Today in the WBTS, March 17th 1861 Federal forces abandon Camp Hudson, TX. 1862 Skirmish at Riddle Point, MO. The Federal Army of the Potomac begins to embark on navy vessels headed to Fort Monroe, near Hampton, VA. 1863 Federal operations on the west bank of the Mississippi River, opposite Port Hudson, LA. Another and simultaneous Federal operation from Montesano Bayou toward Port Hudson, LA. Skirmishes at Bealeton Station, near Franklin, and Herndon Station, VA. Battle of Kellys Ford, VA. Federal cavalry attack Confederate cavalry at Kellys Ford, VA. Although the Yankees were pushed back and failed to take any ground, the engagement proved that Federals troopers could hold their own against their Rebel counterparts. In the wars first two years, Federal cavalry fared poorly in combat. This was especially true in the eastern theater, where Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart boasted an outstanding force comprised of excellent horsemen. On several occasions, Stuart embarrassed the Federal cavalry with his daring exploits. During the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, Stuart rode around the entire 100,000-man Union army in four days. Later that year, he made a daring raid to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and returned unmolested to Virginia after inflicting significant damage and capturing tons of supplies. In February 1863, a raid by General Fitzhugh Lee (son of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee) left the Federals running in circles in search of the enemy force. Now, General Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Federal Army of the Potomac. He sought to bring an end to the Confederate raids by stopping Stuarts cavalry. Hooker assigned General William Averell to attack the Rebel cavalry near Culpeper Court House. Averall assembled 3,000 men for the mission, but he left 900 behind to protect against a rumored Confederate presence near Catletts Station. Averell led the rest of his men towards Kellys Ford, a crossing of the Rappahannock River east of Culpeper Court House. Fitzhugh Lee learned of the advance and positioned his cavalry brigade, which was part of Stuarts corps, to block the ford and dig rifle pits above the river. On the morning of March 17, Averells men reached Kellys Ford and were welcomed by fire from 60 Confederate sharpshooters. It took four attacks for Averells men to capture the rifle pits and by noon the entire force was across the Rappahannock. Now, Fitzhugh Lee arrived with 800 troopers and two pieces of artillery. As the Confederates approached, the cautious Averell ordered his men to form a defensive line, thus giving the initiative to the Confederates. Lee arrived and ordered his men to attack, but Federal fire drove them back. He attacked again and was again repulsed. Averell had a chance to score a major rout with a counterattack, but he instead withdrew across the Rappahannock River. He later said that the arrival of Stuart on the battlefield signaled the possible approach of additional Confederate cavalry. Averell lost 78 men killed, wounded, and captured during the days fighting. The Confederates lost a total of 133 men. Among the Rebel dead was Major John Pelham, perhaps the best artillery officer in the Confederate army. He happened to be visiting Stuart when the battle began, and he rode forward to see the action. Pelham was mortally wounded by a shell splinter as he observed the Confederate attacks in the afternoon. Although Kellys Ford was a Federal defeat, it signaled a new phase of the cavalry war in the east. The Federals were closing the gap with the Confederate horsemen. In the next four months, the Federal cavalry fought their Confederate counterparts to a standstill at Brandy Station, and then scored a major victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. 1864 Skirmish with Indian seven miles southwest of Blue Rock Station, CA, on Red Mountain. Beginning of a Federal operation originating from Lebanon, MO, that will eventually go into northern Arkansas. Skirmish at Manchester, TN. Skirmish at Corpus Christi, TX. Skirmish at Sperryville, VA Sanitary Commission Fair in Washington. The U.S. Sanitary Commission Fair in Washington, D.C., closes with President Lincoln commending the organization for its fine work. The Sanitary Commission formed in 1861, the creation of northern civilians concerned for Union troops medical care. The voluntary association raised more than $22 million in donations and medical supplies, and it represented a major contribution by Yankee women to the war effort. Although administered by men, the vast majority of its volunteers were women. The commission raised supplies and provided lodging and meals to wounded soldiers and troops returning home on furlough. It gathered medicine and bandages for the army and sent inspectors to the camps to oversee the set up of clean water supplies, latrines, and cooking facilities. Volunteers worked on the front lines as doctors and nurses helped evacuate wounded soldiers to the rear. Some generals and army doctors found commission workers to be annoying and troublesome, especially when they criticized army medical practices. One doctor complained about what he saw as sensation preachers, village doctors, and strong-minded women interfering with the doctors work. Some of these women included noted reformer Dorthea Dix and Mary Ann Bickerdyke, a tough no-nonsense church volunteer who became the commissions agent to the Army of the Tennessee before the Battle of Shiloh. She was completely dedicated to caring for common soldiers, and she was not afraid to challenge doctors and officers when she thought their care was being compromised. At Chattanooga, she ordered timbers for breastworks burned to keep wounded soldiers warm--when military police asked her who had authorized the burning, she replied, Under the authority of God Almighty. Have you got anything better than that? The commissions work fit 19th century womens socially proscribed roles as caretakers and nurturers of men, but the work also allowed women to carve out their own careers, and it could be seen as a step forward for the womens rights movement. Lincoln said at the closing of the Sanitation Commission Fair, if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war. 1865 The beginning of the Mobile, AL, Campaign. It ends April 7, 1865 Mobile, Ala., had had Union troops march around it on nearly all sides and all directions, except into it. Union Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby planned to change all that. He gathered up his forces, which numbered in the vicinity of 32,000 men, and started marching one group from Mobile Point and another from Pensacola. Available for the defense of the city were perhaps 2800 Confederates. Beginning of a three day Federal operation between Pine Bluff to Bass Plantation, AR. Skirmish at Averasboro and another at Falling Creek, NC. Beginning of three day Federal operation between Winchester and Edenburg, VA. Sources: The Civil War Day by Day, Philip Katcher. The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, by E. B. Long with Barbara Long. The Chronological Tracking of the American Civil War Per the Official Records of the War of Rebellion, by Ronald A Mosocco
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:21:38 +0000
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