What was the most significant event on March 23 during the U.S. Civil War?

2016-03-23T11:53:14-04:00

his day included sieges, battles and campaign marches. 1862 the Union demanded the surrender of the Confederate Fort Macon on the coast of NC. Confederates refused and siege began. Reverse of Fort Sumter in 1861. 1864 Stonewall Jackson’s forces are bloodied by James Shields troops at Kernstown, VA. 1864 Frederick Steele marched toward the greatest Federal military disaster of the Civil War in AR.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Mar 23 at 2016 1:50 PM

2016-03-23T13:50:09-04:00

Great read. Thanks.

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Mar 23 at 2016 5:05 PM

2016-03-23T17:05:13-04:00

History is alway important no matter what

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 23 at 2016 8:34 PM

2016-03-23T20:34:57-04:00

During the US Civil War, as in today warfare, the common soldiers and sailors spent a lot of time in repetitive and boring tasks from weapons maintenance, fortification preparation, bivouacking, and forced marches. The boredom was punctuated with chance encounters between opposing forces and every now and then pitched battles. This particular day included actions in the eastern and western theaters.
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. Sergeant Alexander Downing of the 11th Iowa Infantry Regiment, serving with Grant’s army near Vicksburg, writes in his journal: Monday, 23rd—It rained nearly all day and our new camp has become very muddy. Today I read the two books of Chronicles in the Bible, sixty-five chapters in all. Our picket duty here is very light at present.
b. John Beauchamp Jones does not see things getting any better in Richmond since yesterday, and so notes in his journal: Monday, 23rd.—The snow has nearly disappeared, and the roads are very bad. No food is brought to the market, and such as may be found in the city is held at famine prices. I saw a letter to-day from Bishop Lay, in Arkansas. He says affairs in that State wear a dark and gloomy aspect. He thinks the State is lost.
c. Gen. Beauregard writes the Hon. Mr. Miles that he has not men enough, nor heavy guns enough, for the defense of Charleston. If this were generally known, thousands would despair, being convinced that those charged with the reins of power are incompetent, unequal to the crisis, and destined to conduct them to destruction rather than independence.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-23-1863.html

March 23, 1861
1 March 23, 1862 Maj. Gen. John G. Parke [US] demands the surrender of Fort Macon on the coast of North Carolina. When the Confederates refuse, he lays siege to the fort.
In mid-March, following his capture of Roanoke Island and New Berne, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside was ready to accomplish the third objective of his North Carolina coastal campaign: the seizure of Fort Macon, on the eastern tip of Bogue Banks Island, just below Beaufort.
According to one of Burnside's colonels, Fort Macon was "an old-style, strong, stone, casemated work, mounting 67 guns, garrisoned by above 500 men, commanded by Col. Moses J. White." Strong it might be, but it was vulnerable. Designed to protect Beaufort against a sea attack, it was easily isolated from the interior by a movement from the north; and isolation meant starvation for the garrison. Aware of the fact, Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, whom Burnside had selected to lead the movement against Fort Macon, sent a surrender demand to White on March 23rd. Showing more feistiness than prudence, White, whose troops had been reduced to about 400 effectives low on ammunition, politely but firmly refused. Accordingly, Parke made plans to blast him out.
On the 24th, the advance echelon of Parke's brigade landed on Bogue banks, west of the fort, covered by warships from the fleet of Capt. Louis M. Goldsborough. For the next 2 weeks, in Parke's words, "every available hour of night and day was spent in transporting men, siege trains and supplies." With a beachhead firmly established, Union patrols moved gingerly toward the fort. Several days of small-unit clashes were followed on the 10th by a reconnaissance close to Macon’s guns, which convinced Parke that a siege rather than an attack was his proper course.
It took only a few days to complete an investment. By the 15th, enough heavy cannon had been emplaced around the fort to doom its garrison, now reduced to 300 able troops. But White stubbornly rejected further demands for surrender, including one tendered by Burnside in person.
At dawn on the 25th, Parke's batteries opened a furious fire against the fort, accompanied for a brief time by salvos from the navy. The bombardment was amazingly accurate and effective, the fort's return fire was sparse and poor. late in the afternoon, with his works badly damaged and 25 of his men casualties, White ran up a white flag of surrender. This action demonstrated the inadequacy of masonry forts against large-bore, rifled artillery. With his capitulation, the most strategic portion of the North Carolina coast fell into union hands, enabling Burnside to plan a drive inland.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/620323a.html
2 March 23, 1862 First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia. In the first battle of the Shenandoah Campaign, Major General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson [CS] loses to Brig. General James Shields [US]. Relying on faulty intelligence that reported the Union garrison at Winchester numbered only about 3,000, “Stonewall” Jackson marched aggressively north with his 3,400-man division. The 8,500 Federals, commanded by Col. Nathan Kimball, stopped Jackson at Kernstown and then counterattacked turning Jackson’s left flank and forcing him to retreat. Despite this Union victory, President Lincoln was disturbed by Jackson’s threat to Washington and redirected substantial reinforcements to the Valley, depriving McClellan’s army of these troops. McClellan claimed that the additional troops would have enabled him to take Richmond during his Peninsula campaign.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/kernstown.html
March 23, 1862: First Battle of Kernstown; Casualties: 1,308 - 590 Union and 718 Confederate
3 March 23, 1863 Yazoo Campaign – Gen. Isaac Quinby arrives from Helena, and turns around the retreat of the Navy and Gen. Ross’ troops. Lt. Cmdr. Foster takes the De Kalb and Chillicothe downstream close to Fort Pemberton, MS and fires a few shots into the fort, but there is no response from the Rebels.
---Sergeant Alexander Downing of the 11th Iowa Infantry Regiment, serving with Grant’s army near Vicksburg, writes in his journal: Monday, 23d—It rained nearly all day and our new camp has become very muddy. Today I read the two books of Chronicles in the Bible, sixty-five chapters in all. Our picket duty here is very light at present.
---John Beauchamp Jones does not see things getting any better in Richmond since yesterday, and so notes in his journal: MARCH 23D.—The snow has nearly disappeared, and the roads are very bad. No food is brought to the market, and such as may be found in the city is held at famine prices. I saw a letter to-day from Bishop Lay, in Arkansas. He says affairs in that State wear a dark and gloomy aspect. He thinks the State is lost.
Gen. Beauregard writes the Hon. Mr. Miles that he has not men enough, nor heavy guns enough, for the defense of Charleston. If this were generally known, thousands would despair, being convinced that those charged with the reins of power are incompetent, unequal to the crisis, and destined to conduct them to destruction rather than independence.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-23-1863.html
4 March 23, 1864 Frederick Steele began his march with eight thousand soldiers from Little Rock, Arkansas south to Arkadelphia, where he was joined by John M. Thayer, who commanded another four thousand troops. Steele then led the costly Camden Expedition, a failed attempt to join forces with Nathaniel Banks in the Red River campaign (Spring 1864), and officially rated as the greatest Federal military disaster of the Civil War in Arkansas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Steele

The American Civil War 150 Years Ago Today: March 23, 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 SGT John " Mac " McConnell made Mar 23 at 2016 8:38 PM

2016-03-23T20:38:47-04:00

History, I just love it ! thanks LTC Stephen F.