Stuck On A Sandbar

The CSS Caroline Gertrude was sunk in the Ochlockonee River December 29^th 1863.

The CSS Caroline Gertrude, a schooner ran aground on a sandbar in the mouth of the Ochlockonee River.  The USS Stars and Stripes; a 400 ton steamer, came upon the schooner and attempted to capture it.  The crew of the Stars and Stripes tried to refloat the Confederate schooner but came under fire from Confederate cavalry on the shore.  After several hours of gunfire the Union sailors set the Caroline Gertrude on fire and sank her on December 29^th 1863.  The Stars and Stripes didn’t recover the schooner’s cargo of cotton, but did gain a number of prisoners.

The Castle Fell

Castle Pinckney was the first Union military position seized on December 27^th 1860 by a Confederate state government.

Castle Pinckney was built in 1810 on Shutes’ Folly Island about a mile off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.  The fort was started in 1797 as a stick and earth structure to protect the city from naval attack and was named for American Revolutionary War hero Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.  It was replaced in 1809 by a brick structure that reminded people of a castle.  The fort was garrisoned in the War of 1812 and during the Nullification Crisis of 1832.  The rest of the time the fort was used as a storehouse for military supplies.

As the country closed in on Civil War, Castle Pinckney was a part of the Union defense of Charleston harbor which included Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter.  Pinckney was protected by 28 guns of various sizes in 1860.  Once week after South Carolina seceded from the Union, on December 27^th 1860 the Castle was stormed by a small force using ladders to climb over the parapet.  The Union soldiers garrisoned at Pinckney turned it over to a South Carolina militia without firing a shot and joined Union Major Robert Anderson at Fort Sumter.  This move made Castle Pinckney the first Union holding to fall to a Confederate force.

Castle Pinckney was manned after Fort Sumter fell by the Charleston Zouave Cadets.  After the First Battle of Manassas, Pinckney was used to hold 154 Union prisoners of war.  Although Pinckney was bombed heavily during the war it stayed in Confederate hands until after Charleston fell.  The Union reoccupied the fort February 18^th 1865.

May As Well Lose Them Here

The opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou was fought December 26^th through the 29^th of 1862.

Union Major General Ulysses S Grant started a campaign in November 1862 to capture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.  He spilt his army of 70,000 men into two wings, commanding one himself and placing the other under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman.  Sherman wing was authorized as the XV Corps of the Army of the Tennessee on December 22^nd 1862.  He organized his troops into four divisions under Brigadier Generals George W Morgan, Andrew Jackson Smith, Morgan L Smith and Frederick Steele.  Sherman’s men disembarked on the Yazoo River at Johnson’s Plantation on December 24^th 1862

On December 26^th 1862 Sherman deployed three brigades to make a reconnaissance of the Confederate defenses around Chickasaw Bayou.  The ground was ruff and swampy.  They skirmished with Confederate Stephen D Lee’s men.

Sherman ordered an artillery attack on December 29^th 1862 to weaken Confederate defenses.  It went on for about four hour, but didn’t do much damage.  At about 11 am the Union troops deployed into lines of battle.  Sherman knew it was going to be hard fighting and said, "We will lose 5,000 men before we take Vicksburg, and may as well lose them here as anywhere else."

The assault started at noon.  Union troops crossed water barriers and other obstacles, moving forward against the Confederates by the force of sheer numbers.  Once they reached the main Confederate line and came under heavy fire the Union line began to crumble.  Sherman’s men fell back on a corduroy bridge.  Confederate General Lee made a counterattack, capturing a number of battle flags and 332 Union soldiers.

After another day of fighting Sherman decided fighting more in the same location would be pointless.  The Union saw 1,776 casualties.

A Soldier's Desk

A patent for a pocket writing desk was applied for December 25^th 1861 by Andrew J Ritter.

Patent number 35,781 was applied for by Andrew J Ritter of Rahway, New Jersey for a pocket writing desk.  The pocket desk was meant to hold paper, pen or pencil, sewing needles and thread, and a checker board with the checkers.  When the Civil War started it became a much sought after device for both sides.  The patent was granted to Ritter on July 1^st 1862.

Returning Slaves After 1812

The Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, between the United States and England was signed December 24^th 1814, and included a return of slaves.

Members of negotiation teams in Ghent Belgium signed and affixed seals to the document known as the Treaty of Ghent on December 24^th 1814.  It was sent on to be ratified by the governments to end the War of 1812.  The treaty called for the release of prisoners and boats, as well as the return of about 10,000,000 acres of land along Lakes Michigan and Superior and in Maine.  There was also a promise made by England to return all black slaves who had been encouraged during the war to cross into English held territory.

To view the actual wording check out this web site,  The Treaty of Ghent

With Sabers Drawn

An engagement in Madison County, Alabama, the Affair at Indian Creek Ford on December 23^rd 1864, was a small cavalry tousle.

Parts of the Union 10^th and 13^th Indiana Cavalry and the 2^nd Tennessee Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel W F Prosser were in Madison County, Alabama on a very cold December 23^rd 1864.  They found and attacked a Confederate force of about 300 dismounted cavalry under the command of Colonel J R B Burtwell.  The Union troopers charged the Confederates with sabers drawn.  Burtwell and his men made a disorganized retreat.

Prosser lost 4 men, 1 killed and 3 wounded.  The Confederates had 54 wounded and captured, and unknown number of fatalities.

The Irish General

Michael Corcoran the Irish American General and Colonel of the 69^th New York died December 22^nd 1863.

Michael Corcoran was born September 21^st 1827 in Carrowkeel, Sligo, Ireland, the only child of Thomas and Mary [McDonagh] Corcoran.  When he was 18 he took a job with the Revenue Police, searching for illegal stills and other distilling activities in Donegal County, Ireland.  Corcoran immigrated to the United State on August 30^th 1849.  He settled in New York City, where he found work in the Hibernian House, a tavern in Manhattan.  Corcoran enlisted in the New York City Militia which became the 69^th, and was their Colonel on October 11^th 1860 when he refused to march in a parade put on for the visiting Prince of Wales.  He was removed from command and was placed under a court martial when the Civil War started.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Corcoran’s charges were dropped and he was restored to command of the 69^th New York.  While the Regiment served in Washington, DC early in the year, they worked on defenses of the city, building Fort Corcoran.  Corcoran led the 69^th at the First Battle of Bull Run, and was taken prisoner.  He was released in a prisoner exchange in August 1862 and was promoted to Brigadier General in the Union army.  Following Corcoran’s release he was placed in command of the 1^st Division of the 12 Corps.  He saw action at the Battle of Deserted House and the Siege of Suffolk, before returning to the defenses of Washington, DC.  Corcoran was riding alone on December 22^nd 1863 when his horse fell on him.  He died from a fractured skull.  Corcoran is buried in the Calvary Cemetery at Woodside, Queens, New York.

Another web site that might interest you about Corcoran is

A hero to the Irish soldiers