Taking On The Blockading Ships

With the help of a thick fog, on January 31^st 1863 two Confederate ironclads the CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State made an attack on the Union blockading ships in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.

On January 31^st 1863, in a thick predawn fog, the CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State; both ironclads, attacked the blockading force of unarmored Union ships stationed just outside of Charleston Harbor.  Using her ram and guns the Palmetto made the USS Mercedita surrender and disabled the USS Keystone State.  While this was going on the Chicora took on the other Unions ships with long range artillery.

Following this duel the two Confederate ships laid anchor safely back in the Charleston Harbor.

Foraging Excursion Turned Fight

BG Roger A Pryor

The Battle of Deserted House [also known as the Battle of Kelly’s Store] was fought January 30^th 1863 in southeast Virginia.

Confederate Brigadier General Roger A Pryor crossed the Blackwater River with his troops on a foraging excursion into Virginia.  Union Major General John J Peck organized a force from his garrison at Suffolk, Virginia to drive Pryor out of the area.  Peck placed Union Brigadier General Michael Corcoran in command of this force.

Pryor expecting an attack from the Union garrison organized his men for battle about 8 miles west of Suffolk near Kelly’s Store.  The Union and Confederate troops engaged on January 30^th 1863 at a place known as Deserted House.  Pryor’s men pulled back about two miles before forming up a new line.  The Union 13^th Indiana Infantry charged and broke this line.  The Confederates made a final stand along the Blackwater River, but that line was also routed by the Union 11^th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Corcoran returned with his men to Suffolk the next day.  Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet carried out another foraging expedition against Suffolk in April 1863.

For some more interesting reading on this battle, check out Baptism of Fire: The Corcoran Legion at Deserted House, Virginia, 30th January 1863

Crossing Into The Carolinas

A Wing of Union General William T Sherman’s Army under the command of Major General Henry W Slocum began to cross the Savannah River at Sister’s Ferry on January 29^th 1865.

After capturing Savannah, Georgia Union General William T Sherman was ordered by Lieutenant General Ulysses S Grant to embark by ship and move his troops to the support of the Army of the Potomac.  Sherman convinced Grant that it would be better if he marched his troops north through the Carolinas.  He would target South Carolina, the first state to have seceded, by destroying everything of value to the military as they passed through.

Sherman ordered the commander of the XIV and XX Corps; Major General Henry W Slocum on January 19^th 1865 to cross the Savannah River into South Carolina at Sister’s Ferry.  However the Union troops; do to a heavy rainfall, weren’t able to leave the city of Savannah until January 29^th 1865.  It took them until February 2^nd 1865 to get completely over the river.  Slocum’s men lagging behind the rest of Sherman’s army proceeded toward the town of Robertville, South Carolina.

The President's Valet

African American William Henry Johnson a personal valet of United States President Abraham Lincoln died January 28^th 1864 most likely from smallpox.

William Henry Johnson a free African American was born about 1835.  He was working in Springfield, Illinois as a barber and bootblack when he met Abraham Lincoln in 1860.  When Lincoln became President he brought Johnson with him to the White House.  There seems to have been issues between the existing White House staff and Johnson.  In a letter that Lincoln wrote to United States Navy Secretary Gideon Welles on March 7^th 1861 he stated the trouble seemed to be “the difference of color between him and other servants is the cause of our separation.”  Lincoln found other employment for Johnson as a messenger for the United States Treasury Department.  Johnson however continued to work mornings as the President’s valet and barber.

On November 18^th 1863 Johnson traveled by train with Lincoln to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery.  The President contracted smallpox and while tending to Lincoln, Johnson also came down with disease.  The President recovered, but Johnson died on January 28^th 1864 in Washington, DC.

Lincoln paid for Johnson’s funeral.  Interestingly it is unknown to a certainty where Johnson is buried.  There are two places that claim his remains, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Columbian Harmony Cemetery.

Recommended reading on this subject can be found at Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Johnson

Five Hours Of Shelling

The Union Navy attacked Fort McAllister along the coast of Georgia on January 27^th 1863, with several gun boats.

Fort McAllister was under the command of Confederate Major John B Gallie, who before the war was a merchant in Savannah, Georgia.

On January 26^th 1863 the Union ironclad the USS Montauk along with the USS Wissahickon, USS Dawn and USS Seneca approached Fort McAllister.  The Montauk set anchor within an effective firing range of the Fort’s guns.  On January 27^th 1863 the Montauk with support of the other ships opened fire on the Fort which they continued for 5 hours.  The Fort was reported to have been hit by over 450 cannon rounds.  The ironclad was hit about 15 times by fire from the Fort but wasn’t seriously damaged, nor where there any casualties.  The Union ship withdrew after the five hours, because the Montauk was running short of ammunition.  There were no reported casualties from Fort McAllister, nor was there much damage.

This battle would mark the first use of an ironclad ship against a land base.  The Commander of the Montauk was John Worden, who had been the commander of the USS Monitor when she fought the CSS Virginia for the first time.

I Think He Is Harder On Me

United States President Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter on January 26^th 1863 to Union General Joseph Hooker upon his ascending to command of the Army of the Potomac.

Union General Joseph Hooker was the fourth in a line of commanding General of the Army of the Potomac, a part of President Abraham Lincoln’s search for a general who would give him a victory.  When Hooker was given command, Lincoln placed a letter in his hand stating Hooker’s good and bad qualities it commended his bravery, military skill, and confidence, as well as the fact that the President knew Hooker had undercut Union General Ambrose E Burnside.  Hooker told Noah Brooks; a reporter, that it was the kind of “letter as a father might write to his son. It is a beautiful letter, and, although I think he was harder on me than I deserved, I will say that I love the man who wrote it."

It was only five months later that Lincoln replace Hooker with Union General George G Meade right before the Battle of Gettysburg.

The letter written January 26, 1863 follows as:

Major General Hooker:

General.

I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac. Of course I have done this upon what appear to me to be sufficient reasons. And yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which, I am not quite satisfied with you. I believe you to be a brave and a skilful soldier, which, of course, I like. I also believe you do not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right. You have confidence in yourself, which is a valuable, if not an indispensable quality. You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good rather than harm. But I think that during Gen. Burnside's command of the Army, you have taken counsel of your ambition, and thwarted him as much as you could, in which you did a great wrong to the country, and to a most meritorious and honorable brother officer. I have heard, in such way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals, who gain successes, can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship. The government will support you to the utmost of its ability, which is neither more nor less than it has done and will do for all commanders. I much fear that the spirit which you have aided to infuse into the Army, of criticizing their Commander, and withholding confidence from him, will now turn upon you. I shall assist you as far as I can, to put it down. Neither you, nor Napoleon, if he were alive again, could get any good out of an army, while such a spirit prevails in it.

And now, beware of rashness. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward, and give us victories.

Stood Their Ground Through Three Charges

The 11^th United States Colored Infantry was in action on January 24^th 1865 at Boggs’ Mill in Arkansas.

The 11^th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops was recruited in the autumn of 1863 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  It was made up mostly of former slaves that lived in the area, as well as a few slaves from the Choctaw Nation.  They were attached to the 2^nd Brigade of the District of the Frontier in the 7^th Corps of the Union Department of Arkansas.  The unit was at first assigned to garrison duty at Fort Smith.

Their first action came in the summer of 1864 when the 265 effectives of the 11^th were sent into the Indian Territory to guard stock and hay at Gunther’s Prairie.  On August 24^th 1864 the 11^th were attacked by about 350 Confederate Cavalry.  There was a hard fight that lasted over two hours with the Confederates making three charges, before they were forced to retreat.  The 11^th lost 3 men killed and 14 missing or wounded.

Returning to Fort Smith until November 1864 when they were ordered east into Conway County, Arkansas.  On January 24^th 1864 they confronted a detachment of the 10^th Arkansas Cavalry at Boggs’ Mill.  The Confederates under the command of Colonel Robert C Newton had taken the mill a few miles from Dardanelle, Arkansas.  The 11^th surprised the Confederates, capturing 18 horses, arms and Newton’s official papers.

After this the 11^th was placed on garrison duty in both Little Rock and Lewisburg, Arkansas through April 1865.  As the Civil War was wrapping up the 11^th was merged with the 112^th and 113^th becoming the 113^th United States Colored Infantry on April 22^nd 1865.