What was the most significant event on May 11 during the U.S. Civil War?

Friday, May 11, 1861: Stephen Mallory, Secretary of the C.S. Navy, receives authorization from Pres. Davis to begin researching the building of ironclad ships, to help even the imbalance of navies between North and South.
Sunday, May 11, 1862: Sarah Morgan of Baton Rouge, having just yesterday delighted in flaunting her Rebel flag in the faces of the Yankees, now has a profound change of heart about her conquerors and her behavior: “I was not ashamed of the flag of my country, — I proved that by never attempting to remove it in spite of my mortification, — but I was ashamed of my position; for these are evidently gentlemen, not the Billy Wilson’s crew we were threatened with.”
Wednesday, May 11, 1864 Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia: As Union forces withdrew, former sharpshooter Private John A. Huff of the 5th Michigan Cavalry fired his pistol at J.E.B. Stuart. Hitting Stuart in the side, the Confederate leader slumped in his saddle as his famous plumed hat fell to the ground. Taken to the rear, command on the field passed to Fitzhugh Lee. As the wounded Stuart departed the field, Robert E. Lee attempted to restore order to the Confederate lines. Outnumbered and overpowered, he briefly held back Sheridan's men before retreating from the field. Taken to the Richmond home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Brewer, Stuart received a visit from President Jefferson Davis before slipping into a delirium and dying the next day. The loss of the flamboyant Stuart caused great sadness in the Confederacy and greatly pained Robert E. Lee.
Pictures: 1864_Sheridan's_Richmond_Raid; 1864 Yellow Tavern Phase 2 the Fall of the Rebel Cavalier; 1862 Norfolk is Ours; 1862 CSS Virginia (nee Merrimac) under steam

Since RallyPoint truncates survey selection text I am posting events that were not included and then the full text of each survey choice below:
A. Sunday, May 11, 1862: The only obstacle was the C.S.S. Virginia. The Confederate retreat from the lower Peninsula exposed the port city of Norfolk to Union capture. Lincoln directed Flag Officer Louis N. Goldsborough and Major General John E. Wool to end the Virginia's control of Hampton Roads by occupying its base. Major General Benjamin Huger, threatened by the Union advance, was forced to abandon the port city on May 9. Without its base, the ironclad's deep draught made the vessel unable to steam up the James to Richmond. Consequently, the Virginia was destroyed by its crew off Craney Island on May 11, 1862. "Still unconquered, we hauled down our drooping colors ... and with mingled pride and grief gave her to the flames," Chief Engineer Ashton Ramsay reflected. The door to the Confederate capital via the James River now lay open.
B. Wednesday, May 11, 1864 Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia:
Battle of Yellow Tavern - Stuart Responds: Alerted to the Union movements, Stuart detached Major General Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division from Lee's army at Spotsylvania and led it south to hamper Sheridan's movements. Arriving near Beaver Dam Station too late to take action, he pushed his tired men through the night of May 10/11 to reach the intersection of Telegraph and Mountain Roads near an abandoned inn known as Yellow Tavern. Possessing around 4,500 men, he established a defensive position with Brigadier General Williams Wickham's brigade on the right west of the Telegraph Road facing south and Brigadier General Lunsford Lomax's brigade on the left parallel to the road and facing west. Around 11:00 AM, less than an hour after establishing these lines, the lead elements of Sheridan's corps appeared.
Battle of Yellow Tavern - A Desperate Defense: Led by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt, these forces quickly formed to strike Stuart's left. Consisting of the brigades of Brigadier General George A. Custer and Colonels Thomas Devin and Alfred Gibbs, Merritt's division quickly advanced and engaged Lomax's men. Pressing forward, troopers on the Union left suffered from flanking fire from Wickham's brigade. As the fighting increased in intensity, Merritt's men began to slip around Lomax's left flank. With his position in jeopardy, Lomax ordered his men to retreat north. Met by Stuart, the brigade was re-formed on Wickham's left and extended the Confederate line east by 2:00 PM. A two-hour lull in the fighting ensued as Sheridan brought up reinforcements and reconnoitered the new Confederate position.
Spying artillery in Stuart's lines, Sheridan directed Custer to attack and seize the guns. To accomplish this, Custer dismounted half of his men for an assault and ordered the remainder to conduct a wide sweep to the right in support. These efforts would be aided by the rest of Sheridan's command. Moving forward, Custer's men came under fire from Stuart's guns but continued their advance. Breaking through Lomax's lines, Custer's troopers drove in the Confederate left. With the situation desperate, Stuart pulled the 1st Virginia Cavalry from Wickham's lines and charged forward to counterattack. Blunting Custer's assault, he then pushed the Union troopers back. As Union forces withdrew, former sharpshooter Private John A. Huff of the 5th Michigan Cavalry fired his pistol at Stuart.
Hitting the Stuart in the side, the Confederate leader slumped in his saddle as his famous plumed hat fell to the ground. Taken to the rear, command on the field passed to Fitzhugh Lee. As the wounded Stuart departed the field, Lee attempted to restore order to the Confederate lines. Outnumbered and overpowered, he briefly held back Sheridan's men before retreating from the field. Taken to the Richmond home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Brewer, Stuart received a visit from President Jefferson Davis before slipping into a delirium and dying the next day. The loss of the flamboyant Stuart caused great sadness in the Confederacy and greatly pained Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Yellow Tavern - Aftermath: In the fighting at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Sheridan sustained 625 casualties while Confederate losses are estimate at around 175 as well as 300 captured. Having upheld his pledge to defeat Stuart, Sheridan continued south after the battle and reached the northern defenses of Richmond that evening. Assessing the weakness of the lines around the Confederate capital, he concluded that though he could probably take the city, he lacked the resources to hold it. Instead, Sheridan wheeled his command east and crossed the Chickahominy River before proceeding to unite with Major General Benjamin Butler's forces at Haxall's Landing. Resting and refitting for four days, the Union cavalry then rode north to rejoin the Army of the Potomac.
C. Wednesday, May 11, 1864 The Battle of Spotsylvania: Preparations for Battle. Both sides now had an inkling that the war's character had suddenly changed. General Grant seemed willing to pay the human price to pursue the battering of the Southern army into submission.
No longer would the Union commander seek a lull between colossal battles. Along these lines, Grant would order Major General Hancock to shift his troops from the right to the left and prepare to assault the bulge in the Confederate line, the Mule Shoe Salient. Yet these simple words cannot relay the savagery and horror that would come beginning the morning of May 12. In massive numbers, Hancock's 2nd Corp men would charge the butternuts behind substantial, well-formed breastworks. Men would charge, stab, beat, pound, maim, and kill each other for hours on end. Dead would fall upon dead, laying a top the immobile, suffering wounded. Piles of men would writhe as the living desperately tried to extricate themselves from their ghastly human burial.
Major General Winfield S. Hancock, commanding the troops who would assault the Confederate lines, discussed their preparation. "The ground ascended sharply between our lines and the enemy's, and was thickly wooded, with the exception of a clearing about 400 yards in width extending up to the enemy's works in front of the Landrum house, curving to the right as it approached his position; a small water course ran parallel to and in front of our line. The troops were formed for the assault with the assistance of the information obtained from Lieutenant-Colonel Merriam, Sixteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, field officer of the day for Mott's division, who was somewhat familiar with the ground. They took position quietly and promptly, although it was an unusually dark and stormy night."
D. Thursday, May 11, 1865: Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens is arrested at Liberty Hall, his estate in Crawfordville, Georgia by members of the 4th Iowa Cavalry.
1. Friday, May 11, 1861: Stephen Mallory, Secretary of the C.S. Navy, receives authorization from Pres. Davis to begin researching the building of ironclad ships, to help even the imbalance of navies between North and South.
{[civilwarsesquicentdaily-wolfshield.blogspot.com/search?q=May+11%2C+1861}]
2. Sunday, May 11, 1862: Confederate soldiers scuttle the C.S.S. Virginia near Norfolk
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3. Sunday, May 11, 1862: Hampton Roads, Chesapeaker Bay, Virginia - After having lightened the CSS Virginia of her guns, her coal, and her stores, Commodore Josiah Tatnall orders his men to strip off her armor, too, in an attempt to make her light enough to cross the bar into the James River. But even then, she will not clear the bar. Since her home base of Norfolk was now in Union hands, the Virginia had no where to go. In the wee hours of this morning, Tatnall orders her burnt and destroyed. The crew lights her on fire, and after an hour, the flames reach the magazine and the ship explodes.
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4. Sunday, May 11, 1862 --- Pres. Lincoln boards the USS Baltimore at Ft. Monroe to return to Washington, but hears of the destruction of the CSS Virginia, and has the Baltimore steam over to where it happened. They then go upstream into the Elizabeth River to the newly-occupied city of Norfolk, where the ship spends the night, with Lincoln on board.
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5. Sunday, May 11, 1862 --- Flag Officer Louis Goldsborough, in command of the USN fleet in Chesapeake Bay, orders a small flotilla, including the USS Monitor, to steam up the James River, shelling shore batteries as she does so, and to eventually to shell Richmond into surrender.
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6. Sunday, May 11, 1862 --- Sarah Morgan of Baton Rouge, having just yesterday delighted in flaunting her Rebel flag in the faces of the Yankees, now has a profound change of heart about her conquerors and her behavior: I was not ashamed of the flag of my country, — I proved that by never attempting to remove it in spite of my mortification, — but I was ashamed of my position; for these are evidently gentlemen, not the Billy Wilson’s crew we were threatened with. Fine, noble-looking men they were, showing refinement and gentlemanly bearing in every motion. One cannot help but admire such foes! They set us an example worthy of our imitation, and one we would be benefited by following. They come as visitors without either pretensions to superiority, or the insolence of conquerors; they walk quietly their way, offering no annoyance to the citizens, though they themselves are stared at most unmercifully, and pursued by crowds of ragged little boys, while even men gape at them with open mouths. They prove themselves gentlemen, while many of our citizens have proved themselves boors, and I admire them for their conduct.
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7. Monday, May 11, 1863 --- General Robert E. Lee issues the following order to the men of the Army of Northern Virginia:
HEADQ’RTS NORTHERN ARMY, Va., May 11. GENERAL ORDER No. 66.
With deep grief the commanding General announces to the army the death of Lieut. Gen. T.J. Jackson, who expired on the 10th inst., at 3:15 p.m.
The daring skill and energy of this great and good soldier by the decree of an All Wise Providence, are now lost to us, but while we mourn his death we feel that his spirit still lives, and will inspire the whole army with his indomitable courage and unshaken confidence in God as our hope and strength.
Let his name be a watch word to his Corps who have followed him to victory on so many fields.
Let the officers and soldiers imitate his invincibly [?] determination to do everything in the defence of our beloved country. [Signed,] R.E. LEE, General
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8. Monday, May 11, 1863 --- Osborn Oldroyd, serving in the 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment with McPherson’s corps in Grant’s army, writes in his journal with his assessment of the campaign and of its leading generals: MAY 11TH.—We drew two days’ rations and marched till noon. My company, E, being detailed for rear guard, a very undesirable position. General Logan thinks we shall have a fight soon. I am not particularly anxious for one, but if it comes I will make my musket talk. As we contemplate a battle, those who have been spoiling for a fight cease to be heard. It does not even take the smell of powder to quiet their nerves—a rumor being quite sufficient.
We have no means of knowing the number of troops in Vicksburg, but if they were well generaled and thrown against us at some particular point, the matter might be decided without going any further. . . . We are steadily advancing, and propose to keep on until we get them where they can’t retreat. My fear is that they may cut our supply train, and then we should be in a bad fix. Should that happen and they get us real hungry, I am afraid short work would be made of taking Vicksburg.
Having seen the four great Generals of this department, shall always feel honored that I was a member of Force’s 20th Ohio, Logan‘s Division, McPherson’s Corps of Grant’s Army. The expression upon the face of Grant was stern and care-worn, but determined. McPherson’s was the most pleasant and courteous—a perfect gentleman and an officer that the 17th corps fairly worships. Sherman has a quicker and more dashing movement than some others, a long neck, rather sharp features, and altogether just such a man as might lead an army through the enemy’s country. Logan is brave and does not seem to know what defeat means. We feel that he will bring us out of every fight victorious. I want no better or braver officers to fight under. I have often thought of the sacrifice that a General might make of his men in order to enhance his own eclat, for they do not always seem to display the good judgment they should. But I have no fear of a needless sacrifice of life through any mismanagement of this army.
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9. Monday, May 11, 1863 Baptists and the American Civil War: Today is day four of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting, hosted by the Green Street Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. After the singing of a hymn, the first order of business is a war-related matter: the offering of a resolution regarding army chaplains, missionaries and colporteurs.
Resolved, 1st. That it is the sense of this body that, the field opened in the army for piour labor is one of the most important that can be entered at present; and, that the Providence of God calls loudly upon His people to make prompt and vigorous efforts to secure the services of Chaplains, and to send forth Missionaries and Colporteurs into this field.
Resolved, 2d. That the Pastors of the Churches be, and are hereby requested, to bring this subject prominently and frequently to the attention of their people; and also, the duty of constant supplication of the Divine blessing upon such laborers among our soldiers, that we may be obedient to the sacred command, “whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Other related motions are also offered, including one requesting that Southern Baptist churches allow their pastors two months’ leave to “labor in the army.” (Few churches do so, however.)
The mood then turns especially somber as the death of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is noted. Vice president Dr. J. L. Reynolds of South Carolina stated that, our hearts have been pained this morning, by the announcement of the death of that great favorite of the people, and what is more, the friend of God, General JACKSON; and requested Bro. Andrew Broadus, of Va., to lead in prayer in reference to this sad event.
Following several other reports and business matters, the committee on the state of the country makes their report. Following the addition of amendments, the report is unanimously adopted by the white, male and mostly slaveowner delegates:
Resolved, 1st. That the events of the past two years have only confirmed the conviction expressed by this Convention at its last session, that the war which has been forced upon us is, on our part, just and necessary, and have only strengthened our opposition to a reunion with the United States on any terms whatever; and while deploring the dreadful evils of the war, and earnestly desiring peace, we have no thought of ever yielding, but will render a hearty support to the Confederate Government in all constitutional measures to secure our independence.
Resolved. 2d. That we gratefully acknowledge the hand of God in the preservation of our government against the power and rage of our enemies, and in the signal victories with which he has crowned our arms; and encouraged by the experience of the past, and by the present condition of affairs, and humbly relying on the Divine blessing, we confidently anticipate ultimate success.
Resolved, 3d. That while we justify ourselves in this conflict with our enemies, we acknowledge that our sins have deserved the terrible calamities that God has sent upon us, and view them as a solemn and imperative call to penitence, humiliation and hearty turning to God.
Resolved, 4th. That the religious destitution of our armies is a cause of deep solicitude, and calls for renewed, vigorous and liberal efforts that it may be supplied.
Resolved, 5th. That the privations of those reduced to poverty by the war, and especially the wants of the families of our soldiers, demand our sympathies, our kind attentions, and our generous contributions.
Resolved, 6th. That the serious interruption of education, and the growing neglect of domestic discipline which the war effort has caused, are evils of the greatest magnitude; and we earnestly urge upon our brethren and fellow-citizens to keep their children steadily at school, and to give diligent attention to their moral and religious training.
Resolved, 7th. That we have just heard with unutterable grief, of the death of that noble Christian warrior, Lieut. Gen. T. J. Jackson; that we thank God for the good he has achieved, and the glorious example he has left to us, and pray that we may all learn to trust, as he trusted, in the Lord alone.
{[civilwarbaptists.com/thisdayinhistory/1863-may-11/}]
10. Wednesday, May 11, 1864: Battle of Yellow Tavern. J. E. B. Stuart [CS] is mortally wounded in losing to Phillip Sheridan
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11. Wednesday, May 11, 1864 --- Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia: In one of the significant cavalry battles of the war, Sheridan’s cavalry corps approaches this place and finds J.E.B. Stuart’s troopers there, blocking the road to Richmond. Sheridan has already captured most of Lee’s wagon train and destroyed it, thus putting the Army of Northern Virginia at great risk for lack of supplies. Sheridan pushed southward at a speed the Rebels were not used to. Stuart tries to block him from crossing the North Anna River, and fails---and then rides hard to hopefully intercept him before he crosses the Chickahominy, just north of Richmond. Stuart has with him only three brigades (under Fitz Lee, Gordon, and Lomax), about 4,500 men, while Sheridan has over 10,000, in three divisions. On this date, Stuart arrives here before the Yankees do, and deploys his men. Federal Gen. Wesley Merritt arrives with his division of blue troopers, dismounts his men, and advances on foot. The Federals bash in Lomax’s line, and capture 200 Rebels. Lomax falls back on Fitz Lee’s line. Stuart sends back to Richmond for reinforcements, and is told that two brigades of infantry are on their way. Sheridan then orders a sabre charge on the Confederates, led by Brig. Gen. George A. Custer and his brigade of Michigander regiments---his “wolverines.” Custer’s men smash into Stuart’s artillery, and the Confederate line begins to fray noticeably. As the Federals capture the guns, Stuart counterattacks with the only troops nearby: K Troop of the 1st Virginia Cavalry, his old regiment. But Stuart is shot in the engagement, and his men take him back to seek medical attention. Mortally wounded, Stuart is borne back by ambulance. Union Victory.
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A Sunday, May 11, 1862: The only obstacle was the C.S.S. Virginia. The Confederate retreat from the lower Peninsula exposed the port city of Norfolk to Union capture. Lincoln directed Flag Officer Louis N. Goldsborough and Major General John E. Wool to end the Virginia's control of Hampton Roads by occupying its base. Major General Benjamin Huger, threatened by the Union advance, was forced to abandon the port city on May 9. Without its base, the ironclad's deep draught made the vessel unable to steam up the James to Richmond. Consequently, the Virginia was destroyed by its crew off Craney Island on May 11, 1862. "Still unconquered, we hauled down our drooping colors ... and with mingled pride and grief gave her to the flames," Chief Engineer Ashton Ramsay reflected. The door to the Confederate capital via the James River now lay open.
{[civilwar.org/battlefields/yorktown/yorktown-history-articles/peninsulaquarstein.html]}
B Wednesday, May 11, 1864 Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia:
Battle of Yellow Tavern - Stuart Responds: Alerted to the Union movements, Stuart detached Major General Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division from Lee's army at Spotsylvania and led it south to hamper Sheridan's movements. Arriving near Beaver Dam Station too late to take action, he pushed his tired men through the night of May 10/11 to reach the intersection of Telegraph and Mountain Roads near an abandoned inn known as Yellow Tavern. Possessing around 4,500 men, he established a defensive position with Brigadier General Williams Wickham's brigade on the right west of the Telegraph Road facing south and Brigadier General Lunsford Lomax's brigade on the left parallel to the road and facing west. Around 11:00 AM, less than an hour after establishing these lines, the lead elements of Sheridan's corps appeared.
Battle of Yellow Tavern - A Desperate Defense: Led by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt, these forces quickly formed to strike Stuart's left. Consisting of the brigades of Brigadier General George A. Custer and Colonels Thomas Devin and Alfred Gibbs, Merritt's division quickly advanced and engaged Lomax's men. Pressing forward, troopers on the Union left suffered from flanking fire from Wickham's brigade. As the fighting increased in intensity, Merritt's men began to slip around Lomax's left flank. With his position in jeopardy, Lomax ordered his men to retreat north. Met by Stuart, the brigade was re-formed on Wickham's left and extended the Confederate line east by 2:00 PM. A two-hour lull in the fighting ensued as Sheridan brought up reinforcements and reconnoitered the new Confederate position.
Spying artillery in Stuart's lines, Sheridan directed Custer to attack and seize the guns. To accomplish this, Custer dismounted half of his men for an assault and ordered the remainder to conduct a wide sweep to the right in support. These efforts would be aided by the rest of Sheridan's command. Moving forward, Custer's men came under fire from Stuart's guns but continued their advance. Breaking through Lomax's lines, Custer's troopers drove in the Confederate left. With the situation desperate, Stuart pulled the 1st Virginia Cavalry from Wickham's lines and charged forward to counterattack. Blunting Custer's assault, he then pushed the Union troopers back. As Union forces withdrew, former sharpshooter Private John A. Huff of the 5th Michigan Cavalry fired his pistol at Stuart.
Hitting the Stuart in the side, the Confederate leader slumped in his saddle as his famous plumed hat fell to the ground. Taken to the rear, command on the field passed to Fitzhugh Lee. As the wounded Stuart departed the field, Lee attempted to restore order to the Confederate lines. Outnumbered and overpowered, he briefly held back Sheridan's men before retreating from the field. Taken to the Richmond home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Brewer, Stuart received a visit from President Jefferson Davis before slipping into a delirium and dying the next day. The loss of the flamboyant Stuart caused great sadness in the Confederacy and greatly pained Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Yellow Tavern - Aftermath: In the fighting at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Sheridan sustained 625 casualties while Confederate losses are estimate at around 175 as well as 300 captured. Having upheld his pledge to defeat Stuart, Sheridan continued south after the battle and reached the northern defenses of Richmond that evening. Assessing the weakness of the lines around the Confederate capital, he concluded that though he could probably take the city, he lacked the resources to hold it. Instead, Sheridan wheeled his command east and crossed the Chickahominy River before proceeding to unite with Major General Benjamin Butler's forces at Haxall's Landing. Resting and refitting for four days, the Union cavalry then rode north to rejoin the Army of the Potomac.
{{militaryhistory.about.com/od/CivilWarEast1864/fl/American-Civil-War-Battle-of-Yellow-Tavern.htm]}
Wednesday, May 11, 1864 The Battle of Spotsylvania: Preparations for Battle. The skies opened a drenching rain, soaking the two armies where they stood in the field. Tens of thousands endured the deluge while warily gazing across the deadly space between the opposing lines. Both sides now had an inkling that the war's character had suddenly changed. General Grant seemed willing to pay the human price to pursue the battering of the Southern army into submission.
No longer would the Union commander seek a lull between colossal battles. Along these lines, Grant would order Major General Hancock to shift his troops from the right to the left and prepare to assault the bulge in the Confederate line, the Mule Shoe Salient. Yet these simple words cannot relay the savagery and horror that would come beginning the morning of May 12. In massive numbers, Hancock's 2nd Corp men would charge the butternuts behind substantial, well-formed breastworks. Men would charge, stab, beat, pound, maim, and kill each other for hours on end. Dead would fall upon dead, laying a top the immobile, suffering wounded. Piles of men would writhe as the living desperately tried to extricate themselves from their ghastly human burial.
Major General Winfield S. Hancock, commanding the troops who would assault the Confederate lines, discussed their preparation. "The ground ascended sharply between our lines and the enemy's, and was thickly wooded, with the exception of a clearing about 400 yards in width extending up to the enemy's works in front of the Landrum house, curving to the right as it approached his position; a small water course ran parallel to and in front of our line. The troops were formed for the assault with the assistance of the information obtained from Lieutenant-Colonel Merriam, Sixteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, field officer of the day for Mott's division, who was somewhat familiar with the ground. They took position quietly and promptly, although it was an unusually dark and stormy night."
A dense fog allowed the men in blue to organize and form under a cloud of secrecy. Of this cloudy obstruction, CSA General John Brown Gordon would relay, "The fog was so dense that I could not ascertain the progress of the enemy, except by the sound of his musketry and the direction from which his balls came." General Hancock would add, "A heavy fog decided me to delay the order for the assault to commence for a short time, until we should have sufficient light. I therefore waited until 4.35 a. m., when the order was given to advance."
{[brotherswar.com/Spotsylvania-2.htm]}
Wednesday, May 11, 1864 --- Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia [May 8-21, 1864] Day 4: Light fighting ranges along the two armies’ line throughout this day. Gen. Lee suspects that Grant is planning another flanking maneuver---this time on Lee’s right---and so he withdraws his artillery from his left and from the Mule Shoe in the center, to send to the right. Grant does order Hancock to counter-march, but only as far as the center, to prepare for a grand assault on the Mule Shoe salient, this time with a whole corps, and Burnside applying pressure to the east side of the salient.
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Wednesday, May 11, 1864 --- Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, writes to Maj. Gen. Dix and reveals Grant’s state plan to keep the pressure on Lee: WAR DEPARTMENT, May 11, 1864-11.30 p. m.
Major-General DIX, New York: Dispatches from General Grant, dated at 8 o'clock this morning, have just reached this Department. He says: "We have now ended the sixth day of very heavy fighting. The result to this time is much in our favor. Our losses have been heavy as well as those of the enemy. I think the loss of the enemy must be greater. We have taken over 5,000 prisoners in battle, whilst he has taken from us but few, except stragglers. I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." The Government is sparing no pains to support him. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War
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D Thursday, May 11, 1865: Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens is arrested at Liberty Hall, his estate in Crawfordville, Georgia by members of the 4th Iowa Cavalry.
{[blueandgraytrail.com/year/186505]]
D+ Thursday, May 11, 1865: Confederate Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stephens was arrested at his home in Crawfordville, on May 11, 1865. He was imprisoned in Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, for five months until October 1865. In 1866, he was elected to the United States Senate by the first legislature convened under the new Georgia State Constitution, but was not allowed to take his seat because of restrictions on former Confederates.
In 1873, Stephens was elected US Representative as a Democrat from the 8th District to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Ambrose R. Wright. Stephens was subsequently re-elected to the 8th District as an Independent Democrat in 1874, 1876, and 1878, and as a Democrat again in 1880. He served in the 43rd through 47th Congresses, from December 1, 1873 until his resignation on November 4, 1882. On that date, he was elected and took office as Governor of Georgia. His tenure as governor proved brief; Stephens died on March 4, 1883, four months after taking office.
{[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_H._Stephens]}
American Civil War Ironclad warship CSS Virginia (salvaged USS Merrimack rebuilt) in RC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj6TjYsI5Yw

FYI CSM Charles Hayden SGT Tiffanie G. SGT Mary G.CPL Ronald Keyes Jr ]CPO William Glen (W.G.) Powell1stSgt Eugene Harless PO3 (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell LTC John Griscom SFC George Smith SPC Michael TerrellPO2 Tom Belcher PO1 John Johnson PO2 Marco Monsalve SN Greg Wright SPC Mike Bennett SFC Derrick Harris SSG Pete Fleming MSG (Join to see) CPT Lawrence Cable

Okay, I went with the capture of Alexander Stephens mainly because the Iowa connection but home is where the heart is? Civil War Fun Fact. Iowa had the highest percentage of troops in uniform in the Union Army. This included the 37th Iowa Volunteer Infantry 'The Graybeard Regiment'. The Unit of 914 men was assembled that December at Camp Strong near Muscatine, Iowa. The oldest man was 80-year-old Pvt. Curtis King. Six men were in their 70s, including 72-year-old drummer, Nicholas Ramey. Another 136 men were in their 60s. Nearly all of the members of the regiment were over 45! By war's end, more than 1,300 of the sons and grandsons of Graybeard members had enlisted following in Pa, or Grandpa's example.

Battle of Spotsylvania. Grant continues to whittle down the Army of Northern Virginia.