This Day in Civil War History - May 21st

[mainepatsfan]

THIS DAY IN CIVIL WAR HISTORY

May 21st

1861:

•Confederate Gen. John Magruder takes command of Confederate forces at Yorktown, VA.

• The Confederate ship James Guy is captured by the USS Pocahontas near Machdoc Creek, VA.

1862:

• With his army nearing the gates of Richmond, Union Gen. George McClellan calls for reinforcements under the belief that he is outnumbered.

1863:

• Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston orders Gen. Franklin Gardner to evacuate his troops from Port Hudson, LA in order for them to aid the besieged Confederate forces at Vicksburg, MS....an order that Gen. Gardner refuses.

• Yazoo City, MS is abandoned by Confederate forces in the face of Union gunboats steaming up the Yazoo River from Haynes Bluff, MS.

• The British blockade runner Linnet is seized by the USS Union off Charlotte Harbor, FL.

• The Confederate ship Emily is captured at the mouth of the Rappahannock River by the USS Currituck, Anacostia, and Satellite.

1864:

• Union forces probe the Confederate lines near Milford Station, VA.

• Gen. David Hunter replaces Gen. Franz Zigel as commander of Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley following the latter's defeat at the battle of New Market, VA.

• Confederate calvary attacking Fort Powhatan on the James River are shelled by the USS Atlanta and Dawn.

[mainepatsfan]

Rimshot

[johnny7]

Magruder’s ostentatious movement of troops back and forth convinced the Federals that his works were strongly held. His amateur acting talents were enough to spook McClellan.

[Rummyfan]

Summer of 1863 was the turning of the tide in the War.

[bcsco]

With his army nearing the gates of Richmond, Union Gen. George McClellan calls for reinforcements under the belief that he is outnumbered.

So much material, so little time...

[Moose4]

That wasn’t the last time that trick worked. The Confederates saved Lynchburg, VA in 1864 by doing similar things; they had extra trains steam into the city and townspeople would cheer loudly as if reinforcements were arriving. Even the local hookers who were, ah, servicing Union clients spread rumors that the Confederates were reinforcing Lynchburg. Eventually the Federals backed off.

}:-)4

[NavyCanDo]

While doing research of my family history during the Civil War, I found the Time line site below.

Time Line of The Civil War
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1861.html

I have found 1st cousins four times removed in the 11th NC Infantry, the famed “Bethel Regiment”.

And if you want some very interesting reading and to get an insight of what it was like day to day for a Confederate Private, check out this diary. The writer was in the Bethel Regiment until it changed from the 1st to the 11th.

Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier.
Charlotte, N.C.: Stone Publishing Co., c1913.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/leon/menu.html

[AuntB]

“...and John McCain enlists in the Union Army.”

You sure about that? He has stated he had ancestors who fought for the confederacy.

[kactus]

On May 22, 1863, Jefferson H. Walker (19 yrs. old) was killed in the rear of Vicksburg. He was reportedly shot by a rebel sharp shooter. He enlisted February 5th 1862 in Co. K 18th Reg Wisconsin Volunteer.

He was one of three children. His brother died at 25 of Scarlet fever in California and his sister kept Jeff’s letters. He was anxious for the war to end, so he could return to farming. Through his letters it seems, he spent much time with the injured who were his friends and fellow soldiers.

[mainepatsfan]

The Pinkerton’s troop counting system didn’t help either.

[mainepatsfan]

The north had extra reasons to celebrate the 4th of July that year.

[mainepatsfan]

My grandmother still has letters from her mother's great uncle who served in the 1st Maine calvary. I can't get over the penmanship of the Civil War soldiers.

[NavyCanDo]

Excerpt from Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier

July 3 - When under a very heavy fire, we were ordered on Culps Hill, to the support of Gen. A.

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Johnson. Here we stayed all day - no, here, I may say, we melted away. We were on the brow of one hill, the enemy on the brow of another. We charged on them several times, but of course, running down our hill, and then to get to them was impossible, and every time we attempted it we came back leaving some of our comrades behind. Here our Lieutenant Belt lost his arm. We have now in our company a captain. All of our lieutenants are wounded. We fought here until 7 P.M., when what was left of us was withdrawn and taken to the first day's battlefield. At the commencement of this fight our Brigade was the strongest in our division, but she is not now. We lost the most men, for we were in the fight all the time, and I have it from Colonel Owens that our regiment lost the most in the Brigade. I know that our company went in the fight with 60 men. When we left Culps Hill there were 16 of us that answered to the roll call. The balance were all killed and wounded. There were 12 sharpshooters in our company and now John Cochran and myself are the only ones that are left. This day none will forget, that participated in the fight. It was truly awful how fast, how very fast, did our poor boys fall by our sides - almost as fast as the leaves that fell as cannon and musket balls hit them, as they flew on their deadly errand. You could see one with his head shot off, others cut in two, then one with his brain oozing out, one with his leg off, others shot through the heart. Then you would hear some poor friend or foe crying for water, or for “God's sake”

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to kill him. You would see some of your comrades, shot through the leg, lying between the lines, asking his friends to take him out, but no one could get to his relief, and you would have to leave him there, perhaps to die, or, at best, to become a prisoner. Our brigade was the only one that was sent to Culps Hill to support General Johnson. In our rapid firing today my gun became so hot that the ramrod would not come out, so I shot it at the Yankees, and picked up a gun from the ground, a gun that some poor comrade dropped after being shot. I wonder if it hit a Yankee; if so, I pity him. Our regiment was in a very exposed position at one time to-day, and our General Daniels ordered a courier of his to bring us from the hill. He was killed before he got to us. The General sent another. He was also killed before he reached us. Then General Daniels would not order any one, but called for volunteers. Capt. Ed. Stitt, of Charlotte, one of his aides, responded, and he took us out of the exposed position.

July 4 - We laid on the battlefield of the first day, this the fourth day of July. No fighting to-day, but we are burying the dead. They have been lying on the field in the sun since the first day's fight; it being dusty and hot, the dead smell terribly. The funny part of it is, the Yankees have all turned black. Several of our company, wounded, have died. Katz is getting along all right. The battle is over, and although we did not succeed in pushing the enemy out of their strong position, I am sure they have not anything

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to boast about. They have lost at least as many in killed and wounded as we have. We have taken more prisoners from them than they have from us. If that is not the case, why did they lay still all today and see our army going to the rear? An army that has gained a great victory follows it up while its enemy is badly crippled; but Meade, their commander, knows he has had as much as he gave, at least, if not more. As yet I have not heard a word from my brother Morris since the first day's fight.

July 5 - Left this morning at 5 o'clock. Only marched ten miles to-day. The enemy being in our rear, and skirmishing very strong.

[Sherman Logan]

An army that has gained a great victory follows it up while its enemy is badly crippled; but Meade, their commander, knows he has had as much as he gave, at least, if not more.

Not necessarily. We can, however, state with considerable assurance that if Grant had been in command after Gettysburg rather than Meade, Lee would not have escaped back into VA without a major battle.

Similarly, Lee would never have allowed a crippled enemy to escape in this way.