What was the most significant event on September 27 during the U.S. Civil War?

2017-01-04T22:14:04-05:00

In 1861, CSA General Robert E. Lee caught sight of the horse he would name “Traveller” at Big Sewell Mountain in western Virginia. At the name the gray gelding of the Gray Eagle stock was sixteen hands high and had the interesting name of Jeff Davis.
In 1862, the CSA issued Confederate Postage Stamps using images of their President Jefferson Davis along with an image of Andrew Jackson in 1862 and later George Washington.
By 1863, the Confederate military had developed a class of operators classified as cavalrymen, but they did not perform the usual functions of cavalry in the military sense of the day namely scouting ahead of, or the movements of enemy infantry. These men were usually referred to as “raiders”, and their role was to move quickly to harass, cut lines of communication, pick off stragglers from Union marches, and gather supplies. Some of them were honorable while others became notorious.
In 1861 the rift between General Scott and George B. McClellan widened as Scott threw down the gauntlet as McClellan picked it up. While the Union Army of the Potomac was being built and trained by General George B. McClellan, General-in-Chief Winfield Scott was feeling left out. Many had noticed that the old warrior was growing more feeble and drowsy every day. Over the months since Bull Run, some blamed Scott for the Union defeat. Others, like Frank Blair, noticed that he was “sick – he is getting dropsical and very old.”
Some wondered if the seventy-five year old, 300lbs. Scott, suffering from gout and rheumatism, and unable to even mount a horse, was fit to command the entire Union Army. Leader of this thought (or, at least, it’s obvious benefactor) was General George B. McClellan, who, by this time, had become outwardly hostile towards “Old Fat and Feeble” Scott (playing on Scott’s Army nickname of “Old Fuss and Feathers”).
In August, McClellan wrote to his wife, describing Scott as “the most dangerous antagonist I have.” Also to his wife, he wrote that, “either he or I must leave here,” asserting that “he has become my inveterate enemy!”
The latest rift to develop between the two Generals concerned McClellan’s refusal to keep Scott informed about the number of regiments, brigades and divisions in and around Washington.
On this date, President Lincoln called a Cabinet meeting in General Scott’s office and invited McClellan to attend. Quickly, the conversation turned to the number of troops near Washington. McClellan fell silent as both Scott and Secretary of War Simon Cameron said that they had no idea of the figure. Seward, however, was in the know, which annoyed Scott even further.
Cameron tried to calm the situation by jesting that Seward meddled in every department. More than likely, thought Scott, McClellan gave the figures to Seward.
As the meeting broke up, McClellan cornered Scott. He stuck out his hand, looked him in the eye and said, “Good morning, General Scott.”
Scott, being a perfect Virginia gentleman, took McClellan’s out-stretched hand. “You were called here by my advice,” said Scott, referring to when he suggested McClellan come from the Western Virginia front. “The times require vigilance and activity. I am not active and never shall be again. When I proposed that you should come here to aid, not supersede, me, you had my friendship and confidence. You still have my confidence.” [2]
Later that night, McClellan wrote to his wife about the meeting. “As he threw down the glove, I picked it up,” wrote the young General, referring specifically to Scott’s parting words. “I presume war is declared – so be it. I do not fear him. I have one strong point; that I do not care one iota for my present position.”[3]
[2] Army of the Potomac; McClellan Takes Command by Russel H. Beatie.
[3] Letter from General George McClellan to his wife, September 27. 1861.
While McClellan looked for a way to oust Scott, the General-in-Chief, who knew he was well past his prime, looked for someone else to replace him.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/general-lee-meets-traveller-the-rift-between-scott-and-mcclellan/
In 1862, The Confederate’s Second Conscription Act. “Maybe Jeff should define "us"... The first Conscription Act of the war came from the national government most remembered for its anti-Federal and “small government” ways. In April of 1862, the Confederate States of America decreed that all able-bodied, white men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five be drafted into the army.
Conscription is never popular. If it were, there would be no “need” for such a thing – the soldiers would simply volunteer out of a sense of duty. Since there were not enough dutiful Southerners stepping forward to pick up a musket to defend their homes, President Jefferson Davis, along with the Legislature in Richmond, passed the Conscription Act.
But that was not enough. By July, it was becoming clear that, as Confederate Secretary of War George W. Randolph put it, “Our armies are so much weakened by desertions, and by the absence of officers and men without leave, that we are unable to reap the fruits of our victories and to invade the territory of the enemy.” [1]
Randolph was writing to several Southern governors, asking them to do everything in their power to send deserters back to the army. Several such governors, however, were hardly interested. Apparently, they believed that a national Conscription Act was counter to the idea of states rights.
Governor Joseph Brown of Georgia labeled it as unconstitutional. There was noted resistance to it in North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. In the Shenandoah Valley, pacifist religious orders and Unionists banded together in opposition. A lower court in Georgia found it unconstitutional (though several other states’ Supreme Courts disagreed). Even the Vice-President, Alexander Stephens, thought the Conscription Act “very bad policy.”
Davis explained it all away, addressing Governor Brown. The central government usurping the rights of individual states was a “familiar and well-settled principle.” Was all that “states rights” talk just a fancy way of saying “we don’t want to give up our slaves”?
Amidst all of this tumult, on this day, Jefferson Davis signed the Second Conscription Act into law, ordering all men aged thirty-six to forty-five to be enlisted in the army. Though, at first, nobody over forty would be accepted.
When the news of this act reached the already outraged Governor Brown, he wrote a scathing and unbelievably lengthly monologue to the Secretary of War. “No act of the Government of the United States prior to the secession of Georgia,” wrote the irate Brown, “struck a blow at constitutional liberty so fell as has been stricken by the conscription acts.”
While he claimed that multitudes from his state would gladly volunteer, several times he stated another reason he was against the draft. If the Confederate government was “to take all between thirty-five and forty-five as conscripts, you disband and destroy all military organization in this State and leave her people utterly powerless to protect their own families even against their own slaves.” [2]
With even South Carolina’s governor falling in against it, Richmond would soon issue a list of certain classes of men who would be exempt from being drafted. And while this would certainly please those who fell under such privilege, it would do little more than infuriate those who could not meet the conditions. [3]”
[1] OR, Series 4, Part 2, p7.
[2] OR, Series 4, Part 2, p126-131. Well, if you wouldn’t have slaves in the first place….
[3] Sources: History of the United States: From the Compromise of 1850 to the Final Restoration of Home Rule at the South in 1877, Volume 5 by James Ford Rhodes, 1909; Conscription and Conflict in the Confederacy by Albert Burton Moore.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/the-confederates-second-conscrition-act/

Pictures: 1864-09-27 Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri; 1862-09-27 Jefferson Davis Confederate Stamp; 1861-09-27 CSA General Robert E. Lee on Traveller; 1862-09-27 1st Louisiana Native Guard Black officers

A. 1861: General Robert E. Lee meets Traveller. When Lee first saw Jeff Davis, he took a fancy to it, calling it, “my colt.” Perhaps half-joking, Lee told Captain Broun that he would need the horse before the war was over. In a few months, Lee’s words about this fine horse, who he would rename “Traveller,” would soon come true.
Four years before they met, Traveller was born in Greenbrier County, [in modern day West Virginia] near Blue Sulphur Springs. He was raised by Andrew Johnson (or possibly Johnston) and took the premium (first prize) in both 1859 and 1860 at the Lewisburg Fair. Captain Broun’s brother, Major Thomas Broun, authorized to locate and purchase “a good, serviceable horse of the best Greenbrier stock.”
B. 1862: The 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment of New Orleans is the first regiment of African-American troops officially accepted and mustered into the U.S. Army by Major General Benjamin Butler. General Butler had persuaded Secretary of War Stanton to designate displaced blacks as “contraband of war,” to prevent them from being returned to their owners. Now, he enlisted men in the Union Army as the First Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards. The men called themselves the “Chasseurs d’Afrique,” the African Hunters. Even though Spencer H. Stafford of New York, a white officer, was given command of the regiment, all officers at the company level---captains and lieutenants---were of African-American or African-French heritage. Soon there will be a 2nd Regiment, and eventually a 3rd Regiment of Louisiana Native Guards.
C. 1863: Confederate Victory at Moffat's Station, Arkansas. CSA Colonel Joseph Shelby’s brigade was heading towards the Arkansas River. The Confederates met little resistance on the 150-mile leg of journey to cross the Arkansas until, at noon advance scouts under Captain “Tuck” Thorpe encountered about 200 men of the Union's Company H, First Arkansas Infantry commanded by Captain William C. Parker, who were camped at Haguewood Prairie.
The Federals took cover among the trees and opened fire. The Confederate cavalry dismounted and formed up for a charge. Once all the Confederates formed up, they charged the Federals and scattered them. Some of the First Infantry, including Captain Parker, escaped, but twenty-eight men were captured. Along with those captured were several individuals who were either visiting family or traveling with friendly Union forces to safety in Fort Smith.
D. 1864: Very costly confederate Victory at Pilot’s Knob, MO. CSA Major General Sterling Price
ordered his forces to attack Fort Davidson, at Pilot Knob, Missouri and, while technically successful in capturing it, he lost up to 1,500 men, compared to the Union losing less than 200. This costly "victory" forced Price to abandon his plan to take St. Louis or capture the capitol at Jefferson City. After a day full of assaults, that night the Union officers decided the fort was not worth keeping and they and their men sneak out without being seen. This not only cost him time and men, but his chances of taking St. Louis. Furthermore, the Union forces under command of Brigadier General Thomas Ewing detonated the fort's powder magazine as they slipped away between Price's lines, leaving an enormous hole instead of the munitions Price had hoped to capture.
FYI SGT Mark Anderson PO3 Edward Riddle Maj William W. 'Bill' Price COL Private RallyPoint Member SSgt David M.] SPC Maurice Evans SPC Jon O. SGT Jim Arnold Amn Dale Preisach CW4 Private RallyPoint Member Sgt Jerry Genesio SSG Private RallyPoint Member LTC John Griscom LTC Thomas Tennant LTC David Brown LTC Private RallyPoint Member CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member SGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC Private RallyPoint Member CPL Ronald Keyes Jr

General Lee Meets Traveller; The Rift Between Scott and McClellan

Friday, September 27, 1861 Through the rain, mud and disorganization along the Confederate lines in Western Virginia, General Robert E. Lee stared across the mile-wide gulch separating his Army of …

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jan 4 at 2017 10:17 PM

2017-01-04T22:17:14-05:00

In 1861, Maj Gen George B McClellan had personal courage yet when it came to confronting the Confederate Army enemy aggressively he was very cautious as a rule. Granted the Battle of Bull Run dispelled any ideas that the civil war would be over anytime soon, yet he must have studied Napoleon Bonaparte’s victories and defeats at West Point [I certainly did]. Offensive action is the only way to victory must have been drilled into him.
In 1862, the CSA Congress considered a second conscription act, to supplement the first one back in April. This new act drafts men aged 36 to 45. They recognized that they would need trained many more trained soldiers than the previous act authorized [18 to 35-year-old].
Meanwhile in 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana the first all-black regiment in United States history is formed in Union-controlled New Orleans from "free Negroes." While their technical name is the First Regiment Louisiana Native Guard they call themselves "Chasseurs d'Afrique". The name translates to "Hunters of Africa."
In 1863, these orders are very plain – two full weeks of Burnside’s excuses. “The first major use of railroads to ship troops from the eastern theater to western was undertaken by the Confederates just prior to the battle of Chickamauga. The second was being undertaken by the Federals just after. Though the Federal shift was faster, the Rebels’ attempt was much more timely, even though they had to deal with the rickety Southern rail system.
By this date, most of the Federal reinforcements being sent from George Meade’s Army of the Potomac to William Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland at Chattanooga were on their way. The whole scheme was dreamed up only three days prior. And yet, it was moving like clockwork. This was in stark contrast to Ambrose Burnside’s Army of the Ohio near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Though barely over 100 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Burnside had done little to heed Washington’s call to reinforce Rosecrans, which had been tapped across the telegraph wire for two weeks now. On September 13th, General-in-Chief Henry Halleck urged Burnside to “move down your infantry as rapidly as possible toward Chattanooga to connect with Rosecrans.” The following day, without hearing a reply, Halleck reiterated: “It is believed that the enemy will concentrate to give him [Rosecrans] battle. You must be there to help him.” This was, of course, well before Braxton Bragg concentrated and gave Rosecrans battle, which happened on the 19th and 20th. …
On the 25th, President Lincoln wrote a harsh reply: “Yours of the 23rd. is just received, and it makes me doubt whether I am awake or dreaming. I have been struggling for ten days, first through Gen. Halleck, and then directly, to get you to go to assist Gen. Rosecrans in an extremity, and you have repeatedly declared you would do it, and yet you steadily move the contrary way.” The letter was hastily written and probably unfinished, though it chastised Burnside for “still saying you will assist him, but giving no account of any progress made towards assisting him.” Fortunately for Burnside, Lincoln never sent it.
Nothing was heard again from General Burnside until the evening of this date (the 27th), when he gave a reply to Lincoln’s short order another go. Here, Burnside asked for clarification to orders sent on the 21st. Why it took nearly a week for him to do so, he never addressed. In fact, he said nothing certain at all, and was merely asking for clarification. “You in your telegraph speak of my delay,” wrote Burnside to Halleck. “I have made no delay. I was ordered to move into East Tennessee, making this the objective point.” He tried his best to explain why he hadn’t complied with anyone’s order or requests to move to Rosecrans’ aid. He argued that the suggestion to move down the north side of the Tennessee River would ensure that East Tennessee would be retaken by the Rebels. Moving down the south side, however, would somehow prevent it. He went on to imply that Halleck had not looked at maps and thus did not understand “the difficulties under which we have been laboring.”
To this, Lincoln replied first. His mood had not changed. “My order to you meant simply that you should save Rosecrans from being crushed out,” he began his short missive, “believing if he lost his position you could not hold East Tennessee in any event; and that if he held his position, East Tennessee was substantially safe in any event.”
An hour and a half later, Lincoln sent another reply, backing off a bit. “Hold your present positions, and send Rosecrans what you can spare in the quickest and safest way,” he suggested, allowing Burnside to pick whichever damn side of the river he wanted. However, in closing, he countered that “East Tennessee can be no more than temporarily lost so long as Chattanooga is firmly held.”
Shortly after, Halleck made his reply. While the President seemed to back off, the General-in-Chief did not. “Telegram after telegram has been sent to you to go to his assistance with all your available force,” he railed. The troops to be selected, as well as the route, Halleck asserted, were always left up to Burnside. In summation, Halleck closed: “These orders are very plain, and you cannot mistake their purport. It only remains for you to execute them. General Rosecrans is holding Chattanooga and waiting for re-enforcements from you.”
But General Burnside wasn’t the only officer drawing ire from Washington. General Rosecrans was also being observed. Assistant Secretary of War Charles Dana had been sent by Secretary Edwin Stanton to keep an eye on the general, and to report back regularly. This Dana did, but it wasn’t until this date that he discussed Rosecrans’ removal.
After Dana suggested that both Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden – two of Rosecrans’ four corps commanders – be relieved, he moved to a post-Rosecrans Army. “If it be decided to change the chief commander also, I would take the liberty of suggesting that some Western general of high rank and great prestige, like Grant, for instance, would be preferable as his successor to any one who has hitherto commanded in East alone.”
It was a little mention in a much longer letter, but the seed was planted. ((Sources: Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 30, Part 1, p201-203; Part 3, p617, 638, 717-718, 731, 750, 769-770, 808-809, 904, 906, 907; Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6.
These Orders Are Very Plain – Two Full Weeks of Burnside’s Excuses by CW DG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
http://civilwardailygazette.com/these-orders-are-very-plain-two-full-weeks-of-burnsides-excuses/
Tuesday, September 27, 1864: He contested every inch of ground - Nathan Bedford Forrest returned to Tennessee. “Following his raid into Memphis, Tennessee, Nathan Bedford Forrest did not simply fade into the grays of Tennessee. For a time in late August, he was ushered to Mobile when it was feared that the city might fall, but when the crisis drew to a timely close, he returned to northern Alabama, where he met General Richard Taylor, no longer serving under Kirby Smith in Louisiana.
Taylor had become the new department commander of the increasingly unimportant Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. With literally nothing for the cavalier to do within said department, Taylor proposed sending Forrest back into Tennessee. At first, Forrest seemed to balk, expressing doubts and shying away from any commitment. But before long, he had worked out the details and the fire returned to his eyes.
By September 19th, Forrest was with his command at Cherokee Station, from which they crossed the Tennessee River at Florence, Alabama. His first target was the Federal fort in Athens, garrisoned mostly by black infantry soldiers. It was on the 24th when he sent a flag a truce, allowing the fort to surrender. The “white soldiers,” he wrote, “shall be treated as prisoners of war and the negroes returned to their masters.” This was a giant step for Forrest whose last foray with black Union soldiers at Fort Pillow did not go so well. Of course, he made no mention of what was to become of the black soldiers who had been free prior to joining the Federal army. To him, it was a nonissue.
In the end, the fort surrendered, though Forrest turned to a bit of ingenious deception to convince the fort’s commander that his numbers were far greater than they actually were.
With the Federals dealt with, Forrest’s men set themselves upon the railroad, tearing up track and destroying anything and everything that might be used by the enemy, including a couple of locomotives. Continuing on, they devoured a few small forts guarding the railroad.
The next day was much the same as he captured a fort and burned a large trestle. He sent back nearly 1,000 prisoners that day, but he was running out of ammunition. So too was he losing his own men in the process. These losses were not from battle so much as they were sent back to guard the captured prisoners, most of whom were now slaves.
Now moving north, Forrest entered Tennessee on the 26th, dogged only slightly by Col. George Spalding’s Federal cavalry. A small attempt was made to bar his way across the Elk River, and then again at Richmond Creek, but most either deserted their posts or simply surrendered when asked to by Forrest.
On this date, however, things began to change. Forrest explained in his official report: “Six miles from Pulaski the enemy attacked my advance force and compelled them to fall back. General [Abraham] Buford hurried forward his division. I sent my escort to the extreme right, where they found the enemy strongly posted, and where seven of my escort were severely wounded in the engagement that occurred. The resistance of the enemy was most obstinate. He contested every inch of ground and grew more stubborn the nearer we approached town, but my troops drove them steadily back.
“Three miles from Pulaski he made a stand with seeming determination to yield no more ground. Colonel Kelley now occupied the extreme left, Colonel Johnson the center, and General Buford’s division on the right. The engagement was becoming a general one. The enemy threw his right around for the purpose of making an enfilading fire upon my troops who had pushed far into his center.
“About this time my troops on the left advanced, and the artillery in that direction unexpectedly opened a destructive fire, which caused the enemy to make a hasty retreat. He was closely followed up and driven into town and into his fortifications.”
After seven hours of fighting, Forrest finally reached Pulaski. Seeing how well placed were the Federals, he decided it best that he not attack, and ordered his command to withdraw. Once more he turned to deception, lighting as many campfires has he could manage, hoping that the enemy would believe a much larger force before them.
With the fires now burning, and night now fallen, Forrest sent forward squadrons of troopers to prey upon the railroad and telegraph lines between Pulaski and Columbia to the north. Forrest, however, would not be continuing north with the rails, but would turn east the following morning for Fayetteville. There, he would dispatch more troops to fall upon the rails to Chattanooga, cutting, as he went, the lines feeding General Sherman’s forces in Atlanta.
But the weather was turning against him. This, along with the lessening of ammunition and troops detached to guard prisoners and destroy the railroads meant that his raid might not last as long as he had wished. Still, he pressed on. [1]
[1] Sources: Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 39, Part 1, p545-546; The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman by Brian Steel Wills; Bedford Forrest and His Critter Company by Andrew Nelson Lytle; That Devil Forrest by John Allan Wyeth. [↩]
Below are several journal entries from 1861, 1862, 1863 and 1864 which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly. … I am including journal entries from Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade," Sixth Division of the Seventeenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee for each year. I have been spending some time researching Civil War journals and diaries and editing them to fit into this series of Civil War discussions.
Friday, September, 27, 1861: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade," Sixth Division of the Seventeenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee. “Fine weather again. Our company was not completed today and we have arranged for election of officers tomorrow.”
Saturday, September 27, 1862: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, feeling as secure as he does as the hero of the hour, responds to Pres. Lincoln’s inquiries as to why he has not crossed the Potomac in force to pursue Lee, writes to the President in answer, offering excuses in terms of the organizational and operational complexities that the President apparently cannot possibly understand: “This army is not now in condition to undertake another campaign nor to bring on another battle, unless great advantages are offered by same mistake of the enemy or pressing military exigencies render it necessary. We are greatly deficient in officers. Many of the old regiments are reduced to mere skeletons. The new regiments need instruction. Not a day should be lost in filling the old regiments-our main dependence-and in supplying vacancies among the officers by promotion.
My present purpose is to hold the army about as it is now, rendering Harper's Ferry secure and watching the river closely, intending to attack the enemy should he attempt to cross to this side. Our possession of Harper's Ferry gives us the great advantage of a secure debouche, but we cannot avail ourselves of it until the railroad bridge is finished, because we cannot otherwise supply a greater number of troops than we now have on the Virginia side at that point. . . .”
He goes on to reveal a still-persistent illusion that he has been engaging greatly superior numbers, in spite of all evidence to the contrary: “I would be glad to have Peck's division as soon as possible. I am surprised that Sigel's men should have been sent to Western Virginia without my knowledge. The last I heard from you on the subject was that they were at my disposition. In the last battles the enemy was undoubtedly greatly superior to us in number, and it was only by very hard fighting that we gained the advantage we did. As it was, the result was at one period very doubtful, and we had all we could do to win the day. If the enemy receives considerable re-enforcements and we none, it is possible that I may have too much on my hands in the next battle. . . .”
Saturday, September 27, 1862: Private David Lane, a young soldier in the 17th Michigan Infantry Regiment, still in camp after the Battle of Antietam, writes in his diary an idyllic picture of camp life: “Antietam, September 27th, 1862. We have had one week of rest; are encamped three miles from our last battlefields, with a prospect of staying here several weeks. There is much sickness, but nothing of a serious nature. As for myself, I have not seen an hour’s sickness since I left Michigan. Our camp is pleasantly situated on a high hill, and the surrounding hills and valleys are white with tents. In the evening, when every tent is lighted up, they present a brilliant and beautiful appearance. Several regiments are supplied with brass bands, which delight us every evening with a “concord of sweet sounds.” Last evening the Fiftieth Pennsylvania serenaded the “Bloody Seventeenth,” as they call us.”
Saturday, September 27, 1862: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade, “Company E went out today with the teams to forage for corn and fodder. We were out northeast about seven miles and found plenty of corn, but not much fodder. The boys also took some chickens and two fine hogs. The farmers in this section are not rich, their farms being on the bluffs of the Tennessee river, but they seem to have plenty and some to spare. When the quartermaster sends teams out to forage, he calls for a company or perhaps a whole regiment, and they go and take what they want without asking for it, but the officer in charge always gives the owner of the property the quartermaster's receipt.”
Sunday, September 27, 1863: Gen. Halleck is becoming impatient with Gen. Burnside in Knoxville who, by any account, has not made even a gesture toward relieving what is now clearly a siege of Chattanooga. Halleck is uncharacteristically blunt: “Your orders before leaving Kentucky, and frequently repeated since, were to connect your right with General Rosecrans’ left, so that, if the enemy concentrated on one, the other would be able to assist. General Rosecrans was attacked on Chickamauga Creek and driven back to Chattanooga, which he holds, waiting for your assistance. Telegram after telegram has been sent to you to go to his assistance with all your available force, you being the judge of what troops it was necessary, under the circumstances, to leave in East Tennessee. The route by which you were to reach General Rosecrans was also left to your discretion. . . . The substance of all telegrams from the President and from me is, you must go to General Rosecrans’ assistance, with all your available force, by such route as, under the advices given you from here and such information as you can get, you may deem most practicable. The orders are very plain, and you cannot mistake their purport. It only remains for you to execute them.”
Sunday, September 27, 1863: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade, “It continues quite warm and all is quiet. We had company inspection early this morning, after which those not on duty were free to go about, and I attended services at the Baptist church in the city. It seemed like home to attend a regular church service on a Sunday morning. This church building is of brick and during the siege four or five cannon balls passed through the walls at different places.”
Tuesday, September 27, 1864: Journal of Sergeant Alexander G. Downing, Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry, Third Brigade, "Crocker's Brigade," Sixth Division of the Seventeenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee. “General Sherman issued an order removing all citizens from Atlanta, on account of the scarcity of food. There is only one line of railroad open from the North to Atlanta, and the rebels are destroying almost every day some portions of the track, thus delaying trains. All who take the oath of allegiance are sent north beyond the Ohio river, while those who refuse to take it are to go farther south; they can take their choice. General Sherman has notified Hood to come with wagons to a station south of Atlanta and take care of the citizens, as our teams will haul them to that station. A great many are taking the oath and going North, but some think themselves too good to take the oath. Some of the women are very strong secessionists, and spurn the idea of taking the oath, declaring that they would rather die.”

Pictures: 1864-09-27 Confederate Assault on Fort Davidson Map; 1863-09-27 Haguewood Prairie, Ark plague; 1862-07-27 1st Louisiana Native Guard, All Black Regiment, Creole Military; 1864-09-27 Cavalry March in Price's raid

A. Friday, September, 27, 1861: General Robert E. Lee meets Traveller. “Through the rain, mud and disorganization along the Confederate lines in Western Virginia, General Robert E. Lee stared across the mile-wide gulch separating his Army of the Kanawha from General Rosecrans’ Union force. Each army occupied a spur of Big Sewell Mountain, twenty-one miles west of Lewisburg.
As Lee established his headquarters, the weather and the troops weren’t the only things on his mind. Through the autumn fog and turning leaves, he noticed a horse, ridden by Captain Joseph M. Broun, quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia Infantry, of Wise’s Legion. Named “Jeff Davis,” the gray gelding was an American Saddlebred of the Gray Eagle stock, sixteen hands high.
When Lee first saw Jeff Davis, he took a fancy to it, calling it, “my colt.” Perhaps half-joking, Lee told Captain Broun that he would need the horse before the war was over. In a few months, Lee’s words about this fine horse, who he would rename “Traveller,” would soon come true.
Four years before they met, Traveller was born in Greenbrier County, [in modern day West Virginia] near Blue Sulphur Springs. He was raised by Andrew Johnson (or possibly Johnston) and took the premium (first prize) in both 1859 and 1860 at the Lewisburg Fair. Captain Broun’s brother, Major Thomas Broun, authorized to locate and purchase “a good, serviceable horse of the best Greenbrier stock.”
This was apparently no easy task as it took the Broun brothers much searching and inquiry before coming upon Jeff Davis, then being ridden by Andrew Johnson’s son, Captain James W. Johnson. A deal was struck and the horse was theirs for $175 (gold value).
At first, Major Broun rode the mount, which was “greatly admired in the camp for his rapid, springy walk, his high spirit, bold carriage and muscular strength.” Major Broun later wrote that Jeff Davis “needed neither whip nor spur, and would walk his five or six miles an hour over the rough mountain roads of West Virginia, with his rider sitting firmly in the saddle and holding him in check by a tight rein, such vim and eagerness did he manifest to go right ahead soon as he was mounted.”
For the time being, however, General Lee would have to admire the horse from afar. Jeff Davis would not be Lee’s until several months had passed and they were both several states away from Western Virginia. [1]
[1] “General R.E. Lee’s War-Horse; A Sketch of Traveller by the Man who Formerly Owned Him” by Thomas L. Broun. Originally, the article appears in the Richmond Dispatch in 1886. Later, it was collected in the Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 35.
B. Saturday, September 27, 1862: The 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment of New Orleans is the first regiment of African-American troops officially accepted and mustered into the U.S. Army by Major General Benjamin Butler. While their technical name is the First Regiment Louisiana Native Guard they call themselves "Chasseurs d'Afrique". The name translates to "Hunters of Africa."Even though Spencer H. Stafford of New York, a white officer, was given command of the regiment, all officers at the company level---captains and lieutenants---were of African-American or African-French heritage. Soon there will be a 2nd Regiment, and eventually a 3rd Regiment of Louisiana Native Guards.
Although it is widely believed that the first regiment of what would become known as the United States Colored Troops was the famed 54th Massachusetts (from the movie “Glory”), in fact the first regiment of free blacks was mustered in New Orleans, Louisiana on this date. General Benjamin Butler, who had a rather direct way of dealing with things sometimes, as he had been the first to force the issue of what to do with black refugees and escaped slaves in the early days of the War. Then, he had persuaded Secretary of War Stanton to designate these displaced blacks as “contraband of war,” to prevent them from being returned to their owners. Now, he enlisted men in the Union Army as the First Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards. The men called themselves the “Chasseurs d’Afrique,” the African Hunters.
C. Sunday, September 27, 1863: Confederate Victory at Moffat's Station, Arkansas - the Confederate force, commanded Colonel Joseph Shelby, were heading towards the Arkansas River. They approached Moffatt's Station and met about 200 men of the Union's 1st Arkansas Infantry. The Federals took cover among the trees and opened fire. The Confederate cavalry dismounted and formed up for a charge. Once all of the Confederates formed up, they charged the Federals and scattered them.
C+ Sunday, September 27, 1863: Skirmish at Moffat’s Station (a.k.a. Battle of Haguewood Prairie)
Location: Near Paris, Logan County, Arkansas
Campaign: Shelby’s Raid into Missouri
Principal Commanders: Captain William C. Parker (US); Colonel Joseph Shelby, Captain “Tuck” Thorpe (CS)
Forces Engaged: Company H, First Arkansas Infantry (US); Shelby’s Brigade (CSA)
Estimated Casualties: Twenty-seven casualties, Two Union and Five CSA killed
Result: Confederate victory
By late September 1863, Little Rock (Pulaski County) had just fallen to Union forces, and Arkansas Confederate forces were in disarray. Surrendering the state capital with little more than token resistance, the Rebel forces moved the seat of government to Washington (Hempstead County), leaving Union forces in control of most of the state north of the Arkansas River. Colonel Joseph Shelby proposed a raid into his native state of Missouri. His commanding general, John Marmaduke, saw little chance of success but, nevertheless, backed Shelby hoping that the diversion would slow Union general Frederick Steele’s further advance, as well as rally the discouraged Southern sympathizers. On September 22, 1863, Shelby and 600 troops filed through Arkadelphia (Clark County) past Missouri Confederate governor Thomas Reynolds, General Sterling Price, and other officials. He was joined by additional forces as he moved northward.
More than 30,000 Union forces were stationed in Arkansas along and north of the Arkansas River. Along with his cavalry, Shelby had twelve ammunition wagons and two pieces of artillery, which restricted where and how he could travel. Federal troops were known to be stationed at Dardanelle (Yell County), Clarksville (Johnson County), and Fort Smith (Sebastian County). Shelby directed his troops toward Roseville (Franklin County), a thriving farm community located on the Arkansas River with an excellent river crossing, port, and shallow ferry. With the exception of a skirmish with a large group of bushwhackers near Caddo Gap (Montgomery County), the Confederates met little resistance on the 150-mile leg of journey to cross the Arkansas until, at noon on September 27, 1863, advance scouts under Captain “Tuck” Thorpe encountered the First Arkansas Federal Infantry, who were camped at Haguewood Prairie.
The First Arkansas Infantry, Company H, were a newly organized group of troops composed of many volunteers from Franklin and Johnson counties. A. W. Bishop, adjutant general of Arkansas, reported that this group, commanded by Captain William C. Parker, had travelled to Dardanelle and received ammunition and other supplies that were to be distributed to local Union sympathizers (often dubbed “Mountain Feds”). Captain Parker accomplished his task and was returning by way of the Old Military Road, which runs from Dardanelle to Fort Smith. He camped at Haguewood Prairie, near present-day Paris (Logan County), to allow his men, who were recruited from the area, to visit their families while the remainder of his troops rested in camp.
Both Union and Confederate groups were surprised at the encounter which resulted. Thorpe had been instructed by Col. Shelby to attack any group that he encountered, and, upon hearing the gunfire, Shelby would rush all troops to his support. The Union troops quickly realized they were outnumbered and fell back into heavy timber. Shelby dismounted his troops, and a two-hour skirmish ensued. Some of the Federal troops had family with them. The Fort Smith newspaper, The New Era, reported on September 30, 1863, that Pvt. Benjamin Wilkins “fell pierced with several bullets, bravely discharging his six-shooter and killing one of his assailants.” Pvt. William Hawkins was in one of the wagons, accompanied by his sister, and continued to fire until killed.
Some of the First Infantry, including Captain Parker, escaped, but twenty-eight men were captured. Along with those captured were several individuals who were either visiting family or traveling with friendly Union forces to safety in Fort Smith. Shelby’s adjutant reported that one of the wounded men had three small daughters who cried pitifully, thinking their father was about to die. The Confederate troops, including Shelby, gave the mother gold coins to insure that the family would be taken care of. Undoubtedly, this was the family of Pvt. Isaac Plumley, who survived and was discharged for wounds received. All but five of those captured were paroled immediately; the others were exchanged within days. Although numbers vary according to the source of the report, more than fifty casualties and five deaths resulted.
Shelby crossed the Arkansas River near Roseville latter that night, rode through Ozark (Franklin County) early the next morning, and proceeded through the Boston Mountain and into Missouri in the following days.
D. Tuesday, September 27, 1864: General Price (CSA) launches an all-out assault on Fort Davidson, at Pilot Knob, Missouri. After a day full of assaults, that night the Union officers decided the fort was not worth keeping and they and their men sneak out without being seen. General Price (CSA) won this battle but lost over 1,000 men, lost time, and left the Union army mostly in tack. This not only cost him time and men, but his chances of taking St. Louis.
D+ Tuesday, September 27, 1864: Fort Davidson, near Pilot Knob, Missouri, was the site of a critical battle in Major General Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of September and October 1864. Price ordered his forces to attack the fort and, while technically successful in capturing it, he lost up to 1,500 men, compared to the Union losing less than 200. This costly "victory" forced Price to abandon his plan to take St. Louis or capture the capitol at Jefferson City. Furthermore, the Union forces under command of Brigadier General Thomas Ewing detonated the fort's powder magazine as they slipped away between Price's lines, leaving an enormous hole instead of the munitions Price had hoped to capture.
E. All the above; None of the above; or other [please explain] many other actions are mentioned in my response below.

1. Friday, September, 27, 1861: Lincoln consults with his cabinet about the Virginia offensive. General McClellan's (US) lack of aggressive activity is criticized. There was a widespread feeling that the war should have been long over with by now, and demands were loud to know why it was not. The questions had to be more than a little embarrassing for the guest of honor at the meeting: Gen. George McClellan.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-a/part-twenty-four
2. Saturday, September 27, 1862: The first all-black regiment in United States history is formed in Union-controlled New Orleans from "free Negroes." While their technical name is the First Regiment Louisiana Native Guard they call themselves "Chasseurs d'Afrique". The name translates to "Hunters of Africa."
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
3. Saturday, September 27, 1862: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, feeling as secure as he does as the hero of the hour, responds to Pres. Lincoln’s inquiries as to why he has not crossed the Potomac in force to pursue Lee, writes to the President in answer, offering excuses in terms of the organizational and operational complexities that the President apparently cannot possibly understand: “This army is not now in condition to undertake another campaign nor to bring on another battle, unless great advantages are offered by same mistake of the enemy or pressing military exigencies render it necessary. We are greatly deficient in officers. Many of the old regiments are reduced to mere skeletons. The new regiments need instruction. Not a day should be lost in filling the old regiments-our main dependence-and in supplying vacancies among the officers by promotion.
My present purpose is to hold the army about as it is now, rendering Harper's Ferry secure and watching the river closely, intending to attack the enemy should he attempt to cross to this side. Our possession of Harper's Ferry gives us the great advantage of a secure debouche, but we cannot avail ourselves of it until the railroad bridge is finished, because we cannot otherwise supply a greater number of troops than we now have on the Virginia side at that point. . . .”
He goes on to reveal a still-persistent illusion that he has been engaging greatly superior numbers, in spite of all evidence to the contrary: “I would be glad to have Peck's division as soon as possible. I am surprised that Sigel's men should have been sent to Western Virginia without my knowledge. The last I heard from you on the subject was that they were at my disposition. In the last battles the enemy was undoubtedly greatly superior to us in number, and it was only by very hard fighting that we gained the advantage we did. As it was, the result was at one period very doubtful, and we had all we could do to win the day. If the enemy receives considerable re-enforcements and we none, it is possible that I may have too much on my hands in the next battle. . . .”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1862
4. Saturday, September 27, 1862: Private David Lane, a young soldier in the 17th Michigan Infantry Regiment, still in camp after the Battle of Antietam, writes in his diary an idyllic picture of camp life: “Antietam, September 27th, 1862. We have had one week of rest; are encamped three miles from our last battlefields, with a prospect of staying here several weeks. There is much sickness, but nothing of a serious nature. As for myself, I have not seen an hour’s sickness since I left Michigan. Our camp is pleasantly situated on a high hill, and the surrounding hills and valleys are white with tents. In the evening, when every tent is lighted up, they present a brilliant and beautiful appearance. Several regiments are supplied with brass bands, which delight us every evening with a “concord of sweet sounds.” Last evening the Fiftieth Pennsylvania serenaded the “Bloody Seventeenth,” as they call us.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1862
5. Saturday, September 27, 1862: The Confederate Congress passes the Second Conscription Act, authorizing the President to draft men between the ages of 35 and 45.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186209
6. Saturday, September 27, 1862: The Confederate Congress considers a second conscription act, to supplement the first one back in April. This new act drafts men aged 36 to 45. Governor Joseph Brown of Georgia, notorious for his opposition to efforts of the Richmond government to wield centralized power, opposes this measure vigorously, as does the governor of South Carolina. Pres. Davis ameliorates the impact of the law by exempting certain privileged classes of men, especially wealthy slave owners. This quiets the furor somewhat, but does nothing to endear the Confederate government to poor whites.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1862
7. Saturday, September 27, 1862: The Huntington Democrat, in Indiana, in what is apparently a common reaction to the Emancipation Proclamation, openly condemns the presidential order, and predicts that the “savage negro” would break out in “insurrection, rapine, murder, arson, and what not.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1862
8. Sunday, September 27, 1863: Gen. Halleck is becoming impatient with Gen. Burnside in Knoxville who, by any account, has not made even a gesture toward relieving what is now clearly a siege of Chattanooga. Halleck is uncharacteristically blunt: “Your orders before leaving Kentucky, and frequently repeated since, were to connect your right with General Rosecrans’ left, so that, if the enemy concentrated on one, the other would be able to assist. General Rosecrans was attacked on Chickamauga Creek and driven back to Chattanooga, which he holds, waiting for your assistance. Telegram after telegram has been sent to you to go to his assistance with all your available force, you being the judge of what troops it was necessary, under the circumstances, to leave in East Tennessee. The route by which you were to reach General Rosecrans was also left to your discretion. . . . The substance of all telegrams from the President and from me is, you must go to General Rosecrans’ assistance, with all your available force, by such route as, under the advices given you from here and such information as you can get, you may deem most practicable. The orders are very plain, and you cannot mistake their purport. It only remains for you to execute them.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1863
9. Sunday, September 27, 1863: In the Confederate military a class of operators classified as cavalrymen, but they did not perform the usual functions of cavalry in the military sense of the day--scouting ahead of, or the movements of enemy infantry. These men were usually referred to as “raiders”, and their role was to move quickly to harass, cut lines of communication, pick off stragglers from Union marches, and gather supplies. One of these raiders, Jo Shelby (CSA), worked in the Trans-Mississippi Theater (West of the Mississippi River) and less known than some like Moseby and Forrest. Today, Shelby attacked Moffat’s Station in Franklin County, Arkansas. Over the next couple of months, Shelby's Missourian, Iron Brigade will travel 1,500 miles through Missouri, inflicting over 1,000 casualties on Union forces, and capturing or destroying an estimated $2 million worth of Federal supplies and property. He was promoted to brigadier general on December 15, 1863, at the successful conclusion of his raid.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-c/week-129
10. Sunday, September 27, 1863: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman finally receives orders to march with most of the Army of the Tennessee to the aid of Rosecrans in Chattanooga. Sherman puts his troops on the road immediately---two corps, about 20,000 men. Gen. Stephen Hurlbut, in western Tennessee, begins to ready his troops also.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1863
11. Tuesday, September 27, 1864: Campbellton, Florida - On September 26, Brig. Gen. Alexander Asboth pushed into Jackson County in the morning. His men continuing to raid farms and homes along their route as they went.
Passing through the Galilee Community, south of Graceville, they struck the home of Nelson Watford, taking meat from the smokehouse, fodder for their horses, and even digging up and pouring out the family's large barrel of molasses. Other soldiers carried out similar destruction far north, where one Union soldier fell sick and was left in the care of a local family.
This activity quickly alarmed the countryside and Capt. Alexander Godwin, the local Home Guard
commander, ordered out his small cavalry company and rode off to meet the Union raiders.
Godwin's company had organized the previous spring and counted 25-30 members from throughout northwest Jackson County. Their strength could have been higher that day because other men volunteered at the first sign of danger and fought alongside the Campbellton men.
Since Asboth's appearance took the county by surprise, it is probable that Godwin had no idea he would soon be facing a strong column of Union cavalrymen. He and his men simply turned out at the first sign of danger and rushed to the protection of their neighbors.
Exactly what happened in or near Campbellton that afternoon is still a bit of a mystery. Asboth made no mention of the affair in his official report, but did note that as he marched from the Choctawatchee to Marianna, "rebel troops were constantly in close vicinity of my column, with frequent skirmishes with my vanguard." One of those skirmishes involved Godwin's Campbellton Cavalry. Afterwards, Godwin's men were quickly in full retreat.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1864s.html
12. Tuesday, September 27, 1864: A small Confederate force under "Bloody" Bill Anderson attacks Centralia, Missouri. 24 Union soldiers are killed in the town and another 116 are killed in an ambush.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186409
13. Tuesday, September 27, 1864: A little further west in Missouri at Centralia, William Anderson, better known in those days as the guerilla raider “Bloody Bill” Anderson, is leading an attack there along with 60 to 70 other raiders; including two men we all know, the James Brothers, Frank and Jesse James. Before the morning is over, they will loot and burn the town, then outside of town, stop and rob the train belonging to North Missouri Railroad, and here they discover and shoot 24 unarmed Union soldiers and finish up by burning the train. That afternoon Anderson and his gang meet up with several hundred more guerilla fighters and catch Union Major A. V. E. Johnston (US) and his 39th Missouri Infantry (Mounted) in a trap. Major Johnston, (US) and his command are lured into an open field surrounded on three sides by gullies and dense foliage, deep enough to conceal most of Bloody Bill Anderson’s men and horses. When it was over Major Johnston and approximately 150 of his men will died in the battle.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-181

A Friday, September, 27, 1861: General Robert E. Lee meets Traveller. “Through the rain, mud and disorganization along the Confederate lines in Western Virginia, General Robert E. Lee stared across the mile-wide gulch separating his Army of the Kanawha from General Rosecrans’ Union force. Each army occupied a spur of Big Sewell Mountain, twenty-one miles west of Lewisburg.
As Lee established his headquarters, the weather and the troops weren’t the only things on his mind. Through the autumn fog and turning leaves, he noticed a horse, ridden by Captain Joseph M. Broun, quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia Infantry, of Wise’s Legion. Named “Jeff Davis,” the gray gelding was an American Saddlebred of the Gray Eagle stock, sixteen hands high.
When Lee first saw Jeff Davis, he took a fancy to it, calling it, “my colt.” Perhaps half-joking, Lee told Captain Broun that he would need the horse before the war was over. In a few months, Lee’s words about this fine horse, who he would rename “Traveller,” would soon come true.
Four years before they met, Traveller was born in Greenbrier County, [in modern day West Virginia] near Blue Sulphur Springs. He was raised by Andrew Johnson (or possibly Johnston) and took the premium (first prize) in both 1859 and 1860 at the Lewisburg Fair. Captain Broun’s brother, Major Thomas Broun, authorized to locate and purchase “a good, serviceable horse of the best Greenbrier stock.”
This was apparently no easy task as it took the Broun brothers much searching and inquiry before coming upon Jeff Davis, then being ridden by Andrew Johnson’s son, Captain James W. Johnson. A deal was struck and the horse was theirs for $175 (gold value).
At first, Major Broun rode the mount, which was “greatly admired in the camp for his rapid, springy walk, his high spirit, bold carriage and muscular strength.” Major Broun later wrote that Jeff Davis “needed neither whip nor spur, and would walk his five or six miles an hour over the rough mountain roads of West Virginia, with his rider sitting firmly in the saddle and holding him in check by a tight rein, such vim and eagerness did he manifest to go right ahead soon as he was mounted.”
For the time being, however, General Lee would have to admire the horse from afar. Jeff Davis would not be Lee’s until several months had passed and they were both several states away from Western Virginia. [1]
[1] “General R.E. Lee’s War-Horse; A Sketch of Traveller by the Man who Formerly Owned Him” by Thomas L. Broun. Originally, the article appears in the Richmond Dispatch in 1886. Later, it was collected in the Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 35.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/general-lee-meets-traveller-the-rift-between-scott-and-mcclellan/
Saturday, September 27, 1862: Lincoln dismisses Major John Key. In Washington, President Lincoln was personally presiding over a case of possible treason. Major John Key, of General-in-Chief Henry Halleck’s staff, had uttered some disparaging words concerning the outcome of the Maryland Campaign to another Union officer, Major Levi Turner. When Turner asked Key why he believed the Rebels weren’t bagged following Antietam, Key replied that the object was “that neither army shall get much advantage of the other; that both shall be kept in the field till they are exhausted, when we will make a compromise and save slavery.”
When word got to the President, he ordered both Key and Turner to appear before him immediately. At 11am, they both arrived. Lincoln first asked Major Key if he had said such a thing. Key admitted that he did. Then, Lincoln looked to Major Turner.
Turner stated that Key often said such things, but that it was a private conversation. He had never heard Key say anything against the Union or anything at all that could be construed as disloyal.
Nevertheless, Lincoln ruled that it was “wholly inadmissible” for any Federal officer to utter these thoughts. “Therefore,” judged the President, “let Major John J. Key be forthwith dismissed from the military service of the United States.”
Following the death of his son on a western battlefield, Key would later petition the President to be allowed back into the service. Lincoln would deny him the privilege.
Later, Lincoln would confide to his secretary John Hay, that he “dismissed Major Key because I thought his silly, treasonable expression were ‘staff talk’ and I wished to make an example.” [4]
[4] Sources: Inside Lincoln’s White House: The Complete Civil War Diary of John Hay; Abraham Lincoln, Complete Works, Vol. 2 edited by John Jay.
http://civilwardailygazette.com/the-confederates-second-conscrition-act/
B Saturday, September 27, 1862: On this date, the 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment of New Orleans is the first regiment of African-American troops officially accepted and mustered into the U.S. Army by Major General Benjamin Butler. Even though Spencer H. Stafford of New York, a white officer, was given command of the regiment, all officers at the company level---captains and lieutenants---were of African-American or African-French heritage. Soon there will be a 2nd Regiment, and eventually a 3rd Regiment of Lousiana Native Guards.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=September+27%2C+1862
B+ Saturday, September 27, 1862: Although it is widely believed that the first regiment of what would become known as the United States Colored Troops was the famed 54th Massachusetts (from the movie “Glory”), in fact the first regiment of free blacks was mustered in New Orleans, Louisiana on this date. General Benjamin Butler, who had a rather direct way of dealing with things sometimes, as he had been the first to force the issue of what to do with black refugees and escaped slaves in the early days of the War. Then, he had persuaded Secretary of War Stanton to designate these displaced blacks as “contraband of war,” to prevent them from being returned to their owners. Now, he enlisted men in the Union Army as the First Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards. The men called themselves the “Chasseurs d’Afrique,” the African Hunters.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/department-b/part-seventy-six
C Sunday, September 27, 1863: Mofatt's Station, Arkansas - On September 27, the Confederate force, commanded by Col. Jo Shelby, were heading towards the Arkansas River. They approached Moffatt's Station and met about 200 men of the Union's 1st Arkansas Infantry. The Federals took cover among the trees and opened fire. The Confederate cavalry dismounted and formed up for a charge. Once all of the Confederates formed up, they charged the Federals and scattered them.
http://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/1863s.html
C+ Sunday, September 27, 1863: Skirmish at Moffat’s Station (a.k.a. Battle of Haguewood Prairie)
Location: Near Paris, Logan County, Arkansas
Campaign: Shelby’s Raid into Missouri
Principal Commanders: Captain William C. Parker (US); Colonel Joseph Shelby, Captain “Tuck” Thorpe (CS)
Forces Engaged: Company H, First Arkansas Infantry (US); Shelby’s Brigade (CSA)
Estimated Casualties: Twenty-seven casualties, Two Union and Five CSA killed
Result: Confederate victory
By late September 1863, Little Rock (Pulaski County) had just fallen to Union forces, and Arkansas Confederate forces were in disarray. Surrendering the state capital with little more than token resistance, the Rebel forces moved the seat of government to Washington (Hempstead County), leaving Union forces in control of most of the state north of the Arkansas River. Colonel Joseph Shelby proposed a raid into his native state of Missouri. His commanding general, John Marmaduke, saw little chance of success but, nevertheless, backed Shelby hoping that the diversion would slow Union general Frederick Steele’s further advance, as well as rally the discouraged Southern sympathizers. On September 22, 1863, Shelby and 600 troops filed through Arkadelphia (Clark County) past Missouri Confederate governor Thomas Reynolds, General Sterling Price, and other officials. He was joined by additional forces as he moved northward.
More than 30,000 Union forces were stationed in Arkansas along and north of the Arkansas River. Along with his cavalry, Shelby had twelve ammunition wagons and two pieces of artillery, which restricted where and how he could travel. Federal troops were known to be stationed at Dardanelle (Yell County), Clarksville (Johnson County), and Fort Smith (Sebastian County). Shelby directed his troops toward Roseville (Franklin County), a thriving farm community located on the Arkansas River with an excellent river crossing, port, and shallow ferry. With the exception of a skirmish with a large group of bushwhackers near Caddo Gap (Montgomery County), the Confederates met little resistance on the 150-mile leg of journey to cross the Arkansas until, at noon on September 27, 1863, advance scouts under Captain “Tuck” Thorpe encountered the First Arkansas Federal Infantry, who were camped at Haguewood Prairie.
The First Arkansas Infantry, Company H, were a newly organized group of troops composed of many volunteers from Franklin and Johnson counties. A. W. Bishop, adjutant general of Arkansas, reported that this group, commanded by Captain William C. Parker, had travelled to Dardanelle and received ammunition and other supplies that were to be distributed to local Union sympathizers (often dubbed “Mountain Feds”). Captain Parker accomplished his task and was returning by way of the Old Military Road, which runs from Dardanelle to Fort Smith. He camped at Haguewood Prairie, near present-day Paris (Logan County), to allow his men, who were recruited from the area, to visit their families while the remainder of his troops rested in camp.
Both Union and Confederate groups were surprised at the encounter which resulted. Thorpe had been instructed by Col. Shelby to attack any group that he encountered, and, upon hearing the gunfire, Shelby would rush all troops to his support. The Union troops quickly realized they were outnumbered and fell back into heavy timber. Shelby dismounted his troops, and a two-hour skirmish ensued. Some of the Federal troops had family with them. The Fort Smith newspaper, The New Era, reported on September 30, 1863, that Pvt. Benjamin Wilkins “fell pierced with several bullets, bravely discharging his six-shooter and killing one of his assailants.” Pvt. William Hawkins was in one of the wagons, accompanied by his sister, and continued to fire until killed.
Some of the First Infantry, including Captain Parker, escaped, but twenty-eight men were captured. Along with those captured were several individuals who were either visiting family or traveling with friendly Union forces to safety in Fort Smith. Shelby’s adjutant reported that one of the wounded men had three small daughters who cried pitifully, thinking their father was about to die. The Confederate troops, including Shelby, gave the mother gold coins to insure that the family would be taken care of. Undoubtedly, this was the family of Pvt. Isaac Plumley, who survived and was discharged for wounds received. All but five of those captured were paroled immediately; the others were exchanged within days. Although numbers vary according to the source of the report, more than fifty casualties and five deaths resulted.
Shelby crossed the Arkansas River near Roseville latter that night, rode through Ozark (Franklin County) early the next morning, and proceeded through the Boston Mountain and into Missouri in the following days.
http://parisarkansas.info/news/history-2/skirmish-at-moffats-station-a-k-a-battle-of-haguewood-prairie/
D Tuesday, September 27, 1864: General Price (CSA) launches an all-out assault on Fort Davidson, at Pilot Knob, Missouri. After a day full of assaults, that night the Union officers decided the fort was not worth keeping and they and their men sneak out without being seen. General Price (CSA) won this battle but lost over 1,000 men, lost time, and left the Union army mostly in tack. This not only cost him time and men, but his chances of taking St. Louis.
https://sites.google.com/site/civilwarhardemancotn/departments/1864/week-181
D+ Tuesday, September 27, 1864: Fort Davidson, near Pilot Knob, Missouri, was the site of a critical battle in Major General Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of September and October 1864. Price ordered his forces to attack the fort and, while technically successful in capturing it, he lost up to 1,500 men, compared to the Union losing less than 200. This costly "victory" forced Price to abandon his plan to take St. Louis or capture the capitol at Jefferson City. Furthermore, the Union forces under command of Brigadier General Thomas Ewing detonated the fort's powder magazine as they slipped away between Price's lines, leaving an enormous hole instead of the munitions Price had hoped to capture.
FYI GySgt Jack Wallace CWO4 Terrence Clark SMSgt Lawrence McCarter LTC Trent Klug SFC Bernard WalkoSSG Franklin Briant SSG Byron Howard Sr CPL Ronald Keyes Jr SFC William Farrell CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw SPC Lyle Montgomery PO2 Marco Monsalve SPC Woody Bullard SSG Michael Noll SSG Bill McCoy SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM Sgt Christopher Collins SPC Private RallyPoint Member SPC Gary C. PO3 Lynn Spalding

These Orders Are Very Plain – Two Full Weeks of Burnside’s Excuses

September 27, 1863 (Sunday) The first major use of railroads to ship troops from the eastern theater to western was undertaken by the Confederates just prior to the battle of Chickamauga. The secon…

Response by TSgt Joe C. made Jan 4 at 2017 10:25 PM

2017-01-04T22:25:21-05:00

A great read on Civil War history on events that happened on September 27th LTC Stephen F.! My selection was all events were important.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Jan 4 at 2017 10:34 PM

2017-01-04T22:34:24-05:00

LTC Stephen F. thanks for the read and share, I chose: Very costly confederate Victory at Pilot’s Knob, MO. CSA Major General Sterling Price

Response by SFC George Smith made Jan 4 at 2017 10:41 PM

2017-01-04T22:41:25-05:00

Thanks for the Histroy lesson...

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Jan 5 at 2017 12:29 AM

2017-01-05T00:29:21-05:00

Traveller was Lee's most famous horse but he had others before and during the time he hadhim. "Richmond" a Bay Stallion who died ( cause not documented) after the Battle of Malvern Hill in 1862. " " Brown Roan" was purchased while Lee was in West Va on duty in 1861 and went blind in 1862, and was left with a farmer. "Lucy Long" and "Ajax" were purchased after Lee had already acquired Traveller. Lucy Long, a mare, was his primary back up and out-lived Lee, staying weoth his family. She lived until she was 33. Ajax , a large sorrel, was infrequently used because he was too large for lee to ride comfortably.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jan 5 at 2017 6:18 AM

2017-01-05T06:18:48-05:00

All the Civil War history shared here is of the utmost importance, thank you for sharing.