firstyear part 3

V. The First Year

A. First Clashes - part 1

B. Blockade - part 2

C. The River War in the West

Albert Sidney Johnston's dispersed defense - HQ at Columbus - line eastward to upper Cumberland R.

Henry Halleck's dispersed offense - also Dept of Ohio under Don Carlos Buell - to liberate Tenn

Grant decides to move "upon your works"

Grant was appointed by Fremont, who started river war & began building gunboats

Paducah Sept. 6 - 50 mi. up Ohio from Cairo with gunboats of Andrew Foote

Belmont Nov. 7 - down Miss from Cairo - but could not hold it

1. Fort Henry Feb. 6

Andrew Foote's gunboats (4 ironclads, 3 wood) modeled on Sam Pooks turtles

Grant lands with 15,000 - 2500 rebels retreat to Donelson 12 mi. away

2. Fort Donelson Feb. 14-16

Grant defeats Simon Buckner Feb. 16

Beauregard changes Johnston's strategy - wants to attack Grant, St. Louis - >CSA move in 12 heavy guns, 16,000 men, trenches & earthworks

1st day - Foote's 4 gunboats took 40+ hits - drifted, 2 collide

2nd day CSA attack successful - drive back 2 miles - but fear Grant's and Buell's reinforcements

Floyd to Pillow to Buckner - all decide to surrender

NB Forrest leaves in disgust - to Nashville - saves supplies - motto since Sacramento, KY Dec. 26 - "Forward, men, and mix with em" - tactic of envelopment: dismount skirmish front, attack both flanks

Grant: no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender

1st big victory in west - Grant promoted to Maj-Gen, 2nd to Halleck

3. Island No. 10 Apr. 7

(same day as Shiloh) - Hallecks dual river attack: Leonidas Polk down Miss, Grant down Tenn R.

4. Shiloh Apr. 6-7

Grant defeats Johnston (killed from bleeding when artery severed)

"America's baptism in total war" - Union lost 13,700; Confed 10,700

5. Corinth

"ecological trap" for confed Apr. 7 to May 25

Sam Watkins - "one vast hospital" - chronic diarrhea - "starved skeletons" - hated Bragg who was too strict, not an example like Col. Hume Field who walked - hated CSA conscription law (1st in US history) & the 20-slave exemption law

Bureaugard retreats to Tupelo - Davis replaces him with Braxton Bragg

6. Great Railroad Adventure Apr. 12

James Andrews steals confederate locomotive General

Western & Atlantic RR to Chattanooga

conductor Wm Fuller furious

northern raiders were heroes

1st Congressional Medal of Honor (awarded Mar. 25, 1863)

7. New Orleans

"most remarkable" Farragut runs the forts Apr. 24

Ben Butler occupies South's largest port

fall of Baton Rouge, Natchez, Memphis

May 10 at Plum Run Bend

confed fleet of 8 rams attacked union fleet

above Ft. Pillow and sank 2 ironclads - setback for north

June 6 at Memphis - Chas. Ellets USS rams defeat CSA

by May 1862 = "deluge of victories" - 50,000 sq. mi., 1000 mi. river