Chickasaw Bluff
 1863 Calendar
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Jan 04 1863 (Sunday)

John McClernand finally catches up to the Mississippi River Expedition at Milliken's Bend. Wasting no time, he changes the army's name to the Army of the Mississippi and, after conferring with "Cump" Sherman and Admiral Porter, decides to send his troops up the Arkansas River to attack the Post of Arkansas. "As long as we are unable...to remove the obstructions at Vicksburg this force...could do little good at this time, whereas it might in a few days ascend the Arkansas..., and reduce the Post of Arkansas, a fortified camp of the enemy, 50 miles up, from which he at all times threatens the river."

SPECIAL ORDERS No. 3. - HDQRS. RIGHT WING, 13TH ARMY CORPS, Milliken's Bend, January, 4, 1863. The troops will not disembark at Milliken's Bend, but will proceed on another important military expedition. The first rendezvous will be the wood-pile opposite Gaines' Landing. The second rendezvous will be mouth of White River or Montgomery Point....On arrival at Montgomery Point boats should have full two days' fuel, and the whole time consumed in reaching Montgomery Point should not exceed sixty hours. By order of Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman: J. H. HAMMOND, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Unionist Germans living in Texas are again attempting to organize in an effort to avoid conscription. Last August, similar efforts led by Fritz Tegner, ended in a massacre in which over thirty Germans were killed near the West Nueces River while attempting to escape to Mexico. Surprised by Rebel cavalry, "they offered the most determined resistance and fought with desperation, asking no quarter whatever; hence...no prisoners."

HDQRS. TWENTY-SECOND BRIGADE TEXAS STATE TROOPS, La Grange, Tex., January 4, 1863. - Maj. A. G. DICKINSON, Assistant Adjutant-General, &c., Houston, Tex.: - MAJOR: A German...came to see me yesterday....He told me that...the Germans of his neighborhood had met at the house of a drafted man, and there organized into a company and elected their officers to resist being taken off as drafted men, and also to resist conscription, and that they had threatened every German with destruction who would not join them; that they intended to wait until an attempt was made to force the men off, and then they would assemble and resist to the death....WILLIAM G. WEBB, Brigadier-General, Second Brigade Texas State Troops.

Jeb Stuart's cavalrymen have returned from their Dumfries raid and resumed their original positions astride the Army of Northern Virginia. The raid, despite capturing "a large number of horses, mules, wagons, saddles, bridles, pistols, and sabers," along with over two hundred prisoners, can only be deemed a disappointment. Dumfries, "instead of being garrisoned by a few cavalry," was found to be protected by "a full brigade of infantry." After gathering all the reports of his subordinates, Stuart reports on his activities at Burke's Station, the highlight of the raid.

HDQRS. CAVALRY CORPS, ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA.- Col. R. H. CHILTON, Chief of Staff, Army of Northern Virginia. - COLONEL: The head of the column reached Burke's Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, after dark. A party was sent noiselessly to the telegraph office, and took possession without the operators having a chance to give the alarm. Having an operator of my own, I was enabled to detect what preparations had been made for my reception....I sent some messages to General Meigs, Quartermaster-[General] U.S. Army, in reference to the bad quality of the mules lately furnished, which interfered seriously with our moving the captured wagons....The command returned by easy marches....and I returned to my headquarters...on January 1....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. E. B. STUART, Major-General.

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Jan 05 1863 (Monday)

Braxton Bragg reports on his withdrawal from Murfreesboro. "Retreated...in perfect order. All the stores saved. About 4,000 Federal prisoners, 5,000 stand small arms, and 24 cannon." After waiting to be sure Bragg has really left, William Rosecrans orders General Thomas to begin a cautious advance into the abandoned town. "I occupy Murfreesborough with Generals Negley and Rousseau's divisions....There are...a large number of our wounded here, who are suffering greatly for medicines, dressing, and the necessary comforts for sick and wounded." Finally assured he has control of the field of battle, "Old Rosy" announces the good news to Washington. "We have fought one of the greatest battles of the war, and are victorious."

MURFREESBOROUGH, January 5, 1863--4.30 a.m. - Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. - God has crowned our arms with victory. The enemy are badly beaten, and in full retreat. We shall press them as rapidly as our means of traveling and subsistence will permit....W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-General.

After receiving information from a local resident named Ebenezer McGee that Robert E. Lee's army is vulnerable to a crossing at the U.S. Ford, Ambrose Burnside is more convinced that ever to return to the attack before the unseasonably mild winter weather abates. After notifying Lincoln of his intentions, "Old Burn" resubmits his resignation in an attempt to force the President to sustain his proposed movement or release him from further military service. Lincoln's reply is less than inspiring, "I do not yet see how I could profit by changing the command of the Army of the Potomac."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE, POTOMAC, January 5, 1863. - HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am still of the opinion that the [river] crossing should be attempted, and I have accordingly issued orders to the engineers and artillery to prepare for it. There is much hazard in it, as there always is in the majority of military movements, and I cannot begin the movement without giving you notice of it....In order to relieve you from all embarrassment..., I inclose...my resignation..., which you can have accepted, if my movement is not in accordance with the views of yourself and your military advisers....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General, Commanding Army of the Potomac.

High rolling gamblers have succeeded in winning $194,500 from Union paymasters in Kentucky and Ohio. Exercising the power he first asserted in April 1861, President Lincoln "directs that the writ of habeas corpus be suspended" and all the gamblers arrested to be kept in "secure military custody for trial and punishment before a military commission."

HEADQUARTERS, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 5, 1863. - Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War: I ordered Major McDowell to arrest by military force certain gamblers...who had won large sums of Government money at play from Paymaster Cooke....Most of the persons have been arrested as ordered..., but the process is resisted in the cases of Philo O. Jones and August Olmstead, of Columbus, Ohio, George Gilbert, Cleveland, Ohio, and Samuel Smithers, of Cincinnati. Writs of habeas corpus have been issued in two of the cases....Can the writ of habeas corpus be suspended in these cases? It is very important that it should be in order to secure to the United States a large amount of money and also by this example to show such men that they can be reached for defrauding the Government in gaming with disbursing officers. Action to-day is necessary as the writ in the case of the Columbus gamblers comes before the judge today. H. G. WRIGHT, Major-General.

North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance has been fighting his own two front war. Squaring off against Richmond, Vance has been attempting to get Jefferson Davis and his military advisors to send more troops to the state's embattled coastal region, long occupied by Union forces. Unfortunately for Vance, Robert E. Lee has a different opinion on the subject. "Owing to the position of the enemy, the features of the country, and the strength of our army in that State we can only at present expect to act upon the defensive....I do not see how offensive operations could be undertaken with advantage." Vance is also struggling to contain the growing epidemic of desertion and Unionist activity in "the Randolph County area" where almost one-quarter of the men who volunteered earlier in the war have deserted and gone home. "Oh if you knew our Condition here....Men have been shot..., some beat..., property taken, barns and fences burned, and we...compelled by threats not to talk nor act in any way against the Outlaws." With wide open pillage and armed bands operating at will, even local militia units are vulnerable "Governor Vance sent a company of militia...up there and they were completely whipped."

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Raleigh, N.C., January 5, 1863. - Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War: - SIR: I beg to trouble you in regard to a matter of great importance to the army--the increase of desertion. In most of the midland and lowland counties of this State I shall be able to make arrests...by means of the local militia...; but in the mountains...the case is different....The deserters from our army, form very formidable bands of outlaws, who hide in the fastnesses, waylay the passes, rob, steal, and destroy at pleasure. The evil has become so great that travel has been almost suspended....The militia has become too feeble to resist them....The impunity which the deserters enjoy and the contagion of their example is operating most ruinously upon the efficiency of the army, to say nothing of the injury to property and citizens of that section....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Z. B. VANCE.



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Jan 06 1863 (Tuesday)

Reversing his earlier position, Henry Halleck gives U.S. Grant permission to reinforce the Mississippi Expeditionary Force. "I suggest the propriety of immediately concentrating your forces, so as to be able to re-enforce Sherman." Losing no time, Grant immediately makes plans to withdraw back up the Mississippi Central Railroad.

GRANT'S HEADQUARTERS, January 6, 1863. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: I am gradually falling back to lines of Memphis and Corinth. Will leave Holly Springs about 10th....Contraband question becoming a serious one. What will I do with surplus negroes? I authorized an Ohio philanthropist a few days ago to take all that were at Columbus to his State at Government expense. Would like to dispose of more same way. U.S. GRANT, Major-General.

After the French army commanded by General Charles Latrille Laurencez was defeated by General Zaragosa's Mexican army last May at the battle of Puebla, they retreated back to Vera Cruz to await further reinforcements from Napoleon III. Rumors are now flying that as many as 30,000 new French soldiers are en-route to Mexico. Combined with the Confederate influence which has already spread to the Mexican provinces bordering Texas and fostering "contraband trade across the Rio Grande," this threat of an increased French presence in Mexico is troubling to Washington officials.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF ARIZONA, Mesilla, January 6, 1863. - Maj. DAVID FERGUSSON, First Cavalry, California Volunteers, Franklin, Tex.: On your present visit at Chihuahua it should not escape your recollection that the designs of the French Emperor upon Mexico are viewed by Americans with a suspicion that there may be an intention to cooperate with the party now in rebellion against the Government of the United States. A rumor is prevalent in several quarters that French troops are about occupying Sonora or have already landed at Guaymas. Such a contingency as a union of the Texans and the French on the southern border of our territory, although improbable, is sufficiently with n the bounds of possibility to claim some share of your attention. Be good enough to bear this matter in mind. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. R. WEST, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Secretary of the Treasury Christopher Memminger receives the year-end report on his department's ongoing attempts to collect the War Tax of one half of one percent on the taxable wealth of each of the states in the Confederacy. Although the one-time-only tax was due to be paid by each of the states by last May, only $18,000,000 of the anticipated $26,000,000 has been collected to date. Collecting the money due from Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee has been particularly troublesome.

WAR-TAX BUREAU, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, January 6, 1863. - Hon. C. G. MEMMINGER, Secretary of the Treasury: There are thirteen Confederate States subject to the tax, but all proceedings in relation to its collection in the States of Kentucky and Missouri, for obvious reasons, were suspended....Owing to circumstances growing out of a state of war, and the invasion and occupancy of various portions of the Confederate States by the public enemy, the operations under the act of 19th of August 1861, have been very much retarded, and in some particular sections it has been entirely impracticable....Alabama. The State Legislature...assumed the tax and advanced as a payment $2,000,000....The chief collector found great difficulty in procuring the services of competent collectors, and the result was tardiness and delays, which have prevented him from furnishing...a collated list of all the assessments in the State, whereby the true amount of tax might be ascertained....Arkansas. From the returns actually received, and an approximate estimate for the remaining districts, the whole tax of the State will be $725,000....The invasion of the State and interference by military operations have prevented the chief collector from completing his collated list. I do not know that the Legislature has assumed the tax, having no official notice to that effect....Tennessee. The Legislature...passed an act authorizing the Governor to agree with the authorities of the Confederate States upon the amount to be paid by the State of Tennessee as her quota of the war tax, and another act appropriating $2,000,000 for that purpose....The Governor proposes a sum so much smaller than your estimate, to wit, about $1,500,000, that it is not likely to be agreed to. It will, therefore, devolve upon Congress and the Legislature of Tennessee to settle the amount to be paid, or to prescribe some mode of settlement....Respectfully submitted. T. ALLAN, Chief Clerk of War Tax.


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Jan 07 1863 (Wednesday)

Henry Halleck acts upon President Lincoln's displeasure with General Grant's order expelling all Jews from his military department. "A paper purporting to be...issued by you...has been presented here. By its terms it expels all Jews from your department. If such an order has been issued, it will be immediately revoked."

CIRCULAR. - HDQRS. 13TH ARMY CORPS, DEPT. OF THE TENN., Holly Springs, Miss., January 7, 1863. By direction of General-in-Chief of the Army, at Washington, the general order from these headquarters expelling Jews from the department is hereby revoked. By order of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant: JNO. A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Joe Johnston reiterates his unhappiness with his new departmental command. "I hear...that [Bragg] has withdrawn from Murfreesborough....The impossibility of my knowing [the] condition of things in Tennessee shows that I cannot direct both parts of my command at once."

JACKSON, January 7, 1863. - The PRESIDENT, Richmond: General Bragg telegraphs from Winchester that the enemy did not follow in force. I regret his falling back so far. He wants 20,000 more men to secure East Tennessee. Can any large part of it be furnished E. K. Smith's troops here might be spared for a few weeks, unless Sherman reappears....Which is the most valuable, Tennessee or the Mississippi? J. E. JOHNSTON, General.

An ailing and aged Sam Houston congratulates John Magruder for his spectacular success victory at Galveston. "You...have introduced a new era in Texas by driving from our soil a ruthless enemy. You deserve...not only my thanks, but the thanks of every Texan." Nathaniel Banks is not quite so pleased with Magruder's exploits. To divert any recrimination, Banks blames the newly appointed military governor of Texas, General Andrew Jackson Hamilton for the debacle. Like his fellow military governor, Andrew Johnson, Hamilton was a Southern congressman who refused to give up his seat when his home state seceded.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, New Orleans, La., January 7, 1863. - Major-General HALLECK, Commander-in-Chief U. S. Army. - SIR: The detachment of troops was sent to Galveston upon the suggestion of Admiral Farragut....It was supposed that the fleet made the occupation of the part of the island adjacent to the gunboats perfectly secure. It would not, however, have been sent forward so soon...had it not been for the impatience of General Hamilton....General Hamilton is not a bad man, but he does not manifest great force of character, and is surrounded by men who came here on the Government transports, unbeknown to me, for base, speculative purposes and nothing else. I notified him of the conduct of these men and he promised to correct it, but has not yet done so. He explains their presence by saying that in the North he became indebted to them for pecuniary assistance....I have the honor to be, with much respect, your obedient servant, N. P. BANKS, Major-General, Commanding.

Robert H. Milroy is not enjoying his first week as military commander of Winchester, Virginia. With Confederate cavalry prowling around the outskirts of the city making it "dangerous for any Union soldier to journey outside the town's limits," and reports of various Rebel forces poised for an attack in the Shenandoah Valley, Milroy has made numerous requests for additional troops. Taking his vengeance out on the citizens of Winchester, Milroy proclaims, "Hell is not full enough, there must be some more of Secession women to fill it up." Even Henry Halleck is growing tired of Milroy's constant calls for more men. "I do not rely much upon General Milroy's [statements] of enemy's movements."

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Washington, January 7, 1863. - Major-General SCHENCK, Baltimore: - GENERAL: General Milroy has cried "wolf" so often that he may not be believed when the wolf really comes....I do not think it safe to keep General Milroy at Winchester with any large force....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.


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Jan 08 1863 (Thursday)

The simmering feud between A.P. Hill and "Stonewall" Jackson erupts again as Hill asks General Lee for a trial on the charges Jackson initiated last fall. "Two of my important witnesses have been killed (Generals Branch and Gregg), and others are leaving, and will not be available." While Hill waits for his day in court, U.S. Grant moves swiftly to cashier Colonel Murphy for his negligence in allowing Holly Springs to be sacked by Earl Van Dorn's cavalry last December.

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, Holly Springs, Miss., January 8, 1863. Col. R. C. Murphy, of the Eighth Regiment Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers, having, while in command of the post of Holly Springs, Miss., neglected and failed to exercise the usual and ordinary precautions to guard and protect the same; having, after repeated and timely warning of the approach of the enemy, failed to make any preparations for resistance or defense....and the movement of troops in the face of an enemy rendering it impracticable to convene a court-martial for his trial---is therefore dismissed the service of the United States, to take effect from the 20th day of December 1862, the date of his cowardly and disgraceful conduct. By order of Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant: JNO. A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Ambrose Burnside's military troubles are masking a more insidious set of problems plaguing the Army of the Potomac. Much of the army hasn't been paid in months causing desertion rates to skyrocket. As many as two hundred men are taking "French leave" every day and almost 25,000 men are absent without authority from the army. In addition, despite warehouses bursting with food, the men are living on an unyielding diet of hardtack and salt pork. "The men [are] suffering a great deal for lack of fresh food and sufficient variety. Diarrhea and scurvy [are] almost universal."

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 8, 1863. - Brig. Gen. WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Surgeon-General, U.S. Army: - SIR: I do not believe I have ever seen greater misery from sickness than exists now in our Army of the Potomac....The new regiments are suffering very much for everything that goes to make the condition of sick and wounded men tolerable....Some of the general depots for wounded men were without food, except hard bread....I am assured that the diseases which now prevail in the army are the result of want of proper food for the troops, especially fresh vegetables and bread. All the medical officers with whom I conversed concur in this opinion....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, THOMAS F. PERLEY, Medical Inspector-General.

Through all the travails of Thomas Hindman's army in Arkansas, John Marmaduke has held his cavalry division together. In an effort to cripple the rampaging Union Army of the Frontier, Marmaduke heads north into Missouri on a raid. "I learned that Springfield, with its rich army stores, was weakly garrisoned, though strongly fortified, and, if surprised, I thought it could be captured. I determined to attack it." Despite fierce fighting, General E.B. Brown manages to hold the town. "Fight closed at dark....Enemy occupy southwest corner of the town....They fight for bread."

SPRINGFIELD, MO., January 8, 1863--11.50 p.m. - Maj. Gen. SAMUEL CURTIS, Commanding Department of the Missouri. - GENERAL: The firing at this post has just ceased. The attack was made at 10.10 this morning. The fight lasted thirteen hours, under the command of General Marmaduke, C. S. Army, with 5,000 picked mounted infantry and two pieces rifled field artillery, drawn by ten horses each. The expedition was fitted in this manner on the Arkansas River for the special service of the capture of Springfield, with its forts and large depots of stores. They moved with great rapidity, marching the last 50 miles in twenty-four hours, skirmishing with my scouting parties almost the entire distance. He moved right up, and immediately commenced the fight by cannonading the town without having given a moment's time to move the sick and the helpless women and children....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. B. BROWN, Brigadier-General.

During the past year the total number of men in the Confederate army has increased from 325,000 to 450,000. During this same span, 75,000 men were lost to death, sickness, or wounds, leaving a net gain of approximately 200,000 soldiers. Conscription is the main reason for the increased numbers, but with the Union army growing at an even faster pace, more men are needed to fill the ranks. "More than once have most promising opportunities been lost for want of men to take advantage of them..., because our diminished and exhausted troops have been unable to renew a successful struggle against fresh numbers of the enemy."

CIRCULAR.- ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, Richmond, January 8, 1863. - SIR: Your attention is called to the great necessity which now exists for strenuous exertions in securing men to fill up the various commands of the army within a reasonable time. You are therefore desired to detail from your command such suitable officers and men as can be spared to proceed at once to those sections of the country in which their regiments were raised for the purpose of gathering conscripts and conducting them to their commands without passing them through camps of instruction in the ordinary manner....Officers sent for the purpose of gathering conscripts should be instructed to apprehend all stragglers from the Army in their reach. By order of Secretary of War: Very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General. (To generals commanding military departments and districts and armies in the field.)


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 09 1863 (Friday)

In stark contrast to the poor conditions of the Army of the Potomac, camping across the Rappahannock River, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia is remarkably fit and healthy. However, the reliance upon a single track railroad for supplies, and the onset of harsh winter weather could pose problems in the upcoming months.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, Army of North Virginia, January 9, 1863. - Dr. S. P. MOORE, Surgeon-General, C. S. Army: - SIR: I believe our exemption from a fearful epidemic of small-pox is owing to our present mode of life, viz, bivouacking in the open air. When we go into winter quarters, I fear the health of the troops will not remain so good. There is a tendency to scorbutus throughout the whole army. Unless there is an increase of the vegetable portion of the ration, scurvy must make its appearance....Vinegar and potatoes are absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the health of the troops....The condition of the Army of Northern Virginia is remarkably fine, and nothing is needed so much as proper food to complete its efficiency....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, L. GUILD, Surgeon, and Medical Director Army of Northern Virginia.

The psychological well being of Mary Todd Lincoln has always been a precarious balancing act. The loss of her second son Willie, to Typhoid fever, and her half-brother Sam, killed fighting for the Confederacy at Shiloh, have only made her condition worse. Thus, Abraham Lincoln is dismayed to learn of the death of Captain Charles S. Todd, a distant relative, during the fighting at Stone's River. "I presume the remains of Captain Todd are in the hands of his family and friends, and I wish to give no order on the subject."

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, January 1863. - Governor JOHNSON, Nashville, Tenn: A dispatch of yesterday from Nashville says: The body of Captain Todd, of Sixth Kentucky, brought in to-day. Please tell me what was his Christian name, and whether he was in our service or that of the enemy.... A. LINCOLN.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 10 1863 (Saturday)

The actions of Robert Milroy have not only irked Henry Halleck. His orders to forbid correspondence outside Union lines, ban the sale of food to anyone who refuses to take the loyalty oath; and his habit of evicting citizens and allowing the destruction of private property have also drawn the attention of General Lee.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, January 10, 1863. - Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War. - SIR: In view of the atrocious orders issued by the Federal General Milroy with regard to citizens of the Valley District I would respectfully recommend that prisoners from his command captured by our forces be not exchanged but that they be held as hostages for the protection of our people against the outrages which he is reported to be committing. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

John McClernand's force approaches to within three miles of the Post of Arkansas. "I...am marching a corps by a detour upon the enemy's works" While McClernand is busy in Arkansas, U.S. Grant remains fixated upon Vicksburg. He sends Colonel Bissell, of the Engineer Regiment of the West, on a mission "for the purpose of surveying the ground and determining the practicality of re-opening the canal across the tongue of land opposite Vicksburg."

HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD, North of Post Arkansas, January 10, 1863. - Maj. A. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Adjutant-General: At 9 p.m. this day I was ordered...to...reconnoiter the enemy's position. Proceeding in a westerly direction through a dense undergrowth..., I came upon an abandoned cantonment. Three-eighths of a mile farther, over broken and dry ground, I came upon the main cantonment of the enemy, one-half mile in front of the main works. Their mounted cavalry fled at our approach, but about 80 dismounted cavalry threw down their arms and surrendered. Going farther west 200 or 300 yards I encountered a deep bayou that could be crossed by throwing a log bridge 40 feet across the main channel....I advise the occupation of the right bank of this bayou by one brigade and a battery, for the purpose of cutting off' retreat and for enfilading their rifle-pits....I remain, major, your obedient and humble servant, W. STEWART, Colonel and Chief of Cavalry.

General Fitz-John Porter is found guilty of disobeying John Pope's orders at Second Manassas. The verdict is a shot across the bow for all the generals in the tempestuous Army of the Potomac. According to Captain Charles Russell Lowell, Porter's "frame of mind was un-officer-like and dangerous....This sort of feeling was growing in the army, and the Government...felt it must be stopped." With a general's revolt ongoing at Falmouth, Porter's conviction is seen as the President's way of warning these generals of the punishment in store for any who continue to display unloyalty to their commander.

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 10, 1863. The judge-advocate...submitted the case to the couallaying any doubts over the firmness of hisrt with the following remarks: I will simply remark that this case has been thoroughly and most patiently investigated. A continuous session of some forty-five days sufficiently attests this....I now feel entirely satisfied that it is completely comprehended and appreciated by you in all its bearings....The court was thereupon cleared for deliberation, and having maturely considered the evidence adduced, find the accused, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter, of United States Volunteers, as follows: Of the 1st CHARGE, "Guilty." Of the 2d CHARGE, "Guilty." And the court do therefore sentence him...to be cashiered, and to be forever disqualified from holding any office of trust or profit under the Government of the United States. D. HUNTER, Major-General, President. J. HOLT, Judge-Advocate.


General Marmaduke decides not to continue the contest at Springfield, Missouri. "I deemed it best not to renew the attack; for the reason that the enemy had been reinforced; that my troops...were not in condition for another desperate struggle." Retreating through the winter snow and ice, Marmaduke attempts to secure a safe line of retreat back to Arkansas.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE FRONTIER, Fayetteville, via Huntsville, January 10, 1863. - Brigadier-General HERRON, Commanding Third Division: GENERAL: General Brown's troops whipped Marmaduke...at or near Springfield. General Brown is wounded. The enemy has gone east, and will probably make his way south, on the east side of White River. Possibly you may cut him off in his attempt to cross the river to this side, or, by crossing your own cavalry, succeed in intercepting him....Very respectfully, J. M. SCHOFIELD, Brigadier-General.

The U.S.S. Monitor was lost off the coast of Cape Hatteras in a fierce gale last week that also scattered several other gunboats. Although she only survived the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimac) by seven months, her revolutionary design, containing at least forty patentable ideas, has altered the face of naval combat for all time. The sinking of this "Yankee cheese box on a raft," is good news for General G.W. Smith who is ever-worried about another Union invasion of North Carolina.

GOLDSBOROUGH, N.C., January 10, 1863. - General G. T. BEAUREGARD, Commanding, Charleston, S. C.: MY DEAR GENERAL: My opinion is that but for the storm at sea which sent the Monitor to the bottom, disabled the Passaic, and sent the Galena no one knows where, they would before this time have made a combined attack by sea and land upon Wilmington, and would probably have succeeded in passing the forts with their iron-clads....We must combine and contrive to beat them. I am always glad to hear from you and will endeavor to write to you often. Very respectfully and truly, yours. G. W. SMITH, Major-General.

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