Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Worden, (U.S.) who had been commander of the Monitor, had the misfortune to have a damaged eyeball. President Lincoln, today paid a call on his hospital room to congratulate him on the battle and the victory. Since the results were in fact fairly inconclusive, both sides could gloat about their action. Also today, the U.S. government issues first paper money ($5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 & $1000.) Strange fact: the biggest counterfeiter of money during the Civil War was our own, U.S. government. They flooded the southern states with bogus Confederate money to try to weaken its buying power. Tuesday, March 11, 1862 : Lincoln issues General War Order Number Three, removing General George McClellan from his command as General-in-Chief of the Union Army. Lincoln assigns McClellan to head the Army of the Potomac and refrains from appointing another General-in-Chief. Confederate President Davis refuses to accept the excuses of Generals Floyd and Pillow for leaving Fort Donelson and removes them from their commands. Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson withdraws with 4,600 solders south from Winchester, Virginia. Wednesday, March 12, 1862 : Landing parties from the U.S.S. Ottawa , commanded by Lieutenant Thomas F. Stevens, occupy Jacksonville, Florida without opposition. Union troops occupy Winchester, Virginia. Citizens of Richmond, Virginia panic when they learn that Union General McClellan is proceeding to nearby York Peninsula. Jane Delano, nurse/teacher/founder (Red Cross) was born today in Montour Falls, New York. Thursday, March 13, 1862 : Union Commander, D.D. Porter reports the arrival of the mortar fleet at Ship Island, Mississippi. Union General, John Pope captures Point Pleasant, Missouri, and provokes Confederates to evacuate New Madrid. The Confederates abandon arms and provisions, valued at one million dollars, during their escape across the Mississippi River to the eastern bank and to Island No. 10. Friday, March 14, 1862 : At Cairo, Illinois, Union Flag Officer Foote departs with seven gunboats and ten mortar boats to attack Island No. 10. The Union captures New Berne, North Carolina with minor fighting, establishing another strategic Union port and supply point. In talks pertaining to slavery, Lincoln tries to justify the proposed financial compensation to slaveholders as a means to end the war. (Interesting fact... Mary Todd Lincoln, Abe’s wife’s family were slave owners and most of her family were in the Confederate Army.) Saturday, March 15, 1862 : General Grant (U.S.) was handed a command once again – he was placed in charge of Union forces in Tennessee. Union Flag Officer Foote's gunboats and mortar boats reach the area above Island No. 10, but the fog and rain obstruct any action.

Sunday, March 16, 1862 : Battle at Pound Gap, Kentucky was a strategic importance as a gateway between Virginia and Kentucky. Union Col. James A. Garfield (pictured) and his brigade forced the gap from the Kentucky side and after a skirmish with 500 Confederate forces under Brig. General Humphrey Marshall (CSA) took the gap. General James A. Garfield was the youngest (Union) general of the war, and gained fame from the Battle of Pound Gap, which would later propel him to presidency that would only last 200 days and be the second president to be assassinated in that office. Only our ninth president William Henry Harrison's presidency, of 32 days, was shorter. Monday, March 17, 1862 : Union General McClellan and the Army of the

Potomac board trains in Alexandria, Virginia to begin the Peninsular campaign. Union General Grant resumes command of field forces in Tennessee, setting up his headquarters at Savannah, Tennessee. Pittsburg Landing is occupied by Union troops. Major General Lew Wallace (U.S.) and his division stop at Crump's Landing to destroy the tracks of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The siege of Island #10 in the Mississippi River continues. Tuesday, March 18, 1862 : Confederate President Davis names Judas Benjamin as Secretary of State, relieving him of his highly criticized role as Secretary of War. The new Secretary of War will be George W. Randolph. Confederate General Johnston's men begin arriving in Corinth, Mississippi from Murfreesboro, but many are delayed due to poor roads and inadequate transportation.