What was the most significant event on June 8 during the U.S. Civil War?

2016-06-10T17:18:58-04:00

Whistleblower Surgeon terminated in 1862: Surgeon Alfred L. Castleman, Union Army, just outside of Richmond, records in his own ascerbic way the internal politics of the army, and an attempt to have him cashiered out of the army: “I am threatened this morning with dismissal from the service, and my letter of yesterday is held up as a piece of intolerable insolence, and as one good ground for my being dishonorably relieved. Well, I am a Surgeon of a large hospital, in which are about five hundred brave but unfortunate men, who, under their almost superhuman efforts to sustain and defend a government have broken down and sickened. They are [far] from home, from family, from friends; they are suffering for want of the commonest attention; the dead and the dying are lying together for want of proper and sufficient aid to dispose of them otherwise. The living are dying for the want of the necessaries of life, which, in great abundance, are in sight, part owned by the government, part by the rebels; that owned by the latter carefully guarded by men withdrawn from our lines, lest some of these suffering sick should, in desperation, crawl from their beds, get in reach of, and take enough to snatch their languishing bodies from suffering, and, perhaps, from death. But worst of all, I have taken the liberty of stating these things plainly, and, as a penalty for my insolence in holding up a mirror to the eyes of a superior officer, I am to be relieved! By me, "this is a consummation devoutly to be wished." Will they dare to try it? We shall see. (I have a mirror which will reflect other sights not less hideous than this. Perhaps they would like to look at it?”
1863: Oliver Willcox Norton, of the 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry, while on the march in Virginia, writes in his journal of a poignant encounter with a poor woman: “Down on the bank of the river I went into a house and met a young married woman with a baby in her arms. She had been pretty once and it was not age that spoiled her beauty, but care. “Can you sell me a pie, or something good for my dinner?” said I. “A pie! sir.” said she. “Well, now, sir, if I was to tell you that I have not tasted or seen a piece of pie for more than a year, would you believe me?” “I certainly should if you said so. Of course I couldn’t doubt a lady’s word.” “Sir, ‘fore God it is the truth. I have only been married ’bout a year, and my husband, who was an overseer, came on to this place after the fruit was all gone, and I’ve had no fruit. I haven’t seen a bit of sugar, nor coffee, nor tea for nigh eight months, I reckon,” and she went on and gave me such a story of struggles to keep alive, to get enough to keep from starving, as made all the hard times I have ever seen seem like a life of luxury. I did pity her. On such as she, the poor whites of the South, the burden of this war is heaviest. She had but little sympathy for the South or North either. She cared but little how the war ended, so it ended soon. Poor woman, she understood but little of the nature of the contest. She sent a little darky girl to bring in a pan of milk. . . . She gave me some milk, and by the time I had eaten my dinner the colonel came back from the lines, and I mounted my horse and came back to camp.”
Bank robbery and fluid nature of cavalry raids in 1864 Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan's command consisted of approximately 2,700 men. On his final raid into Kentucky, part of Morgan's force captured two Union regiments at a camp in Mount Sterling, Kentucky which netted nearly 380 prisoners and a large amount of supplies. $59,000 was taken from Farmers' Bank in Mount Sterling, Kentucky.
Pictures: 1862 Battle-of-Cross-Keys-Stanley; 1863-06-08 J.E.B. Stuart and Dashing Rebs on a raid; 1862 May 31 - June 9 Valley Campaign; 1863-06-08 Brig. Gen. John Buford and his brigade commanders

FYI LTC Trent Klug Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter PO3 Edward Riddle CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw SPC Michael Terrell COL Lisandro Murphy SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SPC Maurice Evans SFC Ralph E Kelley CPT Kevin McComas]~1921460:SGT David Mork] SPC James Neidig 1LT Private RallyPoint Member SPC Jon O. SPC David S. Maj William W. "Bill" Price CPL Linda B. MSgt James Parker Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM

John Hunt Morgan [1825-1864]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQv2x4KrlY0

John Hunt Morgan (1825-1864)

John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864)John Hunt Morgan was famous for his raids during the Civil War. He captured the imagination of the Country...

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jun 10 at 2016 5:23 PM

2016-06-10T17:23:18-04:00

1861: Virginia turns its state militia over to the Confederate States of America.
Government business and regulation seems to continue as it normally would despite the conflict in 1864: Congress forbids the private minting of gold coins.
Below are a few journal entries from 1863 and 1864 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers – the good, the bad and the ugly as well as the humorous.
Humor occurs in war as well as peace in 1863: Sergeant George Michael Neese, of Chew’s Battery in Stuart’s horse artillery, writes of his humorous role at the Grand Review: “General Stuart had another grand review to-day on the same field, and similar to the one he had on the fifth, except the artillery did no firing. The troops to-day were reviewed by the great master of war and the famous chieftain of the Confederate Army, General Robert E. Lee.
I was trying to act in the capacity of first sergeant of our battery in the review to-day, and was riding at the head of the horse artillery, mounted on a mule with ears about a foot long. Just before we arrived at the reviewing stand the searching eye of General Stuart spied the waving ears of my mule, and he quickly dispatched one of his aides to Captain Chew, with the urgent request to order the mule and me with it off of the field, which was quickly done with neatness and dispatch. I cared very little about the matter, but the mule looked a little bit surprised, and, I think, felt ashamed of himself and his waving ears, which cost him his prominent position in the grand cavalcade.”
Wednesday, June 8, 1864: Charles H. Lynch, of the 18th Connecticut Vol. Infantry, writes in his diary of the campaign in the Valley with Gen. Hunter, after the Battle of Piedmont: “Again routed out early. Into line on the march through town to continue our work of destruction. Piling up ties, place the rails on top, set fire to the ties. When the rails become hot in the center, they warp or bend, making them useless. The march out of town, along the railroad, destroying it, makes very hard work for us, as we put in a long day, and not very much food. We manage to pick up some corn meal and a little flour, which we make into pan-cakes, called by the boys, Toe Jam. Some of the boys received bruises and jams in the work on the railroad. There is much kicking over the hard work.
In camp tonight, talking over the events of the day, wondering what the morrow has in store for us. Many buildings and much property in town have been destroyed by fire, by order of General Hunter. Many of the women look sad and do much weeping over the destruction that is going on. We feel that the South brought on the war and the State of Virginia is paying dear for her part. The loss of our good boys brings us many sad hours. We cannot help think, and wonder who will be the next one to give his life for our country.”
Wednesday, June 8, 1864: In Georgia, as part of Sherman’s campaign to take Marietta on the way to Atlanta, Sergeant Alexander Downing, of the 11th Iowa Infantry, writes in his journal: Wednesday, 8th—We moved forward early this morning, marching twelve miles to the little town of Ackworth, where we went into camp. We are now with Sherman’s army, our corps being placed on the left in front of Atlanta. Our front is about twenty-five miles north of the city, while my division is back about ten miles farther. Sherman’s forces now number about one hundred and fifty thousand men and it is thought that the rebels under Johnston have seventy-five thousand. Our army, in the main, is lying still today, though there is some skirmishing in the front. The rebels have fallen back about ten miles. The health of our men is excellent; they are in fine spirits and anxious for a fight.

Pictures: 1864-07-08 John Hunt Morgan's Raiders by Kunstler; 1864 John Hunt Morgan – known as the Thunderbolt of the Confederacy; 1864-06-08 Mt. Sterling, Kentucky Battle June 8,1864 (Marker Number 628); xx
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 8, 1861: The Federal government established the United States Sanitary Commission that was tasked with overseeing the health of Union troops. Its creation is considered a major military innovation.
B. Sunday, June 8, 1862: Battle of Cross Keys, Virginia. While CSA Maj Gen Richard S. Ewell defeated John Fremont’s Army of West Virginia, CSA Maj Gen Thomas Stonewall Jackson guarded Ewell's rear against an attack by Maj Gen James Shields division.
On Sunday, June 8, CSA Maj Gen Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson prepared for the church services he so much loved as quiet early morning light bathed his headquarters at the southern edge of Port Republic. Maj Gen James Shields had not yet shown up from due north, and CSA Maj Gen Richard S. Ewell stood athwart Maj Gen John C. Fremont 's path at Cross Keys, a few miles from Port, down the Harrisonburg Road.
Dick Ewell's troops occupied an admirable defensive line above Mill Creek, in a region known as "Cross Keys" because of a nearby wayside tavern of that name. The Confederate line followed commanding ground, conveniently high enough above the stream to afford a magnificent field of fire onto any approaching foe. As though sculpted by nature for this military purpose, the high ground curled at its outer ends into a bit of an arc. An attacking enemy would expose his flanks to the edges of that crescent.
Unwilling to await an attack, and eager to close with the Yankees, General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble pushed his brigade of four regiments forward from the right (east) end of the Mill Creek line. Trimble's men—one regiment each from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina--found cover behind a fencerow, in a perfect position to ambush any Federals who pushed forward without appropriate caution. Enough vegetation grew around the fence to provide useful camouflage.
Precisely such an incautious advance as Trimble anticipated walked aimlessly into the Confederate deadfall, and paid a ghastly price for the error when Julius Stahel's brigade of New York a Pennsylvania troops moved toward Trimble's covert position, where they were gunned down at close range. Trimble's men, riding the crest of a wave of momentum generated by their repulse of the Stahel, pushed their advance right through the point where the Federal attack began.
With Fremont violently overwhelmed at a crucial point, and stymied everywhere else, Ewell had deftly accomplished his mission. Jackson would have the morning of June 9 in which to defeat the Federal force approaching Port Republic under Shields, without interference from the direction of Cross Keys.
Background: Through the first week of June 1862, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson steadily fell back up the Shenandoah Valley, under pressure from two widely separated Federal columns. His monumental triumphs at Front Royal and Winchester, on May 23 and 25, had unhinged Unionist aspirations for control of the Valley, but now fresh Northern forces under John C. Fremont and James Shields pursued him in quest of revenge.
The towering, generally impassable, Massanutten massif played a key role in setting the stage, separating the Valley into two discrete halves for fifty miles. So did the two arms of the Shenandoah River, wending northward on either side of the big mountain, and only bridged infrequently. The disparate Federal commands allowed themselves to be separated by the Valley's topography. Shields moved through the smaller valley east of Massanutten; Fremont followed Jackson west of the mountain, and in direct contact.
Keeping Fremont and his troops from following close behind became an essential element for Jackson's success. If they arrived around Port Republic--south of the Massanutten--in time to collaborate with Shields, Jackson faced dire odds and the potential to be assailed from both sides.
C. Sunday, June 8, 1862: First Battle of Chattanooga. After sending the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment to reconnoiter, Brig. Gen. James Negley brought up two artillery batteries to open fire on the Rebel troops and the town and sent infantry to the river bank to act as sharpshooters. The Union bombardment of Chattanooga continued throughout June 7 and until noon on June 8.
Background. After Maj. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel received command of all Federal troops between Nashville and Huntsville on May 29, he ordered Brig. Gen. James Negley with a small division to lead an expedition to capture Chattanooga. This force arrived before Chattanooga on June 7. Negley ordered the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry out to reconnoiter. It found the Confederates entrenched on the opposite side of the river along the banks and atop Cameron Hill. Negley brought up two artillery batteries to open fire on the Rebel troops and the town and sent infantry to the river bank to act as sharpshooters. The Union bombardment of Chattanooga continued throughout June 7 and until noon on June 8. The Confederates replied, but it was uncoordinated since the undisciplined gunners were allowed to do as they wished. On June 10, CSA Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby, who had arrived on June 8, reported that Negley had withdrawn and the Confederate loss was minor. This attack on Chattanooga was a warning that Union troops could mount assaults when they wanted. The attack also Smith to withdraw Confederate troops from other areas to defend Chattanooga. This redeployment of troops allowed George W. Morgan to capture the Cumberland Gap on June 18, 1862.
D. Wednesday, June 8, 1864: CSA Brig Gen John Hunt Morgan’s Last Raid. Part of Morgan's force captured two Union regiments at a camp under Capt. Edward Barlow in Mount Sterling, Kentucky which netted 380 prisoners and a large amount of supplies. They also took $59,000 taken from Farmers' Bank in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. He left a force under Col. H. L. Giltner, Morgan and then moved west with 2nd Brigade. A surprise attack from Federal forces the next morning, however, forced these rebels to abandon Mount Sterling. They then rejoined Morgan, who was moving on Lexington, Kentucky.

1. Saturday, June 8, 1861: Virginia turns its state militia over to the Confederate States of America.
[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186106]
2. Saturday, June 8, 1861 --- In a referendum, the people of Tennessee ratify the decision to secede made by its convention in May by a vote of 104,913 to 47, 238. Unionists in eastern Tennessee vow to resist secession, however.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1861]
3. Sunday, June 8, 1862 — Surgeon Alfred L. Castleman, Union Army, just outside of Richmond, records in his own ascerbic way the internal politics of the army, and an attempt to have him cashiered out of the army: “I am threatened this morning with dismissal from the service, and my letter of yesterday is held up as a piece of intolerable insolence, and as one good ground for my being dishonorably relieved. Well, I am a Surgeon of a large hospital, in which are about five hundred brave but unfortunate men, who, under their almost superhuman efforts to sustain and defend a government have broken down and sickened. They are [far] from home, from family, from friends; they are suffering for want of the commonest attention; the dead and the dying are lying together for want of proper and sufficient aid to dispose of them otherwise. The living are dying for the want of the necessaries of life, which, in great abundance, are in sight, part owned by the government, part by the rebels; that owned by the latter carefully guarded by men withrawn from our lines, lest some of these suffering sick should, in desperation, crawl from their beds, get in reach of, and take enough to snatch their languishing bodies from suffering, and, perhaps, from death. But worst of all, I have taken the liberty of stating these things plainly, and, as a penalty for my insolence in holding up a mirror to the eyes of a superior officer, I am to be relieved! By me, "this is a consummation devoutly to be wished." Will they dare to try it? We shall see. (I have a mirror which will reflect other sights not less hideous than this. Perhaps they would like to look at it?”
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1862]
4. Sunday, June 8, 1862: Battle of Cross Keys [Battle of Union Church], Virginia. While Richard S. Ewell [CS] defeated John Fremont [US], Stonewall Jackson guarded Ewell's rear against an attack by James Shields [US].
[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186206]
5. Sunday, June 8, 1862: Battle of Cross Keys, Virginia. 8,000 Confederate troops fought 18,000 Union troops at Cross Keys in the Shenandoah Valley. At the same time another battle took place at Port Republic, four miles along the Valley. Neither battle is conclusive but in total the Unionists lost 850 men killed and wounded. The Confederates lost about 600 men in both battles.
[historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1862/]
6. Monday, June 8, 1863 --- Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, Lee’s Chief of Cavalry, is disappointed that his grand review three days previous was not seen by the commanding general. Today, Lee is available, and Stuart holds another grand review at Brandy Station. In grand array, in a line 3 miles long, Stuart’s troopers parade before the grandstand, where General Lee, other officers, and civilians witness the cavalcade. Also in attendance is Gen. Hood’s division, drawn up in formation.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1863]
7. Monday, June 8, 1863 --- Meanwhile, Gen. Hooker has asked Gen. Alfred Pleasonton to launch a cavalry strike at Brandy Station, since the Yankees know that Stuart has gathered his whole force here. Pleasonton divides his force into two columns---one under Brig. Gen. John Buford and his division, which would cross at Beverly Ford, and the other under Brig. Gen. David Gregg, which would cross at Kelly’s Ford. Added to Gregg’s force will be a brigade on infantry under Brig. Gen. Russell. Another cavalry division under Alfred Duffie will protect the flank Federal left flank.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1863]
8. Wednesday, June 8, 1864: The Republican National Convention, which was held in Baltimore, Maryland, nominated Abraham Lincoln to run for President and Andrew Johnson to run for Vice-President.
[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186406]
9. Wednesday, June 8, 1864: President Lincoln, nominated for a second term, calls for an amendment abolishing slavery.
[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186406]
10. Wednesday, June 8, 1864: Lincoln received the nomination from the National Union Convention to stand for president in the forthcoming election. The party platform was that there should be no compromise with the South.
[historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1864/]
11. Monday, June 8, 1863 --- Oliver Willcox Norton, of the 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry, while on the march in Virginia, writes in his journal of a poignant encounter with a poor woman: “Down on the bank of the river I went into a house and met a young married woman with a baby in her arms. She had been pretty once and it was not age that spoiled her beauty, but care. “Can you sell me a pie, or something good for my dinner?” said I. “A pie! sir.” said she. “Well, now, sir, if I was to tell you that I have not tasted or seen a piece of pie for more than a year, would you believe me?” “I certainly should if you said so. Of course I couldn’t doubt a lady’s word.” “Sir, ‘fore God it is the truth. I have only been married ’bout a year, and my husband, who was an overseer, came on to this place after the fruit was all gone, and I’ve had no fruit. I haven’t seen a bit of sugar, nor coffee, nor tea for nigh eight months, I reckon,” and she went on and gave me such a story of struggles to keep alive, to get enough to keep from starving, as made all the hard times I have ever seen seem like a life of luxury. I did pity her. On such as she, the poor whites of the South, the burden of this war is heaviest. She had but little sympathy for the South or North either. She cared but little how the war ended, so it ended soon. Poor woman, she understood but little of the nature of the contest. She sent a little darky girl to bring in a pan of milk. . . . She gave me some milk, and by the time I had eaten my dinner the colonel came back from the lines, and I mounted my horse and came back to camp.”
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1863]
12. Monday, June 8, 1863 --- Sergeant George Michael Neese, of Chew’s Battery in Stuart’s horse artillery, writes of his humorous role at the Grand Review: “General Stuart had another grand review to-day on the same field, and similar to the one he had on the fifth, except the artillery did no firing. The troops to-day were reviewed by the great master of war and the famous chieftain of the Confederate Army, General Robert E. Lee.
I was trying to act in the capacity of first sergeant of our battery in the review to-day, and was riding at the head of the horse artillery, mounted on a mule with ears about a foot long. Just before we arrived at the reviewing stand the searching eye of General Stuart spied the waving ears of my mule, and he quickly dispatched one of his aides to Captain Chew, with the urgent request to order the mule and me with it off of the field, which was quickly done with neatness and dispatch. I cared very little about the matter, but the mule looked a little bit surprised, and, I think, felt ashamed of himself and his waving ears, which cost him his prominent position in the grand cavalcade.”
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1863]
13. Wednesday, June 8, 1864 --- Charles H. Lynch, of the 18th Connecticut Vol. Infantry, writes in his diary of the campaign in the Valley with Gen. Hunter, after the Battle of Piedmont: “Again routed out early. Into line on the march through town to continue our work of destruction. Piling up ties, place the rails on top, set fire to the ties. When the rails become hot in the center, they warp or bend, making them useless. The march out of town, along the railroad, destroying it, makes very hard work for us, as we put in a long day, and not very much food. We manage to pick up some corn meal and a little flour, which we make into pan-cakes, called by the boys, Toe Jam. Some of the boys received bruises and jams in the work on the railroad. There is much kicking over the hard work.
In camp tonight, talking over the events of the day, wondering what the morrow has in store for us. Many buildings and much property in town have been destroyed by fire, by order of General Hunter. Many of the women look sad and do much weeping over the destruction that is going on. We feel that the South brought on the war and the State of Virginia is paying dear for her part. The loss of our good boys brings us many sad hours. We cannot help think, and wonder who will be the next one to give his life for our country.”
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1864]
14. Wednesday, June 8, 1864 --- In Georgia, as part of Sherman’s campaign to take Marietta on the way to Atlanta, Sergeant Alexander Downing, of the 11th Iowa Infantry, writes in his journal: Wednesday, 8th—We moved forward early this morning, marching twelve miles to the little town of Ackworth, where we went into camp. We are now with Sherman’s army, our corps being placed on the left in front of Atlanta. Our front is about twenty-five miles north of the city, while my division is back about ten miles farther. Sherman’s forces now number about one hundred and fifty thousand men and it is thought that the rebels under Johnston have seventy-five thousand. Our army, in the main, is lying still today, though there is some skirmishing in the front. The rebels have fallen back about ten miles. The health of our men is excellent; they are in fine spirits and anxious for a fight.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/]
15. Wednesday, June 8, 1864: Mount Sterling, Kentucky Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan and his Confederate raiders captured the town of Mount Sterling. They skirmished the Union garrison and drove them out. Next, Morgan went into the local bank and stole $18,000. They soon afterwards left town.
[.mycivilwar.com/battles/1864s.htm]
16. Wednesday, June 8, 1864 --- Meanwhile, at Mount Sterling, Kentucky, far behind Union lines, Gen. John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders captures the Union garrison there, and appropriate $18,000.00 from the local bank.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1864]
17. Wednesday, June 8, 1864 --- The National Union Party, a coalition party of Republicans and pro-war Democrats, convened in Baltimore yesterday. Today, by a large majority, they nominate Abraham Lincoln for President. In an unusual move, however, they do not re-nominate Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, but Andrew Johnson of Tennessee (currently governor of Tennessee) for Vice President.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1864]
18. Wednesday, June 8, 1864 --- Gen. Sherman strengthens his position on the Western and Atlantic railroad, but feels restrained by the vast resources he must expend to guard his ever-lengthening supply line. Still smarting from large losses at the battles of Dallas, Ezra Church, and Pickett’s Mill, the Federals use maneuver and the weight of numbers to outflank the Rebels; in nearly every case, it has failed.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1864]

A Saturday, June 8, 1861: The Federal government established the United States Sanitary Commission that was tasked with overseeing the health of Union troops. Its creation is considered a major military innovation.
[historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-june-1861/]
B Sunday, June 8, 1862: Battle of Cross Keys. Through the first week of June 1862, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson steadily fell back up the Shenandoah Valley, under pressure from two widely separated Federal columns. His monumental triumphs at Front Royal and Winchester, on May 23 and 25, had unhinged Unionist aspirations for control of the Valley, but now fresh Northern forces under John C. Fremont and James Shields pursued him in quest of revenge.
The towering, generally impassable, Massanutten massif played a key role in setting the stage, separating the Valley into two discrete halves for fifty miles. So did the two arms of the Shenandoah River, wending northward on either side of the big mountain, and only bridged infrequently. The disparate Federal commands allowed themselves to be separated by the Valley's topography. Shields moved through the smaller valley east of Massanutten; Fremont followed Jackson west of the mountain, and in direct contact.
Keeping Fremont and his troops from following close behind became an essential element for Jackson's success. If they arrived around Port Republic--south of the Massanutten--in time to collaborate with Shields, Jackson faced dire odds and the potential to be assailed from both sides.
On Sunday, June 8, CSA Maj Gen Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson prepared for the church services he so much loved as quiet early morning light bathed his headquarters at the southern edge of Port Republic. Shields had not yet shown up from due north, and Confederate General Richard S. Ewell stood athwart Fremont's path at Cross Keys, a few miles from Port, down the Harrisonburg Road.
Dick Ewell's troops occupied an admirable defensive line above Mill Creek, in a region known as "Cross Keys" because of a nearby wayside tavern of that name. The Confederate line followed commanding ground, conveniently high enough above the stream to afford a magnificent field of fire onto any approaching foe. As though sculpted by nature for this military purpose, the high ground curled at its outer ends into a bit of an arc. An attacking enemy would expose his flanks to the edges of that crescent.
Unwilling to await an attack, and eager to close with the Yankees, General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble pushed his brigade of four regiments forward from the right (east) end of the Mill Creek line. Trimble's men—one regiment each from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina--found cover behind a fencerow, in a perfect position to ambush any Federals who pushed forward without appropriate caution. Enough vegetation grew around the fence to provide useful camouflage.
Precisely such an incautious advance as Trimble anticipated walked aimlessly into the Confederate deadfall, and paid a ghastly price for the error when Julius Stahel's brigade of New York a Pennsylvania troops moved toward Trimble's covert position, where they were gunned down at close range. Trimble's men, riding the crest of a wave of momentum generated by their repulse of the Stahel, pushed their advance right through the point where the Federal attack began.
With Fremont violently overwhelmed at a crucial point, and stymied everywhere else, Ewell had deftly accomplished his mission. Jackson would have the morning of June 9 in which to defeat the Federal force approaching Port Republic under Shields, without interference from the direction of Cross Keys.
[civilwar.org/battlefields/cross-keys.html?tab=facts]
B+ June 8, 1862 --- Battle of Cross Keys, Virginia [Eastern Theater, Shenandoah Valley Campaign]
Stonewall Jackson’s divisions have led the Federals on a merry chase up and down the length of the Valley, and now turn to fight their pursuers. At the south tip of Massanutten Mountain, that spine of mountain in the middle of the Valley, Jackson stops, knowing that he can no longer use that mountain to keep separated the two Federal forces pursuing him: Fremont’s Army of West Virginia (12,000 men), and Shields, with 11,000 men of Gen. Irvin McDowell’s I Corps. The Federal plan, of course, is to catch Jackson between the two pinchers of the Union movement. Jackson makes his headquarters near Port Republic, a small town near where the North and South rivers converge. The Yankees under Shields will have to contest the crossings there to get at Jackson’s lines. Five miles north is the small town of Cross Keys, where the Valley Pike will bring Fremont swinging around the end of Massanutten Mountain. There, Jackson posts Gen. Richard Ewell and five understrength thinned brigades, numbering about 8,500 men, of which only 6,000 will be engaged. Ewell is outnumbered 2 to 1 by Fremont.
Early in the morning, the Confederates are surprised by Col. Samuel Carroll (sent by Shields) with a regiment of Union cavalry dashing across the bridge into Port Republic, and Jackson and his staff are nearly captured. But Carroll overran his infantry support, and he retreats.
Gen. Ewell has placed his brigades with Patton, Steuart, Elzey, Trimble and Walker in line, from west to east. Trimble, however, advances his brigade forward, placing his artillery on Victory Hill, and his brigade out of sight. Fremont sends forward one brigade, under Col. Cluseret, to clear the Rebel pickets, and then deploys the brigades of Schenk, Milroy, and Stahel from west to east for his advance, with Bohlen and Koltes in reserve. Fremont attempts a massive maneuver, a right wheel, with Stahel moving wide in an arc, and Milroy in support of Stahel’s right flank. As Stahel advances, he does not know of Trimble’s advanced position. As the Union troops move over Victory Hill, Trimble’s regiments stand up and pour several volleys into the blue ranks, which pull back in disorder. Especially the 8th New York is badly hit, with over 180 shot and 80 captured. Trimble keeps up a steady advance on the his right, outflanking each attempt of the Federals to re-form as they continue to fall back, keeping them off-balance and stacked up so as to prevent reserves from deploying. As Milroy engages the Confederate lines in the center, Stahel’s retreat exposes his flank; Ewell’s massed artillery shreds Milroy’s brigade, and Schenk (on his right) does not move to support him. Fremont has Milroy withdraw as well. Bohlen is moved to stiffen Stahel’s position, but Fremont seems unable to redeem his position. He orders Schenk forward to strike at the Confederate left, but after exchanging fire, the Southern regiments drive the Northern line back. That night, Fremont withdraws to a safer position.
Confederate Victory.
Losses: Killed Wounded Missing Total
Union 114 443 127 684
Confederate 42 230 15 287
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1862]
C Sunday, June 8, 1862: First Battle of Chattanooga. After Mitchel received command of all Federal troops between Nashville and Huntsville on May 29, he ordered Brig. Gen. James Negley with a small division to lead an expedition to capture Chattanooga. This force arrived before Chattanooga on June 7. Negley ordered the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry out to reconnoiter. It found the Confederates entrenched on the opposite side of the river along the banks and atop Cameron Hill. Negley brought up two artillery batteries to open fire on the Rebel troops and the town and sent infantry to the river bank to act as sharpshooters. The Union bombardment of Chattanooga continued throughout June 7 and until noon on June 8. The Confederates replied, but it was uncoordinated since the undisciplined gunners were allowed to do as they wished. On June 10, Smith, who had arrived on June 8, reported that Negley had withdrawn and the Confederate loss was minor. This attack on Chattanooga was a warning that Union troops could mount assaults when they wanted. The attack also prompted Edmund Kirby Smith to withdraw Confederate troops from other areas to defend Chattanooga. This redeployment of troops allowed George W. Morgan to capture the Cumberland Gap on June 18, 1862.
Background. In late spring 1862, the Confederacy split its forces in Chattanooga, Tennessee into several small commands in an attempt to complicate Federal operations. Maj. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel received orders to take his division to Huntsville, Alabama, to repair railroads in the area. Soon, he occupied more than 100 miles along the Nashville & Chattanooga and Memphis & Charleston railroads. In May, Mitchel and his men sparred with Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's men.
[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Chattanooga]
C+ Sunday, June 8, 1862 --- Brig. Gen. James Negley, on a raid with a quick-marching force, engages Rebel troops near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and after an artillery duel, silences the Rebel guns. The Federals sweep into the city with infantry, capturing prisoners and a large amount of livestock. First Battle of Chattanooga. But Negley is deep in enemy territory, and soon withdraws with his small force.
[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=June+8%2C+1862]
Wednesday, June 8, 1864: Congress forbids the private minting of gold coins.
[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186406]
D Wednesday, June 8, 1864: John Hunt Morgan’s Last Raid. Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan's command consisted of approximately 2,700 men. On June 8, part of Morgan's force captured two Union regiments at a camp in Mount Sterling, Kentucky which netted nearly 300 prisoners and a large amount of supplies. A surprise attack from Federal forces the next morning, however, forced these rebels to abandon Mount Sterling. They then rejoined Morgan, who was moving on Lexington.
[explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/358?tour=22&index=2]
D+ Battle-June 8,1864 (Marker Number: 628) County: Montgomery Location: Mt. Sterling, US 460
Description: Early this day CSA forces under Gen. John H. Morgan on his tragic last raid attacked Union camp here under Capt. Edward Barlow. CSA took 380 prisoners and material. $59,000 taken from Farmers' Bank. Leaving a force here under Col. H. L. Giltner, Morgan moved west with 2nd Brigade. Next morning CSA driven out. Joined by Morgan, took Lexington next day.
[mtsterlingtourism.com/historical-markers.html]
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 KellyKim Bolen RN CCM ACM MAJ Byron Oyler SSG Michael Noll SSG Bill McCoy SFC Dr. Jesus Garcia-Arce, Psy.D LTC Keith L Jackson MAJ Private RallyPoint Member SPC Mike Bennett Maj Kim Patterson Sgt Diane E. MSgt Gloria Vance MAJ Byron Oyler

US Sanitary Commission
Copyright © Community Media Center of Carroll County, Inc. 2017 Lisa Allen tells a brief history of the US Sanitary Commission that was established during the war in 1861. The commission grew out of the initial concerns of the Women's Central Relief Agency and it's members desire to provide assistance from the home front.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mrhYtuIlgM

US Sanitary Commission

Copyright Community Media Center of Carroll County, Inc. 2017 Lisa Allen tells a brief history of the US Sanitary Commission that was established during th...

Response by SSG Pete Fleming made Jun 10 at 2016 5:31 PM

2016-06-10T17:31:09-04:00

Glad to see you posting more good stuff! I home everything is good on the home front.