Civil War Chronology Excerpts

1. The following are the Four General Officers in the Union Regular Army at the outbreak of the Civil War:
a) Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, U.S.A. b) Brevet Major General David E. Twiggs, U.S.A. c) Brevet Major General John Ellis Wool, U.S.A. d) Brigadier General William Selby Harney, U.S.A.
2. The ordinance of secession is adopted by the South Carolina Convention, by the unanimous vote of 169 to 0 in the Institute Hall, Charleston, SC.

1. The burning of the railroad bridges is ordered by the mayor, to prevent the passage of Union troops through Baltimore, MD. 4/20-26/1861.
2. Brigadier General Benjamin Franklin Butler, USA, with the 4th Massachusetts, arrives at Annapolis, MD, to support Fortress Monroe, VA.
3. The U.S. Arsenal at Liberty, MO, is seized by the state forces.
4. The Federal Expedition to destroy the Gosport Naval Yard dry-dock at Norfolk, VA, is ordered by Commandant Charles S. McCauley, where several ships, including the USS Merrimac, and supplies are burned.

1. The Union Army advances into Virginia and occupies Arlington Heights and Alexandria, VA. In the process of removing a Confederate flag from a hotel, Colonel Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, of the 11th New York Volunteer Infanrty Regiment, is shot dead by the inns keeper, Mr. James Jackson, who in turn, is subsequently killed by Private Francis E. Brownell, some of the very first casualties of the American Civil War.
2. Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler, U.S.A., from Fortress Monroe, Hampton, VA, announces to President Abraham Lincoln of his determination to employ in the Federal cause fugitive slaves of disloyal owners, causing a political stir as Butler looks upon slaves as contraband, refusing to release 3 Negro slaves.

1. The Engagement near Carthage, Missouri, which embraces the actions at Dry Fork Creek and Brier Fork, in southwest Missouri, has the Confederate forces under Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson forcing a Union retreat toward Carthage, Missouri, led by Brigadier General Franz Sigel, USA. Sigel is to have a lackluster military career.

1. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, CSA, is appointed a full Confederate General.
2. The following are appointed Confederate Brigadier Generals:
a) Jubal Anderson Early, CSA b) Samuel Jones, CSA c) William Henry Chase Whiting, CSA
3. James Brewerton Ricketts, USA, is appointed Brig. Gen.
4. Skirmish with Indians on the South Fork of the Eel River, CA
5. The Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas, VA, with activity around Sudley Springs Ford, Matthews Hill, Henry House, Stone House, Robinson House, Stone Bridge, Cub Run Bridge, etc., which results in a resounding Federal defeat for Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, USA, and a jubilant victory for the joint commands of Generals Joseph Eggleston Johnston, and Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, CSA.
6. Brig. Gen. Barnard Elliott Bee, CSA, is mortally wounded while leading his men during the Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas, VA, dying the next day in his cabin headquarters. Bee is best remembered for giving Thomas Jonathan Jackson his nickname of "Stonewall."
7. The Retreat of the Union Army from Bull Run, or Manassas, VA.
8. Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, USA, is ordered to relieve Maj. Gen. Patterson, USA, in the command of the Dept. of the Shenandoah, VA, for allowing Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, CSA, to transfer his troops unopposed to Manassas, VA, from the Shenandoah Valley.
9. Skirmish at Charlestown, WV, between Brig. Gens. Jacob D. Cox, USA and Henry A. Wise, CSA.

1. The following are appointed Confederate Brigadier Generals:
a) Philip St. George Cocke, CSA
b) Nathan George Evans, CSA
c) Robert Emmett Rodes, CSA
d) Richard Taylor, CSA
e) James Heyward Trapier, CSA
f) Louis Trezevant Wigfall, CSA,
g) Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, CSA
2.Brig. General John Breckinridge Grayson, CSA, dies at Tallahassee, FL, from lung disease, three days after his 55th birthday.
3. Action today at Rockcastle Hills, or Camp Wildcat, KY, with Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer, CSA, attacking Brig. Gen. Albin F. Schoepf, USA.
4. The Federal expedition under the command of Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sherman, USA, sails from Annapolis, MD, for the South Carolina coast.
5. Engagement with Rebels at Fredericktown, Missouri, with Col. J.B. Plummer, USA.
6. Operations on the Potomac River, near Leesburg, including:
a) Engagement (or Battle) of Ball's Bluff, or of Leesburg, VA, and the resulting skirmish on the Leesburg road (Oct. 21st). The Union troops are ferried across the Potomac River here and downstream at Edwards Ferry, and march up the steep banks; they are pressed back by the attacking Confederates, with many killed as they leap down the steep banks while many others drown as they attempt to recross the Potomac. The Confederates under Brigadier General Nathan George "Shanks" Evans, CSA, rout the Federals, under command of Brigadier General Charles Pomeroy Stone, USA. Although taking direct orders from Major General George Britton McClellan, Gen. Stone's military career is destroyed with the untimely death of Major General Edwin Dickinson Baker, USA, who is also a Senator from Oregon, as well as a close personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln. His death will eventually cause the U.S. Congress to create the "Committee of the Conduct of the War," which will politically be used to attack various Union officers. This committee will have the political power to derail or sidetrack any Federal officer's career who was not careful.
b) Action near Edward's Ferry. (Oct. 22nd).
7. Skirmish at Young's Mill, near Newport News, VA, with Brigadier General John Bankhead Magruder, CSA.

1. Captain Charles Wilkes, of the USS San Jacinto, stops the British mail ship, Trent, off the coast of Cuba and captures the two Confederate Commissioners to France and England, James Mason and John Slidell.
2. Brigadier General William Tecumseh Sherman, USA, commanding the Department of the Cumberland, expresses his opinion that fugitive slaves must be delivered by upon an application of their masters, in conformity to the laws of the state of Kentucky.
3. Engagement at Ivy Mountain and skirmish at Piketon, or Fry Mountain, Kentucky, Brigadier General William Nelson, USA, fighting Colonel John Williams, CSA. 11/8-9/1861.
4. Federal reconnaissance on Hilton Head, SC, toward Beaufort, by the recently landed Union troops, under command of Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman, USA.
5. General Robert E. Lee, CSA, assumes the command of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and East Florida.
6. Revolt of the Unionists (mountaineers) in East Tennessee, with the destruction of railroad bridges and uprising against the Confederate troops there under the command of Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer, USA. 11/8-9/1861.
7. The capture and burning of the schooner, CSS Royal Yacht, in the Bolivar Channel, off Galveston Harbor, Texas, by the frigate, USS Santee.

1. Brig. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, USA, assumes the command of the Dept. of the Ohio, KY, etal, replacing Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman, USA.
2. The Unionists' camp near Chattanooga, TN, is dispersed by the Confederates.
3. The USS San Jacinto arrives at Fortress Monroe, VA, and transfers the Confederate Commissioners, Mason and Slidell, as prisoners of war, to Fort Warren, MA, arriving November 24, 1861. This creates an international incident with England, which is undesired by President Lincoln.
4. The US Christian Commission is organized, to help furnish supplies, nurses, and friendship to the Union men, by the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)

1.Maj. Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith, USA, dies from a combination of an infection to his leg and camp fever (dysentery) at Union Headquarters, Savannah, TN. Unable to lead the Federal command at Shiloh, TN, one of his former subordinates, Maj. Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant, USA, commands the Federal operations.
2. The following are appointed Union Major Generals:
a) George Cadwalader, USA
b) George Henry Thomas, USA
3. The following are appointed Union Brigadier Generals:
a) Samuel Wylie Crawford, USA
b) John White Geary, USA
c) William Alexander Hammond, USA
d) Milo Smith Hascall, USA
e) Henry Walton Wessells, USA
4. Skirmish at Tuscumbia, AL
5. New Orleans, LA, is captured by the US Navy, under Flag Officer Daniel Farragut, USN, as Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell, CSA, evacuates New Orleans, officially surrendered by civilians April 29, 1862.
6. Skirmish on the Corinth, MS, Road.
7. Skirmish on the Osage, near Monagan Springs, MO, with a small band of jayhawkers, while in the morning 30,000 Federal rations were delivered by the steamer Silver Lake.
8. Affair at Socorro, the New Mexico Territory.
9. Col Moses White, CSA, surrenders Fort Macon, NC, to Brigadier General John Grubb Parke, USA, with the assistance of the Union gunboats, Chippewa, Daylight, Gemsbok, and the Georgia. 4/25-26/1862.

1. Maj. Gen. William Nelson, USA, is shot dead in the lobby of the Gault House, Louisville, KY, after being confronted by Brig. Gen. Jefferson Columbus Davis, USA, who Nelson argued with on prior occasions and provoked Davis by slapping him only moments before the shooting. Although it appears to have been cold blooded murder, Davis was never formally charged with anything.
2. Henry Hastings Sibley, USA, is appointed Brig. Gen.
3. Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper, CSA, is appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs, MO, the Indian territory, ectal.
4. Skirmish on the Elizabethtown Road, KY.
5. The capture of the 3rd Georgia Cavalry, near New Haven, KY. Col. Martin J. Crawford, CSA, has his rank and pay suspended for 3 months by the Confederate Court-Martial Board, for allowing such capture to take place.
6. Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds, USA, assumes the command of the 1st US Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, VA.
7. Federal Cavalry expedition from Centreville to Warrenton and Buckland Mills, VA, where many sick and wounded Confederates are captured and paroled.

1. Thomas Green, CSA, is appointed Brigadier General.
2. David Bell Birney, U.S.A., is appointed Major General.
3. Adelbert Ames, USA, is appointed Brigadier General.
4. Skirmish near Fort Gibson, the Indian Territory.
5. Skirmish 1.5 miles from Cheneyville, LA, with Confederate Cavalry.
6. Federal expedition to Yazoo City, MS, and skirmish (23rd) at Liverpool Landing, with no major happenings. 5/20-23/1863.
7. Two blockade runners arrive safely at Charleston, SC, from Nassau, Bahamas, with two others are captured.
8. Federal demonstration on Kinston and skirmishes (22nd) at Gum Swamp and (23rd) at Batchelder's Creek, NC, as Maj. Gen. John G. Foster, USA, attempts to put pressure on the Confederate army which is being depleted by men being deployed to other more urgent areas of the Confederacy. 5/20-23/1863.
9. Federal scout from Clarksville, TN. 5/20-22/1863.
10. Skirmish at Collierville, TN, with the Confederate Cavalry attack on the Union picket post #'s 4 and 5, with 1 killed and 9 missing. Another quick fire fight with loss of life.
11. Skirmish at Salem, TN, with the 2nd Iowa Cavalry. It is quite active around here as of late.
12. Federal operations, including the transports, Manhattan, and Tallaca, in the Northern Neck (King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties) and in Middlesex County, VA, with the destruction of over 50 Rebel ships and an estimated $1,000,000 of Confederate supplies, etc. 5/20-26/1863.

1. Skirmish at Terman's Ferry, Kentucky, on the Sandy River between Louisa and Catlettsburg, Kentucky, where the Confederates cross the river on the ice, and inflict death and casualties on the camped Federals. Twenty Federals are sent to the hospital at Ashland, being badly frozen.
2. Major General Gouverneu K. Warren, USA, is temporarily placed in command of the 2nd US Army Corps, the Army of the Potomac, Virgina, etal.

1. Skirmish at King's River, Arkansas
2. Federal expedition from Vicksburg, Mississippi, aboard the steamers, Era, Madison, and Northerner,, up the Mississippi River, to Sunnyside Landing, Arkansas, 200 miles, to disperse the Rebels that were obstructing navigation and reported to be attempting to move arms and ammunition from the east side to the west side of the Mississippi River. Finding no Confederates, the Yankees retire. A cold day to be on transports on the river. Better yet, a good day not to have to exchange fire with the enemy. 1/10-16/1864.
3. Federal scout from near Dandridge to Clark's Ferry, Tennessee, and encounter with Colonel George D. Dibrell's, CSA, Confederates, with casualties on both sides. 1/10-11/1864.
4. Skirmish about six miles from Mossy Creek, Tennessee, where a Union scouting party surprise attack the Rebels, inflicting casualties.
5 Skirmish at Loudoun Heights, Virginia, where Major John Singleton Mosby, CSA, slips into the Federal Camp and surprises a superior force of Yankees at 4:30 a.m.; however, the Yankees rally, and some of Mosby's men end up giving the ultimate in sacrifice for their cause.
6. Federal scout to Sperryville, Virginia, by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt, USA, with Rebel prisioners.
7. Skirmish at Petersburg, West Virginia.

1. Skirmish in the Big Cove Valley, six miles northeast of Huntsville, Alabama, as the Federals chase the Rebels into the hills near Blevingston Gap.
2. Federal scout from Brownsville, Arkansas, to the vicinity of St. Charles, where bushwackers and Confederates are reported to be in large number. 6/27-29/1864.
3. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, where Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's, CSA, well entrenched army repels and slaughters the attacking columns of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, USA.
4. Brigadier General Charles Garrison Harker, USA, is mortally wounded while leading his men in a charge atop his horse against the Confederate position at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Georgia, receiving his death wound from a Confederate sharpshooter.
5. Brigadier General Daniel McCook, Jr., USA, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Georgia, while leading his men in a charge against the Confederate earthworks, dying three weeks later in Steubenville, Ohio, July 17, 1864.
6. Affair at Crittenden, Kentucky, as the town is attacked by Confederates assembling to capture a wagon train. The Federals rush men forward to protect the train.
7. Affair near Dunksburg, Missouri, against guerrillas. Upon entering the ranch house on the range of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, who with four grown daughters were having breakfast, the Yankees were refused any food, as the Spencers stated that they needed what they had to feed their dogs. The Federals were also reminded that the Confederates could enjoy dinner here anytime. 6/27-28/1864.
8. Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, USA, resumes the command of the 2nd US Army Corps, the Army of the Potomac, the Richmond, Virginia, Campaign.

1. John Decatur Barry, CSA, is appointed Brigadier General.
2. US forces, under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, USA, land on Dauphin Island and invest Fort Gaines, AL, at the entrance to Mobile Bay, AL.
3. Confederate operations about Woodville, MS, against the advancing Federals, including on the Bayou Sara, Laurel Hill, Saint Francisville, etc. 8/3-6/1864.
4. Skirmish near Fayette, MO, as the Yankees pursue the small band of Confederates over 15 miles before giving up.
5. Federal scouts from Fort Sumner, the New Mexico Territory, with many stories to be told, which include the skirmish at the Sacramento Mountains with the Apache Indians, who are aided by their brethren, the Coyoteros; the Yankees are aided by the Navajoes, who act as guides, scouts, and spies. (August 26th). The Federals note that east of the Sacramento Mountains, the country is aflush with red roses and wild flowers blossoming in every direction; cherries, plums and raspberries abound; elk and black-tailed deer are numerous in the mountains and herds of antelope are seen east of Sacramento. Wild turkeys are seen by the hundreds at every camp, and many are killed by the men when they are allowed to shoot. In some instances, panthers are seen, and one specimen of the American (mountain) lion is seen, but could not be killed. 8/3-11/4/1864.
6. Federal scout from Cumberland Gap, TN, into Lee County, VA, and to Tazewell, TN, and skirmish near Jonesville, VA. (4th). The Federals estimate Lee County to produce 200,000 bushels of corn this year and are on the lookout for Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan's Confederates to occupy the county. 8/3-6/1864.
7. Skirmishes at Truine, TN. 8/3-4/1864.
8. Action near Wilcox's Landing, VA, the Richmond, VA, Campaign.

1. Skirmish near Lewisburg, AR.
2. Skirmish 1.5 miles from Dalton, GA, the "March to the Sea,"Campaign by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, as the Confederates unsuccessfully and ineffectively continue to contest Sherman's march, but to little avail against the overwhelming Union army. The Rebels manage to capture 30 Federals and cut the telegraph lines before retreating. These minor incidence are nothing more than a nuisance for Sherman; the Rebels lack the manpower and firepower to do serious damage to the Union army.
3. Skirmish at the Little Ogeechee River, GA, as Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, USA, presses on towards Savannah, GA.
4. Confederate demonstrations against Murfreesborough, TN, by Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA, against Maj. Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau, USA. Forrest retreats back towards Nashville, TN. 12/5-7/1864.
5. The Confederate capture of the tug-boat, Lizzie Freeman, while towing the barge, Zimmerman, near Smithfield, VA, as they went to Aiken's Island to procure paving stones. The crew was captured as they slept and are paroled by the Rebels. Brig. Gen. George Foster, USA, commanding, is outraged that the captain took the ship without authorization, and told him to forget about sitting out the rest of the war as he would not recognize his capture and parole, so get back to work!

1. The Confederate capture of the railroad train near Murfreesborough, TN.
2. The Battle of Nashville, TN, as the last major battle in the West is fought around the capital of Tennessee. In two days fighting, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, USA, overwhelms the Confederate Army of Tennessee, forcing Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood, CSA, to withdraw toward Columbia. Fighting occurs at Montgomery Hill, Brentwood Hills, astride the Franklin and Granny White pikes, etc. Total casualties approximate 4,560. With no means of restocking the army, Lieut. Gen. John B. Hood's Confederate Army of the Tennessee remains a force but diminished. 12/15-16/1864.
3. Federal expedition from Fortress Monroe to Pagan Creek, VA, aboard the steamer, John Tracy, to capture Rebels reported by a spy who will be celebrating a wedding at a local residence there. The steamer runs aground unfamiliar shoals and oyster beds, not arriving until after 11 p.m. The alerted Rebs move the wedding up 3 hours, enjoy the festivities and are long gone before the Yankees surround the place.
4. Skirmish near Abingdon, VA, with Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, USA.
5. Skirmish near Glade Springs, VA, with Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, USA.

1. The Union Cavalry troops, under Brig. Gen. James Harrison Wilson, USA, occupy Tuscaloosa, AL.
2. Skirmish at East River Bridge, FL. 3/4-5/1865.
3. The capture of the steamer, Harriet De Ford, near Fair Haven, Chesapeake Bay, MD, as Gen. Robert E. Lee, CSA, sends the courageous Capt. Fitzhugh, 5th VA Cavalry and some of his men, in hopes of capturing one of Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's supply vessels, using Col. John Singleton Mosby's men to transport the badly needed supplies to Lee's men in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond. Unable to capture the Eolus, Titan, or the Highland Light, Fitzhugh captures the Harriet DeFord, boarding the vessel disguised as wood choppers. Upon moving up the Chesapeake Bay, he hears the guns blasting around Petersburg, which are celebrating the Union victory there. Fitzhugh desperately attempts to get the supplies to Lee, but is pursued by Union gunboats, he runs the vessel aground, taking what supplies he could.
4. Major General John Bankhead Magruder, CSA, assumes the command of the Confederate District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
5. Skirmish at Amelia Court-House, VA, as Gen. Robert E. Lee, CSA, does not receive the much needed supplies at Richmond and Lynchburg to feed his army. Meanwhile, Lee's route toward North Carolina is blocked as Maj. Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan, USA, arrives at Jetersville, which is southwest of Amelia Court-House and his men block the Danville Railroad line that way. Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, USA, is closing in from the east, the Appomattox, VA, Campaign. 4/4-5/1865.
6. Skirmish at Tabernacle Church, or Beaver Pond Creek, VA, the Appomattox, VA, Campaign.
7. President Abraham Lincoln visits Richmond, VA, after arriving aboard the USS Malvern, taking time to sit in Jefferson Davis' chair in the Confederate White House.

1. George Armstrong Custer, U.S.A., is appointed Major General.
2. Skirmish at McKenzie's Creek, near Patterson, MO, where the Yankees surprise a Rebel camp, killing and wounding the occupants there.
3. Skirmish near Chapel Hill, NC.
4. President Jefferson Davis flees Greensborough, NC.
5. Federal scout through the counties of Randolph and Pocahontas, WV, and of Bath and Highland, VA, with a hodge podge of events, including capturing weapons, prisoners, stragglers, deserters; running into paroled men of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on their way home, etc. 4/15-23/1865.
6. THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN, at 7:22 a.m., from injuries received at the hands of John Wilkes Booth the night before, Washington, DC. This pistol shot had entered the back of the President's head and lodged near his right eye. Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, proclaims, "Now he belongs to the ages." Lincoln is granted enough time on this earth to see his part through to the end--the end of the American Civil War which he guided the United States successfully through.

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It took me longer to write the book than it took the country to fight the war." Ronald A. Mosocco.
Copyright @ 1993, 1994, by Ronald A. Mosocco