Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Confederates. In Centralia, Missouri, guerrillas stop a freight train on the North Missouri Railroad and steal 4 carloads of horses. Thursday, September 8, 1864 : On Bon Secours River, in Mobile Bay, Lt. George Wiggin sends two boat crews ashore and the demolition of the salt works there begin immeditately. There were 55 furnaces, in which manufactured nearly 2,000 bushels of salt per day. Near Hornersville and Gayoso, Missouri the Federals continue to deal out death to guerrilla fighters. Friday, September 9, 1864 : Since the war started officially, there has always been a ban on all commodities being traded between the North and South. This ban only increased the prices of the goods, making them more profitable if not caught. This was too irresistible to many. Not to mention the tax tariff revenue loss to both sides, so today in Washington, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss legalization of the trade, so taxes could be collected on these sales. Saturday, September 10, 1864 : General U. S. Grant encourages Sherman to continue being aggressive. General Joe Wheeler (CSA) returns to Confederate lines following a raid into North Georgia. The New York Times reports: “A scout just arrived from Savannah, Tenn., says all males between the ages of 15 and 45 have been conscripted in Mississippi. The country was full of stragglers.” Sunday, September 11, 1864 : General Hood (CSA) directs his officers that a truce of ten days has been agreed upon between himself and General Sherman (U.S.), commencing upon the 12th instant and ending on the 21st. This truce is only applicable to the thoroughfares and the country leading to and in the vicinity of Rough and Ready, Georgia, the object being to aid in the removal of citizens of Atlanta, who shall desire to come South under the recent order of General Sherman (U.S.). In the District of South Kansas, Major General George Sykes (U.S.) reports the Union failure at Cabin Creek, where the Confederates captured over 300 wagons as well as the same in men. In the Dakota Territory, a federal expedition arrives from Fort Rice, to relieve Capt. Fisk’s (U.S.) emigrant wagon train. Upon arriving, the Yankees find the emigrants in a fortified position, refusing to go any further into the Bad Lands without proper protection. On the way back to Fort Rice, the Federals have some 30 horses stolen by Indians. Monday, September 12, 1864 : It seems that General Forrest (CSA) is having internal problems. On August 30th, Forrest gave oral commands to Brigadier-General Chalmers, today the orders came written as General Orders Number 73. It stated that regiments under Chalmers’ commands were to organize into a brigade, “to be designated as Rucker’s Brigade.” Well, like in the North, the South believed in seniority, too, and General E. W. Rucker (CSA) was not the senior officer; or so Colonels J.J. Neely, Stewart, Green, Duckworth and Allen thought. General Forrest, himself not being a schooled military man, he wanted Rucker to lead, so Rucker was chosen to lead, senior or not. The colonels asked Rucker not to accept the position, advising him “for the sake of the country,” to decline the commission. This just made Forrest furious. Forrest suspends all of them from their commands, puts them under arrest, charges them with inciting to mutiny, and courtmartialed them; except Duckworth. Duckworth, he sends to fight in Mobile, Alabama. The regiment is now under Lt. Col. W. F. Taylor (CSA). The final results of this were, Colonel J.J. Neely was dismissed from service, and Stewart, Duckworth, Allen and Green were suspended from their commands on October 18, 1864. President Abraham Lincoln notifies Lieut. General Ulysses S. Grant (U.S.) of his concern over Major General Philip H. Sheridan’s lack of progress in the Shenandoah Valley. Grant was not worried as he knew General Early (CSA) had 20,000 men to face a Union force of 43,000 men.