The Civil War Day By Day Sesquicentennial Thread

#651
#651
June 21 1862

—At New-Orleans, La., a large and enthusiastic Union meeting was held at Union Hall, in the Fourth district. The meeting was called to order by D. S. Dewees, Esq., who nominated Edwin White, Esq., as Chairman of the meeting. The following named gentlemen were appointed Vice-Presidents: Robert Watson, C. Auch, W. A. Bills, and Win. McDuff. L. M. Day, Esq., was appointed Secretary. Able and eloquent addresses were made by the President, Judge Hiestand, and D. S. Dewees, Esq. The meeting was characterized by great unanimity of feeling, and the addresses of the several gentlemen were received with universal demonstrations of appreciation. In the evening a festival took place at the Planter’s Hotel, the patriotic hostess of which is Madame De Bare. A grand Union ball was given, which was numerously attended.
—A series of skirmishes took place between a force of Union troops, under the command of Col. Sill, and a considerable body of rebel infantry and artillery, at the mouth of Battle Creek, Tennessee.—(Doc. 138.)
—Colonel Charles Ellett, commander of the ram squadron of the United States, on the Mississippi River, died at Cairo, Ill., while on his way to New-Albany, Ind.—The Seventh, Twenty-second, Thirty-seventh, and Forty-seventh regiments New-York State militia were mustered into the service of the United States Government for three months.
—A Fight took place near Fair Oaks, Va., between the pickets of the Union army, supported by a redoubt, and a large attacking force of rebels, in which the rebels were repulsed with great loss in killed and wounded. The Unionists lost two killed and seven wounded.
—General Butler, commanding Department of the Gulf, issued the following order at New Orleans:
“Any vessel attempting to leave this port and take away any person of color who did not come here on board of her, and has not a pass from these headquarters, will be liable to confiscation, and her master punished by imprisonment.
“No vessel shall so leave the port until the master shall take an oath that he has not any such person on board, and will not allow any such to come on board.”
—The rebels kept up a continuous shower of shells along the lines of the Union army before Richmond. They opened upon Gen. Hooker’s advance, but did no damage. Gen. Hooker replied from his batteries, by throwing heavy shells among their artillerymen, which caused them to retire.
—A reconnoissance was made by Captain Keenan, with two companies of the Pennsylvania cavalry, to the James River, Va. He successfully passed the rebel pickets and communicated with the Union gunboat Galena.
—An engagement took place at Simon’s Bluff, Wadmelaw Sound, S. C, between the United States gunboats Crusader and Planter, and a body of rebels stationed at that place.—(Doc. 139.)
 
#652
#652
June 22 1862

—Yesterday thirty Sisters of Charity arrived at Fortress Monroe, and to-day left for White-House Point, Va., for the purpose of ministering to the sick and wounded soldiers of the army of the Potomac.
—A detachment of the Sixth Illinois cavalry made a descent on a squadron of rebel cavalry guarding a train near Coldwater station, on the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad, and captured twenty-five prisoners and about twenty thousand pounds of bacon which was on the train. They then destroyed the bridges on the road, rendering it impassable.
A party of the Eighth Vermont regiment, stationed at Algiers, near New-Orleans, La., took an engine and a car and went out a short distance on the Opelousas Railroad on a reconnoissance. They had proceeded but a few miles when they were fired upon by a party of guerrillas, and had three men killed and eight wounded.
 
#653
#653
June 24 1862

—-Earl Van Dorn, rebel General, at Jackson, Miss., issued an order assuming the command over the “Department of Louisiana,” and recommending “that all persons living within eight miles of the Mississippi River remove their families and servants to the interior, as it was the intention to defend the Department to the last extremity.”
—President Lincoln visited West-Point, New York.—Captain Jocknick of the Third New-York cavalry, made a successful reconnoissance from Washington, N. C, to Tranter’s Creek.—(Doc. 140.)
— Major-General J. C. Hindman, of the rebel army issued a proclamation to the people of Arkansas, calling upon them to assist him in preventing General Curtis from joining the Union fleet on the Mississippi.
 
#654
#654
June 25 1862

—The division of the army of the Potomac under command of General Hooker, this day advanced in the vicinity of the Chickahominy River, with a view of occupying a new position. The advance was resisted with great determination by the rebels. They fought for seven hours, when they retreated with great loss, leaving the Unionists in the position desired. The loss of the Union army was about two hundred in killed and wounded. This battle was the first of a series of conflicts, lasting over seven days, and resulting in the retreat of the Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major-General McClellan, to the James River, under the protection of the fleet of Union gunboats.—(Docs. 77 and 78.)
—Yesterday the United States steamer Monticello, Lieut. Commanding D. L. Braine, picked up at sea, in an open boat, eight contrabands from Little River Inlet, South-Carolina, from whom information was obtained that two schooners were preparing to run the blockade, laden with cotton and turpentine, and that the cargo was already in the warehouse, near the wharf, ready for shipment. This evening Captain Glisson ordered an expedition to be fitted out, to consist of an armed boat from each vessel, and ordered Lieutenant Braine, of the Monticello, to proceed to the Inlet with the boats and send the expedition in.
The duty was ably performed by Lieutenants Braine and Bunce, with the officers and men under them, the reports of whom show that the town was entirely deserted. The schooners were found at the wharf, and were not considered worth the trouble of bringing away. They found at the wharf and in warehouses two hundred barrels of turpentine, sixty bales of cotton, and fifty-three barrels rosin, the whole of which was destroyed by fire.—Capt. Glisson’s report. .
— General Butler ordered, that “all the property in New-Orleans belonging to General D. E. Twiggs, and of his minor son, the income of which he has received, and under the charge of his agent, H. W. Palfrey, Esq., consisting of real estate, bonds, notes of hand, treasury notes of the United States, slaves, household furniture, etc., is hereby sequestered, to be held to await the action of the United States Government.”
— The Union ram fleet arrived off Vicksburgh, Miss., yesterday, and to-day communicated with Commodore Farragut, commanding fleet of gunboats.
— A large body of rebel cavalry under Jackson, this day visited a number of plantations in the vicinity of Memphis, Tenn., on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, burning great quantities of cotton and arresting all persons found purchasing that staple. — Memphis Avalanche, June 27.
—A Union force, under the command of Gen. Williams, consisting of four regiments of infantry and nearly two batteries of artillery, left Baton Rouge, La., on the twentieth, and arrived at Vicksburgh, Miss., this day.—(Doc. 142.)
— A train of cars on the Memphis and Ohio Railroad, laden with a company of Union troops, eighty mule-teams with provender, etc., was this day captured by a large force of rebel cavalry, in the vicinity of Germantown, Tennessee. The rebels destroyed the locomotive, burned the cars, and killed ten men.
 
#655
#655
June 26 1862

—West H. Humphreys, convicted of having acted as a Judge under the rebel government, was impeached by the Senate of the United States, and sentenced to be removed from his office, and to be forever disqualified from holding any office of profit or honor under the government of the United States.
— The Union mortar-fleet on the Mississippi, under the command of Commodore Porter, commenced to shell the rebel batteries before Vicksburgh. The bombardment lasted for three hours without any result. ,
— The National forces under Majors-General Fremont, Banks, and McDowell were consolidated into one army, called the army of Virginia, and Major-General Pope was assigned by the President to the chief command. The forces under General Fremont constituted the First army corps, to be commanded by General Fremont. The forces under General Banks constituted the Second army corps, to be commanded by him. The forces under Gen. McDowell constituted the Third army corps, to be commanded by him.
—Lieutenant-colonel Alfred W. Ellet, commanding Union ram-flotilla on the Mississippi, went up the Yazoo River with two rams, for the purpose of capturing three rebel gunboats. On his approach the rebels set fire to their boats and started them down on him, compelling him to leave the river to escape the destruction of his vessels. The rebel vessels were entirely consumed.—Lieut.-Colonel Ellet’s Report.
— Nine vessels of the gunboat fleet, under command of Captain Rodgers, entered the Appomattox River, Va., and when about six miles from its mouth, were attacked by the rebels. The squadron opened fire in return, and after shelling him for an hour, the enemy retired. The object of the expedition was to discover the condition of the river, and was entirely successful.
It was ascertained that the rebels had blocked it up, about seven miles from its mouth, with sunken vessels laden with stone, etc. — New Haven Palladium.
— The rebel schooner Zaide, while attempting to run the blockade, was run ashore in the mouth of Cape Fear River, by the blockading fleet off Wilmington, N. C, and burned.
—The battle of Mechanicsville, Va., was fought this day. It commenced at noon and lasted until dark. The Unionists opened with artillery at long-range, but the rebels finding themselves weak in this arm, came into close conflict. The fight increased in fury as it progressed, and it finally became one of the most terrific combats of the war. After losing more than a thousand men, the rebels retreated.—(Doc. 78.)
 
#656
#656
June 27 1862

—The work of cutting off Vicksburgh from the Mississippi River, by means of a canal, was this day commenced, under the supervision of General Williams of the Union army.—(Doc. 142.)
—To-day the bombardment of Vicksburgh, by the Union fleet, was renewed.
—The London Herald of this day in an article on the aspect of affairs in America, declared the Union “a nuisance among nations.”
—A skirmish took place at Williams’s bridge, on the Amite River, La., between a small force of Union troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Keith, Twenty-first Indiana volunteers, and a body of rebels, resulting in the utter rout of the latter. On returning to Baton Rouge, on the same day, and when within a mile or two of that place, Colonel Keith encountered another band of rebels, and after a sharp fight defeated them.—(Doc. 83.)
—Major-General John C. Fremont having requested to be relieved from the command of the First army corps of the Army of Virginia, because, as he says, the position assigned him by the appointment of Major-Gen. Pope as Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Virginia is subordinate and inferior to those heretofore held by him, and to remain in the subordinate command now assigned would, as he says, largely reduce his rank and consideration in the service. It is ordered that Major-General John C. Fremont be relieved from command. Second, That Brigadier-General Rufus King be and he is hereby assigned to the command of the First army corps of the Army of Virginia, in place of General Fremont, relieved. —Secretary Stanton’s Order.
—The British steamer Modern Greece, laden with arms and other munitions of war, ran aground three quarters of a mile east of Fort Fisher, N. C. The blockading fleet fired on her with a view of destroying her, but the fort opened fire on them, when they retired. — Mobile Evening News, June 30.
—A small skirmish occurred at Swift Creek bridge, N. C, between a body of Union troops and marine artillery under the command of Col. Howard, and a force of the rebels, which resulted in the complete rout of the latter.
—G. F. Shepley, Military Commandant of New Orleans, by order and approval of Gen. Butler, suspended the municipal government of that city, until such time as there should be a sufficient number of the citizens of New-Orleans loyal to their country and their Constitution to entitle them to resume the right of self-governmen.t In the mean time he appointed two bodies to perform the duties of Aldermen and Assistant-Aldermen; the one to be known as the “Bureau of Finances,” and the other the “Bureau of Streets and Landings,” while he, the Military Commandant, would act in the capacity of Mayor.
—The battle of Gaines’s Mills, Va., one of the “seven days’ contests,” was fought this day.— White-House, Va., was evacuated by the Union forces under General McClellan.—(Doc. 78.)
— A Severe fight took place near Village Creek, Arkansas, between two battalions of the Ninth Illinois cavalry, commanded by Colonel Albert G. Brackett, and a considerable body of rebel troops. The rebels had chosen a position of great strength, and Colonel Brackett, although repeatedly making the attempt, found it impossible to dislodge them. He fought them until dark, when he withdrew his men, having two killed and thirty-one wounded.—(Doc. 141.)
 
#657
#657
June 28 1862

—A small party of Union troops under the command of Lieutenant Glenn, was this day attacked by a body of Indians near Rocky Ridge, Utah. Two white men and one Indian were killed.—The rebel General Hindman burned the railroad bridge at Madison, Arkansas, fearing that General Curtis would pass that way to the Mississippi.
—Five clergymen, who refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Government of the United States, were this day imprisoned in Nashville, Tenn., by order of Andrew Johnson, Governor of the State.
—The battle of the Chickahominy, Va., took place this day.—(Doc. 78.)
—Flag-officer D. G. Farragut reported to the Secretary of the Navy that the Union fleet passed up above Vicksburgh, silencing the shore batteries while passing, and that he had communicated with Gen. Halleck and Commodore Davis. —Official Despatch.—(Doc. 143.)
 
#658
#658
June 29 1862

—The British steamer Ann was cut out from under the guns of Fort Morgan, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, by the United States steamer Kanawha. She ran in during the night, passed the blockading fleet, and as it was very dark, she could not be seen by the vessels.
Lights had been kept burning on the fort ah night, so that she had no trouble in finding the channel. This morning she was discovered by the Susquehanna, within a half-mile of the fort, unloading her cargo into a rebel steamer alongside. The Susquehanna, accompanied by the Kanawha, then got under weigh, and steamed within gunshot and opened fire, which was returned by the fort, and kept up for an hour on both sides. In the mean time the crew deserted the steamer. She was soon discovered to be adrift, and dropped down with the current about a mile, when the Kanawha was ordered to go in and bring her out, which she did under a heavy fire from the fort.
—The battles of Peach Orchard and Savage’s Station, Va., were fought this day.—(Doc. 78 and Supplement.)
—A fight took place at Henderson, Ky., between a company of the Louisville Provost-Guard, supported by a detachment of Captain Andrew’s Michigan battery, and a force of rebel guerrillas, which resulted in the complete rout of the latter.
—Moorefield, Va., was this day captured by a body of Ashby’s cavalry, eighty-six in number, under the command of Colonel Harris. A large company of the Maryland Home Guard occupied the place at the time, but they made no defence, having been informed that the rebel force was four thousand strong. They were taken prisoners, and were released next day.
—General Halleck, at Corinth, Miss., issued an order authorizing the protection of the mail service in his department.—The bombardment of Vicksburgh was continued to-day. The firing commenced at noon, and, with the exception of an intermission of an hour, did not cease until about twelve o’clock at night.
 
#659
#659
June 30 1862

—C. C. Fulton, one of the proprietors and editors of the Baltimore American, was committed to Fort McHenry by order of the Secretary of War.
—Lord Brougham made a speech in the House of Lords concerning the civil war in the United States. His lordship was informed that horrible cruelties and crimes were committed on both sides; he deprecated these barbarities, but he threw no imputation on the character of the American people, for it was incident to and inseparable from civil war that horrible crimes should occur. He thought that neither England nor France should interfere. But all must have felt equally anxious that the conflict should cease. Those who were most friendly to America were the most anxious that this should take place, and he had ever been most friendly to her. If war was to go on, it would produce a state of things worse than American slavery. The whites would suffer more by the war than ever the negroes suffered under the most cruel masters. It was his lordship’s opinion that the war was creating more mischief and misery, and would lay the foundation of more lasting animosity and injury than all that had been said against what was called the “domestic institution.” If the Americans would only listen to their true friends, they would see the absolute necessity, if they regarded the continuance of their reputation in Great Britain, and the affection entertained for them there, of putting a speedy end to the civil war. This was what the truest and staunchest friends of America most ardently desired.
—General Crawford, with a portion of his brigade and a cavalry force under Col. Tompkins, made a reconnoissance in force up the Valley of the Shenandoah, and entered Luray, Va., this morning, driving out the rebel picket-guard, and capturing one of them. Four companies of rebel cavalry which occupied the town fled on his approach. They were pursued a mile out on the New-Market road, when a skirmish ensued, the cavalry charging the rebels, wounding several of them, and capturing four prisoners. The Union loss was one killed and three wounded. The object of the reconnoissance was fully accomplished. —The bombardment of Vicksburgh was reopened to-day at two P.M., and continued all night.
—General Butler, at New-Orleans, issued the following order: John W. Andrews exhibited a cross, the emblem of the sufferings of our blessed Saviour, fashioned for a personal ornament, which he said was made from the bones of a Yankee soldier, and having shown this, too, without rebuke, in the Louisiana Club, which claims to be composed of chivalric gentlemen:
It is therefore ordered, that for this desecration of the dead, he be confined at hard labor for two years on the fortifications at Ship Island, and that he be allowed no verbal or written communication to or with any one except through these headquarters.—Special Order, No. 152.
—A Turnpike bridge between Harrodsburgh and Ferryville, and another between Nicholasville and Pekin, Ky., were burned, supposed by rebel guerrillas.—Louisville Journal, July 1.
—The United States gunboat Sagamore made an attack upon the town of Tampa, Fla. After firing sixty or seventy shells, she succeeded in silencing the battery on shore, but finding it impossible to get near enough to the town to protect the boats that intended to land, she was obliged to retire without effecting the object for which she went.
—Fidel Keller and Mrs. Philip Phillips, of New-Orleans, were arrested by order of Major General Butler, and sent to Ship Island. The first for “exhibiting a human skeleton, labelled ‘Chickahominy,’ in his bookstore window,” and the latter for laughing and mocking at the remains of Lieut. De Kay, during the passage of his funeral procession before her residence.
—The battles of Glendale or White Oak Swamp, and Charles City Cross-Roads, Va., were fought this day.—(Doc. 78 and Supplement.)
 
#660
#660
July 1 1862

—At New-York City a meeting was held this evening at the Cooper Institute, in response to a call addressed to “those who desired the Union as it was, and the Constitution as it is.” Speeches were made by Mr. Wickliffe of Kentucky, Wm. A. Duer, James Brooks, and Fernando Wood.
—The battle of Malvern Hill, Va., the last of the “seven days’ contests” during the retreat of General McClellan, was fought this day. The National troops were successful, repulsing the rebels at every point.—(Doc. 78 and Supplement.)
—A battle was fought at Booneville, Miss., by a body of Union troops under Colonel Sheridan, of the Second Michigan cavalry, and a force of the rebels consisting of parts of eight regiments, numbering in all about four thousand seven hundred men. After seven hours’ hard fighting, Colonel Sheridan succeeded in defeating the rebels with great loss. They left sixty-five dead on the field. The loss on the Union side was forty-one killed, wounded, and missing.
—President Lincoln, in reply to seventeen Governors of loyal States, who signed an address requesting him to call on the people of their respective States for more men for the Union army then in the field, informed them that he had decided “to call into the service an additional force of three hundred thousand men.”—(Doc. 143.)
— C. C. Fulton was this day unconditionally released from Fort McHenry.
— A skirmish occurred near Morning Sun, Tenn., between the guard of a Union wagon-train of Gen. Sherman’s command, and a body of rebel cavalry, resulting in the retreat of the rebels, with a loss of several killed and wounded.
—A fight took place between the Union ram fleet, under Commodore Porter, and the forts and land batteries at Vicksburgh, Miss. The fleet dismounted one gun in the water-battery, and another—”a big rifled piece” — in one of the forts. The rebels attempted to erect defences and drive off the fleet, but as often as they made the attempt they were driven off.—(Doc. 144.)
—Gen. Butler sent to President Lincoln, from New-Orleans, three swords, formerly belonging to the rebel General Twiggs, accompanied by a letter giving the history of their seizure, and suggestions as to their disposal.
— The President, in accordance with the act for the collection of direct taxes in the insurrectionary districts within the United States, issued a proclamation declaring in what States and parts of States insurrection existed.—(Doc. 90.)
 
#661
#661
sorry, forgot to post this yesterday


July 1862

1-Boonville, MS
U.S.A.- 45 Killed, 65 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Morning Sun, TN
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 4 Wounded
C.S.A.- 11 Killed, 26 Wounded
3-Haxals, VA -or-
Elvington Heights, VA
U.S.A.- 8 Killed, 32 Wounded
C.S.A.- 29 Killed, 71 Wounded
6-Grand Prairie, AR -or-
Aberdeen, AR
U.S.A.- 1 Killed, 21 Wounded
C.S.A.- 24 Killed, 42 Wounded
7-Bayou Cache, LA -or-
Hill's Plantation, LA
U.S.A.- 7 Killed, 57 Wounded
C.S.A.- 110 Killed, 200 Wounded
8-Black River, MO
U.S.A.- 1 Killed, 3 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
9-Hamilton, NC -NAVAL-
U.S.A.- 1 Killed, 3 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Aberdeen, AR
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 1 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Tompkinsville, KY
U.S.A.- 4 Killed, 6 Wounded
C.S.A.- 3 Killed, 7 Wounded
11-Williamsburg, VA
U.S.A.- No Reprted Casualties
C.S.A.- 3 Killed, 0 Wounded
Pleasant Hill, VA
U.S.A.- 10 Killed, 19 Wounded
C.S.A.- 6 Killed, 5 Wounded
12-Lebanon, KY
U.S.A.- 2 Killed, 0 Wounded
65 Missing or Captured
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Culpepper, VA
U.S.A.- No Reported Casualties
C.S.A.- 1 Killed, 5 Wounded
13-Murfreesboro, TN
U.S.A.- 33 Killed, 62 Wounded
800 Missing or Captured
C.S.A.- 50 Killed, 100 Wounded
14-Batesville, AR
U.S.A.- 1 Killed, 4 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
15-Memphis, TN -NAVAL-
U.S.A.- 13 Killed, 35 Wounded
C.S.A.- 5 Killed, 9 Wounded
Apache Pass, AZ
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 1 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Fayetteville, AR
U.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
C.S.A.- 150 Missing or Captured
Decatur, TN
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 4 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
17-Cynthiana, KY
U.S.A.- 17 Killed, 34 Wounded
C.S.A.- 8 Killed, 29 Wounded
18-Memphis, MO
U.S.A.- 13 Killed, 35 Wounded
C.S.A.- 23 Killed, 0 Wounded
20-Guerilla Campaign in MO
to U.S.A.- 77 Killed, 156 Wounded
4/20- 347 Missing or Captured
C.S.A.- 506 Killed,1800 Wounded
560 Missing or Captured
23-Florida, MO
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 22 Wounded
C.S.A.- 3 Killed, 0 Wounded
Columbus, MO
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 2 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
24-Trinity, AL
U.S.A.- 2 Killed, 11 Wounded
C.S.A.- 12 Killed, 30 Wounded
Florida, MO
U.S.A.- 1 Killed, 2 Wounded
C.S.A.- 1 Killed, 12 Wounded
25-Santa Fe, MO
U.S.A.- 2 Killed, 13 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Courtland Bridge, MO
U.S.A.- 100 Missing or Captured
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
26-Mountain Store, MO -or-
Big Piney, MO
U.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
C.S.A.- 5 Killed, 0 Wounded
26-Young's Cross Roads, NC
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 7 Wounded
C.S.A.- 4 Killed, 13 Wounded
Grennville, MO
U.S.A.- 2 Killed, 5 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
28-Moore's Mills, MO
U.S.A.- 19 Killed, 21 Wounded
C.S.A.- 30 Killed, 100 Wounded
29-Bollinger's Mills, MO
U.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
C.S.A.- 10 Killed, 0 Wounded
Russelville, KY
U.S.A.- 0 Killed, 1 Wounded
C.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
Brownsville, TN
U.S.A.- 4 Killed, 6 Wounded
C.S.A.- 4 Killed, 6 Wounded
30-Paris, KY
U.S.A.- Casualties Not Reported
C.S.A.- 27 Killed, 39 Wounded
31-Coggins Point, VA -NAVAL-
U.S.A.- 10 Killed, 15 Wounded
C.S.A.- 1 Killed, 6 Wounded
 
#662
#662
July 2 1862

—The army of the Potomac, under the command of General McClellan, in their retreat from before Richmond, this day reached Harrison’s Bar, on the James River, Va.—President Lincoln approved and signed the Pacific Railroad and internal tax bills.
—A Scouting party of Union troops proceeded from Catlett’s Station to Warrenton, Va., and on reaching that place found it occupied by five hundred rebel cavalry.
—Governor Morgan, of New-York, issued a proclamation calling upon the citizens of the State for their quota of troops, to serve for three years or during the war, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men.—At Clarendon, Ark., a party of Texas cavalry succeeded in capturing three men and six horses belonging to the National force near that place.
 
#663
#663
July 3 1862

—The news of the retreat of the Union army under the command of General McClellan, from before Richmond to the James River, caused great excitement throughout the North. The details of the repulse fell upon the community with disheartening effect, and produced such a shock as had not been felt since the commencement of the war. Crowds of excited people were everywhere to be seen discussing the matter, and all sorts of inferences and conclusions were drawn therefrom.
—The brig Delilah was captured off the Hole in the Wall, Abaco, by the United States steamer Quaker City.
—Governors Tod, of Ohio, and Buckingham, of Connecticut, issued proclamations calling upon the citizens of their States for their quota of troops, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men.
—The bombardment of Vicksburgh was continued at short intervals all day. The rebels made an attempt to capture the mortar vessels, which lay at the levee within rifle-shot of the rebel pickets, but without success.
—A skirmish occurred between a brigade of the Union army of the Potomac, on the James River, Va., under the command of Gen. Davidson, and a force of rebels, resulting in the rout of the latter, the Unionists capturing six guns and a number of prisoners.
 
#664
#664
July 4 1862

—The American flag waved in every State of the Union. Since she rebelled, Texas had not been visited by the emblem of freedom, but to-day a party of men from the steamer Rhode Island landed at Galveston and raised the old flag. They were subsequently driven off, but they had accomplished their purpose.
—The anniversary of American independence was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Northern States. It was not celebrated as usual in Paris, France. There was a meeting of loyal Americans in London, England, but the proceedings were not reported. The London Times, in an editorial, satirized the anniversary, and published a mock “oration” for Americans. At Frankfort-on-the-Main, the day was celebrated in a very appropriate manner at the Forst Haus, aoout two miles from Frankfort, in a beautiful forest.
Consul General Murphy, the President of the day, opened the proceedings with some remarks, after which the Declaration of Independence was read in English by Dr. S. Townsend Brown, of Philadelphia, and afterwards in German by Aug. Glaser. Gen. B. A. Hill, of St. Louis, made some very striking remarks on the causes of the civil war in America, which he said could all be charged to slavery, which was the real cause. He said a great fight was going on to maintain the Union and constitutional liberty, and the God of battles would give the victory to the army of freedom, right, and justice. Being an intimate friend of Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War of the United States, he gave some interesting facts about the army.
After the oration the party, at half-past two o’clock, sat down to a dinner, prepared by the host of the Forst Haus, in the large hall in the grove. The room was elegantly decorated with evergreens and flowers, and a large portrait of Gen. Washington, painted expressly for the occasion. The flags of England, America, and the city of Frankfort waved side by side.
To the toast of “The Union, one and inseparable,” Gen. Hill responded in good style; and to the toast of “The Queen of England,” one of the thirteen regular toasts, Sir Alexander Malet, the representative of her Britannic Majesty, responded. He said there was no cause for ill-feeling between England and America. There was no reason for jealousy. England was proud of her children in America—a people with whom they were associated largely in business, and connected in language and consanguinity. Mother England was as proud of an Irving and a Cooper as were the people of the United States; and he knew America must reverence a country from whom they derived their notions of civil and religious liberty. The good feeling and the attention shown the Prince of Wales on his journey through America would long be remembered and appreciated by the English. His speech elicited much applause.
The English Consul was also at the dinner, as well as Consul Stote, of Manheim, and Mr. Strauss, Consul for the Argentine Republic. The Rev. Dr. McClintock, of Paris, spoke to the toast of “The Clergy.” About one hundred persons sat down to dinner, and there was generally a very pleasant time. To the toast of “The President,” the band, by mistake, played “God Save the Queen,” which made considerable fun at the table. Not understanding English very well was probably the cause of this little mistake. Unfortunately for the London Times and its celebrated prophecy of what would be the manner of the celebration, it happened to be in a very different style. No abuse of England took place in the replies to the toasts. The day was very pleasant, and was the first for the past four weeks that had been fine. The party broke up about six P.M.—London News, July 12.
—General McClellan issued an address to the “Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac,” recapitulating the events through which they had passed during the preceding ten days, and declaring that they should yet enter “the capital of the so-called Confederacy.”—(Doc. 79.)
—A small body of Union troops under command of Lieut.-Col. “Wood, while reconnoitring in the vicinity of the Little Red River, Ark., shelled a rebel camp, putting the rebels to flight, and captured a large quantity of provisions and stores.
—General McClellan, commanding the army of the Potomac, issued an order directing that the day should be celebrated in the army by firing a National salute at noon at the headquarters of each army corps; and that immediately thereafter the bands were to play appropriate National airs.—In the afternoon Gen. McClellan paraded the troops, and made them a few hopeful and encouraging remarks, thanking the men in feeling terms for their uniform bravery, fortitude, and good conduct.
—A large and enthusiastic meeting of the citizens of Springfield, Mass., was held for the purpose of devising means to meet President Lincoln’s call for more troops. Patriotic resolutions were unanimously passed, and speeches were made by Mayor Bemis, George Ashmun, Gen. Devens, M. K. Kum of Missouri, George Walker, Judge Chapman, and others.
—The bombardment of the rebel fortifications at Vicksburgh, by the Union mortar-fleet, was continued during the whole of this day, ceasing at ten o’clock at night.—At Port Royal Ferry, S. C, a skirmish took place between a party of National pickets and a body of rebels, resulting in the defeat of the latter.
—Governors Bradford, of Maryland, and Curtin, of Pennsylvania, issued proclamations calling upon the citizens of their States for their quota of troops, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men.
—The British schooner Richard O’Brien, laden with medicines and a general cargo, from Jamaica, and bound for Matamoras, Texas, was this day run ashore near San Luis Pass, and captured by the United States steamer Rhode Island, under the command of Captain S. D. Trenchard.
—A skirmish took place near Grand Haze, on the White River, Ark., between a body of rebel guerrillas and the Thirteenth Illinois regiment of Gen. Curtis’s army.—The rebel gunboat Teazer was this day captured in a bend of the James River, Va., by the United States steamer Maratanza.—(Doc. 146.)
 
#665
#665
July 5 1862

—C. M. Irvin, in behalf of the citizens of Lee County, Va., informed the rebel Secretary of War that Gen. Mercer, of the rebel army, had issued an order impressing twenty percent of the male slaves throughout the State, and inquired if he was authorized so to do by the War Department. In reply to Mr. Irvin, the rebel Secretary of War informed him that Gen. Mercer had not communicated with his department in reference to impressment of slaves, nor had any authority to make such impressment been granted.
—Gen. Thompson, of the rebel army, issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Panola and De Soto Counties, Miss., calling upon them to do the “watching and picketing duty which their knowledge of the country peculiarly fitted them for.”— (Doc. 85.)
—The bombardment of Vicksburgh was reopened at about eight o’clock on the evening of this day. The Union fleet of gunboats and mortar-vessels threw shot and shell into the city for an hour.
—The Governors of Indiana, Illinois, Vermont, and Rhode Island issued proclamations calling upon the citizens of those States for their quotas of troops, under the call of President Lincoln for three hundred thousand men.
 
#666
#666
July 6 1862

—The steamer Juniata, while aground about four miles from Harrison’s Landing, on the James River, was fired into by the rebels, from the opposite shore, and one man wounded.
—A fight took place at Grand Prairie, near Aberdeen, Ark., between a body of Union infantry, under the command of Col. Spicely, and a superior force of rebel cavalry, resulting in the rout of the rebels with great loss.—(Doc. 146.)
 
#667
#667
July 7 1862

—The steamer Emilie, formerly the Wm. Seabrook, of Charleston, S. C, was captured off Bull’s Bay, S. C, by the United States steamer Flag and the bark Restless.—At New Orleans, La., the system of distributions and sales of provisions to the poor of that city went into operation.—The Anglo-rebel steamer Adela was captured off Abaco, by the National gunboat Quaker City.—Official Reports.
—The Common Council of Buffalo, N. Y., appropriated eighty thousand dollars for the purpose of raising a new regiment, giving seventy-five dollars bounty for each recruit.—Gen. Burnside’s army arrived in the James River, Va.
—The battle of the Cache, Ark., was fought this day by the National forces, under Col. C. E. Hovey, and over two thousand rebel troops, commanded by Albert Rust, resulting in the defeat and rout of the latter with a severe loss.—(Doc. 82.)
 
#669
#669
July 8 1862

—A large and enthusiastic meeting was held in New-Haven, Ct, in response to the call of President Lincoln for volunteers. Speeches were made by Senator Dixon, Governor Buckingham, Rev. Dr. Bacon, A. P. Hyde, T. H. Bond, Rev. Dr. Nadal, G. F. Trumbull, C. Chapman, Capt. Hunt, and others. Commodore Andrew H. Foote presided over the meeting.
—Gen. Shepley, Military Commandant of New Orleans, this day issued an order extending the time in which those who had been in the “military service of the confederate States” could take the parole to the tenth instant.—Gen. Butler issued an order authorizing several regiments of volunteers for the United States army to be recruited, and organized in the State of Louisiana.
—A reconnoissance by the First Maine cavalry was this day made as far as Waterloo, on the Rappahannock River, Va.—A band of rebel guerrillas visited the residence of a Unionist named Pratt, in Lewis County, Mo., and murdered him.
—John Ross, principal Chief of the Cherokee Indians, addressed a letter to Colonel Weer, commanding United States forces at Leavenworth, Kansas, informing him that on the seventh day of October, 1861, the Cherokee Nation had entered into a treaty with “the confederate States.” —(Doc. 147.)
—President Lincoln arrived at Harrison’s Landing, on the James River, Va., and, accompanied by Gen. McClellan, reviewed the army of the Potomac.—Governors Salomon of Wisconsin, and Olden of New-Jersey, issued proclamations calling upon the citizens of their States for their quota of troops, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men.
—The letters from Gen. McClellan to the War Department, concerning the occupation of Gen. Lee’s residence at White House, Va., were this day laid before Congress.—The removal of Secretary Stanton from the War Department was suggested in various portions of the country.
 
#670
#670
July 9 1862

—The National transport steamer Canonicus was fired into by the rebels, a few miles below Harrison’s Landing, on the James River, Va. —In the New-Hampshire Legislature resolutions were unanimously passed, pledging the State to furnish her full quota of soldiers under the call of President Lincoln.
—Public meetings were held in England, praying the government to use its influence to bring about a reconciliation between the Northern and Southern States of America, as it was from America alone that an immediate supply of cotton could be expected; and if need there should be, that the British government should not hesitate to acknowledge the independence of the Southern States.
—A fight occurred near Tompkinsville, Ky., between a body of one thousand five hundred guerrillas, under Morgan, and the Third battalion of Pennsylvania cavalry, numbering about two hundred and fifty men, under the command of Major Jordan, in which the Nationals were routed, with a loss of four killed, six wounded, and nineteen taken prisoners.
—Hamilton, N. C, was occupied by the National forces under the command of Capt. Hammel, of Hawkins’s N. Y. Zouaves.—(Doc. 148.)
 
#671
#671
July 10 1862

—A meeting was held in Huttonville, Randolph County, Va., at which the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That we, as citizens, are willing to live under the Federal Government and its laws, and that we will give any information to the Federal commanders in relation to the operation of certain bands of men known as Guerrillas or Mountain Rangers.
—At New-Orleans John H. Larue, “being by his own confession a vagrant,” was committed to the parish prison, and “Anna Larue, his wife, having been found in the public streets wearing a confederate flag upon her person, in order to incite riot, “was sent to Ship Island, by the command of Gen. Butler.—Special Order, No. 179.
—The Provost-Marshal of Memphis, Tennessee, issued an order requiring all persons connected with the rebel army or government to leave the city with their families within five days.—A company of guerrillas, ninety in number, engaged in drilling in a field between Gallatin and Hartsville, Tenn., were captured by a body of Nationals belonging to Col. Boone’s regiment and carried into Nashville.—Nashville Union, July 12.
—John Morgan, the rebel guerrilla leader, issued an appeal to the citizens of Kentucky, calling upon them to “rise and arm, and drive the Hessian invaders from their soil.”—A fight took place two miles south of Scatterville, Ark., between a detachment of the First Wisconsin cavalry and a rebel force of ninety men under Capt Allen.
—General Saxton, at Beaufort, S. C, reported to the War Department as follows:
“I have the honor to report that every thing pertaining to the special service for which I am sent to this department is in a favorable condition. The negroes are working industriously. We have some fifteen thousand acres of corn and cotton under cultivation. It looks well. The system of voluntary labor works admirably. The people are contented and happy. When the new crop is harvested they will cease to be a burden upon the Government.
“By adopting a judicious system of reward for labor, almost any amount can be obtained. Its proceeds will pay the expense.”
—The gunboat Monongahela was this day launched at Philadelphia, Pa. — Enthusiastic meetings were held at Lockport, N. Y., and Hartford, Ct, for the purpose of devising means to meet the call of President Lincoln for three hundred thousand additional troops.
 
#672
#672
July 11 1862

—A skirmish took place at Williamsburgh, Virginia, between the National and rebel pickets, in which the latter were defeated with a loss of three killed and seven taken prisoners.
—Governor Yates, of Illinois, published a letter to the President of the United States, urging the employment of all available means to crush the rebellion.—At New-Orleans, La., all acts of sale by auctioneers who had not taken the oath of allegiance to the United States were declared null and void by the Military Commandant, Gen. Shepley.
—A skirmish occurred near Pleasant Hill, Mo., between a company of State militia and a band of rebel guerrillas, resulting in a rout of the rebels, with a loss of six killed and five mortally wounded.
—A despatch from Gen. McClellan, at Harrison’s Landing, on the James River, of this date, said:
“All quiet. We are rested. Enemy has retreated.”
—By order of President Lincoln, Major-General Henry W. Halleck was this day assigned to the command of the whole land forces of the United States, as General-in-Chief.
—The rebel Gen. Ruggles refused to grant the petition of the inhabitants of Saint Tammany Parish, La., to permit them to exchange their wood, bricks, lumber, etc., for food, with the citizens of New-Orleans.—A skirmish took place near New-Hope, Ky., between a body of Union troops, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Moore, and a force of rebel guerrilla cavalry, resulting in the complete rout of the rebels.
 
#673
#673
July 12 1862

—The Senate of the United States adopted the Confiscation Bill as it passed in the House of Representatives yesterday, by a vote of twenty-seven to thirteen.—The advance of Gen. Curtis’s army under General Washburn reached Helena, Ark., at nine o’clock this morning, having left Clarendon, on the White River, yesterday, at six A.M., and made a forced march of sixty-five miles in a day and a night.
Gen. Curtis left Batesville on the twenty-fourth ult. with twenty days’ rations, and after a halt of five days at Jacksonport, to concentrate the forces on his outposts, he took up his line of march, and his entire command are now en route for Helena.
From eight to twelve hundred rebels, under Matlock, who were on his front, fired on forage trains from canebrakes, and barricaded all the roads leading southward with trees felled by negroes, and placed every conceivable obstacle in the way of his men, but he overcame them all.
Gen. Washburn had a number of skirmishes on the route, in all of which the rebels were whipped, and with considerable loss to them, though with few casualties to the National troops.
—A fight took place at Lebanon, Ky., between a small body of Union troops, under the command of Colonel Johnson, and a force of rebel cavalry under John Morgan, resulting in the defeat of the Unionists and the capture of the town by the rebels.—(Doc. 87.)
—Large and enthusiastic meetings, for the purpose of promoting enlistments into the army under the call of President Lincoln for three hundred thousand additional troops, were this day held at Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury, Brookline, Somerville, Maiden, Springfield, and West-Cambridge, Mass., and at Portland, Maine. Speeches by distinguished and prominent citizens were made in each place. In several of the towns large sums of money were collected for the purpose of paying extra bounties to the volunteers.
—President Lincoln received the Senators and Representatives of the slaveholding Border States at the Presidential mansion, and addressed them on the subject of emancipation.
—General Smith, of the rebel army, issued an address to the forces under his command at Vicksburgh, Miss., thanking them for their bravery in resisting the attack made by the Union forces on the city.—The rebel General Albert Pike, in command of Fort McCulloch, Indian Territory, forwarded his “unconditional and absolute” resignation to Jeff Davis.
—The British schooner Julia, of Digby, N. S., captured by the National gunboat Kittatinny in Barrataria Creek, La., and the schooner Uncle Mose, captured by the gunboat Tahoma on the coast of Campeachy, arrived at Key West, Fla.— Colonel Thomas Cass, of the Ninth Massachusetts regiment, died at Boston from the effects of wounds received before Richmond.
—Fairmont, Missouri, was this day surprised by a band of bushwhackers, who plundered the town and carried off several of its inhabitants.
—The New-Orleans (La.) Delta, of this date, speaking of the sanitary condition of that city, said:
In the memory of the “oldest inhabitant,” our city was never more healthy at this season of the year. For this great blessing we are greatly indebted to Gen. Butler’s idea of relieving the poor, and at the same time getting said poor to clean up the streets. The order was intrusted to Gen. Shepley, who very judiciously selected Col. T. B. Thorpe to superintend the distribution of the charity of the Government, and see that the thousand laborers, the recipients, did their duty. The result is, that our city is a model of cleanliness.
—A fight took place at Culpepcr, Va., between a body of Union troops, under the command of Gen. Hatch, and a force of rebel cavalry, in which the rebels were routed, having had one killed, five wounded, and leaving eleven prisoners in the hands of the Unionists.
—The Unionists of North-Alabama having been much abused and persecuted by the rebels in that region, a body of Union troops, under the command of Colonel Streight, Fifty-first Indiana, were sent to relieve and protect them.—(Doc. 86.)
—The Union ram Switzerland, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Ellet, made a reconnoissance up the Yazoo River, for the purpose of ascertaining if the rebels had erected any breastworks along its banks.
 
#674
#674
July 13 1862

—The railroad bridge over the Rapidan River, at Rapidan Station, Va., was destroyed by a party of Union troops under the command of Major James M. Deems. On proceeding towards the bridge, and when about six miles from Fairfax, they were fired upon by a force of the enemy, and a sharp skirmish ensued, resulting in the defeat of the rebels, who were driven for a distance of ten miles. On arriving at the bridge, another party of rebels were encountered, who, after a short fight, were dispersed. Besides destroying the bridge, the Unionists cut the telegraph wire and destroyed the battery at the station.—(Doc. 149.)
—A party of rebel guerrillas entered Memphis, Mo., captured the militia troops stationed there, drove out the Union men, and robbed the stores.
—Great excitement existed in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Danville, Frankfort, Covington, and other towns in Kentucky, in anticipation of a visit from the rebel guerrillas under John Morgan. In order to be prepared for such an event, General Boyle, commanding the Union forces at Louisville, issued the following order: “It is ordered that every able-bodied man take arms and aid in repelling the marauders. Every man who does not join will remain in his house forty-eight hours, and be shot down if he leaves it.” General Ward, commanding at Lexington, issued an order directing that “all able-bodied citizens of Lexington and Fayette County are to report themselves at the Court-House Square, in Lexington, forthwith. Those having arms will bring them; those having none will be armed.”
—Mukfreesboro, Ky., was captured by the rebel forces under the command of Brig.-General Forrest—(Doc. 88.)
 
#675
#675
July 14 1862

—General Pope issued an address “to the officers and soldiers of the army of Virginia, “informing them that by special assignment of the President of the United States, he had assumed command of the army.—(Doc 160.)
—A band of rebel guerrillas, under John Morgan, destroyed the long bridge on the Kentucky Central Railroad, between Cynthiana and Paris, Kentucky.—In the United States Senate, a resolution of thanks to Flag-Officer Foote, for his gallant services at the West, was adopted.
—An enthusiastic meeting of the citizens of Utica, N. Y., was held in that town for the purpose of promoting enlistments into the army under the call of President Lincoln for more men. Speeches were made by Ex-Governor Seymour, Judges Denio and Bacon, Francis Kiernan, E. H. Roberts, Charles W. Doolittle, and others. Resolutions offering extra bounties to volunteers were adopted.
—President Lincoln sent to Congress a message embodying the draft of a bill to compensate any State which should abolish slavery within its limits, the passage of which, substantially as presented, he earnestly recommended.—(Doc. 151.)
 
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