The High Commander

President Abraham Lincoln, impressed with Ulysses S Grant's fight and ability to win, had him promoted to Lieutenant General and on March 9th 1864 Grant took over command of all the Union forces.

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 Ulysses S Grant was a Colonel in the 21st Illinois Infantry. In February 1862 he became the Major General of volunteers. When his forces caused the surrender in July 1863 of the Confederates at Vicksburg he was made Major General. In March 1864 Grant was promoted the Lieutenant General after his victory at Chattanooga. After receiving this promotion Grant was place in command of all of the Union armies, and decided to accompany the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern theater, which caused that Army’s commander; General George Gorden Meade a great deal of frustration.

He served in this position from March 9th 1864 to March 4th 1869, commanding the army during Reconstruction.

On To North Carolina

The Battle of Wyse Fork was fought in North Carolinia on March 8th 1865.

Major General Jacob Cox was directing his Union force in February from New Berne, at the same time Major General John Schofield was moving inland from Wilmington. Cox’s men were stopped at Southwest Creek near Kinston, North Carolinia when they encountered Robert Hoke’s divisions under Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

On March 8th 1865 the Confederates attacked the Union flanks at the Battle of Wyse Fork. Although the Confederates saw some initial success, do to poor communication the attack came to a stand still. The next day reinforcements on the Union side pushed Bragg’s men back. After heavy fighting during the next few days the Confederates withdrew across the Neuse River ending with the fall of Kinston on March 14th 1865.

This was a Union victory in which about 12,000 Union troops and 8,500 Rebel troops were engaged. The casualties are estimated at about 2,601. This battle is also known as Wilcox’s Bridge, Wise’s Fork, Second Kinston, Second Southwest Creek, Kelly's Mill Pond.

The Cows Come Home

Charles Goodnight a cattle rancher, perhaps one of the best known ranchers in Texas was born on March 5th 1836.

Goodnight was born in Macoupin County, IL. He was the fourth child of Charles and Charlotte [Collier] Goodnight. He moved with family to Texas in 1846, where he became a Texas Ranger in 1857. With the coming of the Civil War Goodnight joined the Confederate Army. He spent most of the war on the Texas frontier protecting against raids by Indians.

When the Civil War ended Charles Goodnight took part of the “making the gather”, which was a state wide round up of the cattle that roamed pretty much free during the four years of the war. Than in 1866 he and Oliver Loving drove the wild Texas Longhorn cattle north to the railroads where they would supply the US Army.

Goodnight died December 12th 1929 in Tucson, AZ.

Some other places for information
Charles Goodnight Historical Center

Charles Goodnight, Cowman and Plainsman

Charles Goodnight: Father of the Texas Panhandle

Texas Splits

Despite the wishes of Sam Houston, Texas became member of the Confederate States of America on March 2nd 1861.

Following a statewide election in which the people of Texas voted 3 to 1 to secede, Texas joined the rest of the Confederate States on March 2nd 1861. Governor Sam Houston called this act illegal. But the politicians that brought the vote about, were powerful enough to have Houston replaced by his Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark. Houston chose not to take the Oath of Loyalty to the Confederacy, and was evicted from his office on March 16th. President Abraham Lincoln sent United States Colonel Frederick W Lander to offer Fifty thousand troop in order to hold Texas, but Houston turned him down, saying "I love Texas too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her. To avert this calamity, I shall make no endeavor to maintain my authority as Chief Executive of this State.”

[Interestingly to this date, Sam Houston was born on March 2 1793 on his families plantation near Timber Ridge Church, Lexington , Rockbridge, VA.]

The Creation Of Banks

The National Bank Act was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln on February 25th 1863.

The National Bank Act created a system for chartering banks, and encouraging a national currency. This Act also established the Federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as a branch of the Department of the Treasury. The idea behind the Act was to raise money to fund the Union Army’s fight against the Confederacy by getting banks to buy Federal Bond and taxing the State issued bonds. The act just passed on a Senate vote of 23 to 21.

Another banking act was passed in 1865 that imposed a tax on the money issued from State banks. This tax effectively did away with all non-federal money and increased National Banks to 1,644 by 1866.

Lion of Little Round Top

He was known as the Lion of Little Round Top. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain died February 23, 1914.

Joshua Chamberlain was born September 8, 1828, in Brewer, Maine. The oldest of five children born to Joshua and Sarah (Dupee) Chamberlain. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he met his future wife Fannie Adams. After graduating in 1852 he studied at the Bangor Theological Seminary. Three years latter Chamberlain excepted a job at his old college, married and settled into a normal life.

In 1861 when the southern states began to succeed Chamberlain; who felt strongly about the Union cause, volunteered his services to the state. Although he had no military experience he was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry. The 20th was part of the “Light Brigade” of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Although perhaps best known for the Bayonet charge on Little Round Top on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain and the 20th saw action at many crucial battles, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, etc. He was seriously wounded during an assault outside of Petersburg, Virginia. The surgeon at the field hospital pronounced Chamberlain’s wound to be mortal. General Ulysses S Grant had him promoted to Brigadier General two days latter. Joshua recovered and rejoined the army in April of 65, where he led his troop during the Battle of Five Forks which ended the hold of the Confederates on Petersburg. General Joshua Chamberlain accepted the formal surrender of arms of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 12, 1865 at Appomattox Court House.

After the war Chamberlain returned to his home in Maine. He was elected to Governor of the State of Maine in 1866. In 1871 he became the President of Bowdoin College, however in 1883 he resigned do to health reasons related to old war wounds. He spent a great deal of time in writing and helping other veterans. Chamberlain was honored by Congress in 1893 with the Congressional Medal of Honor, for his service at Gettysburg. From 1900 until his death on February 24, 1914 he was the Surveyor of the Port of Maine in Portland, Maine. He is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine.

Sneaking Into Town

At six am on February 23 1861 Abraham Lincoln along with his friend Ward H Lamon and Allan Pinkerton arrived by train in Washington DC. Before this leg, Lincoln’s journey east had been very public, filled with parades, rallies and speeches. However do to concerns about his safety, and rumors of a plot to kill him when he traveled through Baltimore MD, this last train ride was made in secrecy.

After reluctantly agreeing, Lincoln and his traveling companions left Harrisburg PA after dinner on the 22nd, on a special train to Philadelphia PA. From Philadelphia they connected with a late train which arrived in Baltimore MD about four in the morning. From the there they switched trains for the one into Washington, where they were met by Illinois Representative Elihu Washburne, who took them to the Willard Hotel. Lincoln’s enemies as well as many of his supporters ridiculed his sneaking into Washington. Lincoln himself came to regret the move, feeling it wasn’t a commendable action for the leader of the republic.

Some other reading you might be interested in
History And Evidence Of The Passage Of Abraham Lincoln From Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, To Washington, D.C., On February 22-23, 1861