Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Sunday, September 22, 1861 : In the West, during the Civil War, with many soldiers were heading east to fight in one army or another, an incident occurred, surrounding a horse race between Navajo and army mounts at Fort Fauntleroy (Fort Lyon since the war) near Gallup, New Mexico. Navajos claimed that a soldier had cut their horse’s bridle rein, but the soldier-judges refused to run the race again; the Indians

rioted and were fired upon with howitzers. Twelve Navajos died in the melee. James H. Lane's Kansas Jayhawkers (pictured) (Jayhawkers were a militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause) raid, loot, and burn the town of Osceola, Missouri, a senseless act of terror providing no military advantage to the Union . (Note: These events inspired the novel Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter, which was the basis for the 1976 Clint Eastwood movie The Outlaw Josey Wales.) Monday, September 23, 1961 : In Missouri, John Charles Fremont (U.S.) loses favor with many of his supporters. His orders had enraged half of Missouri, which included the emancipation of slaves and threats to confiscate the property of, and then execute Confederate sympathizers. Then, he got the Union supporters just as angry, by playing politics instead of going in support

of the Irish Guard in Lexington. Today the St. Louis Evening News pointed out some of these facts to their readership. Fremont's response was to padlock the presses and have the editor thrown in jail. Tuesday, September, 24, 1861 : Union Secretary of the Navy Welles issues a historic command, instructing Flag Officer Du Pont, Commander of the South Atlantic Squadron, to employ runaway slaves aboard their ships at a compensation of ten dollars per month and one ration per day. It would be some years before blacks were enlisted in the other services. Wednesday, September, 25, 1861 : John Cabell Breckinridge, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States (1857–1861), flees into Tennessee. He will shortly emerge a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. Thursday, September, 26, 1861 : Abraham Lincoln declared a day of national prayer and fasting. All offices and businesses are closed. However, it was not a day of rest in the Confederacy, which resulting in fights and skirmishes in Fort Thorn, New Mexico Territory; Hunter’s Farm, near Belmont, Missouri; and at the mouth of the Muddy River in Kentucky. Today was also the 2nd British Golf Open: Tom Morris, Sr. shoots a 163 at Prestwick Club. Friday, September, 27, 1861 : Lincoln consults with his cabinet about the Virginia offensive. General McClellan's (US) lack of aggressive activity is criticized. There was a widespread feeling that the war should have been long over with by now, and demands were loud to know why it was not. The questions had to be more than a little embarrassing for the guest of honor at the meeting: General George McClellan. Saturday, September, 28, 1861 : It was a rather quite day on all fronts, as The Confederates evacuate Munson's Hill, near the present location of Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. The Memphis Daily Appeal reports: “One of our writers says that the American ladies, if their services were needed, "would make brave soldiers." If they have to take the field, let them by all means wear their fashionable dresses. The

dress worn by day would serve the wearer as a tent at night.” Sunday, September 29, 1861 : Tennessee Affair at Travisville (Pickett County): Travisville lies between Pall Mall, Tennessee and the Kentucky state line, almost in the middle of nowhere; with no major roads or railroads, this area felt insulated from the war and thought is would stay that way. This turned out to be the first military conflict in Tennessee and also brings about the first Civil War fatalities in Tennessee, when four Confederate soldiers are killed, and four more are captured. The prisoners were brought back to Kentucky, when, after taking a solemn obligation to prove faithful to the United States Government, they were released.