MAP ROOM (Lee's Retreat from Gettysburg)

MAP ROOM (Gettysburg June 30th 1863 Night)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 1st 1863 1300-1600)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 1st 1863 1800)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 2nd 1863 1530)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 2nd 1863 2100)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 3rd 1863 Morning)
MAP ROOM (Gettysburg July 3rd 1863 The Charge)

Gettysburg Supplement I (Gettysburg July 1st 1863)
Gettysburg Supplement II (Gettysburg July 2nd 1863)
Gettysburg Supplement III (Gettysburg July 3rd 1863)

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Jul 12 1863 (Sunday)

When "Cump" Sherman maneuvers his army closer to Jackson, General Lauman's division advances unsupported through a heavily wooded area. Sherman reports, "General Lauman, in taking position to-day, got his line uncovered by skirmishers too close to the enemy's lines, and suffered considerably....Johnston evidently intends to make a strong fight at Jackson behind his parapet." Joe Johnston reports the victorious engagement to President Davis. "The enemy's rifles reached all parts of the town, showing the weakness of the position....Breckinridge's front, south of the town, was assaulted this morning, but not vigorously. A party of skirmishers...took the enemy's flank, and captured 200 prisoners and colors of the Twenty-eighth, Forty-first, and Fifty-third Illinois Regiments." For his blunder, Jacob Lauman is relieved of command and ordered to report to U.S. Grant's headquarters in Vicksburg.

NEAR VICKSBURG, MISS. - Col. N. B. BAKER, Adjutant-General of Iowa. - COLONEL: About 9 o'clock in the morning...the Third Iowa, Forty-first and Fifty-third Illinois Infantry, and the Fifth Ohio Battery...crossed the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad at a point about 2 miles south of Jackson and 1 mile from the enemy's works....We advanced half a mile through timber and a dense undergrowth, our skirmishers meeting with no opposition. When we came to the edge of an open field, the line was again halted. Here we were joined by the Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, which took position on our right. General Lauman now came up, and ordered the line forward, the skirmishers keeping well advanced. When about half way across the field, our skirmishers engaged the enemy's pickets. Soon after...we came within sight of their works, about 300 yards distant. The enemy now opened fire with twelve pieces of artillery, all bearing directly upon our line, and also gave us a heavy fire of musketry. The men answered this greeting with a shout, and rushed forward to the assault. We were met by a perfect storm of grape, canister, and musketry. The timber and brush had been cleaned away in front of the enemy's works, and an abatis formed, which broke our line and threw the men into groups, thus giving the enemy's artillery an opportunity to work with the most deadly effect. Our line rapidly melted away under this terrible fire, and after getting up to within 75 yards of the works, we found ourselves too weak to carry them by assault, and, after remaining under this severe fire for twenty minutes, we were compelled to fall back....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, G. W. CROSLEY, Major, Commanding Third Iowa Infantry.

General Lee reports on the condition of his army to General Lee. "So far, everything goes well. The army is in good condition, and occupies a strong position, covering the Potomac from Williamsport to Falling Waters....The river has now fallen to 4 feet, and a bridge, which is being constructed, I hope will be passable by to-morrow." General Kilpatrick's cavalry enter Hagerstown shortly after Lee's army vacates the town. Kilpatrick reports, "I made a demonstration...in the direction of the enemy on the road to Williamsport, but was unable to force him back a single step, and drew the fire of 20-pounder rifled guns. Citizens informed me that Ewell and Longstreet marched through the place [Hagerstown] yesterday, in the direction of Sharpsburg and Williamsport, and that the enemy now occupy a position a mile and a half from town. Their line is in the form of a horseshoe, with its concavity toward Williamsport; one branch of the shoe is in rear of Hagerstown, the other toward Sharpsburg." Despite General Buford's report that it is "so foggy that it is hard to discover anything," General Meade prepares to assault the Confederate position tomorrow morning. In the evening, Meade calls his corps commanders together for a council-of-war. When a vote is taken to postpone the assault, Meade, as he did at Gettysburg, concurs with the decision and calls off the attack.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, July 12, 1863--4.30 p.m. (Received 8 p.m.) Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: The enemy abandoned Funkstown and Hagerstown, and my line now extends from the latter place to Fair Play. The advance of the cavalry on the right showed the enemy to be strongly posted on the Hagerstown and Williamsport road, about 1½ miles from Hagerstown. On the left, the cavalry advance showed them to be in position back of Saint James' College and at Downsville. Their position runs along the high ground from Downsville to near Hagerstown. This position they are intrenching. Batteries are established on it. It is my intention to attack them to-morrow, unless something intervenes to prevent it, for the reason that delay will strengthen the enemy and will not increase my force. GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General.

John Morgan and his raiders race eastwards through the backroads of Indiana towards the Ohio border. Leading the chase, General Willcox reports, "I think our arrangements are as good as possible. The only chance of failure is in Morgan doubling on us by turning back." At Vernon, Indiana, Morgan is slowed by a small militia force. After giving General John Love thirty minutes to surrender, Morgan bypasses the town and continues on. General Lew Wallace, after placing his men on railroad cars, joins the chase. He reports, "As I had to approach Vernon after night..., it was necessary to anticipate as far as possible every contingency....I made no doubt that I would be attacked while in the cars, where my raw command would be at great disadvantage....This will account for the airy condition of the box-cars in my trains, which was doubtless observed by the railroad agents next morning....We arrived only to be informed that Morgan had decamped with his whole force."

HEADQUARTERS, Vernon, July 12, 1863. - General BURNSIDE: Arrived here...in time to answer Morgan's second demand for the town to surrender. Sent him word my force sufficient to hold the town. He said in thirty minutes would open his artillery. Got the women and children out as fast as possible, and made the best disposition possible with our small force and limited time. Expected an attack every minute, till 2 o'clock, when information I believe to be reliable leads me to believe he declines a fight and is hastening toward Madison; if so, he will reach the Ohio at Madison or vicinity about early dawn. I don't think he can escape. Information looks as if his command was wearied out and he anxious about his escape. LOVE. (Same to Boyle.)


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Jul 13 1863 (Monday)

When he learns that "Unconditional Surrender" Grant has given paroles to the soldiers General Pemberton's defeated army, Abraham Lincoln is concerned. However, when Grant explains that they have been turned over to an authorized Confederate commissioner for the exchange of prisoners, and that by releasing the prisoners, his army and transports are ready for immediate action, Lincoln is mollified. Of all the generals commanding armies in the Federal army, Grant is the only one who has dealt with the President strictly through Henry Halleck. Breaking that patter, Lincoln sends a letter directly to Grant.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, July 13, 1863. - Major-General GRANT: - MY DEAR GENERAL: I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you should do what you finally did--march the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the transports, and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition and the like could succeed. When you got below and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you should go down the river and join General Banks; and when you turned northward, east of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right and I was wrong. Yours, very truly, A. LINCOLN.

Concerned about the growing Federal presence in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, fifteen miles below Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River, General Thomas Green launches a preemptive strike. General Grover reports, "The enemy attacked...[the] advance guard...and drove them back nearly a mile....A simultaneously attack was made...on the opposite of the bayou....Colonel Morgan fell back without cause....[He] behaved badly, and I shall cause an investigation of his conduct." The Rebel attack forces Grover to withdraw his men behind the earthen fortifications built to protect Donaldsonville. Green reports, "The victory completely paralyzed the enemy..., and enabled us to move from La Forche...without molestation."

HEADQUARTERS GREEN'S BRIGADE, Assumption Church, on La Fourche. - Maj. Louis BUSH, Assistant Adjutant General, Vermillionville: SIR: On July 11 at least ten transports came down from Port Hudson to Donaldsonville, crowded with troops. On the 12th, several other boats came down with troops. In view of this threatened advance..., I ordered Colonel Major's brigade and artillery to withdraw from the river to the La Fourche, for the purpose of concentrating on each side of the bayou as near as possible to the enemy....On the morning of July 13, the enemy advanced down the bayou on both sides toward Thibodeaux in large numbers....About 9 o'clock in the morning, the enemy pressed us with artillery and an unusually large force of skirmishers, and, not being able to ascertain his precise strength with skirmishers on account of the large cornfields crossing the whole valley, I concluded to feel him a little more heavily, and, if a favorable opportunity offered, to make an assault on his advancing columns. Accordingly..., I made dispositions for an attack....I commenced the attack on the left ascending bank of the bayou, and soon found the enemy deployed entirely from the La Fourche to the swamp across the broad valley. Not having troops enough on the left ascending bank to front the entire line of the enemy, I attacked his two wings with the largest part of my force....At the same time, Colonel Hampton, with the Fourth Texas, was charging gallantly the enemy's right wing and turning it, while Colonel Herbert, through the fields..., was driving in their center in splendid style. The enemy frequently rallied in the ditches across the fields, but one of their flanks or the other was invariably turned by us at every stand they made, and a fire poured down the ditches, while Colonel Herbert, with his command, moved upon them in front, and thus we drove them for about 4 miles and almost to the walls of the fort. Each stand they attempted to make was more feeble than the preceding....The whole of this battle was a succession of charges, and I have never before witnessed such determined valor as was displayed by our troops....Respectfully submitted. THOMAS GREEN, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

After struggling for several days, engineers from the Army of Northern Virginia, succeed in completing a bridge over the Potomac River at Falling Waters, Maryland. General Longstreet reports, "Our bridge was completed and...I received orders to re-cross the Potomac after night....The troops marched as soon as it was dark...The natural difficulties in making such movements were increased by the darkness of the night, a heavy rain storm, flooding the road with mud and water."

HEADQUARTERS HETH'S DIVISION, Near Rapidan Station. - Capt. W. N. STARKE, Assistant Adjutant-General, Third Army Corps. - CAPTAIN: On the evening of July 13, I received orders to withdraw my command at dark from the intrenchments near Hagerstown, and move in the direction of Falling Waters, at which point we were to cross the river on a pontoon bridge, already constructed....I was directed to leave the skirmishers in my front, and was informed that they would be relieved during the night by the cavalry. The officers in charge of the skirmishers were directed, as soon as relieved, to take the road followed by the divisions. The night was entirely dark and the roads-in a dreadful condition, the entire distance between our breastworks and Falling Waters being ankle-deep in mud. The progress of the command was necessarily very slow and tedious, halting every few minutes to allow the wagons and artillery in our front to pass on. The division was twelve hours accomplishing 7 miles, once halting for two hours....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. HETH, Major-General.

The wave of resentment that has swept through the North in the wake of the National Draft crests into violence in New York City. The tension in the city is already high as a result of the large numbers of freed blacks who have replaced striking Irish longshoreman. Provost Marshal E.S. Sandford reports, "The riot has assumed serious proportions, and is entirely beyond the control of the police. Superintendent Kennedy is badly injured. So far the rioters have everything their own way." When the riot spreads throughout the lower East Side, Sandford sends an update to Secretary of War Stanton. "The programme is diversified by small mobs chasing isolated negroes as hounds would chase a fox....In brief, the city of New York is to-night at the mercy of the mob....As far as I can learn, the firemen and military companies sympathize too closely with the draft resistance movement to be relied upon."

NEW YORK, July 13, 1863. (Received 5 p.m.) - Col. J. B. FRY, Provost-Marshal-General. - SIR: I opened my headquarters this morning at 7.15 o'clock, and soon after began to receive reports...that an attempt would be made to stop the draft....I at once sent a request to Acting Assistant Provost-Marshal-General Nugent to detail for my support a sergeant, 2 corporals, and 25 men. I then sent for the captain of police of the precinct, and requested him to have as large a force at command as practicable....At 10 o'clock precisely I commenced to draft. The room was full, but the occupants were comparatively orderly. The wheel was placed upon the table, the ballots were put into the wheel, I blindfolded the man who was to draw, and then began to read the names as they were drawn. I proceeded for more than half an hour, and everything went on quietly, and I began to hope that no attack would be made. At 10.35 I requested Mr. Smith, my most efficient clerk, to announce the names....I thought for the present no danger was to be apprehended. I then went into the back room, and, after a few minutes' consultation..., turned to assume my place at the wheel. As I did so, I heard shouts, "They are coming," and the like. Instantly the windows and front of the house were broken in by paving stones. I stepped forward, but was borne back by the mass, and pushed through the back door into the back yard, and took refuge in the next building. The mob immediately took possession of the premises and set fire to them. What is the present condition of things I cannot say. I trust my papers are safe....CHAS. E. JENKINS, Captain, and Provost-Marshal, Ninth District.


Casualties at Donaldsonville: Union 459 Confederate 33.


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Jul 14 1863 (Tuesday)

Federal control of the Mississippi River has severed the Confederacy, further exacerbating the already tenuous condition of many of the Rebel forces in the Trans-Mississippi. General Richard Taylor reports, "The fall of Port Hudson and...Vicksburg render my position in the La Forche extremely hazardous....I cannot hope to unite with the forces now in Northern Louisiana, and the whole country...is open." Cavalry commander Joe Shelby is also disheartened. "As there is great dissatisfaction existing among the men at this time, there will in all probability be numerous desertions....The only remedy...is to detach the regiments from each other....I think it extremely doubtful whether I will ever assume command again." General Marmaduke echoes Shelby's concerns. "I anticipate much desertion....These men have suffered much by hard service and heavy loss of animals....They have received no remunerations..., and have not been paid since January 1863."

RICHMOND, VA., July 14, 1863. - General E. KIRBY SMITH: - SIR: By the fall of our two fortified places on the Mississippi River (Vicksburg and Port Hudson), your department is placed in a new relation, and your difficulties must be materially enhanced. You now have not merely a military, but also a political problem involved in your command. I have been warned against a feeling which is said to exist in favor of a separate organization on the part of the States west of the Mississippi. Unreasonable men think they have been neglected, and timid men may hope that they can make a better terms for themselves if their cause is not combined with that of the Confederacy. Already I am told that dissatisfaction exists in Arkansas, and that it has been assumed that you intend to abandon that country....To give each section all that local interests may suggest, will, of course, be impossible, but much discontent may be avoided by giving such explanations to the Governors of the States as will prevent them from misconstruing your actions....It is necessary that the valley of the Arkansas should be kept in such sense of security as to insure the full cultivation of the land....By the use of cavalry..., I hope you will be able to prevent the enemy from using the Mississippi for commercial purposes. Beyond that, I suppose your operations must be confined to the interior of the country, and that..., you will be able to prevent the enemy from using the smaller rivers to penetrate the interior....We are now in the darkest hour of our political existence. I am happy in the confidence I feel in your ability, zeal, and discretion. The responsibility with which you are charged is heavy indeed, and your means I know are very inadequate....May God guide and preserve you, and grant to us a future in which we may congratulate each other on the achievement of the independence of our country. Truly, your friend, JEFFERSON DAVIS.

When Ulysses Grant and Admiral Porter send a fleet of gunboats and a division of infantry up the Yazoo River to lay waste to they fertile river valley, Joe Johnston authorizes the evacuation of Yazoo City. To Naval Captain Isaac Brown, Johnston writes: "If it is necessary to abandon the Yazoo Country, you will destroy all steamboats and public property." Brown decides to leave something behind as well, and one of his "infernal" torpedoes sinks the ironclad Baron De Kalb, one of the original seven Eads class ships built in the fall of 1861.

UNITED STATES MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON, Flagship Black Hawk, off Vicksburg, Miss., July 14, 1863. - Hon. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy. - SIR: Hearing that General Johnston was fortifying Yazoo City with heavy guns and gathering troops there for the purpose of obtaining supplies for his army..., Major-General Grant and myself determined to send a naval and military expedition up there to capture them. The Baron De Kalb, New National, Kenwood, and Signal were dispatched, under command of Lieut. Commander John G. Walker, with a force of troops numbering 5,000, under Maj. Gen. Francis J. Herron. Pushing up to the city, the Baron De Kalb engaged the batteries..., and, after finding out their strength, dropped back to notify General Herron, who immediately landed his men, and the Army and Navy made a combined attack on the enemy's works. The rebels soon fled, leaving everything in our possession....Unfortunately, while the Baron De Kalb was moving slowly along, she ran foul of a torpedo, which exploded and sunk her....The water is rising fast in the Yazoo, and we can do nothing more than get the guns out of her, and then get her into deep water, where she will be undisturbed until we are able to raise her....The usual lookout was kept for torpedoes, but this is some new invention of the enemy, which we will guard against hereafter....I have the honor to be, yours, very respectfully, DAVID D. PORTER, Acting Rear. Admiral, Commanding Mississippi Squadron.

After a sharp cavalry engagement at Falling Waters, General Meade learns that Lee's army has escaped across the Potomac River. He reports to Henry Halleck, "On advancing my army this morning..., I found on reaching his lines, that they were evacuated....Your instructions as to further movements are desired." Halleck is quick to respond. "The enemy should be pursued and cut up....I need hardly say...that the escape of Lee's army without another battle has created great dissatisfaction in the mind of the President." The proud Meade, still very new to command of the Army of the Potomac, offers his resignation. "Having performed my duty conscientiously, and to the best of my ability, the censure of the President..., is, in my judgment, so undeserved that I feel compelled to ask to be immediately relieved of command." Halleck, unwilling to fire the hero of Gettysburg, backs down. "My telegram...was not intended as a censure, but as a stimulus to an active pursuit. It is not deemed a sufficient cause for your application to be relieved."

HEADQUARTERS HETH'S DIVISION, Near Rapidan Station. - Capt. W.N. STARKE, Assistant Adjutant-General, Third Army Corps. - CAPTAIN: About 11 o'clock, I received orders from General Hill to move...across the river, following General Anderson's division....About fifteen or twenty minutes after receiving these orders..., a small body of cavalry, numbering not more than 40 or 45 men, made their appearance in our front....It was at once observed by myself, General Pettigrew, and several members of my staff....On emerging from the woods, the party faced about, apparently acting on the defensive. Suddenly facing my position, they galloped up the road, and halted some 175 yards from my line of battle. From their maneuvering and the smallness of numbers, I concluded it was a party of our own cavalry pursued by the enemy....It was not until I examined them critically with my glasses...that I discovered they were Federal troops. The men had been restrained from firing up to this time by General Pettigrew and myself. The command was now given to fire. At the same time, the Federal officer in command gave the command to charge. The squad passed through the intervals separating the epaulements, and fired several shots. In less than three minutes all were killed or captured save two or three, who are said to have escaped. General Pettigrew...was unable to manage his horse, which reared and fell with him. It is probable that in the act of rising from the ground that he was struck by a pistol-ball in the left side....Very soon after this, a large body of dismounted cavalry...made a vigorous attack....The enemy was now heavily re-enforced, and [General] Brockenbrough was compelled to fall back....The enemy evidently designed turning his right flank, and thus cutting him off from the river....Seeing the attack was becoming serious, I ordered...several brigades of Pender's division to return....On returning, my aide informed me that General Hill directed me to withdraw my command as speedily as possible and cross the river....The orders were that the...brigades in line should withdraw simultaneously, protecting their front by a strong line of skirmishers, and converge toward the road leading to Falling Waters....It is not surprising that, in attempting to reach the road..., and through a thick undergrowth and wood, and over a country with which both officers and men were unacquainted, many of them were lost, and thus fell in to the hands of the enemy, who pushed vigorously forward on seeing what I was retiring....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. HETH, Major-General.

General Officer Fatalities:

Pettigrew, James Johnson, 1828-1863, North Carolina. Taking over from the wounded Henry Heth, Pettigrew commanded a division during Pickett's charge at Gettysburg and was one of the last to leave the field despite being wounded in the hand. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina and, after graduating, he became a lawyer and an active member of the state militia. He also served in the state legislature where he took a strong stand against the resumption of the slave trade. He enlisted in Hampton's Legion as a colonel in May 1861, and was promoted to brigadier-general on February 26, 1862. He was wounded, bayoneted, and captured at Seven Pines and, after being exchanged two months later, commanded the defenses of Petersburg before taking over a brigade in Heth's division of A.P. Hill's corps. Pettigrew was shot in the side by a pistol ball during a skirmish with Federal cavalry while fighting a rear guard action at Falling Waters, West Virginia.


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Jul 15 1863 (Wednesday)

U.S. Grant explains the disposition of this troops since the end of the siege of Vicksburg. "I ordered...Sherman's and Ord's corps..., to move out [to Jackson]....I have also send a brigade to Natchez to collect a large number of Texas cattle supposed to be there....This...leaves me with no force to move with until Sherman returns." While Grant waits, Sherman tightens his grip on Jackson, Mississippi. "If Johnston is going to make a retrograde movement, I hope to detect it promptly, although the wooded nature of the outskirts covering the interior of the city, also the camp-fires and burning of railroad ties have so filled the air with smoke, that we can see but little." As Sherman suspects, Joe Johnston is biding his time before evacuating the city. He reports, "The enemy will not attack, but has intrenched; is evidently making a siege which we cannot resist....I thought that want of water would compel him to attack us."

VICKSBURG, MISS., July 15, 1863--10 a.m. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: General Sherman has Jackson invested from Pearl River on the north to the river on the south. This has cut off many hundred cars from the Confederacy. Sherman says he has force enough, and feels no apprehension about the result....Finding that the enemy were crossing cattle for the rebel army at Natchez, and were said to have several thousand there now, I have sent steamboats and troops to collect them, and to destroy their boats and all means for making a move. General Banks has made requisition on me for steamboats, coal, and forage, which I have sent. Shall I send the Ninth Army Corps back to Burnside so soon as Joe Johnston is driven from Jackson? U.S. GRANT.

After receiving information that General William Cabell's brigade is heading for a junction with the Confederate forces at Honey Springs' Station, and that a combined attack against Fort Gibson is being planned, General James Blunt decides to launch a preemptive strike. Blunt, an ardent abolitionist, reports, "Three men have just arrived...from Fort Smith...They (the rebels) hung 11 men in the vicinity of Fort Smith, because they suspected them of being loyal....I have now learned where the game is, and ache to get across the [Arkansas] river." While Blunt prepares his troops for the march, Departmental Commander John Schofield files charges of corruption against the commander of the Army of the Frontier.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, Saint Louis, Mo., July 15, 1863. - Col. E. D. TOWNSEND, Asst. Adjt. Gen., U. S. Army, Washington, D.C.: - COLONEL: I have received...official and unofficial, reports of fraud, corruption, and maladministration in the Department and District of Kansas, while under the command of Major-General Blunt, which seem to demand official investigation. These reports are not sufficiently circumstantial as to details to enable me to frame specific charges against particular individuals. Hence a court of inquiry seems to be the only method of ascertaining the facts and bringing the guilty to punishment. I therefore respectfully recommend that a court of inquiry be appointed by the President, with full power to inquire into the whole matter. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General.

As George Meade prepared to cross his army over the Potomac River, Abraham Lincoln discloses his frustrations to Simon Cameron. "I would give much to be relieved of the impression that [Generals] Meade, Couch, Smith, and all, since the battle of Gettysburg, have striven only to get Lee over the river, without another fight. Please tell me, if you know, who was the corps commander who was for fighting in the council of war on Sunday night." Robert E. Lee's pleasure at having successfully withdrawn his army in the face of the enemy is dampened when he learns that his son William Henry Fitzhugh "Rooney" Lee, a cavalry commander who was captured by a Federal raiding party while recuperating from wounds suffered at Brandy Station, is being held as a hostage. Two Rebels were executed in Tennessee, and in retaliation two Federal captains have been selected to be hung by General Winder. It is under the orders of President Lincoln that Rooney Lee is to suffer the same fate as the two Union captains, currently being held in close confinement in Richmond.

WASHINGTON, July 15, 1863. - Colonel LUDLOW, Agent for Exchange of Prisoners of War: The President directs that you immediately place General W. H. F. Lee and another officer selected by you not below the rank of captain, prisoners of war, in close confinement and under strong guard, and that you notify Mr. R. Ould, Confederate agent for exchange of prisoners of war, that if Capt. H. W. Sawyer, First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry, and Capt. John M. Flinn, Fifty-first Indiana Volunteers, or any other officers or men in the service of the United States not guilty of crimes punishable with death by the laws of war, shall be executed by the enemy, the aforementioned prisoners will be immediately hung in retaliation. It is also directed that immediately on receiving official or other authentic information of the execution of Captain Sawyer and Captain Flinn, you will proceed to hang General Lee and the other rebel officer designated as hereinabove directed, and that you notify Robert Ould, esq., of said proceeding, and assure him that the Government of the United States will proceed to retaliate for every similar barbarous violation of the laws of civilized war. H.W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.

In an effort to keep the Union force on Morris Island off balance, General Beauregard orders a reconnaissance-in-force. Major James Rion reports, "I advanced upon the enemy's line..., having with me 150 men....When...within 10 or 15 yards of the trench, a heavy fire...was opened upon us....After examining the trench, and finding that the line would not advance in face of the fire..., I withdrew." Efforts are also redoubled to strengthen the fortifications in Charleston Harbor should Morris Island fall into enemy hands. Beauregard explains, "[The] contest here is now one of engineering. With sufficient time, labor, and long range guns, our success is very probable."

HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA, Charleston, S.C., July 15, 1863. - Brig. Gen. R. S. RIPLEY, Comdg. 1st Mil. Dist., Charleston, S.C.: - GENERAL: The commanding general suggests that several hundred rice and other casks shall be furnished the troops on Morris Island for the construction of "rat-holes." It will be well, also...to send to Savannah, Augusta, Wilmington, &c., for at least 1,000 empty casks. A high lookout should be constructed at or about Fort Johnson, for the purpose of keeping a close watch on the enemy's movements from that point. The commanding general further desires that hulks or other obstructions shall be sunk or established in the creeks west of Morris Island and north of Sullivan's Island, and that a good line of communication must be opened from the latter island to the city..., and across Cooper River. The commanding general further suggests that in the event of a protracted siege it may be very difficult to supply the batteries with ammunition, or even procure any from the arsenal; he therefore desires you to instruct your ordnance officers to make timely arrangements for an ample supply of ammunition for the possible wants of all the guns of different calibers in the First Military District. Respectfully, your obedient servant, THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff.

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Jul 16 1863 (Thursday)


After covering nearly 400 miles since the beginning of July, John Morgan has lost over 500 riders from his 2,000 man force and many of his remaining horses and men are also on the verge of breaking down. Crossing into Ohio border at Harrison, Morgan skirts Cincinnati and directs his horsemen eastwards towards the fords over the Ohio River near Buffington Island. Ambrose Burnside, directing the chase, reports, "Morgan's advance probably encamped at Locust Grove....[General Edward] Hobson in close pursuit....I have sent up what I [consider] an ample force of artillery and infantry, conveyed by gunboats, to prevent his crossing....Our prospect of catching Morgan is fair."

JULY 16, 1863. - Colonel PUTNAM, Marietta: If you cannot be at Buffington before noon to-morrow, I fear you will be too late. You can embark them on the boat, and move down rapidly but carefully....Under no circumstances must you allow your boat to fall into the hands of the enemy. Have all the means of crossing the river destroyed that you find on the banks....The object is to prevent the crossing at Buffington, and the, if the enemy is turned up toward Marietta, to move up quickly and assist that place. A gunboat will be at Buffington in four or five hours....Lose no time. A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General.

General Meade's engineers complete work on a pontoon bridge over the Potomac River. Meade reports, "The army is concentrated at...Harper's Ferry....One bridge is completed..., and one will be completed...to-morrow. I shall immediately cross a division of cavalry to push forward and occupy the nearest gaps to Snicker's Gap....I shall push the army forward as rapidly as possible to Warrenton and beyond to Culpeper. I deem it proper, however, to advise you that the army is greatly exhausted by previous service. Leading the advance, Colonel John Gregg skirmishes with Fitz Lee's cavalry division near Sheperdstown, West Virginia. Gregg reports, "At 5 p.m..., my entire force became engaged; and from this time until dark the fight raged without cessation; the enemy making repeated and desperate charges."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Bunker Hill, Va., July 16, 1863. - Mr. His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS, President Confederate States. - PRESIDENT: The army is encamped around this place, where we shall rest today. The men are in good health and spirits, but want shoes and clothing badly....As soon as these necessary articles are obtained, we shall be prepared to resume operations....I learn that the enemy has thrown a pontoon bridge over the Potomac at Harper's Ferry. Should he follow us in this direction, I shall lead him up the [Shenandoah] Valley, and endeavor to attack him as far from his base as possible. I share in Your Excellency's regret over the fall of Vicksburg. It will be necessary for us to endeavor to select some point on the Mississippi, and fortify it strongly, so that it may be held by a small garrison..., to enable it to stand a siege, thus leaving as many troops as possible free to operate against the enemy. I think that in this way a land attack against such position as we may select can be prevented. I am, with great respect, Your Excellency's obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

Having arrived last night after being detached from the Army of the Potomac, the Eighth Regular Infantry regiment battles with the rioters for control of New York City. In addition, eleven New York regiments in Frederick, Maryland, are ordered to be "forwarded to New York as fast as transportation can be furnished." Even General Judson Kilpatrick, on leave from his cavalry division, offers his services in defense of his home city. General Wool reports, "A large number [of rioters] assembled near Gramercy Park this evening. I think we will close the affair to-morrow....A considerable number of rioters have been killed and wounded."

NEW YORK, July 16, 1863. - Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. - SIR: The situation is evidently improved. Cars and omnibuses are running. The Hudson River Railroad has been relaid, and trains have come in and gone without molestation....The fighting last night was quite severe. At one time the mob had the best of it, and possession of our dead and wounded....General Brown sent all the force at his disposal. He retook the position, and brought off the dead and wounded. There were killed in this contest about 15 of our men and about 25 of the rioters. The mob were armed, organized, and fired at the word of command. General Brown has now...about 1,400 men under his command....The indications, to my mind, are that the rioters are resting and organizing. They have got arms to a considerable extent, and use them pretty well. The agrarian mania has taken a strong hold of a certain class, and the cry of contrast between rich and poor is loudly raised....The strong hand tightly grasped here will be felt all over the Union....Respectfully, E. S. SANDFORD.

In a diversionary move, General Quincy Gillmore detaches a division to Grimball's Landing on James Island. P.G.T. Beauregard responds by sending 3,000 men, commanded by Colonel Colquitt, to attack the Union force. Beauregard reports, "We attacked part of enemy's forces on James Island..., and drove them to the protection of their gunboats in Stone [River]. Colquitt describes the action: "I moved forward until I reached the road leading across the lower causeway. I found the enemy drawn up in battle in front of his camps....They could, I think, easily have been routed....I had proceeded, however, as far...as I had instructions, and the object of the expedition having been accomplished, I returned...to Secessionville." Facing Colquitt in the battle is Colonel Robert Shaw's untried 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment.

SECESSIONVILLE, July, 16, 1863. - Colonel NANCE: Thirteen prisoners [are from the] Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, black. What shall I do with them? They say that there are eight regiments on the lower part of Legare's plantation, six white, two black. The black regiments are Fifty-fourth Massachusetts and Second South Carolina....Gillmore's headquarters are at Campbell's house on Folly Island. He has promised his troops to be in Charleston on Sunday next. There are 15,000 troops in his command, of which two regiments are left in Beaufort, the balance before Charleston. Two of the prisoners are refugee slaves, the balance free. JOHNSON HAPGOOD, Brigadier-General, Commanding.


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Jul 17 1863 (Friday)


Despite being outnumbered by the nine Rebel regiments at Honey Springs, James Blunt attacks. Blunt reports, "At about 10 a.m., I formed them in two columns, one on the right of the road, under Colonel Judson, the other on the left, under Colonel Phillips. The infantry was in column by companies, the cavalry by platoons and artillery by sections, and all closed in mass so as to deceive the enemy in regard to the strength of my force." The attacking Federals are given a boost when the black powder, imported from England, being used by the Confederatesis faulty. General Douglas Cooper reports, "Many of the guns [failed] to fire in consequence of the very inferior quality of the powder, the cartridges becoming worthless even upon exposure to damp atmosphere. Soon..., it commenced raining heavily, which rendered their arms wholly useless. [The] troops then fell back slowly and in good order to camp, for the purpose of obtaining a fresh supply of ammunition." Despite Cooper's best efforts, many of his Indian soldiers continue to retreat. Cooper reports, "Riding back near the creek, I discovered our men in small parties giving way. These increased until the retreat became general....Colonel Martin...was directed to hold the ford above the bridge; but seeing the whole right wing falling back from the bridge and below it, Colonel Martin was withdrawn and ordered to fall back to Honey Springs. Our forces were now in full retreat and the enemy pressing them closely....The Choctaws...arrived at this time, and under my personal direction charged the enemy....With their usual intrepidity the Choctaws went at them, giving the war-whoop, and succeeded in checking the advance of the enemy....The, Choctaws, discouraged on account of the worthless ammunition, then gave way, and were ordered to fall back with the others in rear of the train."

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE FRONTIER, In the Field, Fort Blunt, C. N. - Maj. Gen. JOHN M. SCHOFIELD, Commanding Department of the Missouri. - GENERAL: I moved up rapidly to within one-fourth of a mile of their line, when both columns were suddenly deployed to the right and left, and in less than five minutes my whole force was in line of battle, covering the enemy's entire front. Without halting, I moved them forward in line of battle, throwing out skirmishers in advance, and soon drew their fire, which revealed the location of their artillery....In a few moments the entire force was engaged. My men steadily advanced into the edge of the timber, and the fighting was unremitting and terrific for two hours, when the center of the rebel lines, where they had massed their heaviest force, became broken, and they commenced a retreat. In their rout I pushed them vigorously, they making several determined stands, especially at the bridge over Elk Creek, but were each time repulsed....I pursued them about 3 miles to the prairie south of Elk Creek, where my artillery horses could draw the guns no farther, and the cavalry horses and infantry were completely exhausted from fatigue....Very respectfully, your obedient servant. JAS. G. BLUNT, Major-General.

General Joe Johnston reports the evacuation of Jackson, Mississippi. "Jackson was abandoned last night. The troops are now moving through [Brandon] to encamp 3 miles to the east." U.S. Grant allows "Cump" Sherman to decide if he will continue to chase Johnston's force. "Make such pursuit after Johnston as you deem advisable, and, when you cease the pursuit, return the Ninth and Thirteenth Corps....With your corps and Smith's division, which I will add to it, hold Jackson and such healthy points as you deem advisable." Sherman decides not to impede Johnston's withdrawal. He reports, "The weather is too hot and the country too destitute of water to attempt to follow Johnston toward Meridian and Selma. That must be deferred to October." Instead, Sherman contents himself with the destruction of all military stores in the beleaguered city. "Jackson will no longer be a point of danger....I think there is no body of the enemy west of Pearl River....The inhabitants are subjugated. They cry aloud for mercy. The land is devastated for 30 miles around."

HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Camp on Big Black. - Lieut. Col. JOHN A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General to General Grant, Vicksburg. - SIR: The enemy, in retreating..., placed loaded shells with torpedoes in the roads leading out from the river. The explosion of one of these wounded a citizen severely, and another killed a man and wounded two others...The enemy had also fired a building containing commissary stores, which extended and consumed one of the most valuable blocks of the city. He had also during the progress of the siege burned many handsome dwellings outside and near his line of defenses. Indeed, the city...is one mass of charred ruins. I soon became satisfied that General Johnston had, by means of the railroad to his rear, removed in advance nearly all his matériel of war and his impedimenta, and that pursuit across the reach of land of nearly 90 miles in extent between the Central Railroad and the Mobile and Ohio road, devoid of water, in the intense heat of a July sun, would be more destructive of my own command than fruitful in results, and determined to let him go. We had driven him out of the valley of the Mississippi, and out of his intrenched camp. I then ordered all ordnance to be collected and destroyed, and put working parties to make more perfect and complete the destruction of the railroads.... I am, &c., W. T. SHERMAN, Major-general, Commanding.

With the remnants of his paroled Vicksburg army melting away due to mass desertions, General Pemberton asks President Davis for permission to grant furloughs to the remaining men. Pemberton reports, "The men...insist on going home. I have no arms to prevent....I have done everything in my power to keep them together, but in vain. Nearly all troops from Trans-Mississippi and from State of Mississippi have already deserted. Georgians, Alabamians, and Tennesseans will also go when they draw near their homes....I deplore the necessity of furloughing at this critical period; but it is a necessity. A furlough granted will bring back nine-tenths of the men, who will not otherwise return." Davis defers to Pemberton's judgment. "Unless Grant is checked, the means of supporting an army in your department will be destroyed....As to necessity for furloughs, and I cannot know as well as yourself how near it is unavoidable; can, therefore, only ask of you to keep the main purpose in view, and use your discretion." Pemberton informs his men of the good news. "The President has yielded to my application, and you are permitted to visit your homes for the longest period the country can possibly dispense with your services....I give each and all of you who desire it a leave of absence of thirty days from the date of the promulgation of this order. I confidently hope that not one man of the Army of Vicksburg will be found absent from his post at the expiration of the period."

JULY 17, 1863. - President JEFFERSON DAVIS, Richmond, Va.: With all my desire to keep my army in the field for immediate service, it is impossible to do so. Having left it to my discretion, I shall furlough the army for thirty days. I feel confident, in so doing, I will bring your troops again together at any point you may designate in a very few days at furthest beyond the limits of their furloughs; in very less time than it can be accomplished by any other course of procedure....I will...visit you in Richmond when my arrangements are completed....J. C. PEMBERTON.

Casualties at Honey Springs Station: Union 79 Confederate 637.

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Jul 18 1863 (Saturday)

Much to his dismay, John Morgan encounters more and more resistance the closer he comes to the Ohio River. With much of his command strung out behind him, Morgan calls a halt at Chester, Ohio, to allow the tired horsemen to catch their breath. From his position across the river at Parkersburg, West Virginia, Captain A.V. Barringer reports, "Morgan at Chester; 26 miles from here, and 5 miles from Pomeroy, at 4 p.m. Four hundred militia went down to Buffington, with artillery yesterday. Lieutenant Conine is at Little Hocking Bridge, with 1,200 men....Stores all in Parkersburg, on Virginia side." At 8 p.m., when Morgan finally arrives at Buffington, he finds that the Ohio River is much higher than he expected and that the river crossings are guarded by entrenched militiamen with artillery support.

POMEROY, July 18, 1863. - Major-General BURNSIDE: Morgan's advance got within 4 miles of me ignorantly, then fell back, and made for...Chester. I pushed on to this place, 30 miles, where I arrived two hours since....All information assures me that Morgan passed Chester some three hours since, for Buffington Island....I sent word to Hobson to push on all that can keep up in track of enemy, via Chester. I move in less than one hour to Buffington....Moving thus, Morgan is in a trap, from which he can't escape. I think I will be able to telegraph you his defeat to-morrow morning....A prisoner, who has been with Morgan all day, and released and came on foot from Chester, tells me that Morgan thinks Hobson has given out and given up pursuit. He does not know my position. He thinks he can manage the gunboats with his 10-pounder pieces....H. M. JUDAH, Brigadier-General.

General Meade reports, "The pursuit was resumed by a flank movement, the army crossing the Potomac...and moving down the Loudoun Valley. The cavalry were immediately pushed into the several passes of the Blue Ridge..., [I have] learned from scouts [of] the withdrawal of the Confederate army from the lower valley of the Shenandoah." Federal cavalry race ahead in an effort to seal off the gaps in the Blue Ridge Mountains. General Custer reports, "I received a note from the commanding officer of the [Fifth Michigan Cavalry]..., informing me that after a brisk fight he had taken possession of the Gap." With his flank secure, Meade moves the army south. He reports, "Send forward...another division, to take possession of the gaps as far as Chester Gap. A cavalry force...will be sent to-morrow through Aldie to cover and guard the Orange and Alexandria Railroad to Warrenton Junction and Warrenton....My present plan is to move rapidly to...open my communication by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and then be governed by the position and movements of the enemy."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, July 18, 1863. - Major-General STUART, Commanding Cavalry: - GENERAL: Let me know, as soon as you can, the truth of the report that the enemy has occupied Snicker's Gap in force and is advancing upon Ashby's Gap. This may oblige us to move up the Valley. I do no understand where [General Grumble] Jones' pickets are, but the Sixth [Virginia Cavalry] Regiment, which, cannot recross the [Shenandoah] river, will have to retire southward along the mountain..., checking the enemy all they can. I wish you to endeavor to ascertain the exact condition of things--whether this force is simply cavalry, or whether the enemy's infantry is moving in that direction. I am respectfully and truly, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

After four days of bloody and destructive fighting, the riot in New York City is finally quelled. General Wool reports, "Quiet and order prevailed in this city yesterday..., and continues up to the present hour....The rioters, it would appear, have generally returned to their ordinary occupations, and it is thought..., that they will not again disturb the peace and quiet of the city, unless the enforcement of the draft--temporarily suspended--should cause another effort to resist its execution." Denying Governor Horatio Semour's request to cancel the draft completely, Edwin Stanton is determined that the draft will be resumed in the city as soon as possible. "The government will be able to stand the test, even if there should be a riot and mob in every ward of every city." Newspapers controlled by Radical Republicans report that between 300 and 1,000 people were killed during the riot. A more careful analysis reveals approximately 105 deaths, including 11 black, 8 soldiers, and 2 policemen.

NEW YORK CITY, July 18, 1863--1:30 p.m. (Received 1.45 p.m.) - Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War. - SIR: The plunder rioting is suppressed for the present, but there are strong indications of a formidable and widespread organization to resist the taking away of conscripts under the draft. This organization assumes a party aspect, and extends to the military of the city who are subject to the draft. The party supposed to be most interested in sustaining the Government and draft, and the property-holders, show no intention to prepare for the emergency or fight when it comes. I give you this information, obtained by personal observation, to enable you to appreciate the position, and trust you will not consider it officious. E. S. SANFORD.

At noon, General Quincy Gillmore orders his forty-one newly placed batteries on Morris Island to begin firing on Battery Wagner. He reports, "All our batteries opened, and the navy, which had been waiting..., closed in opposite the fort, and took a very active and effective part in the engagement. In a short time the fort was entirely silent on the face fronting the land batteries, and practically so on the sea front." Gillmore continues, "I sent word to Rear-Admiral Dahlgren that I intended to storm the work about sunset. The time of twilight was selected for the storming party to move..., in order that it might not be distinctly seen from the James and Sullivan's Island batteries and from Fort Sumter. Brig. Gen. T. Seymour commanded the attacking column. Brigadier-General Strong's brigade led the assault. It was composed of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts (colored), Colonel Shaw; the Sixth Connecticut...; a battalion of the Seventh Connecticut; the Forty-eighth New York...; the Third New Hampshire...; the Ninth Maine...; [and] the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania." Gillmore's message is intercepted by alert Confederate signalmen. They report, "The following message has just been intercepted from the enemy, to wit: An assault is ordered at dusk. Husband your ammunition so as to deliver a rapid fire the last half hour." Despite the devastating bombardment, carefully engineered by Gillmore, the Rebels, protected by an earthen bombproof, suffer few casualties and are prepared to meet the Union assault. Elements of the 54th Massachusetts fight their way onto the parapet, and struggle to hold their advanced position. Shaw and most of his white officers are killed, and the 54th suffers devastating casualties. General Taliaferro, the commander of Battery Wagner, reports, "The Thirty-first North Carolina...ingloriously deserted the ramparts..., and the advance of the enemy...entered the ditch and ascended the work at the extreme left salient of the land face, and occupied it...Thinking it advisable to dislodge the enemy at once..., I called for volunteers to dislodge them....I selected Captain Ryan's company, and directed them to charge the enemy in the salient. This work they advanced to with great spirit, but, unfortunately, Captain Ryan was killed..., and his men hesitated and the opportunity was lost." When elements of the Thirty-second Georgia arrive on the scene, the few Federal survivors are forced to surrender. Talliaferro reports, "In front of the fort, the scene of carnage is indescribable. The repulse was overwhelming."

MORRIS ISLAND, S.C. - General TRUMAN SEYMOUR, Commanding U.S. Forces, Morris Island, S.C. - GENERAL: During the afternoon...the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers, Col. R. G. Shaw, commanding, landed upon Morris Island and reported to Brig. Gen. G. C. Strong....General Strong presented himself to the regiment and informed the men of the contemplated assault upon Fort Wagner and asked them if they would lead it. They answered in the affirmative. The regiment was then formed in column by wing, at a point upon the beach a short distance in the advance of the Beacon House. Col. R. G. Shaw commanded the right wing, and Lieut. Col. E. N. Hallowell the left....The regiment advanced at quick time, leading the column; the enemy opened upon us a brisk fire; our pace now gradually increased till it became a run. Soon canister and musketry began to tell upon us. With Colonel Shaw leading, the assault was commenced. Exposed to the direct fire of canister and musketry, and, as the ramparts were mounted, to a like fire on our flanks, the havoc made in our ranks was very great. Upon leaving the ditch for the parapet, they obstinately contested with the bayonet our advance. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the men succeeded in driving the enemy from most of their guns, many following the enemy into the fort. It was here, upon the crest of the parapet, that Colonel Shaw fell....Hand-grenades were now added to the missiles directed against the men. The fight raged here for about an hour. When compelled to abandon the fort, the men formed a line about 700 yards from the fort, under the command of Capt. Luis F. Emilio, the ninth captain in the line. The other captains were either killed or wounded....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. N. HALLOWELL, Colonel, Comdg. Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers.

Casualties during assault on Battery Wagner: Union 1,515 Confederate 174.

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