Posted on Jul 19, 2016
What was the most significant event on July 14 during the U.S. Civil War?
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In 1862 the US Senate passes a bill creating West Virginia as a state.
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Pres. Abraham Lincoln today writes a letter of stern rebuke to Gen. George G. Meade, whose army has failed to capture Lee’s army in a timely fashion---but does not send it. It remains in his files. The letter reads: Executive Mansion, Washington, July 14, 1863. Major General Meade “I have just seen your despatch to Gen. Halleck, asking to be relieved of your command, because of a supposed censure of mine. I am very--very--grateful to you for the magnificent success you gave the cause of the country at Gettysburg; and I am sorry now to be the author of the slightest pain to you. But I was in such deep distress myself that I could not restrain some expression of it. I had been oppressed nearly ever since the battles at Gettysburg, by what appeared to be evidences that yourself, and Gen. Couch, and Gen. Smith, were not seeking a collision with the enemy, but were trying to get him across the river without another battle. What these evidences were, if you please, I hope to tell you at some time, when we shall both feel better. The case, summarily stated is this. You fought and beat the enemy at Gettysburg; and, of course, to say the least, his loss was as great as yours. He retreated; and you did not, as it seemed to me, pressingly pursue him; but a flood in the river detained him, till, by slow degrees, you were again upon him. You had at least twenty thousand veteran troops directly with you, and as many more raw ones within supporting distance, all in addition to those who fought with you at Gettysburg; while it was not possible that he had received a single recruit; and yet you stood and let the flood run down, bridges be built, and the enemy move away at his leisure, without attacking him. And Couch and Smith! The latter left Carlisle in time, upon all ordinary calculation, to have aided you in the last battle at Gettysburg; but he did not arrive. At the end of more than ten days, I believe twelve, under constant urging, he reached Hagerstown from Carlisle, which is not an inch over fifty-five miles, if so much. And Couch's movement was very little different.
Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely. If you could not safely attack Lee last Monday, how can you possibly do so South of the river, when you can take with you very few more than two thirds of the force you then had in hand? It would be unreasonable to expect, and I do not expect you can now effect much. Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it.
I beg you will not consider this a prosecution, or persecution of yourself. As you had learned that I was dissatisfied, I have thought it best to kindly tell you why. Yours very truly, A Lincoln”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: An article in the New York Times today, entitled, “Shall Ruffians Rule Us?”, offers an editorial sentiment on the Draft Riots: “The mob yesterday was unquestionably started on the basis of resistance to the draft. But that was a very small part of the spirit which really prompted and kept it in motion. It was, probably, in point of character the lowest and most ruffianly mob which ever disgraced our City. Arson, theft and cowardly ferocity seemed to be the animating impulse of a very large portion of the mass that composed it. We have never witnessed a more disgusting or more humiliating sight than was offered in every street which these gangs of outlaws tramped through with their hideous uproar. A large portion of them were mere boys, and their special delight seemed to be to hunt negroes. One would have supposed that every colored man, woman and child must be a wild beast — to judge from the savage and eager delight with which they were chased and beaten and stoned by these wretched brutes in human form. It seems inconceivable that so much of pure, unadulterated ferocity — so much of that clear, undiluted cruelty which feels a keen and ecstatic relish in the infliction of torture upon others for its own sake, can dwell in the human heart. . . . There is but one way to deal with this coarse brutality. It is idle to reason with it, — worse than idle to tamper with it; it must be crushed. Nothing but force can deal with its open manifestations. Unless this City is to be surrendered to the most lawless and reckless of mob rule, this riot which broke out yesterday, and which, beyond all question, will renew its outrages, must be put down by force.”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: The Times also publishes this editorial on the mob attack on the offices of the New York Tribune, a competitor paper: “THE MOB AND THE PRESS.–The mob last evening broke the windows and demolished the furniture in the counting-room of the Tribune, and attempted to crown their infamous and fiendish ruffianism by setting the building on fire. The prompt arrival and vigorous action of a body of Police interrupted their proceedings, and deprived them of the pleasure of being as brutal as they had hoped and expected to be.
We have not always agreed with our neighbor on political topics, and have not deemed it wise on grounds of the public welfare to make Slavery and the negro so prominent in these discussions as the Tribune has done. But that is a matter concerning which judgments and tastes may differ. It is intolerable that a mob should undertake by violence and destruction of property to dictate topics for public discussion, or to control the sentiments and utterances of the public Press. When such an issue is forced upon journalists, they must make it their common cause.
We regret that the Tribune should have suffered in such a shape even the trifling loss which last night’s mob inflicted upon them. They had the aid of some among our employees in protecting their property, and shall have it again whenever the invidious favor of the mob shall again release us from the necessity of defending our own.”
Pictures: 1864-07-14 Battlefield Harrisburg, Miss display; 1863-07-14 Battle of Falling Water Maryland; 1864-07-14 Battle of Tupelo, Miss Map; 1863-07-14 Draft riots
A. 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia. George B. McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan sent Gen. Irvin McDowell with about 40,000 troops from Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
B. 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s and Brig. Gen. John Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of CSA Maj Gen Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
C. 1863: Draft Riots continued in NY City. African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
D. 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CSA cavalry. Battle of Tupelo began at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates under CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low. The CSA forces retired at noon. Smith who was short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day.
FYI PV2 Larry Sellnow LTC Trent Klug SSG Jeffrey Leake SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. PO3 Edward Riddle SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Maj William W. 'Bill' Price COL (Join to see) COL Lisandro MurphySSgt David M. SPC Maurice Evans SPC Jon O. SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SGM Steve Wettstein SGT Jim Arnold
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Pres. Abraham Lincoln today writes a letter of stern rebuke to Gen. George G. Meade, whose army has failed to capture Lee’s army in a timely fashion---but does not send it. It remains in his files. The letter reads: Executive Mansion, Washington, July 14, 1863. Major General Meade “I have just seen your despatch to Gen. Halleck, asking to be relieved of your command, because of a supposed censure of mine. I am very--very--grateful to you for the magnificent success you gave the cause of the country at Gettysburg; and I am sorry now to be the author of the slightest pain to you. But I was in such deep distress myself that I could not restrain some expression of it. I had been oppressed nearly ever since the battles at Gettysburg, by what appeared to be evidences that yourself, and Gen. Couch, and Gen. Smith, were not seeking a collision with the enemy, but were trying to get him across the river without another battle. What these evidences were, if you please, I hope to tell you at some time, when we shall both feel better. The case, summarily stated is this. You fought and beat the enemy at Gettysburg; and, of course, to say the least, his loss was as great as yours. He retreated; and you did not, as it seemed to me, pressingly pursue him; but a flood in the river detained him, till, by slow degrees, you were again upon him. You had at least twenty thousand veteran troops directly with you, and as many more raw ones within supporting distance, all in addition to those who fought with you at Gettysburg; while it was not possible that he had received a single recruit; and yet you stood and let the flood run down, bridges be built, and the enemy move away at his leisure, without attacking him. And Couch and Smith! The latter left Carlisle in time, upon all ordinary calculation, to have aided you in the last battle at Gettysburg; but he did not arrive. At the end of more than ten days, I believe twelve, under constant urging, he reached Hagerstown from Carlisle, which is not an inch over fifty-five miles, if so much. And Couch's movement was very little different.
Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely. If you could not safely attack Lee last Monday, how can you possibly do so South of the river, when you can take with you very few more than two thirds of the force you then had in hand? It would be unreasonable to expect, and I do not expect you can now effect much. Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it.
I beg you will not consider this a prosecution, or persecution of yourself. As you had learned that I was dissatisfied, I have thought it best to kindly tell you why. Yours very truly, A Lincoln”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: An article in the New York Times today, entitled, “Shall Ruffians Rule Us?”, offers an editorial sentiment on the Draft Riots: “The mob yesterday was unquestionably started on the basis of resistance to the draft. But that was a very small part of the spirit which really prompted and kept it in motion. It was, probably, in point of character the lowest and most ruffianly mob which ever disgraced our City. Arson, theft and cowardly ferocity seemed to be the animating impulse of a very large portion of the mass that composed it. We have never witnessed a more disgusting or more humiliating sight than was offered in every street which these gangs of outlaws tramped through with their hideous uproar. A large portion of them were mere boys, and their special delight seemed to be to hunt negroes. One would have supposed that every colored man, woman and child must be a wild beast — to judge from the savage and eager delight with which they were chased and beaten and stoned by these wretched brutes in human form. It seems inconceivable that so much of pure, unadulterated ferocity — so much of that clear, undiluted cruelty which feels a keen and ecstatic relish in the infliction of torture upon others for its own sake, can dwell in the human heart. . . . There is but one way to deal with this coarse brutality. It is idle to reason with it, — worse than idle to tamper with it; it must be crushed. Nothing but force can deal with its open manifestations. Unless this City is to be surrendered to the most lawless and reckless of mob rule, this riot which broke out yesterday, and which, beyond all question, will renew its outrages, must be put down by force.”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: The Times also publishes this editorial on the mob attack on the offices of the New York Tribune, a competitor paper: “THE MOB AND THE PRESS.–The mob last evening broke the windows and demolished the furniture in the counting-room of the Tribune, and attempted to crown their infamous and fiendish ruffianism by setting the building on fire. The prompt arrival and vigorous action of a body of Police interrupted their proceedings, and deprived them of the pleasure of being as brutal as they had hoped and expected to be.
We have not always agreed with our neighbor on political topics, and have not deemed it wise on grounds of the public welfare to make Slavery and the negro so prominent in these discussions as the Tribune has done. But that is a matter concerning which judgments and tastes may differ. It is intolerable that a mob should undertake by violence and destruction of property to dictate topics for public discussion, or to control the sentiments and utterances of the public Press. When such an issue is forced upon journalists, they must make it their common cause.
We regret that the Tribune should have suffered in such a shape even the trifling loss which last night’s mob inflicted upon them. They had the aid of some among our employees in protecting their property, and shall have it again whenever the invidious favor of the mob shall again release us from the necessity of defending our own.”
Pictures: 1864-07-14 Battlefield Harrisburg, Miss display; 1863-07-14 Battle of Falling Water Maryland; 1864-07-14 Battle of Tupelo, Miss Map; 1863-07-14 Draft riots
A. 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia. George B. McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan sent Gen. Irvin McDowell with about 40,000 troops from Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
B. 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s and Brig. Gen. John Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of CSA Maj Gen Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
C. 1863: Draft Riots continued in NY City. African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
D. 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CSA cavalry. Battle of Tupelo began at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates under CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low. The CSA forces retired at noon. Smith who was short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day.
FYI PV2 Larry Sellnow LTC Trent Klug SSG Jeffrey Leake SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. PO3 Edward Riddle SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Maj William W. 'Bill' Price COL (Join to see) COL Lisandro MurphySSgt David M. SPC Maurice Evans SPC Jon O. SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SGM Steve Wettstein SGT Jim Arnold
Civil War
Selective Service (the Draft)
Cavalry
Riots
American History
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In 1863 on the second day of the draft city riots – murder and mayhem in NY City “African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order.
The West Side riots: All through the day, small groups of rioters attacked blacks living and working in the West 20s and 30s. Many black people took refuge in the Church of the Transfiguration on 29th St. By late afternoon, the mob had constructed barricades along 9th Ave. from 36th to 42nd streets. Multiple assaults by troops dislodged the obstructions by midnight.
The battle of the Union Steam Works: All day, control of the building at 2nd Ave. and 22nd St., with its thousands of guns, swung between rioters and police. The building was set afire that night.
Hospital fears: White patients at the Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children demanded that black women be expelled, lest their presence incite an attack.
Protecting Wall Street: War veterans volunteered to garrison the financial district.
Attack on Brooks Brothers: One of the largest clothing manufacturers in the city, the Brooks’ building at Cherry Street was ransacked. Looting continued along Grand and Division streets.”
Below are a number of journal entries from 1863 and xx which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: George Michael Neese, a Confederate artilleryman from Virginia, gives his view of the completion of Lee’s retreat across the Potomac: “July 14 — General Lee abandoned his position near Hagerstown yesterday evening or last night, and by daylight this morning the greater part of his forces were on the Dixie side of the Potomac. Some of the troops waded the river, which was deep and rising, but the greater part of the army crossed on a pontoon that was thrown across the river at Falling Waters, four miles below Williamsport.”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: George Templeton Strong writes in his journal of the day’s events: “Plenty of rumors throughout the day and evening, but nothing very precise or authentic. There have been sundry collisions between the rabble and the authorities, civil and military. Mob fired upon. It generally runs, but on one occasion appears to have rallied, charged the police and militia, and forced them back in disorder. . . . Many details come in of yesterday’s brutal, cowardly ruffianism and plunder. Shops were cleaned out and a black man hanged in Carmine Street, for no offence but that of Nigritude. [Mayor] Opdyke’s house again attacked this morning by a roaming handful of Irish blackguards. Two or three gentlemen who chanced to be passing saved it from sack by a vigorous charge. . . . I believe I dozed off a minute or two. There came something like two reports of artillery, perhaps only falling walls. There go two jolly Celts along the street, singing a genuine Celtic howl, something about “Tim O’Laggerty,” with a refrain of pure Erse. Long live the sovereigns of New York, Brian Boroo redidivus and multiplied. Paddy has left his Egypt---Connaught---and reigns in this promised land of milk and honey and perfect freedom. Hurrah, there goes a strong squad of police marching eastward down this street, followed by a company of infantry with gleaming bayonets. . . .”
Pictures: 1863-07-14 Battle of Falling Waters painting; 1863-07-14 William Jones is lynched on Clarkson Street; 1863-07-14 Falling waters July 14 Map; 1864-07-14 Tupelo battlefield artwork
A. Sunday, July 14, 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia. George B. McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan sent Gen. Irvin McDowell with about 40,000 troops from Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
B. Tuesday July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s and Brig. Gen. John Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of CSA Maj Gen Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
In one more action of what has been a running fight for over a week, the cavalry division of Kilpatrick and Buford strike at withdrawing Confederate troops, and Kilpatrick captures over 500 Rebel troops from Henry Heth’s division who was fighting a rear-guard action. In the fighting, Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew, a promising young officer whose division is covering the retreat (and who participated in Pickett’s Charge) is mortally wounded.
Background: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. [July 6-16, 1863] During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line. July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th.
Aftermath: On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew.
C. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Draft Riots continued in NY City. African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
D. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CSA cavalry. Battle of Tupelo began at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates under CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low. The CSA forces retired at noon. Smith who was short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day.
1. Monday, July 14, 1862: General Forrest sends observers toward Lebanon, Nashville, Shelbyville and Winchester to learn what Union forces are doing after his raid on Murfreesboro. He and his men march to McMinnville, where they rest for a couple of days.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-9-15-1862the-western-theater/
2. Monday, July 14, 1862: Adjutant General Samuel Cooper [CS] imposes stricter adherence to conscription laws.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186207
3. Monday, July 14, 1862: U. S. Senate passes a bill creating West Virginia.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186207
4. Monday, July 14, 1862: Congress approved the establishment of West Virginia. However, it did not approve Lincoln’s plan to compensate any state that abolished slavery.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1862/
5. Monday, July 14, 1862: On this date, Gen. John Pope officially takes command of the newly formed Army of Virginia. In an address to the troops, Pope exhibits the lack of tact and failure to understand his audience that will typify his tenure in high command: “Let us understand each other. I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies; from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary and to beat him when he was found; whose policy has been attack and not defense. In but one instance has the enemy been able to place our Western armies in defensive attitude. I presume that I have been called here to pursue the same system and to lead you against the enemy. It is my purpose to do so, and that speedily. I am sure you long for an opportunity to win the distinction you are capable of achieving. That opportunity I shall endeavor to give you. Meantime I desire you to dismiss from your minds certain phrases, which I am sorry to find so much in vogue amongst you. I hear constantly of "taking strong positions and holding them," of "lines of retreat," and of "bases of supplies." Let us discard such ideas. The strongest position a soldier should desire to occupy is one from which he can most easily advance against the enemy. Let us study the probable lines of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of themselves. Let us look before us, and not behind. Success and glory are in the advance, disaster and shame lurk in the rear. Let us act on this understanding, and it is safe to predict that your banners shall be inscribed with many a glorious deed and that your names will be dear to your countrymen forever.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1862
6. Monday, July 14, 1862: In Virginia, General Pope gives a troop address that many interpret as criticism of General McClellan (who is practically worshiped by most Union soldiers for his formation of the Army of the Potomac) and as disparagement of them, compared to troops in Pope’s former command in the western theater. The address demoralizes the Army of Virginia and earns Pope the enmity of General McClellan.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-9-15-1862the-western-theater/
7.
8. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186307
9. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Pres. Abraham Lincoln today writes a letter of stern rebuke to Gen. George G. Meade, whose army has failed to capture Lee’s army in a timely fashion---but does not send it. It remains in his files. The letter reads: Executive Mansion, Washington, July 14, 1863. Major General Meade “I have just seen your despatch to Gen. Halleck, asking to be relieved of your command, because of a supposed censure of mine. I am very--very--grateful to you for the magnificent success you gave the cause of the country at Gettysburg; and I am sorry now to be the author of the slightest pain to you. But I was in such deep distress myself that I could not restrain some expression of it. I had been oppressed nearly ever since the battles at Gettysburg, by what appeared to be evidences that yourself, and Gen. Couch, and Gen. Smith, were not seeking a collision with the enemy, but were trying to get him across the river without another battle. What these evidences were, if you please, I hope to tell you at some time, when we shall both feel better. The case, summarily stated is this. You fought and beat the enemy at Gettysburg; and, of course, to say the least, his loss was as great as yours. He retreated; and you did not, as it seemed to me, pressingly pursue him; but a flood in the river detained him, till, by slow degrees, you were again upon him. You had at least twenty thousand veteran troops directly with you, and as many more raw ones within supporting distance, all in addition to those who fought with you at Gettysburg; while it was not possible that he had received a single recruit; and yet you stood and let the flood run down, bridges be built, and the enemy move away at his leisure, without attacking him. And Couch and Smith! The latter left Carlisle in time, upon all ordinary calculation, to have aided you in the last battle at Gettysburg; but he did not arrive. At the end of more than ten days, I believe twelve, under constant urging, he reached Hagerstown from Carlisle, which is not an inch over fifty five miles, if so much. And Couch's movement was very little different.
Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely. If you could not safely attack Lee last monday, how can you possibly do so South of the river, when you can take with you very few more than two thirds of the force you then had in hand? It would be unreasonable to expect, and I do not expect you can now effect much. Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it.
I beg you will not consider this a prosecution, or persecution of yourself. As you had learned that I was dissatisfied, I have thought it best to kindly tell you why. Yours very truly, A Lincoln”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
10. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- George Michael Neese, a Confederate artilleryman from Virginia, gives his view of the completion of Lee’s retreat across the Potomac: “July 14 — General Lee abandoned his position near Hagerstown yesterday evening or last night, and by daylight this morning the greater part of his forces were on the Dixie side of the Potomac. Some of the troops waded the river, which was deep and rising, but the greater part of the army crossed on a pontoon that was thrown across the river at Falling Waters, four miles below Williamsport.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
11. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- George Templeton Strong writes in his journal of the day’s events: “Plenty of rumors throughout the day and evening, but nothing very precise or authentic. There have been sundry collisions between the rabble and the authorities, civil and military. Mob fired upon. It generally runs, but on one occasion appears to have rallied, charged the police and militia, and forced them back in disorder. . . . Many details come in of yesterday’s brutal, cowardly ruffianism and plunder. Shops were cleaned out and a black man hanged in Carmine Street, for no offence but that of Nigritude. [Mayor] Opdyke’s house again attacked this morning by a roaming handful of Irish blackguards. Two or three gentlemen who chanced to be passing saved it from sack by a vigorous charge. . . . I believe I dozed off a minute or two. There came something like two reports of artillery, perhaps only falling walls. There go two jolly Celts along the street, singing a genuine Celtic howl, something about “Tim O’Laggerty,” with a refrain of pure Erse. Long live the sovereigns of New York, Brian Boroo redidivus and multiplied. Paddy has left his Egypt---Connaught---and reigns in this promised land of milk and honey and perfect freedom. Hurrah, there goes a strong squad of police marching eastward down this street, followed by a company of infantry with gleaming bayonets. . . .”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
12. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- An article in the New York Times today, entitled, “Shall Ruffians Rule Us?”, offers an editorial sentiment on the Draft Riots: “The mob yesterday was unquestionably started on the basis of resistance to the draft. But that was a very small part of the spirit which really prompted and kept it in motion. It was, probably, in point of character the lowest and most ruffianly mob which ever disgraced our City. Arson, theft and cowardly ferocity seemed to be the animating impulse of a very large portion of the mass that composed it. We have never witnessed a more disgusting or more humiliating sight than was offered in every street which these gangs of outlaws tramped through with their hideous uproar. A large portion of them were mere boys, and their special delight seemed to be to hunt negroes. One would have supposed that every colored man, woman and child must be a wild beast — to judge from the savage and eager delight with which they were chased and beaten and stoned by these wretched brutes in human form. It seems inconceivable that so much of pure, unadulterated ferocity — so much of that clear, undiluted cruelty which feels a keen and ecstatic relish in the infliction of torture upon others for its own sake, can dwell in the human heart. . . . There is but one way to deal with this coarse brutality. It is idle to reason with it, — worse than idle to tamper with it; it must be crushed. Nothing but force can deal with its open manifestations. Unless this City is to be surrendered to the most lawless and reckless of mob rule, this riot which broke out yesterday, and which, beyond all question, will renew its outrages, must be put down by force.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
13. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- The Times also publishes this editorial on the mob attack on the offices of the New York Tribune, a competitor paper: “THE MOB AND THE PRESS.–The mob last evening broke the windows and demolished the furniture in the counting-room of the Tribune, and attempted to crown their infamous and fiendish ruffianism by setting the building on fire. The prompt arrival and vigorous action of a body of Police interrupted their proceedings, and deprived them of the pleasure of being as brutal as they had hoped and expected to be.
We have not always agreed with our neighbor on political topics, and have not deemed it wise on grounds of the public welfare to make Slavery and the negro so prominent in these discussions as the Tribune has done. But that is a matter concerning which judgments and tastes may differ. It is intolerable that a mob should undertake by violence and destruction of property to dictate topics for public discussion, or to control the sentiments and utterances of the public Press. When such an issue is forced upon journalists, they must make it their common cause.
We regret that the Tribune should have suffered in such a shape even the trifling loss which last night’s mob inflicted upon them. They had the aid of some among our employees in protecting their property, and shall have it again whenever the invidious favor of the mob shall again release us from the necessity of defending our own.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
14. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Morgan’s troopers pass by Cincinnati and keep moving westward, their Yankee pursuers closing in on them.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
15. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Sec. of the Navy Gideon Welles writes in his journal of the President’s despair over the failure to pursue and destroy Lee: “The Cabinet-meeting was not full to-day. Two or three of us were there, when Stanton came in with some haste and asked to see the President alone. The two were absent about three minutes in the library. When they returned, the President’s countenance indicated trouble and distress; Stanton was disturbed, disconcerted. Usher asked Stanton if he had bad news. He said, “No.” Something was said of the report that Lee had crossed the river. Stanton said abruptly and curtly he knew nothing of Lee’s crossing. “I do,” said the President emphatically, with a look of painful rebuke to Stanton. “If he has not got all of his men across, he soon will.”
The President said he did not believe we could take up anything in Cabinet to-day. Probably none of us were in a right frame of mind for deliberation; he was not. He wanted to see General Halleck at once. Stanton left abruptly. I retired slowly. The President hurried and overtook me. We walked together across the lawn to the Departments and stopped and conversed a few moments at the gate. He said, with a voice and countenance which I shall never forget, that he had dreaded yet expected this; that there has seemed to him for a full week a determination that Lee, though we had him in our hands, should escape with his force and plunder. “And that, my God, is the last of this Army of the Potomac! There is bad faith somewhere. Meade has been pressed and urged, but only one of his generals was for an immediate attack, was ready to pounce on Lee; the rest held back. What does it mean, Mr. Welles? Great God! what does it mean?” . . . .
I can see that the shadows which have crossed my mind have clouded the President’s also. On only one or two occasions have I ever seen the President so troubled, so dejected and discouraged.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
16. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: When President Lincoln was informed that Lee’s army had crossed the Potomac, he very publicly expressed his anger with Meade for allowing this. “We had them within our grasp. We had to only stretch forth our hands and they were ours.”
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1863/
17. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. General A. J. Smith [US] repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by Generals Stephen D. Lee [CS] and Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS], who retire at noon. Smith, short of supplies, withdraws to Memphis the following day.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186407
18. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Crossing the Potomac at White's Ford near Leesburg, Jubal Early's division returns to Virginia.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186407
19. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Pursued by Union troops, Early’s men withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley. Lincoln expressed his belief that the pursuit had not been vigorous enough.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1864/
20. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Shenandoah Valley operations, Early’s Raid: “Crossing the Potomac at White’s Ford near Leesburg, [CS General] Jubal Early’s division returns to Virginia.” (4, including quote) General Grant orders the Shenandoah Valley to be stripped of supplies “so that Crows flying over it for the balance of this season will have to carry their provender with them.”
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
21.
A Sunday, July 14, 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan planned to send 40,000 troops under General McDowell into Virginia.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1861/
A+ Sunday, July 14, 1861: With about 40,000 troops, Gen. Irvin McDowell of the U.S. Army marches out of Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1861
B Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland – In one more action of what has been a running fight for over a week, the cavalry division of Kilpatrick and Buford strike at withdrawing Confederate troops, and Kilpatrick captures over 500 Rebel troops from Henry Heth’s division who was fighting a rear-guard action. In the fighting, Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew, a promising young officer whose division is covering the retreat (and who participated in Pickett’s Charge) is mortally wounded.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
B+ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. [July 6-16, 1863] During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line. July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th, Kilpatrick’s and Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. James Pettigrew was mortally wounded in the fight. On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/falling-waters.html
B++Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Gettysburg campaign/Williamsport. US cavalry units approach the Confederate line from the north and east. CS General Heth’s rearguard is attacked, and 500 Confederate prisoners are taken. General J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/07/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-8-14-1863/
C Tuesday, July 14, 1863: riots continued in New York City; African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1863/
C+ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: New York City draft riots continue. The West Side riots: All through the day, small groups of rioters attacked blacks living and working in the West 20s and 30s. Many black people took refuge in the Church of the Transfiguration on 29th St. By late afternoon, the mob had constructed barricades along 9th Ave. from 36th to 42nd streets. Multiple assaults by troops dislodged the obstructions by midnight.
The battle of the Union Steam Works: All day, control of the building at 2nd Ave. and 22nd St., with its thousands of guns, swung between rioters and police. The building was set afire that night.
Hospital fears: White patients at the Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children demanded that black women be expelled, lest their presence incite an attack.
Protecting Wall Street: War veterans volunteered to garrison the financial district.
Attack on Brooks Brothers: One of the largest clothing manufacturers in the city, the Brooks’ building at Cherry Street was ransacked. Looting continued along Grand and Division streets.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/07/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-8-14-1863/
C++ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: New York City draft riots continue. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
http://www.history.com/news/four-days-of-fire-the-new-york-city-draft-riots
D Thursday, July 14, 1864: Mississippi operations, Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who retire at noon. Smith, short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day. General S. D. Lee wrote an account of the battle after the war. It’s also worthwhile to read Jordan and Pryor’s and Wyeth’s descriptions, which are very detailed.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
D+ Thursday, July 14, 1864: On the morning of July 14, the Battle of Tupelo began here at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low.
https://www.nps.gov/tupe/the-battle.htm
FYI SPC Deb Root-WhiteLt Col Charlie Brown CWO2 John HeinzlGySgt Jack Wallace SPC Diana D. CWO4 Terrence Clark SPC Michael Oles SR SPC Michael Terrell TSgt David L. CPL Ronald Keyes Jr PO1 John Johnson SPC (Join to see) SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SP5 Dave (Shotgun) Shockley SGT Paul Russo[~1757912"LTC Keith L Jackson] A1C Pamela G RussellLTC Trent KlugMSG Roy CheeverPO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln
The West Side riots: All through the day, small groups of rioters attacked blacks living and working in the West 20s and 30s. Many black people took refuge in the Church of the Transfiguration on 29th St. By late afternoon, the mob had constructed barricades along 9th Ave. from 36th to 42nd streets. Multiple assaults by troops dislodged the obstructions by midnight.
The battle of the Union Steam Works: All day, control of the building at 2nd Ave. and 22nd St., with its thousands of guns, swung between rioters and police. The building was set afire that night.
Hospital fears: White patients at the Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children demanded that black women be expelled, lest their presence incite an attack.
Protecting Wall Street: War veterans volunteered to garrison the financial district.
Attack on Brooks Brothers: One of the largest clothing manufacturers in the city, the Brooks’ building at Cherry Street was ransacked. Looting continued along Grand and Division streets.”
Below are a number of journal entries from 1863 and xx which shed light on what life was like for soldiers and civilians – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: George Michael Neese, a Confederate artilleryman from Virginia, gives his view of the completion of Lee’s retreat across the Potomac: “July 14 — General Lee abandoned his position near Hagerstown yesterday evening or last night, and by daylight this morning the greater part of his forces were on the Dixie side of the Potomac. Some of the troops waded the river, which was deep and rising, but the greater part of the army crossed on a pontoon that was thrown across the river at Falling Waters, four miles below Williamsport.”
Tuesday, July 14, 1863: George Templeton Strong writes in his journal of the day’s events: “Plenty of rumors throughout the day and evening, but nothing very precise or authentic. There have been sundry collisions between the rabble and the authorities, civil and military. Mob fired upon. It generally runs, but on one occasion appears to have rallied, charged the police and militia, and forced them back in disorder. . . . Many details come in of yesterday’s brutal, cowardly ruffianism and plunder. Shops were cleaned out and a black man hanged in Carmine Street, for no offence but that of Nigritude. [Mayor] Opdyke’s house again attacked this morning by a roaming handful of Irish blackguards. Two or three gentlemen who chanced to be passing saved it from sack by a vigorous charge. . . . I believe I dozed off a minute or two. There came something like two reports of artillery, perhaps only falling walls. There go two jolly Celts along the street, singing a genuine Celtic howl, something about “Tim O’Laggerty,” with a refrain of pure Erse. Long live the sovereigns of New York, Brian Boroo redidivus and multiplied. Paddy has left his Egypt---Connaught---and reigns in this promised land of milk and honey and perfect freedom. Hurrah, there goes a strong squad of police marching eastward down this street, followed by a company of infantry with gleaming bayonets. . . .”
Pictures: 1863-07-14 Battle of Falling Waters painting; 1863-07-14 William Jones is lynched on Clarkson Street; 1863-07-14 Falling waters July 14 Map; 1864-07-14 Tupelo battlefield artwork
A. Sunday, July 14, 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia. George B. McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan sent Gen. Irvin McDowell with about 40,000 troops from Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
B. Tuesday July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s and Brig. Gen. John Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of CSA Maj Gen Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
In one more action of what has been a running fight for over a week, the cavalry division of Kilpatrick and Buford strike at withdrawing Confederate troops, and Kilpatrick captures over 500 Rebel troops from Henry Heth’s division who was fighting a rear-guard action. In the fighting, Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew, a promising young officer whose division is covering the retreat (and who participated in Pickett’s Charge) is mortally wounded.
Background: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. [July 6-16, 1863] During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line. July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th.
Aftermath: On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew.
C. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Draft Riots continued in NY City. African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
D. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CSA cavalry. Battle of Tupelo began at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates under CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low. The CSA forces retired at noon. Smith who was short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day.
1. Monday, July 14, 1862: General Forrest sends observers toward Lebanon, Nashville, Shelbyville and Winchester to learn what Union forces are doing after his raid on Murfreesboro. He and his men march to McMinnville, where they rest for a couple of days.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-9-15-1862the-western-theater/
2. Monday, July 14, 1862: Adjutant General Samuel Cooper [CS] imposes stricter adherence to conscription laws.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186207
3. Monday, July 14, 1862: U. S. Senate passes a bill creating West Virginia.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186207
4. Monday, July 14, 1862: Congress approved the establishment of West Virginia. However, it did not approve Lincoln’s plan to compensate any state that abolished slavery.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1862/
5. Monday, July 14, 1862: On this date, Gen. John Pope officially takes command of the newly formed Army of Virginia. In an address to the troops, Pope exhibits the lack of tact and failure to understand his audience that will typify his tenure in high command: “Let us understand each other. I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies; from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary and to beat him when he was found; whose policy has been attack and not defense. In but one instance has the enemy been able to place our Western armies in defensive attitude. I presume that I have been called here to pursue the same system and to lead you against the enemy. It is my purpose to do so, and that speedily. I am sure you long for an opportunity to win the distinction you are capable of achieving. That opportunity I shall endeavor to give you. Meantime I desire you to dismiss from your minds certain phrases, which I am sorry to find so much in vogue amongst you. I hear constantly of "taking strong positions and holding them," of "lines of retreat," and of "bases of supplies." Let us discard such ideas. The strongest position a soldier should desire to occupy is one from which he can most easily advance against the enemy. Let us study the probable lines of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of themselves. Let us look before us, and not behind. Success and glory are in the advance, disaster and shame lurk in the rear. Let us act on this understanding, and it is safe to predict that your banners shall be inscribed with many a glorious deed and that your names will be dear to your countrymen forever.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1862
6. Monday, July 14, 1862: In Virginia, General Pope gives a troop address that many interpret as criticism of General McClellan (who is practically worshiped by most Union soldiers for his formation of the Army of the Potomac) and as disparagement of them, compared to troops in Pope’s former command in the western theater. The address demoralizes the Army of Virginia and earns Pope the enmity of General McClellan.
https://bjdeming.com/2012/07/09/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-9-15-1862the-western-theater/
7.
8. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186307
9. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Pres. Abraham Lincoln today writes a letter of stern rebuke to Gen. George G. Meade, whose army has failed to capture Lee’s army in a timely fashion---but does not send it. It remains in his files. The letter reads: Executive Mansion, Washington, July 14, 1863. Major General Meade “I have just seen your despatch to Gen. Halleck, asking to be relieved of your command, because of a supposed censure of mine. I am very--very--grateful to you for the magnificent success you gave the cause of the country at Gettysburg; and I am sorry now to be the author of the slightest pain to you. But I was in such deep distress myself that I could not restrain some expression of it. I had been oppressed nearly ever since the battles at Gettysburg, by what appeared to be evidences that yourself, and Gen. Couch, and Gen. Smith, were not seeking a collision with the enemy, but were trying to get him across the river without another battle. What these evidences were, if you please, I hope to tell you at some time, when we shall both feel better. The case, summarily stated is this. You fought and beat the enemy at Gettysburg; and, of course, to say the least, his loss was as great as yours. He retreated; and you did not, as it seemed to me, pressingly pursue him; but a flood in the river detained him, till, by slow degrees, you were again upon him. You had at least twenty thousand veteran troops directly with you, and as many more raw ones within supporting distance, all in addition to those who fought with you at Gettysburg; while it was not possible that he had received a single recruit; and yet you stood and let the flood run down, bridges be built, and the enemy move away at his leisure, without attacking him. And Couch and Smith! The latter left Carlisle in time, upon all ordinary calculation, to have aided you in the last battle at Gettysburg; but he did not arrive. At the end of more than ten days, I believe twelve, under constant urging, he reached Hagerstown from Carlisle, which is not an inch over fifty five miles, if so much. And Couch's movement was very little different.
Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely. If you could not safely attack Lee last monday, how can you possibly do so South of the river, when you can take with you very few more than two thirds of the force you then had in hand? It would be unreasonable to expect, and I do not expect you can now effect much. Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it.
I beg you will not consider this a prosecution, or persecution of yourself. As you had learned that I was dissatisfied, I have thought it best to kindly tell you why. Yours very truly, A Lincoln”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
10. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- George Michael Neese, a Confederate artilleryman from Virginia, gives his view of the completion of Lee’s retreat across the Potomac: “July 14 — General Lee abandoned his position near Hagerstown yesterday evening or last night, and by daylight this morning the greater part of his forces were on the Dixie side of the Potomac. Some of the troops waded the river, which was deep and rising, but the greater part of the army crossed on a pontoon that was thrown across the river at Falling Waters, four miles below Williamsport.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
11. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- George Templeton Strong writes in his journal of the day’s events: “Plenty of rumors throughout the day and evening, but nothing very precise or authentic. There have been sundry collisions between the rabble and the authorities, civil and military. Mob fired upon. It generally runs, but on one occasion appears to have rallied, charged the police and militia, and forced them back in disorder. . . . Many details come in of yesterday’s brutal, cowardly ruffianism and plunder. Shops were cleaned out and a black man hanged in Carmine Street, for no offence but that of Nigritude. [Mayor] Opdyke’s house again attacked this morning by a roaming handful of Irish blackguards. Two or three gentlemen who chanced to be passing saved it from sack by a vigorous charge. . . . I believe I dozed off a minute or two. There came something like two reports of artillery, perhaps only falling walls. There go two jolly Celts along the street, singing a genuine Celtic howl, something about “Tim O’Laggerty,” with a refrain of pure Erse. Long live the sovereigns of New York, Brian Boroo redidivus and multiplied. Paddy has left his Egypt---Connaught---and reigns in this promised land of milk and honey and perfect freedom. Hurrah, there goes a strong squad of police marching eastward down this street, followed by a company of infantry with gleaming bayonets. . . .”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
12. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- An article in the New York Times today, entitled, “Shall Ruffians Rule Us?”, offers an editorial sentiment on the Draft Riots: “The mob yesterday was unquestionably started on the basis of resistance to the draft. But that was a very small part of the spirit which really prompted and kept it in motion. It was, probably, in point of character the lowest and most ruffianly mob which ever disgraced our City. Arson, theft and cowardly ferocity seemed to be the animating impulse of a very large portion of the mass that composed it. We have never witnessed a more disgusting or more humiliating sight than was offered in every street which these gangs of outlaws tramped through with their hideous uproar. A large portion of them were mere boys, and their special delight seemed to be to hunt negroes. One would have supposed that every colored man, woman and child must be a wild beast — to judge from the savage and eager delight with which they were chased and beaten and stoned by these wretched brutes in human form. It seems inconceivable that so much of pure, unadulterated ferocity — so much of that clear, undiluted cruelty which feels a keen and ecstatic relish in the infliction of torture upon others for its own sake, can dwell in the human heart. . . . There is but one way to deal with this coarse brutality. It is idle to reason with it, — worse than idle to tamper with it; it must be crushed. Nothing but force can deal with its open manifestations. Unless this City is to be surrendered to the most lawless and reckless of mob rule, this riot which broke out yesterday, and which, beyond all question, will renew its outrages, must be put down by force.”
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
13. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- The Times also publishes this editorial on the mob attack on the offices of the New York Tribune, a competitor paper: “THE MOB AND THE PRESS.–The mob last evening broke the windows and demolished the furniture in the counting-room of the Tribune, and attempted to crown their infamous and fiendish ruffianism by setting the building on fire. The prompt arrival and vigorous action of a body of Police interrupted their proceedings, and deprived them of the pleasure of being as brutal as they had hoped and expected to be.
We have not always agreed with our neighbor on political topics, and have not deemed it wise on grounds of the public welfare to make Slavery and the negro so prominent in these discussions as the Tribune has done. But that is a matter concerning which judgments and tastes may differ. It is intolerable that a mob should undertake by violence and destruction of property to dictate topics for public discussion, or to control the sentiments and utterances of the public Press. When such an issue is forced upon journalists, they must make it their common cause.
We regret that the Tribune should have suffered in such a shape even the trifling loss which last night’s mob inflicted upon them. They had the aid of some among our employees in protecting their property, and shall have it again whenever the invidious favor of the mob shall again release us from the necessity of defending our own.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
14. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Morgan’s troopers pass by Cincinnati and keep moving westward, their Yankee pursuers closing in on them.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
15. Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Sec. of the Navy Gideon Welles writes in his journal of the President’s despair over the failure to pursue and destroy Lee: “The Cabinet-meeting was not full to-day. Two or three of us were there, when Stanton came in with some haste and asked to see the President alone. The two were absent about three minutes in the library. When they returned, the President’s countenance indicated trouble and distress; Stanton was disturbed, disconcerted. Usher asked Stanton if he had bad news. He said, “No.” Something was said of the report that Lee had crossed the river. Stanton said abruptly and curtly he knew nothing of Lee’s crossing. “I do,” said the President emphatically, with a look of painful rebuke to Stanton. “If he has not got all of his men across, he soon will.”
The President said he did not believe we could take up anything in Cabinet to-day. Probably none of us were in a right frame of mind for deliberation; he was not. He wanted to see General Halleck at once. Stanton left abruptly. I retired slowly. The President hurried and overtook me. We walked together across the lawn to the Departments and stopped and conversed a few moments at the gate. He said, with a voice and countenance which I shall never forget, that he had dreaded yet expected this; that there has seemed to him for a full week a determination that Lee, though we had him in our hands, should escape with his force and plunder. “And that, my God, is the last of this Army of the Potomac! There is bad faith somewhere. Meade has been pressed and urged, but only one of his generals was for an immediate attack, was ready to pounce on Lee; the rest held back. What does it mean, Mr. Welles? Great God! what does it mean?” . . . .
I can see that the shadows which have crossed my mind have clouded the President’s also. On only one or two occasions have I ever seen the President so troubled, so dejected and discouraged.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
16. Tuesday, July 14, 1863: When President Lincoln was informed that Lee’s army had crossed the Potomac, he very publicly expressed his anger with Meade for allowing this. “We had them within our grasp. We had to only stretch forth our hands and they were ours.”
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1863/
17. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg, Mississippi. General A. J. Smith [US] repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by Generals Stephen D. Lee [CS] and Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS], who retire at noon. Smith, short of supplies, withdraws to Memphis the following day.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186407
18. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Crossing the Potomac at White's Ford near Leesburg, Jubal Early's division returns to Virginia.
http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186407
19. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Pursued by Union troops, Early’s men withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley. Lincoln expressed his belief that the pursuit had not been vigorous enough.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1864/
20. Thursday, July 14, 1864: Shenandoah Valley operations, Early’s Raid: “Crossing the Potomac at White’s Ford near Leesburg, [CS General] Jubal Early’s division returns to Virginia.” (4, including quote) General Grant orders the Shenandoah Valley to be stripped of supplies “so that Crows flying over it for the balance of this season will have to carry their provender with them.”
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
21.
A Sunday, July 14, 1861: With a secure base in western Virginia McClellan was able to conduct operations against the rest of Virginia. Control of a number of vital rail lines allowed troops to be moved to western Virginia and McClellan planned to send 40,000 troops under General McDowell into Virginia.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1861/
A+ Sunday, July 14, 1861: With about 40,000 troops, Gen. Irvin McDowell of the U.S. Army marches out of Washington into Virginia toward the railroad junction of Manassas.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1861
B Tuesday, July 14, 1863 --- Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland – In one more action of what has been a running fight for over a week, the cavalry division of Kilpatrick and Buford strike at withdrawing Confederate troops, and Kilpatrick captures over 500 Rebel troops from Henry Heth’s division who was fighting a rear-guard action. In the fighting, Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew, a promising young officer whose division is covering the retreat (and who participated in Pickett’s Charge) is mortally wounded.
http://civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=July+14%2C+1863
B+ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Battle of Falling Waters, Maryland. [July 6-16, 1863] During the night of July 4-5, Lee's battered army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Stuart’s cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland. On July 7, Imboden (CS) stopped Buford’s Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart’s command. Lee’s infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid. On July 11, Lee entrenched a line, protecting the river crossings at Williamsport and waited for Meade’s army to advance. July 12, Meade reached the vicinity and probed the Confederate line. July 13, skirmishing was heavy along the lines as Meade positioned his forces for an attack. In the meantime, the river fell enough to allow the construction of a new bridge, and Lee’s army began crossing the river after dark on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th, Kilpatrick’s and Buford’s cavalry divisions attacked the rearguard division of Henry Heth still on the north bank, taking more than 500 prisoners. Confederate Brig. Gen. James Pettigrew was mortally wounded in the fight. On July 16, David McM. Gregg’s cavalry approached Shepherdstown where Fitzhugh Lee’s and J.R. Chambliss’s brigades, supported by M.J. Ferguson’s, held the Potomac River fords against the Union infantry. Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss attacked Gregg, who held out against several attacks and sorties, fighting sporadically until nightfall when he withdrew.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/falling-waters.html
B++Tuesday, July 14, 1863: Gettysburg campaign/Williamsport. US cavalry units approach the Confederate line from the north and east. CS General Heth’s rearguard is attacked, and 500 Confederate prisoners are taken. General J. Johnston Pettigrew is mortally wounded during the fight.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/07/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-8-14-1863/
C Tuesday, July 14, 1863: riots continued in New York City; African Americans were murdered in the streets and city law enforcement agencies were unable to cope. Men from the Army of the Potomac were ordered to the city to restore law and order.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-american-civil-war/american-civil-war-july-1863/
C+ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: New York City draft riots continue. The West Side riots: All through the day, small groups of rioters attacked blacks living and working in the West 20s and 30s. Many black people took refuge in the Church of the Transfiguration on 29th St. By late afternoon, the mob had constructed barricades along 9th Ave. from 36th to 42nd streets. Multiple assaults by troops dislodged the obstructions by midnight.
The battle of the Union Steam Works: All day, control of the building at 2nd Ave. and 22nd St., with its thousands of guns, swung between rioters and police. The building was set afire that night.
Hospital fears: White patients at the Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children demanded that black women be expelled, lest their presence incite an attack.
Protecting Wall Street: War veterans volunteered to garrison the financial district.
Attack on Brooks Brothers: One of the largest clothing manufacturers in the city, the Brooks’ building at Cherry Street was ransacked. Looting continued along Grand and Division streets.
https://bjdeming.com/2013/07/08/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-8-14-1863/
C++ Tuesday, July 14, 1863: New York City draft riots continue. After a night of heavy rain, rioters returned to the streets early on Tuesday, July 14, looting and destroying businesses in the downtown area, including a large Brooks Brothers’ store, which as a contractor for the U.S. government, had been churning out thousands of pieces of military garb for more than two years. The mob also began constructing barricades around the city that proved difficult for police to overcome. The targeted attacks on blacks intensified and included the lynching of at least two African-American men: a young sailor who had been attacked after speaking to a young white boy and a man who had been captured and killed while attempting to escape to Brooklyn (reportedly disguised in his wife’s clothing). Among the dead that day was Col. Henry O’Brien, the commander of a local regiment who had come to the aid of beleaguered policemen and been attacked and killed by the angry mob. As the violence continued to spread, New York politicians squabbled amongst themselves about how to bring order to the city. The Democratic governor, who had openly opposed the draft law before it went into effect, seemed reluctant to move forcefully against the demonstrators. The city’s Republican mayor, well aware of the shortage of available police officers, formally asked the War Department to send federal troops, but stopped short of declaring martial law and turning over control of the situation to federal officials.
http://www.history.com/news/four-days-of-fire-the-new-york-city-draft-riots
D Thursday, July 14, 1864: Mississippi operations, Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg. US General A. J. Smith repulses repeated, uncoordinated attacks by CS Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who retire at noon. Smith, short of supplies, decides to withdraw to Memphis the following day. General S. D. Lee wrote an account of the battle after the war. It’s also worthwhile to read Jordan and Pryor’s and Wyeth’s descriptions, which are very detailed.
https://bjdeming.com/2014/07/13/the-american-civil-war-150th-anniversary-july-14-20-1864/
D+ Thursday, July 14, 1864: On the morning of July 14, the Battle of Tupelo began here at 7:30 a.m. when the Confederates began a series of uncoordinated charges against the Federal position. These attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. Failing to break the Federal center, the Confederates attacked the Federal right, again without success. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Although his troops had repulsed several Confederate attacks, General Smith (Federal) was alarmed. The heat was taking its toll on his soldiers. Also, due to bad planning, his men had little but coffee and worm-infested hardtack (crackers) to eat, and their ammunition supply was very low.
https://www.nps.gov/tupe/the-battle.htm
FYI SPC Deb Root-WhiteLt Col Charlie Brown CWO2 John HeinzlGySgt Jack Wallace SPC Diana D. CWO4 Terrence Clark SPC Michael Oles SR SPC Michael Terrell TSgt David L. CPL Ronald Keyes Jr PO1 John Johnson SPC (Join to see) SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SP5 Dave (Shotgun) Shockley SGT Paul Russo[~1757912"LTC Keith L Jackson] A1C Pamela G RussellLTC Trent KlugMSG Roy CheeverPO2 Russell "Russ" Lincoln
The American Civil War 150th Anniversary – July 9-15, 1862/The Western Theater
Here are some of the events of the Civil War that were happening 150 years ago this week. Sources are numbered according to the list at the bottom of this post. But first, let’s take a brief …
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LTC Stephen F.
Yes indeed my friend MG George Gordan Meade [USMA, West Point class of 1835] similar to George Brinton McClellan [USMA, West Point Class of 1846] were not apt to take resonable risks strategically LTC Trent Klug
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