Chronological History of the American Civil War

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things sometimes, as he had been the first to force the issue of what to do with black refugees and escaped slaves in the early days of the War. Then, he had persuaded Secretary of War Stanton, to designate these displaced blacks as “contraband of war,” to prevent them from being returned to their owners. Now, he enlisted men in the Union Army as the First Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards. The men called themselves the “Chasseurs d’Afrique,” the African Hunters. Sunday, September 28, 1862 : Lee’s army of 50,000 men is now gathered at Winchester, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. Monday, September 29, 1862 : Jefferson Davis, shot a man to death today. This was the other Jefferson Davis, a brigadier general in the Union army. Assigned to work for Brig. General William “Bull” Nelson, after only 2 days got into a fight with him; shot and killed him. He got out of murder

charges mostly because of a shortage of Union officers with fighting experience. In Bolivar, planter, merchant, diarist, John Houston Bills (pictured) writes: “E P McNeal is yet in custody on the false charges of being in the Middleburg skirmish, he having take the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. Several witnesses who were taken prisoner at the fight, (Federals) swear positively to the fact of having seen him armed & in the Midde. He proves that he spent the day on his Sunny Side farm, leaving at there at 3 or 4 p.m., and arrested on his return home at Charles Murphey’s, and detained at Esq. Crosses till the next day. This done by the Confederates. One of witnesses (Federal) proved he saw me also, but when recalled to identify me, he selected Mr. Alexander Ramsey as the man, he took for me which was equally false, but serves to release me.” Tuesday, September 30, 1862 : In Tennessee, the Confederate Army are

patrolling reconnaissance runs from Rienzi, Mississippi, to the Hatchie River. In southwestern Missouri, at Newtonia and Clark's Mill, battles were being fought and won by the South. Newtonia was one of the few battles during the Civil War in which Native Americans played a significant role on both sides with estimated casualties: 345 total (U.S. 245; CS 100). Wednesday, October 1, 1862 : The Confederate press portrayed Lincoln’s emancipation declaration as a recipe for slave rebellion. Abraham Lincoln visits Harper's Ferry on his way to Antietam Battlefield. General Price’s Confederate Army of the West marched from Baldwyn to Ripley, Mississippi, where it joined Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Army of West Tennessee (CSA). Van Dorn was senior officer and took command of the combined force numbering about 22,000 men. The Rebels marched to Pocahontas and prepared to move southeast toward Corinth. Thursday, October 2, 1862 : Abraham Lincoln arrives at George McClellan's headquarters in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Friday, October 3, 1862 : McClellan invited Abraham Lincoln to visit the field for the day, to look things over and inspect the troops. At his headquarters Lincoln was entertained with parades. Demonstrations of various maneuvers were performed. Lincoln, unimpressed, called the army “General McClellan’s bodyguard.” Now the “Second Battle of Corinth,” with General Van Dorn’s rebels, start the fight about 10:00 a.m., and fight all day pushing the Federal troops back twice. By evening, Van Dorn was sure that he could finish the Federals off during the next day. This confidence--combined with the heat, fatigue, and water shortages--persuaded him to cancel any further operations that day. Saturday, October 4, 1862 : By daybreak the Union had regrouped. As the Confederates moved forward, Union artillery swept the field causing heavy casualties, but the Rebels continued on. They stormed Battery Powell and closed on Battery Robinett, where desperate hand-to-hand fighting ensued. A few Rebels fought their way into Corinth, but the Federals quickly drove them out. The Federals continued on, recapturing Battery Powell, and forcing Van Dorn into a general retreat. General Rosecrans (U.S.) postponed any pursuit, until the next day. As a result, Van Dorn was defeated, but not destroyed or captured. The Union losses included 315 dead, 1,812 wounded, and 232 taken as prisoners, while the Confederate losses included 1,423 dead, 5,692 wounded, and 2,268 prisoners. The Confederate defeat at