The First Of The Seven Days

The Battle of Oak Grove in Virginia was the first of the Seven Days’ Battles which began on June 25th 1862.

Oak Grove was an important location for the siege of Richmond during the Peninsula campaign. Union Major General George B McClellan advanced his line on June 25th 1862 along the Williamsburg Road, with the plan of getting his guns in range of Richmond, Virginia. McClellan’s troops attacked over swampy ground, with darkness ending the fighting. The battle wasn't strong enough to stop the Confederate offensive, and the next day Confederate General Robert E Lee attacked Union troops at Mechanicville.

The Union troops at Oak Grove advanced less than a mile at a cost of 626 dead, wounded and missing, with Joseph Hooker’s division baring the brunt of the attack. The Confederate losses were 441.

He Changed His Position

Confederate Colonel Robert Hopkins Hatton was killed May 31^st 1862 at the Battle of Fair Oaks [also called the Battle of Seven Pines].

Robert Hopkins Hatton was born November 2^nd 1826 in Steubenville, Ohio.  While still a child his family moved to Tennessee.  He would receive a degree from the Cumberland University, pass the bar and begin a law practice in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1850.  He became a member of the Whig Party and won a seat in the Tennessee State Legislature in 1855 and to the United States Congress in 1858.  While in Congress Hatton was the chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy.

Hatton wished to see the Union preserved and opposed secession, but after President Abraham Lincoln made his call for troops Hatton changed his position.  He raised the Lebanon Blues, which became a part of the 7^th Tennessee Infantry, and was elected the Colonel of the Regiment.  In 1862 Hatton and the 7^th were part of the troops protecting Richmond, Virginia from Union Major General George B McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign.

On May 31^st 1862 while leading troops at the Battle of Fair Oaks, Hatton was shot in the head and killed.  His body was sent back to Tennessee, but as Middle Tennessee was held by the Union his body was temporarily placed in Knoxville.  He would be reentered in 1866 in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Lebanon, Tennessee.

The First Seventh

Union BG Thomas A Morris

The 7^th Indiana Infantry was sent to Grafton, Virginia on May 30^th 1861, and just four days later was in battle.

The 7^th Indiana Infantry was organized in Indianapolis, Indiana in April 1861 as a three month regiment.  The men were shipped to Grafton, Virginia on May 30^th 1861.  On June 3^rd 1861 the men of the 7^th took part the Battle of Philippi, one of the first battles of the Civil War.

The men of the 7^th were placed in Union Major General George B McClellan’s Army of West Virginia, in Brigadier General Thomas A Morris’ Indiana Brigade.  They would see almost continuous action from July 6^th through 17^th 1861 at the Battles of Laurel Hill, Belington, Corrick’s Ford and in the pursuit of Confederate Brigadier General Robert S Garnett’s troops.

The 7^th mustered out of service on August 2^nd 1861.  The 7^th was reorganized on September 13^th 1861 in Indianapolis, Indiana into a three year regiment.  The original 7^th had one man killed in action and two who died from disease.

An Old New Yorker

Union General James Samuel Wadsworth died May 8^th 1864 from wounds received two days earlier at the Battle of the Wilderness.

James Samuel Wadsworth was born October 30^th 1807, the son of James Wadsworth in Geneseo, Livingston, New York.  He studied law at both Harvard and Yale, and was admitted to the bar.  He didn't set up a practice; instead Wadsworth managed the family’s estate.  He would enter politics as a Democrat, but then became one of the organizers of the Free Soil Party, and finally a Republican.  In 1861 Wadsworth was a member of the Peace Conference.

When the Civil War became inevitable, Wadsworth volunteered his service to the Union.  He served as an aide-de-camp at the First Battle of Bull Run to Union Major General Irvin McDowell.  McDowell recommended Wadsworth for command, and with the rank of Brigadier General on October 3^rd 1861 he began commanding the 2^nd Brigade of 3^rd Division of the 1^st Corps.  From March 17^th to September 7^th 1862 Wadsworth had command of the Military District of Washington, and had a hand in holding troops for its defense against the wishes of Major General George B McClellan.  After having stepped on McClellan’s toes, Wadsworth could see no prospect in McClellan’s army, and so put his name into the running for Governor of New York State.  After McClellan was replaced at the head of the Army of the Potomac, and Wadsworth had lost the election to Democrat Horatio Seymour, he took the command of the First Division in the 1^st Corps.  He was well thought of by his men.  As the leader of his new division, they were only marginally involved at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.  At the Battle of Gettysburg, his division was the first Union infantry troops to arrive on the field on July 1^st 1863, and was heavily engaged, loosing over 50% of their strength that day.  They would also fight on the second day.

When the spring 1864 Campaign began, the Army of the Potomac was reorganized, and Wadsworth became the commander of the 4^th Division in the V Corps.  At the Battle of the Wilderness, Wadsworth was the oldest Union divisional command at 56.  On May 5^th 1864 his division was ordered to defend the left of the Union line, but lost their way in the thick underbrush, exposing his left flank to an attack.  Then on May 6^th 1864 while placing two of his brigades, Wadsworth was shot in the back of head, he fell from his horse and was captured by the Confederates.  Wadsworth would die in a Confederate field hospital two days later on May 8^th 1864.  His son-in-law Montgomery Harrison Ritchie would cross line under a flag of truce to retrieve his body.  He is buried in the Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo, New York.

Providing Information

One of the first orders that Union Major General Joseph Hooker made after becoming the commander of the Army of the Potomac was on February 11^th 1863, creating the Bureau of Military Information.

The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, run by Allan Pinkerton assumed responsibility for President Abraham Lincoln’s safety in 1861.  Pinkerton also provided intelligence for Union General George B McClellan.  General Winfield Scott hired Lafayette C Baker a detective for information.  Lincoln himself paid a publisher; William A Lloyd to infiltrate the Confederacy and provide information.  In all these cases though, these men were civilians.

When Union Major General Joseph Hooker became the commander of the Army of the Potomac, he ordered his deputy provost marshal Colonel George H Sharpe to create an intelligence unit.  Sharpe received assistance from John C Babcock; a former Pinkerton employee and they established the Bureau of Military Information [the BMI] on February 11^th 1863.

The BMI had about 70 field agents during the, 10 of whom were killed during the war.  These and additional agents preformed interrogations, scanned confederate newspapers and captured documents for information that could be helpful to the Union war effort.  Union General Ulysses S Grant kept BMI staff in his headquarters, so he would have the most recent information.

The BMI ceased to be once the Civil War came to an end in 1865. 

McClellan's Headquarters Guard

The Sturges’ Rifles a company of Illinois militia were mustered out of Union service November 25^th 1862.

The Sturges’ Rifles were a company of Illinois sharpshooters who mustered into the Union army May 6^th 1861.  The company was organized in Chicago, Illinois.  A Solomon Sturgis saw to it that the men were equipped and armed with Sharps rifles.  They served from June 1861 with Union Major General George B McClellan as his headquarters guard and they served with him until he lost his command.  McClellan had been a member of the company before the start of the Civil War.  The men saw action in the Battle of Rich Mountain, the Peninsula Campaign, and Antietam.  The company was mustered out of service November 25^th 1862, having lost just one man.

The Win Of An Incumbent

United States President Abraham Lincoln was voted into a second term on November 8^th 1864, by around 400,000 votes.

The United State presidential election was held Tuesday November 8^th 1864, despite the ongoing Civil War.  Sitting President Abraham Lincoln was the Republican or “National Union Party” candidate, running against Democratic “Peace Candidate” Union General George B McClellan.  When the votes were counted, Lincoln won the popular vote by more than 400,000 votes.  Many of these coming from soldiers in the field, and on the strength of the Union win in the Battle of Atlanta on September 6^th 1864.  It was the first time that soldiers in the field were allowed to cast ballots, and around 70% went for Lincoln.  From the stand point of the Electoral College Lincoln took 212 of the 233 available votes.

Lincoln was the first incumbent president to win a reelection since Andrew Jackson was reelected to a second term in 1832.

A New Commander

At the Battle of Seven Pines [also called the Battle of Fair Oaks], Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston was wounded, and the command of the Army of Northern Virginia was turned over the next day June 1^st 1862 to General Robert E Lee.

Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston was criticized by Confederate President Jefferson Davis for a lack of aggressiveness.  He was the senior commander at the First Battle of Manassas, and was defending the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia in 1862 against a superior number of Union troops commanded by Major General George B McClellan.  Facing greater numbers Johnson wanted to concentrate his force in fortifications around Richmond, but was overruled by Davis.  First he prepared for a siege at Yorktown, but then withdrew to Williamsburg where he fought a battle on May 5^th 1862.  On May 7^th 1862 Johnson’s men turned back an amphibious attack at Eltham’s Landing.  Each movement however placed Johnson’s army closer to Richmond, until he was only about six mile away.

A part of the Peninsula Campaign, at the Battle of Seven Pines Johnson was operating on the offensive.  Seeing that McClellan’s army was divided by the flooded Chickahominy River, he attacked on May 31^st 1862.  The battle was a tactical draw, but it halted McClellan’s advance.  Johnson was wounded about dusk, in the right shoulder and chest by an artillery shell.  He was evacuated to Richmond, Virginia.  That day, June 1^st 1862 the command of the Army of Northern Virginia was turned over to his West Point classmate Robert E Lee.

Nine Months To Save The Union

The 15^th Vermont Infantry a Nine Month Regiment was mustered into Union service October 22^nd 1862.

President Abraham Lincoln called for more Union troops on August 4^th 1862 following the disastrous defeat of Major General George B McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign.  The 15^th Vermont Infantry was a nine month regiment raised in response to this request.  The men were mostly recruited from Caledonia, Orleans, Orange and Windsor Counties. They went into Camp Holbrook October 8^th 1862 at Brattleboro VT, and were mustered into the Union Army October 22^nd 1862.  The next day the men of the 15^th left by train for Washington, DC, where they would join the 14^th Vermont Infantry at Camp Chase in Arlington, Virginia.

The 15^th spent the winter and spring performing picket duty in defense of Washington, DC.  On June 25^th 1863 the 15^th became part of the First Corps, and were ordered to march to join the rest of Brigadier General John Fulton Reynolds Corps in the pursuit of Confederate General Robert E Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.  As they neared Gettysburg on June 30^th 1863 at Emmettsburg, Maryland, the 15^th along with the 12^th Vermont Regiment were detached from the rest of the Brigade.  These two Vermont Regiments spent the Battle of Gettysburg guarding the First Corps trains near Rock Creek Church about 2 miles from the battlefield.  Following the defeat of the Confederates the 15^th joined in the pursuit south, marching over South Mountain to Williamsport on July 14^th 1863.

The men of the 15^th found their nine months were up a few days later on July 18^th 1863.  They were moved by train to New York City where they spent a few days during the New York City Draft Riots.  They arrived back in Vermont and were mustered out of service on August 5^th 1863.  The 15^th started with 942 men, out whom they had 78 die from disease, and 5 who were taken prisoner of war.
If you would like to read more about the 15^th VT, check out Nine Months with the 15th Vermont Volunteers

If I Cannot Whip Bobby Lee

Robert E Lee’s lost Special Order 191 was found by the Union Army on September 13^th 1862, leading to the Battle of Antietam.

Robert E Lee’s Special Order 191 was written in early September during the Maryland Campaign.  In it were the detailed movements of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.  Lee listed the routes and road that would be used, and the timing for taking Harpers Ferry.  Lee’s Adjutant Brigadier General Robert Hall Chilton wrote the copies of the Order and distributed copies to the Confederate generals.

In the morning of September 13^th 1862 Union Corporal Barton W Mitchell of the 27^th Indiana Infantry found an envelope wrapped around cigars in the grass at a vacated Confederate camp on the Best Farm.  Realizing he had found something important, Mitchell gave the paper to Sergeant John M Bloss, and it continued up to chain of command until it reached the hands of the Union commander Major General George B McClellan.  McClellan was said to have exclaimed, "Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home."

To read more about this, check out General Robert E. Lee’s “Lost Order” No. 191, Hdqrs. Army of Northern Virginia, September 9, 1862

False Information And A Moving Fight

On the Cheat River in what is now West Virginia the Battle of Corrick’s Ford was fought on July 13^th 1861.

Some of Union Major General George B McClellan’s men defeated a part of Confederate Brigadier General Robert Selden Garnett’s force at the Battle of Rich Mountain on July 11^th 1861.  Garnett moved his remaining 4,500 men around about midnight, falling back toward Beverly, Virginia.  They received false information indicating that Union occupied the town, and so Garnett crossed the Cheat Mountain, moving into the Cheat River Valley.

As Garnett moved his men they were being followed by Union Brigadier General Thomas A Morris’ men.  About noon on July 13^th 1861 the Union soldiers moved in on the Confederate rear guard at Corrick’s Ford.  Garnett took personal command of the rear action setting up skirmisher to delay the Union attack.  It was during this slow retreat that Garnett was killed.  After Garnett’s death the Confederates ran, leaving 1 cannon, 40 wagons, and the body of their commander.

For more information about CORRICKS FORD BATTLEFIELD I recommend this web site.

A Circular Ride

In the early morning hours of June 12^th 1862 Confederate General J E B Stuart left with 1,000 cavalry to make a circular ride clean around the Union army.

Union General George B McClellan began the Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862, moving slowly against Richmond, Virginia.  On May 31^st 1862 at the Battle of Seven Pines, Confederate General Joseph Johnston was wounded and replaced by General Robert E Lee.

Lee had JEB Stuart put together his cavalry on June 10^th 1862 to reconnoiter the Union right flank.  The ostentatious Stuart proposed a complete ride around the Union Army starting toward the Lower Peninsula near the York River, returning to the Richmond area along the James River.  Lee gave Stuart an unspecific order, telling him the exercise “due caution”.  At 2 am on June 12^th 1862 about 1,000 of Stuart’s troopers mounted up and started north for the right flank of the Union army.  He picked up another 200 cavalry outside of Richmond, including Confederate Colonel Fitzhugh Lee and Lieutenant Colonel William H F Rooney Lee.

That first day the Confederate cavalry moved as if they were going to support of General Thomas Stonewall Jackson’s approach to Richmond.  They bivouacked that night on the bank of the South Anna River.  The next morning they ran into the Union 6^th Cavalry just west of the Hanover Court House.  Stuart tried to flank them, and the Union commander Lieutenant Edward Leib withdrew down the Richmond Stage Road.  The Confederates continued on, trying to stop a train a Tunstall’s Station.  Stuart ran into trouble crossing the rain swelled Chickahominy River, and had to rebuild the bridge at Forge Site.  They crossed the river and then re-burnt the bridge.

On June 14^th 1862 Stuart left his force under the command of Fitzhugh Lee and he continued to Richmond to meet with Robert E Lee to report on his 100 mile reconnaissance.  At about the same time Stuart was reporting his findings to Lee, Union General McClellan reported to Secretary of War Edwin M Stanton that, “A rebel force of cavalry and artillery, variously estimated at from 1,000 to 5,000, came around our right flank last evening, attacked and drove in a picket guard...at Old Church; they proceeded to a landing 3 miles above White House, where they burned two forage schooners and destroyed some wagons. Then they struck the railroad at Tunstall’s Station, fired into a train of cars, killing some 5 or 6. Here they met a force of infantry which I sent down to meet them, when they ran off. I have several cavalry detachments out after them and hope to punish them. No damage has been done to the railroad.”

If you’re interested in reading more about Stuart’s ride J. E. B. Stuart's Ride Around The Union Army is a good web site.

Protection For Washington DC

Fort Stanton outside of Washington DC was closed March 20^th 1866, and everything in it sold off with the land returned to its owners.

When Virginia seceded to join the Confederacy, Union troops moved into the Arlington area of northern Virginia.  This movement was to stop the Confederates from seizing the United State Capital.  During the next seven weeks the Union forces built forts along the Potomac River.  Following the First Battle of Bull Run and Union Major General George B McClellan’s becoming the commander of the Army of the Potomac, it was decided that Washington, DC needed even more protection.

Union Brigadier General John G Barnard was appointed the chief engineer of the defenses of Washington.  Fort Stanton was the first of these new forts.  It was located in Garfield Heights and was begun in September 1861, across from the Washington Navy Yard.  Work went fast, and by Christmas that year Fort Stanton was completed and fully armed.  By the summer of 1862 the fort was garrisoned.  In 1864 Fort Stanton was reported to be armed with six 32 pounders, three 24 pounders field howitzer, four 8 inch guns, and was garrisoned by the 4^th New York Heavy Artillery and 88^th Pennsylvania Infantry.

After Confederate General Robert E Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on April 9^th 1865, there wasn’t much reason to keep the forts around Washington, DC.  The forts were dived into classes; first class being those that should be kept active, second class should be kept in reserve, and third class should be abandoned.  Fort Stanton was listed as first class, as it defended the Washington Navy Yard.  As listed Fort Stanton received maintenance and continued to be fully garrisoned.  However with the Civil War over military budgets were cut, and soon all the first and second class forts were looked at as surplus.  The guns were taken out of Fort Stanton, and the land the fort sat on was returned to its original owners.  Fort Stanton was abandoned March 20^th 1866.

A Doctor, A Lawyer, A General

Union Brigadier General Stephen Gardner Champlin died January 24^th 1864, from wounds he received.

Stephen Gardner Champlin was born July 1^st 1827 in Kingston, New York, the son of Jeffrey Clark and Allis Ellen Champlin.  He attended local academies and then began studying medicine.  In 1845 Champlin had a medical practice in Warwarsing, Ulster, New York.  He decided in 1849 to become a lawyer and attended a law school in Balston Spa, New York.  He was admitted to the New York State bar and opened a practice in Albany, New York.  Champlin moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1853 where he opened a law practice with Lucius Patterson.  Champlin joined the Michigan state militia and was elected the Captain of the Grand Rapids Light Artillery.  In the fall of 1858 Champlin was elected the Prosecuting Attorney of Kent County, Michigan.

Champlin entered the Union Army June 10^th 1861 as a Major in the 3^rd Michigan Infantry.  Their first action was a reconnaissance near Bailey’s Corners in Virginia on August 30^th 1861 for which Union Major General George B McClellan said of Champlin, I am “pleased with Major Champlin's dispositions on the occasion”.  Champlin was promoted to Colonel of the 3^rd Michigan October 28^th 1861.  He was wounded in the hip at the Battle of Seven Pines.  After partially recovering Champlin led the regiment at the Second Battle of Bull Run, and was again wounded.  While recovering from both wounds in Washington, DC, Champlin was promoted on November 29^th 1862, to Brigadier General.

Champlin was placed in command of the Draft Depot at Camp Cleveland, Ohio in 1863.  He was then re-assigned on September 22^nd 1863 to the Draft Depot in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Champlin’s wounds did not heal well, and on November 8^th 1863 he resigned his commission.  He died January 24^th 1864 at his home as a result of complications of his wounds and is buried in the Fulton Street Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Chambersburg's First Time

Confederate Major General J E B Stuart’s cavalry raided the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and tried to burn railroad bridges October 11^th 1862.

On October 9^th 1862 Confederate Major General J E B Stuart headed north from Virginia with about 1800 cavalry.  As they moved north, Stuart was gathering intelligence on Union General George B McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, as well as cutting supply lines.  On the evening of October 10^th 1862 Stuart and his men road into the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  Chambersburg was a Union army supply and railroad center.  The local bureaucrats fled the town, as Stuart took over.

On the morning of October 11^th 1862 the Confederates cut telegraph lines, seized supplies and horse and destroyed pretty much everything else.  They moved on about five miles north to demolish the railroad bridge that crossed the Conococheague Creek, but found the steel structure to be more than they had planned for.  Stuart and his men began the trip back to Virginia in the afternoon.

Traveling through Emmitsburg, Maryland, Stuart moved south using back lanes to avoid Union troops in Fredrick, Maryland.  He crossed the Potomac River on October 12^th 1862.  Stuart’s three day raid had lasted 130 miles, and cost the north $250,000.  He returned south with 1,200 horses, 500 guns, and numerous local officials that had been captured.  The Confederates only had one wounded, and two missing men.

Shot While On His Back

Union General Robert Latimer McCook was killed August 6th 1862 killed near Huntsville, Alabama.


Robert Latimer McCook was born in New Lisbon, Ohio December 28th 1827. He read for the bar in Steubenville, Ohio in the office of Edwin M Stanton and his father Daniel McCook, and then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he opened a practice.

McCook organized the 9th Ohio Infantry at the start of the Civil War. This was a regiment made up mostly of German immigrants, and he was commissioned their Colonel May 6th 1861. During Union General George B McClellan’s campaign in western Virginia, McCook commanded a brigade, and saw action at Rich Mountain and Carnifex Ferry. After this he was transferred to the Army of the Ohio, where his brigade saw action in January 1862 at the Battle of Mill Springs. McCook was wounded there during a bayonet charge, and received a promotion to Brigadier General. He returned to his command before fully recovered, and found traveling on horseback was impossible. He was shot during a skirmish near Huntsville, Alabama with the Confederate 4th Alabama Cavalry led by Captain Frank B Gurley. Shot in the stomach, possibly while lying defenseless in an ambulance, the wound was mortal, and he died August 6th 1862. He is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Off To The Races

One of the first land battle of the Civil War, was fought June 3rd 1861, the Battle of Philippi is also known as the “The Philippi Races”.

By May 28th 1861 Union General George B McClellan placed about 3,000 troops in Western Virginia, all under the command of Brigadier General Thomas A Morris. The Confederates numbering about 800 in the area were under the command of Colonel George A Porterfield. As the Union troops advance, Porterfield’s men retreat from Grafton, Virginia to Philippi, Virginia about 17 miles to the south. There is a covered bridge in Philippi crossing the Tygart Valley River, along the Beverly-Fairmont Turnpike an important route.

Morris approved a two front attack against the Confederates in Philippi. Sixteen hundred men under Colonel Benjamin Franklin Kelley including the 9th Indiana Infantry and the 16th Ohio Infantry, depart by train to the east to make the Confederates think they were heading for Harpers Ferry. These troops departed the train in the village of Thornton, Virginia and marched back toward Philippi. While this was going on the 7th Indiana Infantry, 14th Ohio Infantry and 6th Indiana Infantry, being about 1,400 men march south on the Turnpike. The plan was for these two columns to envelope the Confederates. After marching through the rain, the Union troops arrived in Philippi just before dawn June 3rd 1861.

Union troops awaited a pistol shot which would signal the beginning of the battle. The green Confederate troop hadn’t placed any picket lines for protection. A local Confederate sympathizer; Mrs. Thomas Humphreys sent her son to warn the Confederate soldiers. When he was caught she fired a gun at the Union men, starting the fight. Union artillery woke the Confederates. After firing a few shots at the Union soldiers, the Confederate troops began a running retreat. Many of the newspapers called the Battle “The Races at Philippi” as the Confederates fled south, many in whatever they had slept in. The run ended in Huttonsville, Virginia some 45 miles south of Philippi.

Fooled By The Numbers

The Siege of Yorktown, was a part of the Peninsula Campaign and began in April 5th 1862.

Union Brigadier General Erasmus D Keyes found Confederate defensive works along the Warwick River on April 5th 1862. This was an area in which General George B McClellan hadn’t expected any resistance. Confederate Major General John B Magruder moved his troops only around 6,000 strong back and forth through his 13 mile long works, convincing the Union Commanders that his force was larger then it was. Keyes’ reconnaissance caused him to believe there were 40,000 Confederates in his front, and he advise McClellan not to assault the Confederate works. The Union IV Corps came into Magruder’s earthworks at Lee’s Mill, they stopped about 1,000 yard from the fortifications and were joined by a brigade of Union Brigadier General John Davidson’s. There was an artillery duel between the two side for several hours. While this was going on Keyes made another reconnaissance, and waited for more units to arrive.

McClellan doubting that his numbers were superior, decided not to attack and instead had his army entrench, and begin a siege of Yorktown. While the Union troops dug in, Magruder continued to receive reinforcements, but still had only about 35,000 men by mid April; not really enough men to even defend his line. The siege would go until May 4th 1862.

The First Band

The United State 1st Cavalry Band left their post in Fort Mason, Texas March 29th 1861, when it was turned over to the Texas Confederate Authorities.

The 1st United States Cavalry Band was created March 3rd 1855. In December of that year it was organized at Camp Verde, Texas. The band was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry in Texas. It took part in the war with the Comanche in 1856.

With Civil War on the brink the Band along with the United State 2nd Cavalry left their post March 29th 1861. Fort Mason, Texas was turned over to the Texas Confederates. The Band arrived at the Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where they were reorganized and were assigned to Union General George B McClellen’s Army of the Potomac. The Band members turned infantrymen fought in the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21st 1861. Then under an act of congress August 3rd 1861 the Band along with the 2nd United States Cavalry were reassigned as the 5th United States Cavalry Regiment. The Band supported the regiment through out the war, including actions at Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Appomattox.

When the war ended the Band was disbanded at Camp Sedgwick, Washington, DC December 1866. Threes years later the Band was brought back, reorganized and reassigned to the 5th United States Cavalry. It took part in the Indian Wars, and in 1916 the Band was part of General Pershing’s Mexican Expeditionary Force.

Do Something Already

President Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter on January 27th 1862, directing General George B  McClellan to get his butt moving.

President Abraham Lincoln became convinced after waiting for months, that Union General George B McClellan had no plans of attacking the Confederate armies of Northern Virginia. The letter contained General War Order Number 1. It directed all Union land and naval forces to move to action. It specified a forward movement to begin on George Washington’s birthday. It’s unlikely that Lincoln really believed much would happen.