1862
 

 1862 Calendar
HEADLINES ** HEADLINES ** HEADLINES 

MAP ROOM (November 19th Fredericksburg)

[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Nov 30 1862 (Sunday)

In order to free his cavalry units from detached duty "as couriers for general and staff officers of the army," Robert E. Lee has authorized Colonel J.H. Richardson to form "a corps of guides and couriers." In this corps, "every section of the border was represented, and the battalion could furnish competent guides and couriers for all occasions." To date, only Captain Augustus P. Pifer's Company A, organized last month, has reported for duty.

* Enrolled in this company from Frederick County is Sgt. Robert Cartmell and his two cousins Bean Cartmell Campbell and Robert M. Campbell.  Relatives of the editors of this page.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Camp near Fredericksburg, Va., November 30, 1862. - Col. J. H. RICHARDSON, Commanding Corps of Scouts and Couriers: - COLONEL: I have been very anxious to get your corps of scouts and guides into service, in order to relieve the members of cavalry companies now on that duty, and return them to their regiments, where their services are much needed. Captain Pifer arrived with his company yesterday. This is the only company that I have heard of yet. Please inform me what progress you have made in your organization, and when the other companies will be ready for service. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

U.S. Grant and "Cump" Sherman's forces converge on the Confederate entrenchment's near the Tallahatchie River. With overwhelming Union forces in his front and Frederick Steele's column threatening his flank, General Pemberton orders a withdrawal to a more defensible position behind the Yalashaba River. "All the troops of this army will march at daylight....and concentrate at Oxford. What cannot be transported will be destroyed....A column of the enemy has crossed the Tallahatchie and are in our rear."

ABBEVILLE, MISS., November 30, 1862. - General BRAXTON BRAGG, Tullahoma, Tenn.: I am compelled to fall back for the defense of Vicksburg. The effective force there does not exceed 4,000. General Holmes is doing nothing to assist me. The enemy is moving from 10,000 to 15,000 from Delta by mouth of Coldwater toward Grenada. Sherman with 20,000 is at Lumpkin's Mill, 12 miles in my front. Grant is moving also with the whole or part of his army, from 35,000 to 40,000, and will doubtless cross a large force at New Albany.....Within a few days a large expedition by the Mississippi River will move direct for Vicksburg for a combined land and water attack. You see my situation; it is for you to decide how far you can help me....J. C. PEMBERTON, Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

Secretary of War James Seddon advises Pierre G.T. Beauregard that any "contrabands" who are captured wearing a Federal uniform are to be executed. Captured black soldiers are not to be treated as legitimate prisoners of war, "They cannot be recognized in any way as soldiers subject to the rules of law."

WAR DEPARTMENT, Richmond, Va., November 30, 1862. - General G. T. BEAUREGARD, Commanding, &c. - GENERAL: Slaves in flagrant rebellion are subject to death by the laws of every slave-holding State....For example and to repress any spirit of insubordination it is deemed essential that slaves in armed insurrection should meet condign punishment.....To guard, however, against the possible abuse of this grave power under the immediate excitement of capture or through over-zeal on the part of subordinate officers it is deemed judicious that the discretion of deciding and giving the order of execution should be reposed in the general commanding the special locality of the capture....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, yours, JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 01 1862 (Monday)

Confederate horsemen have had the better of their Union counterparts throughout the war. However, R.E. Lee is worried about the large number of cavalrymen who have become dismounted; their horses killed in battle or worn out in the service. "The price of horses has become so high that the men are unable to procure remounts. Their services are consequently lost to the country." The lack of horse flesh is less of a problem for the Army of the Potomac's cavalry commander, Alfred Pleasonton. His horsemen are scattered throughout the army and Pleasonton would like to reorganize his cavalry units to even the odds in further encounters with the enemy.

MEMORANDUM.- DECEMBER 1, 1862. To obviate some of the defects existing at present in our cavalry organization, the following suggestions are respectfully submitted: That portion of the army whose duties are to cover the front and flanks of the army form advanced guards, rear guards, gain information of the enemy's movements, and, in fact, perform all the functions of cavalry as a corps, should be organized as such into brigades and divisions, with a common commander, under the direct orders of the commander of the army. The cavalry is a distinct arm of the service, having specific duties to perform, that can only be properly discharged under an organization conformable to those duties. It is, therefore, recommended that such legislation be obtained as will give the cavalry a corps organization....To insure uniformity and accuracy in the reports to the commanding general of the army, the cavalry used in obtaining the information must be under the orders of the same person....A. PLEASONTON, Brigadier-General.

"Prince John" Magruder, the new commander of the District of Texas, has received information than Nathaniel Banks' expedition "has sailed from New York to Texas." To shore up his coastal defenses, Magruder requests more artillery to be sent to him.

HDQRS. DIST. OF TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, AND ARIZONA, Houston, Tex., December 1, 1862. - Lieutenant-General PEMBERTON, Commanding Department of the Mississippi: - SIR: An immediate invasion of Texas being expected, and finding this district sadly in need of light artillery, I have the honor to request that you will send me...two batteries....Want of time prevents me from obtaining orders in regard to this matter from Richmond. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER, Major-General, Commanding.

Taking advantage of the inactivity of the Army of the Potomac, in camp on the northern bank of the Rappahannock River opposite Fredericksburg, Lieutenant-General James Longstreet positions his artillery along the crest of Marye's Heights. "Forbidding in appearance, the position [is] even more formidable...for the range of hills ...[is] mostly wooded." The batteries [are] sighted with such care that when "Old Pete" suggests the need for additional artillery pieces, Edward Porter Alexander, the artillery commander, responds: "General, we cover that ground now so well that we comb it as with a fine-tooth comb. A chicken could not live on that field when we open on it."

HEADQUARTERS ARTILLERY BATTALION, December 1, 1862. - Captain ESHLEMAN, Commanding Battalion Washington Artillery: - CAPTAIN: Your batteries are assigned to position in the pits recently constructed in the front, commencing on the extreme right on the plateau behind Marye's house and occupying them from right to left as far as your number of guns will extend. My battalion goes in on your immediate left; a gun in every pit until guns are exhausted or pits are filled. You are to be ready to move to these positions, but not to go there until the alarm, which will be the firing of two guns in rapid succession, when you will take your position at once, but not open fire until directed....Very respectfully, &c., E. P. ALEXANDER, Lieutenant-Colonel.

Secretary of War Edwin Stanton reports to President Lincoln that "according to recent official returns," the United States army now has "775,336 officers and privates, fully armed and equipped....When the quotas are filled up the force will number 1,000,000 men." With the army as his stick, Lincoln asks Congress for a carrot to induce the Confederate States to end the war by proposing legislation that would provide restitution to slaveholders in "every state wherein slavery now exists which shall abolish the same therein at any time before the first day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand and nine hundred."

MESSAGE. - DECEMBER 1, 1862. - Fellow-citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives: Since your last annual assembling another year of health and bountiful harvests has passed, and while it has not pleased the Almighty to bless us with a return of peace, we can but press on, guided by the best light He gives us, trusting that in His own good time and wise way all will yet be well.....Without slavery the rebellion could never have existed; without slavery it could not continue....These articles are intended to embody a plan of such mutual concessions. If the plan shall be adopted it is assumed that emancipation will follow, at least in several of the States....In a certain sense the liberation of slaves is the destruction of property--property acquired by descent or by purchase, the same as any other property....If, with less money, or money more easily paid we can preserve the benefits of the Union by this means than we can by the war alone, is it not also economical to do it? Let us consider it then....The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just--a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. DECEMBER 1, 1862.

[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 02 1862 (Tuesday)

In order to gather information which may shed light on the puzzling behavior of Ambrose Burnside's army, Jeb Stuart authorizes Colonel R.L.T Beale to send out a detachment of cavalry to capture a Union picket post. "The expedition was completely successful. The entire picket (49), including captain and lieutenant...were taken and safely brought to camp." Despite his cavalry's successful operation, R.E. Lee is still unhappy that many of his soldiers remain unshod.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, December 2, 1862. - Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR, Richmond, Va.: - SIR: There is still a great want of shoes in the army, between 2,000 and 3,000 men being at present barefooted. Many have lost their shoes in the long marches over rough roads recently made, and the number forwarded was insufficient to meet the necessities of the troops. I am informed that there is a large number of shoes now in Richmond, in the hands of extortioners, who hold them at an extravagant price. The quartermaster of General Jackson's corps, in which there is the greatest want of shoes, received a proposition from a person in Richmond to furnish 1,300 pairs at $15 per pair. Whether these shoes are to be purchased at the prices demanded by the extortioners, or whether any plan can be devised for taking them at a fair price, I submit to your consideration; but I earnestly hope that some effectual means may be adopted to supply the wants of the army as speedily as possible, and avert the sufferings that threaten the troops during the approaching cold and wet weather....I am, with high respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

Feeling the unrelenting pressure being applied by President Lincoln and Henry Halleck to do something offensive with the Army of the Potomac, Ambrose Burnside sends out his chief engineer, Cyrus Comstock to scout out potential crossing sites over the Rappahannock River. "Look carefully to the approaches to these positions....Get all the information you can about the depth of water and character of fords, especially about the approach on the other side of United States Ford." Seeking similar information, Lee's engineers are also out on the job.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, December 2, 1862. - General R. E. LEE, Commanding, &c.: - GENERAL: I have finished an examination of the Rappahannock River with reference to positions suitable for forcing a passage from the north side, and have the honor to report as follows: My special examination of the river commenced just below Spottswood Bar, and extended to a point some 5 miles below Leedstown.....Nearly 1 mile below Belvidere, at Mr. Seddon's landing, is the position which I consider as probably the best suited for forcing a passage throughout the whole distance examined....The landing...is an old ditch bank, flat, solid, and from 8 to 10 feet in width, crossing a small point of marshy land, 80 yards in width, and forming a practicable road for artillery....From this point some 200 feet of very light side-hill cutting would be necessary to carry the road to the top of the bank...whence the ground is nearly level to the main road....There is another crossing at Smoot's...which is also a strong one, as it possesses nearly the same natural advantages, but the river is here nearly one-half mile in width. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, CONWAY R. HOWARD, Captain Engineers, Provisional Army of the Confederate States.

Still pleased with his victory at Cane Hill, James Blunt sends a wire to his commander General Curtis: "General Marmaduke continued his flight all night....I occupy the same position held by Marmaduke...and intend holding it....I am prepared to meet them, and with my little army whip 25,000 of such chivalry." Leaving nothing to chance however, Blunt requests that the other two divisions of the Army of the Frontier be sent to reinforce him.

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, ARMY OF THE FRONTIER, Cane Hill, Ark., December 2, 1862--9 a.m. - Brig. Gen. JAMES TOTTEN, Comdg. Second and Third Divisions, Army of the Frontier: - GENERAL: Hindman and Marmaduke are concentrating their whole force, 25,000 strong, at Lee's Creek, 25 miles from this place..., and in my opinion intend advancing upon me here. I desire you to move as much of your force as possible, especially the infantry, to my support, as I do not intend to leave this position without a fight You should move by forced marches via Fayetteville, and keep me constantly advised of your position and movements....JAS. G. BLUNT, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

The Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company C has a new lieutenant--Ambrose Bierce. Bierce's promotion elicits numerous complaints and he is described as "an individual very obnoxious to the company" whose promotion is "a great injustice." His most egregious fault is the fact that his promotion came from above rather than being elected to the position by his peers. This shift in promotional practices is one of the changes that William Rosecrans has brought to the Army of the Cumberland; another is the introduction of topographical engineers to each corps, division and brigade in the army.

GENERAL ORDERS No. 29. - HDQRS. FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, Nashville, Tenn., December 2, 1862. The commanding officer of every corps, division, and brigade in this army will detail from his command a competent officer to act as topographical engineer. The officer so detailed will collect all the information accessible to him in relation to the roads, fords, ferries, bridges, mountain passes, defiles, the general configuration of the country, its resources, &c, and prepare sketches of the same....By command of Major-General Rosecrans: J. P. GARESCHE, Assistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff.




[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 03 1862 (Wednesday)

Jefferson Davis struggles to coordinate the forces of Theophilus Holmes in the Trans-Mississippi, Braxton Bragg in Tennessee, and John Pemberton in Mississippi. Joe Johnston, the general Davis has assigned to help him in this task, is en route to Chattanooga on a tour of his new command and Davis advises him to send a "sufficient force from General Bragg's command to aid General Pemberton." Pemberton is being pressed by the advance of Ulysses Grant's forces advancing towards Vicksburg.

HEADQUARTERS IN the FIELD, Near Abbeville, Miss., December 3, 1862. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief. - The enemy deserted their fortifications yesterday, destroying all the stores they could not carry with them. The weather bad and stream somewhat swollen, making it difficult to cross. Some of the cavalry swam the river, however, and occupied this place last night. To-day pursuit was made to Oxford, coming on rear guard of enemy....The pursuit will continue to-morrow, but the roads are too impassable to get up supplies for a longer continuance of it....U.S. GRANT, Major-General.

General Francis J. Herron leads the Second and Third Divisions of the Army of the Frontier on the march to reinforce James Blunt at Cane Hill. Despite receiving admonitions of his superior, Samuel Curtis, "You are too far in advance....[You] had better fall back to meet Herron's re-inforcements," James Blunt is determined to remain in his position at Cane Hill.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND AND THIRD DIVISIONS, Wilson Creek, December 3, 1862---8 a.m. -Brigadier-General BLUNT: Will move both divisions entire at noon to-day, and will make good time to your position....Will keep you well posted of my movements. The distance from here is so great that it may be necessary for you to fall back a short distance, but I will do my best to make that unnecessary. F. J. HERRON, Brigadier-General.

In the eleventh day of the McDowell court of inquiry, Colonel R.D. Goodwin testifies about allegations that McDowell was drunk while commanding troops in the field.

COURT-ROOM Washington, D. C., December 3, 1862. - Col. R. D. GOODWIN, a witness, was recalled....The...occasion was at Fairfax Court. House....I think, if my memory serves me...on the 12th, 13th, or 14th March....I went up to see General McClellan, to have a conversation with him if I could. In front of his headquarters I met General McDowell. I advanced to speak with the general, when I...discovered that he was under the influence of liquor, so much so that I myself felt bad at the time, and I recollect asking myself the question, What we could' expect of our Army if they were to be led by such generals? I turned from him sorry and with a considerable degree of disgust....He had a loose, unsteady appearance; his eyes dull. I caught his eye when I looked at him He did not look as he generally looks. In all he bore that appearance that is customary to a man under the influence of liquor. There seemed to be a laxity of the nervous system--rather a careless appearance. There seemed an unsteady gait as he sauntered around....I here wish to state...[that] it grieves me to have to say what I have said....The court adjourned to meet at 11 a.m. December 4, 1862.

Three weeks after receiving orders from President Lincoln to succeed Benjamin Butler as commander of the Department of the Gulf, Nathaniel Banks is finally ready to set sail from New York harbor. "I have made arrangements to sail in North Star from this port."

NEW YORK, December 3, 1862. (Received 4.25 p.m.) - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: We are on board. Shall sail this afternoon. Shall touch at Fort Monroe. N. P. BANKS, Major-General.




[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 04 1862 (Thursday)

Time is running out for William Rosecrans. After spending the last month preparing his army "Old Rosy" is still not yet ready to advance from his stronghold in Nashville, Tennessee. Rosecrans' preparations are again interrupted by Henry Halleck, "The President is very impatient at your long stay in Nashville. The favorable season for your campaign will soon be over. You give Bragg time to supply himself by plundering the very country your army should have occupied....The Government demands action, and if you cannot respond to that demand someone else will be tried." Despite the pressure being applied from Washington, Rosecrans will not advance his army until everything is ready.

NASHVILLE, TENN., December 4, 1862--10.45 p.m. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: I have lost no time. Everything I have done was necessary, absolutely so; and has been done as rapidly as possible. Any attempt to advance sooner would have increased our difficulty both in front and rear....Many of our soldiers are to this day barefoot, without blankets, without tents, without good arms, and cavalry without horses....If the Government which ordered me here confides in my judgment, it may rely on my continuing to do what I have been trying to--that is, my whole duty. If my superiors have lost confidence in me, they had better at once put some one in my place and let the future test the propriety of the change. I have but one word to add, which is, that I need no other stimulus to make me do my duty than the knowledge of what it is. To threats of removal or the like I must be permitted to say that I am insensible. W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-General.

Winchester, Virginia, the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley, "one of the richest agricultural regions in the nation," is again threatened by Union occupation. "Grumble" Jones' small cavalry detachment is forced to withdraw in the face of Brigadier-General John Geary's advance from Harper's Ferry. Geary demands that Mayor Reed surrender the city: "Unwilling to shed blood or destroy property unnecessarily, I demand an instant and unconditional surrender of the city....If you decline to accept these terms, I will immediately move upon the city in full force." After thoroughly searching the town, Geary's men march to Martinsburg and the gray cavalrymen return to reclaim the city.

NEAR WINCHESTER, VA., December 4, 1862. - Brigadier-General GEARY, Commanding Federal Forces : - GENERAL: The city of Winchester will be evacuated in an hour's time by the military forces under my command, which time I would request for you to be pleased to observe, to give non-combatants desirous of leaving the town an opportunity to do so. I have the honor to be, general, your obedient servant, SAML. B. MYERS, Major Seventh Virginia Cavalry.

John Pemberton's troops withdraw to positions behind the Yalashaba River. "My rear guard has been skirmishing with the enemy since leaving Tallahatchie....We have about 6,000 effective men for the defense of Vicksburg...; about 4,500 at Port Hudson; have no troops...elsewhere." Joe Johnston, just arrived at Chattanooga, asks Braxton Bragg if he "can delay the advance of the enemy by throwing cavalry in enemy's rear?"

CHATTANOOGA, TENN., December 4, 1862. - General S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General: - SIR: Three railroad accidents delayed my journey so much that I did not reach this place until after 12 last night....I do not know General Pemberton's late positions. His march, I suppose, will be toward Vicksburg, where General Holmes' troops must cross the river....Should the enemy get possession of Vicksburg we cannot dislodge him. The Tennessee River is a formidable obstacle to the expeditious march of General Bragg's troops into Mississippi....Most respectfully, your obedient servant, J. E. JOHNSTON, General.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 05 1862 (Friday)

Earl Van Dorn reports on his withdrawal to his commander John Pemberton, "I will start the wagons in the morning....Doubt if we can reach Grenada by dark....The roads are horrible." The heavy rains impeding Van Dorn's retreat are also slowing Grant's advance. "Roads have become impassable...Streams are high." Despite Pemberton's plight, Theophilus Holmes remains adamant that he is unable to send any reinforcements to Vicksburg. "If I withdraw the infantry as directed there will be nothing to prevent the enemy's coming to Little Rock....If I erred in not moving at once to Vicksburg it was because all your telegrams presupposed the safety of Arkansas."

LITTLE ROCK, December 5, 1862. (Received Richmond, December 8, 1862.) - General S. COOPER: Two-thirds of my force is in Northwest Arkansas to meet a heavy advance there from Springfield, Mo. I expect a fight daily....Except the regiment for the defense on the fortifications on the Lower Arkansas and White Rivers I have but 6,000 infantry to defend this valley. The distance to Vicksburg is 300 miles, with no supplies on the road. I could not get there in twenty-five days, and all would be lost here before I could return.... TH. H. HOLMES, Lieutenant-General.

Henry Halleck attempts to explain to William Rosecrans the reasons that President Lincoln is so impatient for "Old Rosy" to get his army advancing into Middle Tennessee.

WASHINGTON, December 5, 1862. - Maj. Gen. W. S. ROSECRANS, Nashville: - GENERAL: The President is greatly dissatisfied with your delay, and has sent for me several times to account for it. He has repeated to me time and again that there were imperative reasons why the enemy should be driven across the Tennessee River at the earliest possible moment....You can hardly conceive his great anxiety about it....It has been feared that on the meeting of the British Parliament, in January next, the political pressure of the starving operatives may force the Government to join France in an intervention. If the enemy be left in possession of Middle Tennessee, which we held last July, it will be said that they have gained on us....Tennessee is the only State which can be used as an argument in favor of intervention by England. You will thus perceive that your movements have an importance beyond mere military success. The whole Cabinet are anxious, inquiring almost daily. "Why doesn't he move? "Can't you make him move?" "There must be no delay." "Delay there will be more fatal to us than anywhere else." You will thus perceive that there is a pressure for you to advance much greater than you can possibly have imagined. It may be, and perhaps is, the very turning-point in our foreign relations....No one doubted that General Buell would eventually have succeeded, but he was too slow to be in time. It was believed that you would move more rapidly. Hence the change. Yours, truly, H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.

Confronted from the beginning of the war by a scarcity of war materials, the Confederacy is using all means possible to secure the necessary munitions. One rich source of weapons is captures on the field of battle. In the past year, almost 100,000 stands of arms have been recovered on the battlefield. To supplement this, and the arms produced by Southern armories, agents have been sent to Europe to procure additional weapons and powder.

"Want a weapon? Why capture one!
Every doodle has got a gun,
Belt and bayonet, bright and new;
Kill a doodle, and capture two!"

ORDNANCE BUREAU, Richmond, December 5, 1862. - Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War: - SIR: The purchases of ordnance and ordnance stores in foreign markets on Government account are made by Maj. Caleb Huse, C. S. artillery, who resides in London, and whose address is No. 38 Clarendon Road, Notting Hill, London West....His instructions directed his attention chiefly to the purchase of small-arms, but his list embraced all the most necessary supplies. Under these instructions he has purchased arms to the number of 157,000 and large quantities of gunpowder, some artillery, infantry equipments, harness, swords, percussion-caps, saltpeter, lead, &c....Of course a large proportion of his purchases have fallen into the hands of the enemy. To pay for these purchases funds have been...sent to him by the Treasury Department...amounting in the aggregate to $3,095,139.18. These have been wholly inadequate to his wants and have fallen far short of our requisitions. He was consequently in debt at latest advices to the amount of £444,850, a sum equivalent, when the value of exchange is considered, to $5,925,402 of our currency. While this capacity for running in debt is the best evidence of the ability of Major Huse, the debt is a matter that calls for immediate attention....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. GORGAS, Colonel and Chief of Ordinance.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Dec 06 1862 (Saturday)

General Lee keeps President Davis apprised of the situation along the Rappahannock River. "The enemy still maintains his position....I can discover no indication of his advancing....General Burnside's whole army appears to be encamped....His apparent inaction suggests the probability that he is waiting..., and I hear troops may be collecting south of the James River." Worried that "Old Burn" may be planning to shift his army to the Peninsula, Lee warns General G.W. Smith to be alert to enemy troop movements along the coast.

CONFIDENTIAL. - HDQRS. ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, December 6, 1862. - Maj. Gen. GUSTAVUS W. SMITH, Commanding, &c., Richmond, Va.: - GENERAL: General Burnside's army...is encamped between the Rappahannock and Potomac....The withdrawal of this army from the front of General Burnside, or even a portion of it, would, I think, cause his advance to Richmond, and cut us off from the supplies we are now drawing from the valley of the Rappahannock. I think it important to keep him at a distance as long as possible. If you can, with the force in the vicinity of Richmond, retard, if not successfully oppose, the advance of the enemy south of James River, the army could arrive there in time to give battle. I hope your strength is sufficient for this purpose....I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

The van of Thomas Hindman's army, led by Marmaduke's cavalry, approach the lone Union division entrenched on Cane Hill. Union General Blunt, expecting reinforcements to reach him by nightfall, reports on his position: "I have determined to hold at all hazards until re-enforcements arrive....You will soon hear of one of the damnedest fights or footraces that has taken place lately."

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, ARMY OF THE FRONTIER, Cane Hill, Ark., December 6, 1862. - Brigadier-General HERRON, Commanding Second and Third Divisions: - SIR: The enemy's advance, represented 10,000 strong, are now within 8 miles of my headquarters. They drove in my outposts 3 miles this morning. Nothing more than picket fighting has occurred during the day, but they are steadily advancing, and will, no doubt, attack in force at daybreak to-morrow morning. You will endeavor to get your command here by that time. Respectfully, your obedient servant, JAS. G. BLUNT, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Texas Governor Francis Lubbock pledges to support the efforts of General Magruder. "Prince John" is assembling a naval force in Buffalo Bayou comprised of "two old channel steamboats, the Bayou City and the Neptune, lined with protective walls of cottonbales" and dubbed "cotton clads." Magruder is also reorganizing Henry Sibley's old cavalry brigade. These men, armed with bowie knives, shotguns, and cutlasses, are being converted into "horse marines" and are preparing to take on the 32-gun Union fleet stationed in Galveston Bay.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Austin, Tex., December 6, 1862. - Maj. Gen. J. B. MAGRUDER, Houston, Tex.: - GENERAL: I feel a very deep interest in the defense of this State and an earnest desire to co-operate with you in securing it from being overrun by the enemy....There seems to be no doubt that a serious invasion of Texas will be attempted this winter...I do not think that I overestimate the importance of Texas to the Confederacy or the interest the Government should feel in preventing its being overrun by the enemy. Almost all the only sure trade and communication between the Confederacy and the outside world is through her western frontier into Mexico. Her wheat fields and her hog and cattle ranches contribute largely to feed the armies; her wool and cotton factories clothe them in part; her sons have not been behind the foremost at the call of duty, and have poured out their blood like water upon the battlefields of liberty. She deserves a better fate at the hands of the authorities than to be left with the old men and boys to defend herself, while denied the means of effectually doing it. I am, sir, yours, truly, F. R. LUBBOCK.

Henry Halleck's cousin, Bishop Henry B. Whipple, the Episcopal Bishop of the Missionary District of Minnesota, travels to meet with President Lincoln in an effort to spare the lives of the 307 Dakota Indians sentenced to death in that state. Whipple is one of the very few Minnesotans sympathetic to the plight of the Indians and he is determined to explain to the President that last summer's bloody uprising was the result of the evils of the "Indian system." Lincoln remarks that Whipple "talked with me about the rascality of this Indian business until I felt it in my boots." This delay in carrying out the execution of the Indian prisoners causes ever mounting disturbances from the vengeful citizenry of Minnesota.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA, Madison, December 6, 1862. - Brigadier-General ELLIOTT, Commanding Department: About 11 o'clock on the night of the 4th instant, the guard around the Indian prisoners at Camp Lincoln were assaulted by nearly 200 men, who attempted to reach the prisoners, with the avowed intention of murdering the condemned prisoners. Colonel Miller, commanding..., surrounded the assailants and took them prisoners, but subsequently released them. Colonel Miller informs me that large numbers of citizens are assembling, and he fears a serious collision. I have authorized him to declare martial law, if necessary, and call to his assistance all the troops within his reach. He thinks it will require 1,000 true men to protect the prisoners against all organized popular outbreak. He will have nearly or quite that number, but it is doubtful if they can be relied on in the last resort. Please telegraph the facts to the President, and ask instructions. Any hour may witness a sad conflict, if it has not already occurred. H. H. SIBLEY, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook

 
NETSCAPE Sound Control 

Page Updated 11/30/98