- 30 Apr 2020 13:10
#15087929
May 1, Thursday
Steadily increasing Federal pressure is soon to force decisive action by besieged Confederates at Yorktown, Virginia. The siege guns of the Federals under McClellan are being mounted. And when Yorktown goes, so will Norfolk, the naval yard, and other important points along the James River.
President Davis writes General Joseph E. Johnston at Yorktown, “accepting your conclusion that you must soon retire, arrangements are commenced for the abandonment of Navy Yard and removal of public property both from Norfolk and Peninsula.” But the plan to withdraw so soon does take Davis by surprise. At the same time President Lincoln wires McClellan on the Peninsula that the general’s call for heavy guns “alarms me—chiefly because it argues for indefinite procrastination. Is anything to be done?”
Major General Benjamin F. Butler, with his troops, officially takes over in New Orleans, beginning a reign of efficiency in sanitary and other conditions, corruption in administration, and suppression of the people. Citizens of New Orleans will never forget or forgive Butler for what will be termed “bestial acts.” Others, mostly Northerners, now and later, mitigate the charges.
Elsewhere, Federal Brigadier General James G. Blunt assumes command of the Department of Kansas.
In response to General Banks’ request for his army to leave the Shenandoah Valley and join either McClellan or McDowell, Secretary of War Stanton, after consulting President Lincoln, orders that one of Stanton’s two divisions march to unite with General McDowell at Fredericksburg; upon arrival of the Valley troops McDowell with 40,000 men is to move south to combine with McClellan for the drive against the Confederate capital. Banks himself is to stay in the Valley with a force now reduced to a single division.
Meanwhile Jackson is on the move southwestward from his camp of the past weeks at Swift Run Gap on a dirt road running along the east bank of the South Fork to the town of Port Republic. The previous day, marching in a downpour, the troops had only managed five miles before nightfall. Today is much worse. To veterans, the march is reminiscent of the awful trek to Romney in January, except that snow and ice has been replaced by rain and mud. Under a lashing torrent, the track becomes a quagmire. Marching men sink to their knees; wagons and gun carriages are mired to their axles; struggling horses have to be pried from the much with fence rails. As the rain continues to pelt the miserable men, Jackson himself pitches in to carry fence rails and stones for filling the mud holes. Still, the army bogs down after another five miles.
Skirmishing is considerable at Rapidan Station, Virginia; Clark’s Hollow and Camp Creek in Stone River Valley, western Virginia; and near Pulaski, Tennessee. In northern Alabama there are two days of operations around Athens, Mooresville, Limestone Bridge, and Elk River.
Confederate troops begin to arrive in Vicksburg, by the middle of the month there will be about 3,500 of them, with more on the way. The first to appear are Louisianans up from fallen New Orleans and its environ.
General Mitchel proceeds to advertise his accomplishments in Tennessee. He has already been sending reports directly to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and this day he has stirring news for Washington: “This campaign is now ended, and I can now occupy Huntsville in perfect security, while all of Alabama north of the Tennessee floats no flag but that of the Union.” Stanton is pleased, and he is not alone in his approval. The Secretary sends word to Mitchel that his “spirited operations afford great satisfaction to the President.”
Steadily increasing Federal pressure is soon to force decisive action by besieged Confederates at Yorktown, Virginia. The siege guns of the Federals under McClellan are being mounted. And when Yorktown goes, so will Norfolk, the naval yard, and other important points along the James River.
President Davis writes General Joseph E. Johnston at Yorktown, “accepting your conclusion that you must soon retire, arrangements are commenced for the abandonment of Navy Yard and removal of public property both from Norfolk and Peninsula.” But the plan to withdraw so soon does take Davis by surprise. At the same time President Lincoln wires McClellan on the Peninsula that the general’s call for heavy guns “alarms me—chiefly because it argues for indefinite procrastination. Is anything to be done?”
Major General Benjamin F. Butler, with his troops, officially takes over in New Orleans, beginning a reign of efficiency in sanitary and other conditions, corruption in administration, and suppression of the people. Citizens of New Orleans will never forget or forgive Butler for what will be termed “bestial acts.” Others, mostly Northerners, now and later, mitigate the charges.
Elsewhere, Federal Brigadier General James G. Blunt assumes command of the Department of Kansas.
In response to General Banks’ request for his army to leave the Shenandoah Valley and join either McClellan or McDowell, Secretary of War Stanton, after consulting President Lincoln, orders that one of Stanton’s two divisions march to unite with General McDowell at Fredericksburg; upon arrival of the Valley troops McDowell with 40,000 men is to move south to combine with McClellan for the drive against the Confederate capital. Banks himself is to stay in the Valley with a force now reduced to a single division.
Meanwhile Jackson is on the move southwestward from his camp of the past weeks at Swift Run Gap on a dirt road running along the east bank of the South Fork to the town of Port Republic. The previous day, marching in a downpour, the troops had only managed five miles before nightfall. Today is much worse. To veterans, the march is reminiscent of the awful trek to Romney in January, except that snow and ice has been replaced by rain and mud. Under a lashing torrent, the track becomes a quagmire. Marching men sink to their knees; wagons and gun carriages are mired to their axles; struggling horses have to be pried from the much with fence rails. As the rain continues to pelt the miserable men, Jackson himself pitches in to carry fence rails and stones for filling the mud holes. Still, the army bogs down after another five miles.
Skirmishing is considerable at Rapidan Station, Virginia; Clark’s Hollow and Camp Creek in Stone River Valley, western Virginia; and near Pulaski, Tennessee. In northern Alabama there are two days of operations around Athens, Mooresville, Limestone Bridge, and Elk River.
Confederate troops begin to arrive in Vicksburg, by the middle of the month there will be about 3,500 of them, with more on the way. The first to appear are Louisianans up from fallen New Orleans and its environ.
General Mitchel proceeds to advertise his accomplishments in Tennessee. He has already been sending reports directly to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and this day he has stirring news for Washington: “This campaign is now ended, and I can now occupy Huntsville in perfect security, while all of Alabama north of the Tennessee floats no flag but that of the Union.” Stanton is pleased, and he is not alone in his approval. The Secretary sends word to Mitchel that his “spirited operations afford great satisfaction to the President.”
Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.
—Edmund Burke
—Edmund Burke