’ as his men affectionately called him, needed to pass with flying colors.
As commander of the II Corps, Ewell had nearly 22,000 troops divided into three divisions at his disposal. Jubal Early, a fiery, popular major general with a salt-and-pepper beard, commanded a division of about 5,800 men. Major General Edward ‘Allegheny’ Johnson led the second division with a strength of approximately 6,900, while Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes headed the largest division of the II Corps with about 8,500 effectives.
Ewell was under heavy pressure as Jackson’s successor to perform well against General Milroy at Winchester. Indeed, the neutralization of Milroy’s division, stationed as it was at the mouth of the Shenandoah Valley, was a crucial step in Lee’s ambitious invasion plan for taking the war directly to the North.
Milroy’s division–a force of 9,000 men with 6,900 effectives–held the strategic town of Winchester, with its several highways and branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Winchester itself, a small farming community of around 3,500 inhabitants, lay directly in the path of Lee’s proposed invasion route north. In Milroy, Ewell found himself up against an arrogant and stubborn opponent who was ready and willing to stand and fight. Although urged by his superiors to abandon his position at Winchester, Milroy was confident he could hold off the Confederate vanguard for at least five days, long enough for relief to come.
The II Corps began its march north on June 4. Nine days later, the troops arrived in the vicinity of Winchester. Ewell dispatched Rodes’ division to Berryville to deal with one of Milroy’s detached brigades, a force of about 1,800. At the same time, he kept Early’s and Johnson’s division, with a combined strength of nearly 13,000, under his direct command for the expected confrontation with Milroy.
D. Tuesday, June 14, 1864: CSA Maj Gen Leonidas Polk is killed at Pine Mountain, Georgia by an artillery blast. As they studied the position Rebel infantry repeatedly warned the officers that Union artillery had the range of their position, but for some reason these men chose to ignore the warning and continued in full sight of the Federal batteries. Although mini-balls had come nearby, the big guns were under orders to conserve ammunition and did not fire until Sherman rode up and ordered them to keep the observers under cover. The first shot scattered most of the generals, but Polk, for some reason known but to him, took his time.
A second round struck nearby and the third round entered Polk through an arm, passing through his chest and exiting through the other arm. He was dead. Johnston stood over the man who had baptized him earlier in the campaign and cried. One of the few men who had little use for Rebels, and even less for the clergy was Gen. Sherman, who in a tersely worded statement sent to Gen. Halleck, "We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good progress today..."

1. Friday, June 14, 1861 --- In Illinois, a little-known graduate of West Point who works as a tanner in his father’s saddle shop, Ulysses S. Grant, is commissioned a colonel of volunteers and give command of the unruly 21st Reg. of Illinois Infantry.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1861
2. Friday, June 14, 1861: Grant's first command in the Civil War was the Seventh District Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, later mustered into U. S. service as the 21st Illinois Volunteers. Grant first saw this regiment at Mattoon where he had gone as mustering officer to enroll the regiment in the state service. It was then commanded by Colonel Simon S. Goode, who proved incapable of maintaining discipline. The regiment left Mattoon by train for Springfield on June 14, 1861; that evening Governor Richard Yates conferred with officers of the regiment and the following day appointed Grant to command of the regiment.
http://www.usgrantlibrary.org/usga/newsletters/volume4.asp
3. Friday, June 14, 1861: Joe Johnston begins to withdraw from Harpers Ferry by blowing up the 800-foot B&O trestle over the Potomac River.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186106
4. Friday, June 14, 1861: Confederate troops abandoned Harper’s Ferry in the face of a two-pronged Unionist advance.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1861/
5. Friday, June 14, 1861--- Confederates abandon Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, in the face of a Union advance.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1861
6. Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Siege of Vicksburg, Day 23
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
7. Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Siege of Port Hudson, Day 18
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
8. Friday, June 14, 1861: Nathan Bedford Forrest volunteered as a private in the Confederate Army on June 14, 1861, but at the request of Tennessee’s governor, Isham G. Harris, he raised and equipped an entire cavalry battalion at his own expense; the former private was made a lieutenant colonel.
http://www.historynet.com/nathan-bedford-forrest
9. Friday, June 14, 1861: A career United States Army officer, John Pope was appointed on June 14, 1861 to brigadier general of volunteers by President Abraham Lincoln. Pope began the war in the Western Department with command of the District of North and Central Missouri.
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/john-pope-1.html
10. Saturday, June 14, 1862 --- Mary Boykin Chestnut writes in her diary: “All things are against us. Memphis gone. Mississippi fleet annihilated, and we hear it all as stolidly apathetic as if it were a story of the English war against China which happened a year or so ago.
The sons of Mrs. John Julius Pringle have come. They were left at school in the North. A young Huger is with them. They seem to have had adventures enough. Walked, waded, rowed in boats, if boats they could find; swam rivers when boats there were none; brave lads are they. One can but admire their pluck and energy. Mrs. Fisher, of Philadelphia, née Middleton, gave them money to make the attempt to get home.
Stuart’s cavalry have rushed through McClellan’s lines and burned five of his transports. Jackson has been reenforced by 16,000 men, and they hope the enemy will be drawn from around Richmond, and the valley be the seat of war.
John Chesnut is in Whiting’s brigade, which has been sent to Stonewall. Mem’s son is with the Boykin Rangers; Company A, No. 1, we call it. And she has persistently wept ever since she heard the news. It is no child’s play, she says, when you are with Stonewall. He doesn’t play at soldiering. He doesn’t take care of his men at all. He only goes to kill the Yankees.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1862
11. Sunday, June 14, 1863: A Unionist force tried to end the siege at Port Hudson. While Northern troops were doing the besieging, they were suffering acute medical casualties as a result of the dire environment they were in. The attack was an attempt to end all this. It failed and the Confederate defenders held out. The Union lost 4000 men in the attack.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1863/
12. June 14, 1863 was Banks' second major assault to take Port Hudson. Below are two accounts from part of this attack. One is from Colonel Benjamin Johnson of the 15th Arkansas: “The Battle of Port Hudson at TheHardyParty.com. I could not dislodge the enemy's sharpshooters from behind the logs, stumps, ravines etc., in front and around my position, for they were well sheltered. In addition, they threw up some deep rifle pits all around my works, distant about two hundred and fifty yards, and from all of these, aided by artilery, He kept up a terrible and steady fire upon every part of my position, until the morning of the 14th June. During this time, I worked almost in-cessantly, principaly at night - owing to the fire through the day which prevented me from work - and by the 14th June, my works were far advanced toward com-pletion at every point. Some nights I caused my men to work all night, and by nine o'clock A.M. of the next day I would find all of my work destroyed by the heavy artilery, fired from the enemy's guns. By the 14th June I had lost in addition to the losses on the 27 May, about thirty more men in killed and wounded and my sick list, not withstanding every effort of mine to prevent it, was quite large. And even many of my men that I compelled to remain and report for duty, were so worn down with ague and fever, and desentary as scarcely to be called soldiers or be of any service to me. But they could fight, and so I kept them. When all was summed up, I could muster only about one hundred and twenty five men. With about forty additional, from the 49 Ala. regt. who were at the back of my camp as a reserve. Anticipating a furious assault on the morning of the 14th, I ordered, the night before, every man into the ditches, from about my camp, who were able to load and fire a gun. For nearly an hour before daylight on that morning, my position was subjected to the most terrible cannonade that I had yet experienced, which continued until day began to dawn, when the artilery ceased, and the infantry of the enemy began to advance to the assault with about the same numbers and in the same [formation]- the crescent - as on the 27th May, encircling my entire position except my extreme left flank, or northern front. I acted as I did on the 27th and likewise, broke his center twice, but instead of moving his right wing as before toward his center, he moved it by the "flank" under cover of his artilery and sharpshooters up to my ditch again and by digging a small place, or bank ¹ [front?], that intervened between the head of the ravine and said ditch, which was not more than one foot in thickness, filed into the same, with however a much smaller force than before, most of whom however were either killed, or wounded in attempting to storm my works, and afterwards in attempting to effect his retreat. A portion of the 173 New York while in this ditch made a most determined effort to drive me from my position, and [so] close was the contact that the guns of the combatants were [mingled?] together at one point, and it was only by the most desperate fighting that they were driven off. About half of this party were killed upon the top of my parapet. And amongst the killed was the Major of the regt. I had a small flanking pit, constructed on the outside or rather under my works, and on the left through and from which I kept continued a deadly fire, until he left the ditch. This pit was subterranean, and could not be seen from the outside, and could not betaken by the enemy, unless he should first take my entire ditches or rifle pits. This was the last ground assault made upon me, and so terrible had been the fighting at this point, that the position was called "Fort Desperate".
Opposite from Johnson was the 173rd New York Regiment. A letter to an unknown newspaper regarding the 173rd New York is listed below. The article was found at the New York State Military Museum.“Near Port Hudson,17th June 1863. Last Sunday we had the second attack on the strongholds of our enemies, more severe than the first one. The 173d Regiment being in front, I received the order to advance with my men. As soon as we commenced our advance, a rain of balls came on us and caused a good many casualties, killing and wounding a large number of us. Many of our officers were sick, and only 3 captains remained to command, and we three were fortunately not hurt. Lieut. Schah was killed by my side, when advancing in double quick to the entrenchments. About the same time Serg. Nalte received a shot in the arm, and between them I was fortunate enough to escape.
Lieut. Heinrich Wills was detailed to command 60 men to fill entrenchments with cotton bags, for the purpose of marching over; while he performed this duty a ball entered his leg, which had to be amputated above the knee shortly afterwards. He was taken to the hospital in New Orleans.
Of my company there were 7 wounded. Wenzlik is in good health. Gass, Koch and Kehm of the 133d regiment have visited me to-day and are also well.
A third attack is expected in a few days, by which General Banks surely thinks to get the place. Capt. Cottshoe, one of the three captains above mentioned, was also killed alongside of me, and only we two captains remained from the whole regiment.
http://www.louisianacivilwar.org/2010/08/fort-desperate-june-14-1863.html
13. Sunday, June 14, 1863: The second Union assault on Port Hudson, Louisiana took place 150 years ago today on June 14, 1863. It was, in hindsight, a hopeless and reckless assault for those Federal troops that attacked the forts and trenches outside one of the last Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River. Among those Union troops were a significant number of Duxbury men. For Duxbury, the Port Hudson assault represented one of the worst days of the Civil War (Duxbury’s second highest casualties in a single day, surpassed only by the Second Battle of Bull Run ten months earlier).
During the spring of 1863, Union troops under General Ulysses Grant besieged the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi while the forces under the command of General Nathaniel Banks focused upon Port Hudson, Louisiana. If the Confederate troops occupying these two strongholds could be defeated, the Mississippi River would be entirely open to the Union and a major strategic goal of the war would be realized.
General Banks (former Governor of Massachusetts) led the Army of the Gulf, a force of about 40,000 men based primarily in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Among the many regiments in this army were the 4th Massachusetts and 38th Massachusetts Infantries. 51 men from Duxbury had signed up with the 4th Massachusetts and 34 had signed up with the 38th Massachusetts. By June, they had been in Louisiana for six months. It is difficult to say how many of the 85 or so Duxbury men who arrived in Louisiana actually participated in the second assault on Port Hudson. We know that during their first few months in Louisiana, ten Duxbury men died of disease. By the time of the assault, there were probably a great many more on the sick lists. A reasonable estimate might place roughly 50 Duxbury men among the Army of the Gulf outside of Port Hudson on June 14, 1863.
Banks had made a weak demonstration against Port Hudson in March 1863 while the Union Navy ran north past the Confederate batteries overlooking the river. The naval operation proved successful as Admiral Farragut managed to get his fleet, under severe fire from the Confederate batteries, past Port Hudson. Once upriver, Farragut set up a blockade to prevent supplies from passing downriver to the town. Ultimately, this blockade had little effect. Port Hudson would have to be taken by ground troops.
Situated on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, Port Hudson was a natural fortress. The town stood on an 80-foot bluff along a hairpin turn in the river. To the east of the town were miles of swamps and ravines, difficult to pass under any circumstances. By 1863, the Confederates had fortified the outskirts of the town with trenches and battery emplacements. Among the most significant of these was an improvised fortification known as Fort Desperate. The position, nearly a mile east of the town, would be the focal point of two different Union assaults.
In dealing with a fortified city or town, an infantry commander had two choices: assault or siege. The former was typically costly in casualties. The latter could take a great deal of time. Banks opted for assault, hoping to take the town quickly and then move his forces north to reinforce General Grant in the Siege of Vicksburg. On May 27, 1863, Banks ordered what turned out to be a poorly coordinated assault on the Port Hudson trenches which failed. The units in which the Duxbury men served were not involved in this first assault.
Following the first assault, Confederates increased their efforts in fortifying their lines. A number of the long range guns along the river were swiveled landward so as to fire on the attacking Union troops. Landmines, known at the time as torpedoes, were placed outside the trenches. Special positions for sharpshooters were constructed along the fortifications.
Banks’s second assault on Port Hudson began with an artillery barrage on June 13, 1863. After about an hour, Banks ordered his guns silenced in order to send a demand of surrender. General Franklin Gardner, commanding roughly 7,500 Confederate troops in Port Hudson, responded, “My duty requires me to defend this position, and therefore I decline to surrender.” Banks ordered his batteries to continue the barrage for the remainder of the day.
Meanwhile, Union infantry prepared for a three-pronged assault which was to commence at 1 a.m. on June 14. Due to poor communication, the three charges against different points of the Port Hudson lines were staggered over the course of hours beginning at 3:30 a.m. and ending well after dawn. The division to which the 4th and 38th Massachusetts belonged was to make a direct attack on Fort Desperate.
Of the assault, Captain Henry B. Maglathlin of Duxbury, commanding Company I of the 4th Massachusetts, wrote:
The lines of battle were to be formed at daylight…But the nature of the hedge at once broke up the line and upon entering the ravine below the road, fallen logs, ditches and other obstacles still further deranged the required order. Perfect silence was to be preserved, but the skirmishers, who had been plentifully supplied with whiskey, could not be restrained from shouting as they went. This…quickly drew forth from the parapets a fire of murderous execution. Onward pressed brave men, only to be mowed down by bullets, grape, canister, and shell. The havoc was terrible…Our men at length were obliged to shield themselves behind logs and stumps, and continued thus to carry on the unequal contest until night dropped its dark curtain over a gory field. Our loss was very great.
The assault utterly failed. General Banks was forced to change his strategy, settling in for a siege.
When the Confederates in Vicksburg surrendered to Grant on July 4, General Gardner realized his situation was hopeless and surrendered his garrison on July 9, 1863. The Mississippi lay open to the Union.
Among the Duxbury men wounded during the June 14 assault was Private William Wadsworth a 24 year-old mariner. He was shot in the foot and taken to the Court House Hospital in Baton Rouge to recover. Although such a wound might not typically be considered life-threatening, medical care of the time had virtually no means of dealing with infection. Wadsworth suffered greatly from complications resulting from the wound and died in Baton Rouge on July 24, 1863.
After the war, when Duxbury veterans established the Grand Army of the Republic post on Washington Street, they named it the William Wadsworth Post. We are left to wonder why they made this choice. Had Private Wadsworth exhibited particular bravery during the assault on Port Hudson? Or perhaps his trials languishing for five weeks, battling infection, had a moving effect on his Duxbury companions. Or possibly Wadsworth was simply well-liked and sorely missed. Sadly, we do not have any indication as to why his name was given to the post.
The Duxbury casualties during the Second Assault on Port Hudson were:
Died of wounds
Pvt. Seth Glass, 38th Massachusetts, shoemaker, 19
Pvt. William Wadsworth, 4th Massachusetts, mariner, 24 Wounded
Pvt. Bradford Sampson, 38th Massachusetts, shoemaker, 29
Pvt. Lewis Bailey, 38th Massachusetts, shoemaker, 38
Pvt. Wadsworth Hunt, 4th Massachusetts, mariner, 45 Prisoner
Pvt. Harrison Glass, 4th Massachusetts, farmer, 21 (POW, died of disease after parole)
https://duxburyinthecivilwar.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/assault-on-port-hudson-a-terrible-fight-for-duxbury-soldiers/
14. Sunday, June 14, 1863: Eunice, Arkansas - On June 14, the U.S.S. Marmora was traveling on the river near Eunice. Suddenly, a group of Confederate guerrillas opened fire on the ship from the shoreline, where they had been hiding. After a few minutes, the Confederates left.
The Marmora pulled onto the shore and entered the town. They asked the town people where the guerrillas were at and nobody answered. The Federals then ordered all of the people to get out of the town and then torched the town, burning it.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1863s.html
15. Sunday, June 14, 1863: Charles H. Lynch, of the 18th Connecticut, records his ground-level view of the battle this day: “ Last night our position was changed from the south to the east side of the town, on the Berryville road. The night was a very dark, stormy one, with severe lightning and thunder. . . .
The enemy had possession of a large brick house a short distance in front of our position in the pits. Their sharpshooters made it hot for us. A charge on the house was ordered. The enemy ran, but we captured a few prisoners. Later in the day the rebs again took possession of the house making it hot for us in the pits. We had to lie low or zip would come a bullet, and at times many of them. Colonel ordered a section of a battery. Two guns putting a few shells through the house, the enemy left it. No more trouble came from that point, the house was ruined. About 6 P. M. General Milroy called in all his forces and formed them around the Star Fort, the largest fort. A fierce battle came on. It was a hot place. The roaring of the big guns, explosion of shells, rattling of musketry, was something fearful. The charging of both sides was hot work. We drove the enemy back and they also forced our lines back. Darkness put an end to the carnage and I had passed through the battle unharmed. The end of the second day. The casualties were great as I could not help seeing. It gave me an opportunity to see what a horrible thing war really was. We were fighting Jackson’s old corps, now commanded by General Ewell, reported to number forty thousand.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
16. Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Sarah Morgan, of Louisiana, hears of the movements around Vicksburg and Port Hudson: “The excitement about Port Hudson and Vicksburg is intense. When I heard on Friday that the last attack was being made on the former place, I took to my prayers with a delirium of fervor. If I was a man, if I had the blessed privilege of fighting, I would be on the breastworks, or perchance on the water batteries under Colonel Steadman’s command. But as I was unfortunately born a woman, I stay home and pray with heart and soul. That is all I can do; but I do it with a will.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
17. Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Gen. Robert Rodes, of Ewell’s corps, advances and occupies Martinsburg, Virginia, just a few miles from Harper’s Ferry.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
18. Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Gen. Joseph Hooker, commanding the Union’s Army of the Potomac in Virginia, is finally convinced that Lee is moving west, and so abandons the position opposite Fredericksburg, where he thought the rest of the Rebel army lay. He puts the I, III, and XI Corps in motion, to pursue Lee, wherever he might be.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
19. Tuesday, June 14, 1864: The U. S. S. Kearsarge weighs anchor off the coast of France near Cherbourg, waiting for the C.S.S. Alabama
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186406
20. June 14, 1876: The three-day Republican Convention [June 14-16, 1876] in Cincinnati, Ohio (Hayes home state) shifted its support from front runner James Blaine to Rutherford B. Hayes on the second ballot.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/1876
21. Tuesday, June 14, 1864: The South lost one of its top generals, Leonidas Polk. Killed by artillery fire on Pine Mountain, Polk was not a great strategic commander but he was popular with his men and his loss was a bitter blow to the morale of the Army of the Tennessee.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1864/

A Saturday, June 14, 1862: Maj. Gen. James E. B. Stuart’s Confederate troopers, on their ride around McClellan’s army on Saturday, June 14, spent three hours repairing a wrecked bridge over the Chickahominy River. The cavalry then went on and continued to the east, through Charles City Courthouse and Malvern Hill.
http://www.rappnews.com/2012/06/21/150-years-ago-this-week-j-e-b-stuart-completes-his-ride-2/94806/
A+ Saturday, June 14, 1862 --- Gen. Stuart’s Wild Ride, Day 3 – At Jones Bridge over the Chickahominy, one of Stuarts’ troopers grew up at a nearby plantation which had its own little-known ford. When they arrived at daybreak, they found the river twice as wide, and fast-running, and the ford useless. Stuart led his men to the main bridge which, of course, had been destroyed. The Rebels spent precious time finding timbers and lumber from a nearby warehouse, and were able to lay them across the stone abutments from the old bridge, and made a tenuous walkway for one trooper at a time to lead his horse across. As the two cannot came at the end of the line, they got more lumber and were able to make it strong enough to bring the guns, limbers, and caissons across one vehicle at a time. Why did the Federals not catch them? Col. Warren and his brigade were marching hard after them, and Cooke’s cavalry caught up with them. Unaccountably, Gen. Cooke elected to walk his horsemen with Warren’s infantry, even though Warren begs him to dash after the Rebels and catch them before they cross the river. Cooke does not heed the younger man’s advice. Back at the crossing, just as the Confederates are leaving, a scouting party from Rush’s Lancer, a Pennsylvania regiment, show up on the north bank, and a few shots are exchanged, but the Yankees make no effort to pursue. Stuart’s men get away clean, and as they ride along the north bank of the James River, Stuart dashes ahead and reaches Richmond with the information Gen. Lee needed, and basks in the acclaim for a brilliant raid that exposed the Army of the Potomac’s hanging right flank, but also highly embarrasses Gen. McClellan’s inability to even come close to catching the gray riders. Southern morale gets a substantial boost, and Stuart begins to acquire the status of a legend.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1862
B Sunday, June 14, 1863: Siege of Port Hudson Louisiana. Nathaniel Banks orders a ground assault against Port Hudson but fails to breach the walls.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186306
B+ Sunday, June 14, 1863: Siege of Port Hudson Louisiana. The second assault began with a sustained shelling of the Confederate works beginning at 11:15 am on June 13, 1863, and lasting an hour. Banks then sent a message to Gardner demanding the surrender of his position. Gardner’s reply was, “My duty requires me to defend this position, and therefore I decline to surrender”. Banks continued the bombardment for the night, but only gave the order for what was to be a simultaneous three prong infantry attack on 1 am of June 14. The attack finally began at 3:30 am, but the lack of any agreed upon plan, and a heavy fog disordered the attack as it began. Grover's column struck the Confederate line at “Fort Desperate” before the others, and the same formidable terrain combined with the enhanced Confederate defense stopped the attacks outside the rebel works. Auger's demonstration at the center arrived after the main attack had failed, and the attack on the southern end of the line was made after daylight, and stood little chance as a result. The infantry attack had only resulted in even more dead and wounded soldiers, 1,792 casualties against 47 rebel, including division commander Brig. Gen. Halbert E. Paine. He led the main attack and fell wounded, losing a leg. After this, the actions against Port Hudson were reduced to bombardment and siege.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Port_Hudson
C Sunday, June 14, 1863 --- Second Battle of Winchester, Virginia – Day 2: Gen. Ewell sends Early’s division to the west of the town, and Allegheny Johnson’s division to the east. The Rebels occupy an eminence called Bower’s Hill, where they place 20 cannon. When these guns open up, they command a number of Union positions. Maj. Gen. Milroy, still under the mistaken impression that they have somehow put the Rebels to flight, does not realize that Early and Johnson have maneuvered so that they nearly have the Yankees surrounded. Gen. Hays brigade of Louisiana troops charges the works of West Fort, and the Federal defenders abandon the fort and head to Fort Milroy. Ewell wants Early to continue the attacks, but darkness falls, preventing further action. Meanwhile, Johnson advances around the east side of Winchester, and then angles northwest, with the idea of cutting off all Union retreat routes. Milroy orders a withdrawal, and the Yankees manage a stealthy withdrawal under cover of darkness.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+14%2C+1863
C+ Sunday, June 14, 1863: Second Battle of Winchester, Virginia – Day 2: was a hot, cloudy day in northern Virginia. A light breeze seemed to hint that rain was in the air. But whatever the possibility of bad weather, the Fates had dealt a decidedly fine hand to the Confederacy’s newly appointed lieutenant general, Richard Stoddert Ewell, a hand that, if played correctly, could thrust the crippled general into the limelight of Southern glory alongside his late lamented predecessor, the mighty Stonewall Jackson.
On that day, Ewell stood on the outskirts of the little farming town of Winchester, Va., observing the fortifications of a Federal division under the command of Maj. Gen. Robert Milroy and making plans for a dawn attack. The upcoming battle would be Ewell’s first real test as the commander of an entire army corps, a test that ‘Old Bald Head,’ as his men affectionately called him, needed to pass with flying colors.
As commander of the II Corps, Ewell had nearly 22,000 troops divided into three divisions at his disposal. Jubal Early, a fiery, popular major general with a salt-and-pepper beard, commanded a division of about 5,800 men. Major General Edward ‘Allegheny’ Johnson led the second division with a strength of approximately 6,900, while Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes headed the largest division of the II Corps with about 8,500 effectives.
Ewell was under heavy pressure as Jackson’s successor to perform well against General Milroy at Winchester. Indeed, the neutralization of Milroy’s division, stationed as it was at the mouth of the Shenandoah Valley, was a crucial step in Lee’s ambitious invasion plan for taking the war directly to the North.
Milroy’s division–a force of 9,000 men with 6,900 effectives–held the strategic town of Winchester, with its several highways and branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Winchester itself, a small farming community of around 3,500 inhabitants, lay directly in the path of Lee’s proposed invasion route north. In Milroy, Ewell found himself up against an arrogant and stubborn opponent who was ready and willing to stand and fight. Although urged by his superiors to abandon his position at Winchester, Milroy was confident he could hold off the Confederate vanguard for at least five days, long enough for relief to come.
The II Corps began its march north on June 4. Nine days later, the troops arrived in the vicinity of Winchester. Ewell dispatched Rodes’ division to Berryville to deal with one of Milroy’s detached brigades, a force of about 1,800. At the same time, he kept Early’s and Johnson’s division, with a combined strength of nearly 13,000, under his direct command for the expected confrontation with Milroy.
At dawn on June 14, Ewell was up and observing matters for himself. He noticed no Federal troops, except for a string of fortifications northwest of town. The Confederates dubbed the first of Milroy’s positions, a series of fortifications resting on Apple Pie Ridge, the ‘West Fort.’ Nine hundred yards east of the West Fort lay the ‘Flag Fort,’ the main Federal position. To the north of the Flag Fort was the third Federal position, dubbed the ‘Star Fort’ for its geometrical layout. Ewell surmised that the West Fort was the key to Milroy’s position. If taken, the high ground of the West Fort would dominate Milroy’s position in the Flag Fort, forcing him to retreat.
Around that time, Early met with Ewell and proposed to discreetly occupy the high ground in the vicinity of Little North Mountain, west of Milroy’s defenses on Apple Pie Ridge. From that position, Early could blast the Federal artillery in the West Fort into silence, then take the fort with a wave of infantry. Ewell liked Early’s plan and immediately ordered the major general into action. The efficient planning between Ewell and Early marked a new era in the II Corps. When Jackson had been in charge, he rarely shared his plans and ideas with subordinates or asked their counsel. In conferring with Early, Ewell displayed an admirable strength undeveloped by his late commander.
The Confederates moved quickly. At 7:30 a.m., Early ordered two of his four brigades, under Brig. Gens. John B. Gordon and Harry T. Hays, to occupy Bower’s Hill southwest of Winchester and to provide a distraction for the remainder of the divisions’ march west. Hays and Gordon immediately got their troops underway and had the hill in their possession by 9 a.m. Two hours later, Gordon began feigning attacks north as Early withdrew Hays’ troops and began his march north by way of Cedar Creek Road.
Early’s attack column consisted of three brigades (Hays’, Brig. Gen. William Smith’s and Colonel Isaac Avery’s) for an estimated strength of 3,600 men. Twenty pieces of artillery under the command of Lt. Col. H.P. Jones provided additional support. Early used a local guide, James C. Baker, to help pick a path for the eight-mile-march.
While Early prepared to march, Milroy was busy himself. The Union commander was paranoid about a possible Confederate encore performance of the successful flanking tactics employed at Chancellorsville, and kept scanning his flanks through a pair of field glasses for any sign of a surprise attack. About 10 a.m., Milroy sent a scouting party under the command of Captain Charles B. Morgan to snoop around the high ground near Little North Mountain and locate any hidden Confederate troops. Morgan reached the area and found nothing. He returned to Milroy about 2 p.m. and gave a report of all clear. Morgan’s failure to detect Early’s approaching column may have been due to his failure to deploy flankers during his reconnaissance. Whatever its cause, the scouting failure gave Milroy a dangerously misguided sense of security.
By 4 p.m., Early’s force had reached its position without a hitch. His three brigades and artillery sat hidden behind a ridge within 1,000 yards of the West Fort. Early allowed his men an hour’s rest to catch their breath before making his presence known. At 5 p.m. he ordered Jones to move his batteries into position and open fire. Jones rolled his pieces forward, positioning 12 guns in an orchard and eight in a nearby cornfield, and began dropping shells on the shocked Federal troops occupying the West Fort. The surprise was total. From the commanding general on down, Union troops scrambled for cover from the unexpected barrage.
On the receiving end of Jones’ attack were Company C of the 116th Ohio Infantry, under Captain Frederick Arkenroe; Battery L of the 5th U.S. Artillery; and the 110th Ohio Infantry, under Colonel J. Warren Keifer. Jones bombarded the West Fort for 45 minutes, effectively silencing Battery L’s guns. Fifteen minutes later, Early had Hays’ 1,500 Louisianians form battle lines, while holding Smith and Avery in reserve. Early gave the order and Hays’ brigade swept forward for the assault. Hays reached the Union breastworks and stormed them in a matter of minutes. The Ohio troops managed to fire three volleys at close quarters before retreating across the fields to the safety of the Flag Fort. The Confederates quickly took the West Fort and Battery L’s cannons, and shot down Captain Arkenroe in the process. Early ordered his reserves forward to help secure the position.
In the meantime, Ewell was observing Early’s assault from his position to the south through a pair of field glasses. The corps commander watched intently as Hays’ Cajun troops swept forward and mounted the West Fort parapets. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Ewell thought he recognized Early leading the charge and began shouting encouragement. ‘Hurrah for the Louisiana boys!’ Ewell bellowed. ‘There’s Early. I hope the old fellow won’t be hurt.’
At that instant, Ewell’s aides heard a sickening thud as the general windmilled his arms to catch his balance. He had been hit square in the chest by a stray bullet. However, this time fortune smiled on Ewell–the bullet, fired from a distance, was too spent to penetrate the skin, giving him nothing more than a nasty bruise.
Back at the West Fort, Early finished securing the position and made the command decision that there was not enough daylight left for an assault on Milroy’s main defenses. Instead, Early ordered his troops to dig in and counted his relatively light losses–79 men killed or missing.
The loss of the West Fort placed Milroy in a precarious position. With the Confederates threatening the remainder of his defenses from the high ground of Apple Pie Ridge, Milroy suddenly changed his tune. He called a council of war around 10 p.m. and decided that Winchester could not be held 24 more hours, let alone four more days, as he had bragged earlier. He ordered his troops to evacuate to Martinsburg via the Martinsburg Turnpike. Wagons and artillery would be destroyed to prevent capture, while soldiers too wounded to walk would be left behind at the mercy of Ewell. The move was scheduled to get underway at 1 a.m.
Unknown to Milroy, his opponent had already divined Milroy’s exact plan of escape. About 8 p.m., Ewell finished studying his maps and reports and surmised that the only logical means of escape for Milroy would be to march to Stephenson’s Depot on the Martinsburg Turnpike. Once at the depot, the enemy had the option of heading on to Martinsburg or else proceeding to Harpers Ferry. Once again the rookie corps commander acted decisively. Ewell sent three brigades under Johnson, bolstered by two batteries of artillery, on a cross-country march to Stephenson’s Depot with orders to cut off Milroy. If Milroy didn’t retreat overnight and chose instead to make a stand at Winchester, Johnson would be within supporting distance of a second attack by Early.
Unfortunately for the Confederates, Johnson had difficulty organizing his troops in the darkness for a night march. In the resulting confusion, the Stonewall Brigade with its 1,400 men under Brig. Gen. James Walker was left behind. Thus, Johnson marched with the strength of two brigades (3,500) to stop a cornered enemy division from escaping.
Aftermath: Johnson headed his column for a bridge crossing the tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad a half mile east of Stephenson’s Depot. The tracks ran parallel to the Martinsburg Turnpike and offered a strong position for battle. The two Confederate brigades and accompanying artillery reached the bridge at 3:30 a.m. on the morning of June 15. Johnson and his staff immediately rode forward to reconnoiter.
At approximately 4 a.m., Johnson’s party ran into Milroy’s advance guard, the 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, at the intersection of the Martinsburg Turnpike and Charlestown Road near the depot. Small-arms fire was exchanged as Johnson beat a hasty retreat back to the main column to position his waiting troops. Johnson worked quickly, placing Brig. Gen. George Steuart’s brigade on the right of the Charlestown Road and part of Brig. Gen. F.T. Nicholls’ brigade (under the command of Colonel J. Williams) on the left. Johnson designated the remainder of Nicholls’ troops as his reserves. Two guns of Captain William Dement’s battery were placed directly on the bridge that crossed the railroad bed, while the rest of the guns were placed in the cover of a wooded area to the left of the road.
Milroy soon arrived on the scene and took charge of coordinating an assault on Johnson’s position. He ordered an immediate attack, which Steuart repulsed quite handily with volleys of rifle fire and little loss to his own men. Milroy ordered a second assault; that too was easily driven back.
Growing desperate, Milroy attacked a third time, trying to envelop Johnson’s line. Milroy’s horse was shot out from under him during the repulse. The Federals’ last chance to escape intact as a division slipped away as Walker’s missing brigade arrived on the field at the most opportune moment. Johnson immediately threw the Stonewall Brigade and his reserves into a counterattack. Milroy’s troops broke and began surrendering en masse, their commander managing to escape with a few hundred cavalry. As the fight near Stephenson’s Depot drew to a close, Ewell sent a message to Rodes in Berryville to attempt to intercept Milroy’s fleeing troops, but to no avail.
Ewell’s victorious troops spent the remainder of June 15 reorganizing and counting their spoils. The Confederates had captured 3,358 prisoners, four 20-pounder Parrott guns, 17 3-inch guns and two 24-pounder howitzers. The 23 guns were Milroy’s entire cache of artillery. Ewell lost no more than 269 men (47 killed, 219 wounded and three missing in action) for his efforts. The II Corps completed its refitting and was ready to march on the morning of June 16.
In a Jacksonesque statement, Ewell called on his troops to ‘unite in returning thanks to our Heavenly Father for the signal success which has crowned the valor of this command.’ Chaplains were directed to hold religious services, ‘in acknowledgement of Divine Favor at such times as may be most convenient.’
In a salute to their late commander, the II Corps officially raised the Confederate flag over Milroy’s main defenses outside of Winchester and christened them Fort Jackson. As for their new commander, the rousing victory cemented Ewell’s place as a dependable and aggressive battlefield leader. In one efficient blow, Ewell had eliminated all Federal opposition in the Shenandoah Valley, cleared the path for Lee’s invasion and destroyed Milroy’s division as an effective fighting force for the remainder of the war. More than that, Ewell’s impressive victory gave hope to the South that Stonewall Jackson could be adequately replaced. A new star blazed in the Confederate sky.
http://www.historynet.com/second-battle-of-winchester-richard-ewell-takes-command.htm

D Tuesday, June 14, 1864: While inspecting his lines, CSA Maj Gen Leonidas Polk is killed at Pine Mountain, Georgia by an artillery blast ordered by William Tecumseh Sherman.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186406
D+ Tuesday, June 14, 1864: CSA Maj Gen Leonidas Polk is killed at Pine Mountain, Georgia. As they studied the position Rebel infantry repeatedly warned the officers that Union artillery had the range of their position, but for some reason these men chose to ignore the warning and continued in full sight of the Federal batteries. Although mini-balls had come nearby, the big guns were under orders to conserve ammunition and did not fire until Sherman rode up and ordered them to keep the observers under cover. The first shot scattered most of the generals, but Polk, for some reason known but to him, took his time.
A second round struck nearby and the third round entered Polk through an arm, passing through his chest and exiting through the other arm. He was dead. Johnston stood over the man who had baptized him earlier in the campaign and cried. One of the few men who had little use for Rebels, and even less for the clergy was Gen. Sherman, who in a tersely worded statement sent to Gen. Halleck, "We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good progress today..."
FYI SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D MAJ Roland McDonald SSG Franklin Briant CPO William Glen (W.G.) Powell 1stSgt Eugene Harless PO3 Private RallyPoint MemberMSG Greg Kelly CPT Private RallyPoint Member LTC Thomas Tennant GySgt Jack Wallace PO1 Sam Deel LTC David Brown LTC Private RallyPoint Member SFC Eric Harmon SSG Bill McCoy SPC Private RallyPoint Member MAJ Byron Oyler

The American Civil War 150 Years Ago Today: Search results for June 14, 1863

A no-frills day-by-day account of what was happening 150 years ago, this blog is intended to be a way that we can experience or remember the Civil War with more immediacy, in addition to understanding the flow of time as we live in it.

Response by Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM made Jun 15 at 2016 10:28 PM

2016-06-15T22:28:28-04:00

1863 was Banks' second major assault to take Port Hudson. Below are two accounts from part of this attack. One is from Colonel Benjamin Johnson of the 15th Arkansas: “The Battle of Port Hudson