Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Thursday, June 11, 1863 : Two 10-inch artillery guns arrived at Vicksburg for Grant’s army. They greatly boost the Union’s ability to destroy the defences there. Citizens in Vicksburg, took to living in caves to ensure their safety from the artillery bombardment. Skirmish at Smith's Bridge, near Corinth, Mississippi, and at Burnsville, Mississippi. General John Hunt Morgan (CSA) leaves Alexandria, Tennessee to raid Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Morgan’s raids represent the most northern penetration by uniformed Confederate troops at any time during the war. Clement Vallandigham had been a duly elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. Exiled from the north because of the views of President Lincoln, the South exiled him as well to Canada. Today, he was nominated for President by the Peace Democratic Party at their convention in Ohio. The fact, that he was liable to arrest, if he stepped foot back in America seemed to bother no one. Friday, June 12, 1863 : Rumours of an invasion by Lee’s men, led to many fleeing their homes in Union areas near to the ‘border’ with the South. Few responded to a call by the Pennsylvania governor for volunteers for a state militia. A Federal expedition from Pocahontas, Tennessee, to New Albany and Ripley, Mississippi results with the destruction of several blacksmith shops, wagon shops, etc, and skirmishes. Saturday, June 13, 1863 : After days of scouting, General Joseph Hooker (U.S.) acknowledged that most of Robert E. Lee’s men, had departed from the banks of the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg and were heading north. After days of prodding by his commander-in-chief, Hooker agreed that perhaps, he should do something about this, and he uprooted the Army of the Potomac from the site where they had been camped for months. Seeing Hooker leave, Confederate General A. P. Hill, who had remained at Fredericksburg to fool Hooker, into thinking the whole army was still there, concluded that he was now free to follow Lee as well. The Charleston Mercury reported that in Richmond, Virginia: “. . . Prices have gone up and down. Gold from $5 to $7.50; wool hats, from $20 to $40 or $50; chickens, from $6 to $2, and butter the same. Meal is very scarce again. The taxes (State, Confederate and city) on whisky amount to $3.50 a gallon, and some dealers are closing up. . . ." Sunday, June 14, 1863 : A small Union garrison in the Shenandoah Valley town of Winchester,Virginia, will try to stop the northern march of the Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia (CSA) on their path to invade Maryland and Pennsylvania for a second time. Major General Nathaniel P. Banks’s, Unionist force tried to end the siege at Port Hudson, Louisiana. While, Northern troops, were doing the besieging, they were suffering acute medical casualties as a result of the dire environment, they were in. This is a very swampy area. The attack was an attempt to end all this. It failed, and the Confederate defenders held out. The Union lost 4,000 men in the attack. Confederate guerrillas, open fire on the ship the ironclad U.S.S. Marmora after the townspeople of Eunice, Arkansas is questioned about it, the town burned to the ground by Union forces The Memphis Daily Appeal, now printing from Atlanta, Georgia, reports: “A Correspondent of the New York Times , writing from Grant's camp, states that a federal captain who was taken prisoner during the siege, and who was kept in Vicksburg several days, reports the scenes in the city as fearful. He says: “The women and children all remain in town, although ordered at various times to leave the day our men left, a morning report showing the sad fact that, up to that time, 119 of these unfortunates had been killed by our shells, among whom is the wife of Gen. Pemberton. The women of Vicksburg are either brave beyond ordinary mortals or desperate in the extreme. Shells search every part of the town, and yet the children play as usual upon the streets, and the women seek no protection, but boldly promenade the public thoroughfares and attend to their household duties. In a house close to the jail our men saw several ladies, who sat in groups on the piazzas, moved leisurely about the house, and at times made the air melodious with voice and piano. What quality is this shown by these women? Is it heroism, desperation, or what? Death is all about them—it hisses through the air, crashes through their edifices, smites down their innocent children and themselves, and yet they unconcernedly sit, sing, chat and laugh through it all—through a combination of horrors that would almost make a coward of the bravest man that ever drew a sword.”

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