Nine Month Men

The 15^th New Hampshire Infantry mustered out of Union service August 13^th 1863.

The 15^th New Hampshire was organized between October 6^th and 16^th 1862 in Concord, New Hampshire as a nine month regiment.  The men of the regiment came mostly from the counties of Belknap, Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, and Sullivan, New Hampshire.  They formed under the command of Colonel John W Kingman.

The 15^th left New Hampshire November 13^th 1862 for New York, where they would sail for New Orleans, Louisiana.  The regiment arrived in Louisiana December 26^th 1862.  They were placed in the Union Department of the Gulf a part of William T Sherman’s Division.  The men of the 15^th settled in at Camp Parapet, Louisiana serving there on duty until May 1863.  When the 1863 campaign season got going they were moved to Springfield Landing, Louisiana, and then onto service in the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana from May 27^th through July 9^th 1863.

The men of the 15^th were mustered out of Union service August 13^th 1863 at Concord, New Hampshire.  During their time in the army the 15^th had 27 men who killed in action or died from their wounds, and another 134 who died from disease.

Raised The Fallen Colors

Second Lieutenant Stephen Potter Corliss, a Medal of Honor recipient, enlisted in the Union army August 12^th 1862.

Stephen Potter Corliss was born July 25^th 1842 in Albany, New York, the son of Roswell B and Catherine Corliss.

Corliss enlisted as a Private in the 11^th New York Artillery August 12^th 1862 at Albany, New York.  He would be promoted to Second Lieutenant of Company F of the 4^th New York Heavy Artillery on June 26^th 1864.  He was taken prisoner on August 25^th 1864 at the Second Battle of Ream’s Station, returning to duty in December 1864.  Corliss received the Medal of Honor for his action at the Battle of South Side Railroad in Virginia on April 2^nd 1865.  It was here that the 4^th faced a Confederate battery near the railroad where it intersected with the White Oak Road.  The company charged three times.  When the color bearers were shot down, Corliss dismounted, picked up the flag, remounted and road, carrying the colors into the Confederate works planting them on the line.  The rest of the company followed him, and routed the enemy.  His citation reads, “raised the fallen colors and, rushing forward in advance of the troops, placed them on the enemy's works."  Corliss was discharged from service December 9^th 1865.

He received the Medal of Honor April 5^th 1898.  Corliss died May 9^th 1904 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  He is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery, Albany, New York.

My Most Successful Exploits

The Battle of Cedar Mountain was fought August 9^th 1862.

Union Major General John Pope had a new army under his command, which he christened the Army of Virginia.  Pope moved on Culpeper Court House and Confederate General Robert E Lee sent the order to General Thomas J Jackson that he wanted “Pope to be suppressed.”

Jackson was outnumbered, but Pope helped him with the numbers, when he divided his troops along the Rapidan River.  Jackson moved on the part of Pope’s army that was near Culpeper.  Moving on the main road toward Culpeper in extreme heat on bad roads Jackson’s exhausted troops encountered Union cavalry near Cedar Run on August 9^th 1862.  Confederate Brigadier General Jubal A Early formed a line along the road, he anchored it on Cedar Mountain.  The Confederate artillery posted along the mountain, a small knoll known as the Cedars and near the Crittenden House beginning a duel with Union artillery on the Mitchell Station Road.  During the artillery bombardment Confederate Brigadier General Charles S Winder was mortally wounded.  Around 5pm Union Major General Nathaniel P Banks launched an attack on the Confederate line.  Union troops led by Union Brigadier General Samuel W Crawford attacked the Confederate left in what became hand to hand combat, while other Union troops under Brigadier General Christopher C Auger hit the other end of the line near the guns on the knoll.

The Confederate troops began to show signs of a rout, but Jackson road into the middle of his men and rallied the troops.  With Jackson holding his men in place and restoring order, Confederate General A P Hill arrived in time to strengthen the line and push the Union troops back across the field.  A battalion of the 1^st Pennsylvania Cavalry held the Confederate counterattack long enough so that most of the Union men could retreat.

Two days after this battle Jackson began his move to join up with Robert E Lee for what would lead up to Second Manassas.  Jackson said that the Battle of Cedar Mountain was “the most successful of his exploits.”

The Western Fort Surrendered

A Siege against Fort Gaines, a part of the Battle of Mobile Bay, came to an end on August 8^th 1864 after six days.

Union Major General Gordon Granger landed a force on Dauphin Island on August 3^rd 1864.  The 3,300 men moved against Fort Gaines located on the western side of Mobile Bay.  The Fort was of pentagonal design and was built in the mid 1800’s.  It was held by about 820 Confederate soldiers under the command of Colonel Charles A Anderson.  Anderson’s commander Confederate Brigadier General Richard Lucian Page gave him orders not to surrender the Fort.

On August 5^th 1864 Admiral David G Farragut’s Union Navy fleet of 18 ships, ran past Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan; the other fort defending the Bay, defeating the Confederate ships in Mobile Bay.  Seeing this Anderson decided he couldn’t hold the Fort if attacked by both Granger’s force and the Union Navy.  He surrendered the Fort August 8^th 1864.

Found Death As He Would Have Wished

Union cavalry Major Seymour Beach Conger was killed in action August 7^th 1864 during a battle near Moorefield, West Virginia.

Seymour Beach Conger was born September 25^th 1825 in Plymouth, Richland, Ohio the son of Reverend Enoch and Esther (West) Conger.  He lived near Lexington, Ohio and worked as a farmer.

When the Civil War started Conger recruited for what would become Company A of the 3^rd West Virginia Cavalry.  He was made their Captain November 22^nd 1862.  Companies A and C, which he led, was a part of Union General John Buford’s Division of Cavalry, and served at Brandy Station and Gettysburg in Colonel Thomas C Devin’s brigade.  In November 1863 the 3^rd along with Conger were moved to the Department of West Virginia in Wheeling.   He was promoted to Major.  Conger was killed in action during the cavalry fight known as the Battle of Moorefield near Moorefield, West Virginia August 7^th 1864.  He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

After Conger’s death Union General William Woods Averell said of him, “our exultations is mingled a profound grief at the loss of Major Conger, 3rd West Virginia Cavalry, who found death as he had always wished, in the front of battle, with heart and hand intent upon the doing of his duty.  Brave, steadfast and modest, when he fell this command lost one of its best soldiers, and his regiment and general a friend.  The men who followed him in the charge will never forget his glorious example."

Any Property That Supports The War Effort

The Confiscation Act of 1861 was signed into law August 6^th 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln and included taking slaves.

The bill for the Confiscation Act of 1861 passed both houses of Congress by a wide majority, but Lincoln was hesitant to sign.  With recent Confederate victories he felt the Act would look reckless, and that it could be seen as unconstitutional.  He was lobbied by several Senators who explained that the Act was necessary to take any property; including slaves, that could be used to support the Confederacy’s war efforts.  He signed the Act into law August 6^th 1861.

 “An Act to confiscate Property used for Insurrectionary Purposes.

It has been enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That if, during the present or any future insurrection against the Government of the United States, after the President of the United States shall have declared, by proclamation, that the laws of the United States are opposed, and the execution thereof obstructed, by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, or by the power vested in the marshals by law, any person or persons, his, her, or their agent, attorney, or employé, shall purchase or acquire, sell or give, any property of whatsoever kind or description, with intent to use or employ the same, or suffer the same to be used or employed, in aiding, abetting, or promoting such insurrection or resistance to the laws, or any person or persons engaged therein; or if any person or persons, being the owner or owners of any such property, shall knowingly use or employ, or consent to the use or employment of the same as aforesaid, all such property is hereby declared to be lawful subject of prize and capture wherever found; and it shall be the duty of the President of the United States to cause the same to be seized, confiscated, and condemned.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That such prizes and capture shall be condemned in the district or circuit court of the United States having jurisdiction of the amount, or in admiralty in any district in which the same may be seized, or into which they may be taken and proceedings first instituted.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Attorney-General, or any district attorney of the United States in which said property may at the time be, may institute the proceedings of condemnation, and in such case they shall be wholly for the benefit of the United States; or any person may file an information with such attorney, in which case the proceedings shall be for the use of such informer and the United States in equal parts.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That whenever hereafter, during the present insurrection against the Government of the United States, any person claimed to be held to labor or service under the law of any State, shall be required or permitted by the person to whom such labor or service is claimed to be due, or by the lawful agent of such person, to take up arms against the United States, or shall be required or permitted by the person to whom such labor or service is claimed to be due, or his lawful agent, to work or to be employed in or upon any fort, navy yard, dock, armory, ship, entrenchment, or in any military or naval service whatsoever, against the Government and lawful authority of the United States, then, and in every such case, the person to whom such labor or service is claimed to be due shall forfeit his claim to such labor, any law of the State or of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding. And whenever thereafter the person claiming such labor or service shall seek to enforce his claim, it shall be a full and sufficient answer to such claim that the person whose service or labor is claimed had been employed in hostile service against the Government of the United States, contrary to the provisions of this act.”

The Riot In Philadelphia

The Lombard Street Riot started on August 1^st 1842 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lasted for three days.

During the first half of the 19^th century the number of blacks in Philadelphia increased by over fifty percent at the same time there was a large number of Irish immigrants coming into the city.  These two groups were separated by race, religion, and social background, but competed for the same jobs in the city.

On the morning of August 1^st 1842 the Young Men’s Vigilant Association held a parade to commemorate the ending of slavery in the British West Indies.  As the 1,000 black members of the Association neared the Mother Bethel Church on Fourth and Lombard Streets they were attacked by a mob made up of manly Irish Catholics.  The mob began setting fires, attacking the fire fighters who came to put them out.  They moved on to the home of Robert Purvis a leader of the black community.  He was saved only through the intercession of a Catholic priest.

The riot continued for three days.  The Second African American Presbyterian Church, Smith’s Hall and many homes belonging local blacks were burnt and looted.  Local militia was eventually brought in to put down the riot.

If you would like to learn more check out 1842 Philadelphia Race Riot Erupts