No One Celebrated

The Confederates took the advantage at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee [aka the Battle of Murfreesboro] by attacking first. At dawn on December 31st 1862 while many of the Union men where having breakfast, two of Lieutenant General William J Hardee’s and one of Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk’s divisions strongly assaulted the right wing under Union Major General Alexander M McCook. By ten that morning the Rebels had managed to push the Union troops back about three miles, almost to the Nashville Pike. Only the units fighting tenaciously under Brigadier General Philip H Sheridan and Brigadier General James S Negley keep the battle from being a total Federal rout. At noon along the Nashville Pike troops under Major General Thomas Crittenden used infantry and artillery to push back a Confederate attack. The noise of battle was so loud that soldiers had to put cotton in the ears. As night came on the fighting died off. No one celebrated the New Year that night, as the two armies stayed in position for the next day.

Worth looking at
Stones River Bloody Winter Tennessee

Personal Recollections And Experiences Concerning The Battle Of Stone River (1889)

http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/40stones/40stones.htm

Limited Freedom

President Abraham Lincoln held a cabinet meeting on December 30th 1862 at which he gave members a copy of the Draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. He asked them to offer suggestions for the document. The first part of the Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862, outlining the intent that became law 100 days later on January 1, 1863.

You might also like to read these

http://www.nps.gov/ncro/anti/emancipation.html

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/

The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War)

The Last Issue

The last issue of “The Liberator” was published today December 29th 1865 by William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison felt his goal of the “extermination of chattel slavery” had succeeded.

William Lloyd Garrison born December 12th 1805 in Newburyport,MA, was a journalist, social reformer and abolitionist. In 1831 he founded a weekly newspaper in Boston,MA; “The Liberator” dedicated to anti-slavery information. The paper had a slow start with less than 400 subscribers in its second year. “The Liberator" did grow in numbers and influence over the three decades leading up to the Civil War. The last issue; number 1,820, was published December 29,1865. Mr. Garrison wrote in this last issue, “The object for which the Liberator was commenced—the extermination of chattel slavery—having been gloriously consummated, it seems to me specially appropriate to let its existence cover the historic period of the great struggle; leaving what remains to be done to complete the work of emancipation to other instrumentalities”.

Also worth a look

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html

http://www.sujal.net/cities/laterlife.html

Don't Split Your Troops

In Jefferson Co, TN in December 29th 1863 the minor battle of Mossy Creek occurred. While camped at Mossy Creek and Talbott‘s Station, Union Brigadier General Samuel D Sturgis received a report that Confederate Cavalry had set up camp to the south near Dandridge. Sturgis sent a portion of his troops out towards Dandrige, and just a short time after they departed Major General William T Martin the commander of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s cavalry attacked the remaining force at Talbott’s Station at about 9 am.

The Union troops fell back slowly toward Mossy Creek, and sent messages to the force that was heading to Dandridge to return promptly. The Rebel continued to advance on Mossy Creek and the Federal troops there. About 3pm the force from Dandridge returned to Mossy Creek and turned the tide of the battle, driving the Confederates back towards Talbott’s Station and Panther Creek. The Union did not pursue that night. General Martin retreated from the area and spent the rest of the winter in the Morristown area.

For more reading

First Nurse

On this date in 1862 the first official female nurses; four Nuns who volunteered were serving on the US Navy hospital ship the “Red Rover”.

Christmas Eve and the Klan

Right after the Civil War ended on December 24th 1865 in Pulaski,TN six Confederate veterans created the original Ku Klux Klan. The name made up from the Greek word kyklos meaning circle, and was just one of many secret societies of the time. Since most of the Klan’s members were veterans of the late war, they used military structure within the organization. The main purpose of this early Klan was to resist Reconstruction. It was put out of being in the 1870’s when President Ulysses S Grant saw passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1871; aka the Ku Klux Klan Act.

For more information


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_kkk.html

http://www.kkklan.com/briefhist.htm

Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s

Capture The Flag

Richard Conner was awarded to Medal Honor for his bravery in action. He was born December 23rd 1843. As a 17 year old resident of Burlington, NJ he enlisted in the 6th NJ Volunteer Infantry as a Private in Co “F”. His unit saw service at the Battle of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, and Gettysburg. But it was during the Battle of Second Bull Run, that he performed his act of bravery. The flag of his regiment having been left behind during a retreat, Richard and a companion volunteered to return under heavy fire, were he secured the flag and brought it back off the field. After the war was over he moved to Philadelphia, where 35 years latter on September 17th 1897 he was recognized for his bravery with the Medal of Honor. He died in PA and is buried in North Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Other reading



http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19112