Chronological History of the American Civil War

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were allowed to write letters, will their belongings and calmly walked over to their graves, knelt down and met death in a most courageous manner. If the last convicted buckwacker wasn't so horribly mutilated, by numerous buckshot, the Federals would have executed him too. The doctor said he was going to die anyway. Monday, March 28, 1864 : A riot resulted in at least 6 deaths and 20 injuries is started by a group of Copperheads (anti-war Democrats) or members of the Knights of the Golden Circle (a secret society of pro slavery) at Charleston, Illinois. This is the worst anti-war protest, since the Draft Riot protest in New York City in July 1863. In Bolivar, Tennessee, John Houston Bills, of The Pillars writes in his diary: “At 9 a.m., Col J J Neely’s Brigade of Rebel Cavalry commenced arriving without anyone expecting them. A more hungry & destitute crowd seldom come upon a poverty stricken community. Neither they, nor horses had been fed for 36 hours. The people of town have to divide with them.” Tuesday, March 29, 1864 : John Houston Bills continues in his diary: “Much excitement at 8 a.m. about approaching Federals. At 9, we hear the rapid firing of guns which is kept up about 1 ½ hours, when we hear the Feds are rapidly retreating on the Whiteville road. It turns out a complete route to the Yankee regiment. (6th Tenn. Hursts) The Rebels, capture all their trains of wagons, ambulances, & ordinance, 20 or 30 prisoners. Killed about 20. Quite a feather in Col Neely’s cap .” General Chalmers (CSA) later in retelling the event, “Col. Neely, of the Thirteenth Tennessee,(CSA) met the traitor [Fielding] Hurst at Bolivar, and after a short conflict, in which we killed and captured 75 prisoners of the enemy, drove Hurst hatless into Memphis, leaving in our hands all his wagons, ambulances, papers, and his mistresses, both black and white.” In the Red River Campaign, Admiral David D. Porter (U.S.) had the assignment of getting the naval forces up river to Shreveport, Louisiana. The trouble was that there were a lot of rapids at Alexandria, that were hard to get over in the best of times, and this was not then. The water level was low due to a prolonged drought. Porter got the Army transports past, but not the Navy gunboats. A hospital ship was so torn up that it sank. Wednesday, March, 30, 1864 : Battles usually don’t happen until someone goes out and looks for something to make it happen. Scouting missions could last a few days or a few weeks. Several began today, as a Federal reconnaissance left from Lookout Valley, Tennessee proceeding to McLemore’s Cove, Georgia, while other missions worked around Woodville and Athens, Alabama and still more around Columbus, Clinton and Moscow, Kentucky. Wisconsin Union State Convention in Milwaukee, endorses President Lincoln for reelection. Thursday, March 31, 1864 : Near Bridgeport, Alabama, the Federals stop a couple of men with passes from both armies. They figure they needed to check their mother’s home, since they are drawing rations from both sides. They find 80 bushels of corn, 20 of wheat, 3 barrels of flour, 10 bushels of rye, and some 200 pounds of bacon. Not bad for a family of 3. The enlistment of U.S. Colored Troops continues to go well in Middle Tennessee – 5,000 men at Shelbyville and Lebanon are said to be ready for the field. The month of March cost both sides 3,364 men were either dead, wounded or missing. April will bring on the fourth year to what is already a seemingly never ending conflict between North and South, friend against friend, and family against family. That first month in April, 1861, 11 people lost their lives, since then many more have joined them. With all the vast improvements and advancements in general warfare, in the 4 years of U. S. involvement in WWII 405,399 Americans died. In just the first 3 years of the Great American Civil War 402,162 soldiers had died.