Civil War Daily

Battle of Honey Springs, Oklahoma - Part Two

2011-09-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Honey Springs Battlefield

The Battle of Honey Springs, Oklahoma, sometimes called the Gettysburg of the West, was fought not far from the city of Checotah on July 17, 1863. Please click here to read the first post in this series.

The fierce artillery exchange having failed to dislodge either army, despite the destruction of a couple of cannon, the two generals now prepared for direct infantry assault. General D.H. Cooper, commanding the Confederate army had roughly 1,700 more men and was positioned as well as possible in the edge of the heavy timber that bordered Elk Creek. Despite his superiority in numbers, many of his men were using antiquated arms and faulty ammunition.

Slope down which the Federals attacked.

The Federals, led by General James H. Blunt, while smaller in numbers, possessed superior artillery and much better small arms. Their ammunition was far superior to that of the Confederates and they also possessed the advantage of advancing down slope as they approached the Southern lines.

When he decided that his cannon had done as much as possible, Blunt ordered his infantry to advance. The men stepped off across open ground, with their lines of battle spread out along each side of the old Texas Road. The Confederate artillery punched holes in the battle lines, but they continued to advance. It took two hours, but Blunt finally broke the Southern lines. The Confederates fell back across the Elk Creek bridge and adjacent fords, fighting as they went.

Original Site of Elk Creek Bridge

The fight for control of the bridge, by which the Texas Road crossed the creek, was fierce. Troops from Texas held back Blunt's advancing soldiers while the Confederate artillerymen managed to get their cannon across.

As the Union army surged up the slope on the south side of the Creek, Cooper's Native American forces launched a courageous attack against them. This assault was beaten back and the Confederates, still skirmishing, had no choice but to withdraw from the field. Behind they left piles of supplies they had not had time to destroy, along with most of their camp equipment and other items.

While exact casualties remain unknown, Union forces reported losses of 16 killed and 61 wounded in the battle. The Confederates reported their losses as 134 killed and wounded, with another 47 lost as prisoners of war.

The site of the battle is now preserved at Honey Springs Battlefield State Historic Site. I'll take a closer look at the park in the next post. Until then, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/honeysprings1.

Battle of Honey Springs - Rentiesville, Oklahoma

2011-09-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

Monuments at Honey Springs Battlefield

One of the most fascinating battlefields of the Civil War is actually located far to the west of what many consider the main battlefields of the conflict, yet it was the scene of a fight every bit as brutal and significant as those fought on other fields far to the east.

The Battle of Honey Springs, fought on July 17, 1863, has been called the "Gettysburg of the West" by some historians. The site is now preserved at Honey Springs Battlefield State Historic Site just north of Checotah, Oklahoma.

Also called the Battle of Elk Creek, the battle took place when Union forces from Fort Gibson (then called Fort Blount) launched a preemptive strike against a Confederate army gathering at Honey Springs for an effort to wrest control of the Indian Nations (today's Oklahoma) from Federal troops. Commanded by Brigadier General D.H. Cooper, the Confederates were massing supplies and waiting for reinforcements to begin their long awaited campaign.

Union Major General James H. Blount, in command at Fort Gibson, learned of Cooper's efforts and, despite the fact that he was suffering from a high fever, organized an army of 3,000 men and began a secret movement across the Arkansas River.

Position at which Blunt's Army rested.

Moving down the historic Texas Road which led from Texas to the cattle markets in Kansas, Blunt's army reached Honey Springs on the morning of July 17, 1863. Cooper was far from ready to give battle. One of his best units, Stand Watie's famed Cherokee Confederates, was on detached duty and too far from the scene to reinforce the Southern commander.

Even so, Cooper moved his men into position to oppose the Federals. On the surface it appeared that the Confederates were more than a match for Blunt's army. Cooper's army outnumbered Blunt by around 1,700 men, but with the exception of an experimental rifled piece, his artillery was badly outclassed and his men were armed with inferior weapons and most would experience problems with bad ammunition during the battle.

Position of Confederate Army as battle began.

Having fought with Confederate skirmishers through the night and marched for long, hard hours, the Union soldiers were exhausted when they reached the battlefield. Blunt ordered them to fall out for rest on a hill overlooking the valley of Elk Creek. His artillerymen moved their 12 cannon into position on a ridge from which they could rain fire down on the Confederate army, which was forming along the edge of a skirt of timber near the creek.

Before the Federal cannon could open fire, however, the Southern guns opened up. A blast from one Confederate cannon blew apart the carriage of a Union artillery piece. The Federals returned the fire in a fierce artillery exchange that signaled the beginning of the Battle of Honey Springs.

I will continue to post on the battle over coming days. If you would like to learn more before then, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/honeysprings1.

A new idea for Civil War Daily

2011-09-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello and sorry it has been so long since I last posted. There seem to be so many people out there posting about the daily events of the Civil War, that I thought I would change the concept here to something a little different.

Instead of just posting about events on their anniversary, I thought I might change this to a place to post daily about different fascinating aspects of the Civil War. We will take some online battlefield tours, talk about interesting events and just generally explore the history of the most critical four years in American history, possibly excepting the American Revolution.

I'll begin posting under this new concept tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

February 6, 1861 - Virginia and North Carolina represented in the Confederate capital

2011-02-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

First Capitol of the Confederacy

February 6, 1861

Reports from Montgomery dated 150 years ago today indicate that Southern states that had not yet seceded were reaching out to the two-day old Confederate States of America.

The Confederacy had been formed on February 4, 1861, by delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. It was widely expected, however, that other Southern states would soon join the new nation and a telegram from Montgomery, Alabama - now the capital city of the Confederacy - indicated that representatives from both Virginia and North Carolina were present in the city:

MONTGOMERY, (Ala.), Feb. 6 – The Commissioners from North Carolina presented their credentials and were tendered seats in the convention during the open sessions.

The Commissioners from Virginia are also in the city.

The Committee appointed yesterday in secret session, stated through their chairman (MR. MEMMINGER) that they would probably report on Thursday a plan for the Provisional Government . - Philadelphia Inquirer, February 7, 1861, p. 1.

Virginia and North Carolina had not seceded from the Union, but their outreach to the forming government in Montgomery illustrated the natural ties that existed between the Southern states and their willingness to work together and communicate, regardless of their current status.

You can read more about the historic Alabama Capitol Building, the first capitol of the Confederacy, at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/montgomerycapitol2.

February 5, 1861 - Evacuees from Pensacola reach New York Harbor

2011-02-05T18:16:00.000-08:00

Pensacola Navy Yard, 1861, by an Officer.

February 5, 1861

Having left Pensacola Bay in January with the noncombatants, paroled prisoners and families of soldiers from the U.S. military installations there, the U.S.S. Supply reached New York.

The men, women and children had been forced to evacuate the bay after Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer moved his small garrison of fewer than 100 U.S. soldiers and sailors across the bay to Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island from Fort Barrancas and the Pensacola Navy Yard on the mainland. State troops had occupied the mainland positions and an undeclared state of war held over the bay as secessionist and Unionist forces eyed each other across the sparkling water.

The following account of the arrival of the evacuees appeared in Northern newspapers:

Fort Barrancas & Pensacola Bay

Return of Officers, Men and Women from Pensacola.

The U.S. storeship Supply, Henry Walke, commander, at New York from Pensacola, brings as passengers the officers and marines lately stationed at the Warrington navy-yard and the Marine Barracks at Penscaola, but who were expelled by the Florida troops when those posts were seized. The families of these men accompanied them to New York on board the Supply. The following is a list of the passengers:

Mrs. Lieut. Slimmer, U.S.A., servant and child, Mrs. J.H. Gilman, U.S.A., servant and child; John Irwin, Lieut. U.S.A., lady and two children; Mrs. Saint, Robert Dixon, U.S.N., lady and two children; James Cooper, U.S.N., lady and four children; Miss Cooper; Robert Hunter; Lewis Holmes, U.S.N.; John Milan, lady and child; Wm. C. Knowles; John Tyler; Spencer Clarge. Also, John Flarety, Daniel E. Jameson, John Gallagher, Wm. J. Lodge, J.W. Barker, T. Massey, employees at Warrington navy-yard; also 9 invalids from the naval hospital, Warrington; 27 ordinary men from do., and 31 marines from the Marine Barracks.

The hospital quarters and barracks were taken possession of and occupied by the State troops of Florida and Alabama. The persons above named were released on parole, and were brought off under a flag of truce.

The following is a list of officers attached to the United States storeship Supply: - Henry Walke, commander; Joseph A. Domees, Henry Erban, Wm. L. Bradford, lieutenants; W.N. Allen, master; E.W. Dunn, paymaster; Wm. W. Ring, assistant surgeon; John Van Dyke, com. Clerk; E.W. Bowie, paymaster’s clerk. - Pittsfield Sun, February 6, 1861, p. 1.

February 4, 1861 - The Confederate States of America is Formed

2011-02-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

February 4, 1861

On this day 150 years ago, delegates from the seven seceded states met in Montgomery, Alabama, and declared the formation of a provisional government for the Confederate States of America.

The meeting took place in the historic Alabama State Capitol, which still stands atop Goat Hill at the end of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. Eyewitness accounts indicate that large crowds gathered outside the building to await the results of the meeting as militia companies paraded in the streets.

The delegates had come to Montgomery at the invitation of the Alabama Secession Convention, which offered the capital city as a centrally located meeting place for a discussion of measures to provide for the common defense of the newly independent Southern states. They voted to declare themselves as a provisional legislature and quickly moved to unify their states. A committee was appointed to draft a Constitution for the new Southern nation, work on which began immediately. It would take four days to complete.

The Confederate States of America, however, was born with the meeting of the delegates at Montgomery, Alabama, 150 years ago today. To learn more about the historic First Capitol of the Confederacy, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/montgomerycapitol1.

February 3, 1861 - Raising Money for Mississippi Independence

2011-02-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

Mississippi River at Grand Gulf

February 3, 1861

The following account of Mississippi's efforts to raise money to fund its existence as an independent republic appeared 150 years ago today on the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

RAISING THE WIND IN MISSISSIPPI. – The ways and means for the new “republic” of Mississippi furnish a great deal of matter for discussion. Like all of the seceding States, Mississippi is deficient in ready money. Two propositions are before the Convention – one to issue Treasury-notes and Bonds in such sums as from time to time are needed, not to exceed in the aggregate $5,000,000, nor to run for a longer time than five years; the other to establish a great State Bank, with a capital of $10,000,000, at Jackson; the State to be a stockholder in the bank to the extent of $5,000,000; and for the subscription a special tax to be levied and collected of the people at the rate of $500,000 per annum for ten years. The bank is not to issue more than three dollars to one of the capital stock after the 1^st of March, 1862. The Legislature may compel the redemption of the notes in gold and silver.

February 1, 1862 - Texas Convention passes its Ordinance of Secession

2011-02-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

San Jacinto Monument, Texas

February 1, 1862

Texas became the seventh Southern state to approve an Ordinance of Secession. The vote in Austin took place 150 years ago today.

The decision by the delegates to the Texas Secession Convention to revert to the status of the state to that of an independent republic, which it had been until it joined the United States in 1845, was made by a margin of 166-8 and over the objections of Texas hero, governor and former president, Sam Houston. Although Texas authorities moved immediately under the assumption that Texas would ally itself with the other seceding states, the document was not entirely definitive as it required a vote of the people for final approval. That vote would not take place until February 23, 1861 and would approve the decision to secede by a wide margin.

San Jacinto Monument

Texas was unique among the Southern states in that it had been an independent republic from 1836 until it was accepted into the Union in 1845. Its fourteen year status as an independent country gave Texas a stronger case for the right to leave the Union than any other state, although parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama had been obtained by the United States thanks to the brief existence of the 1810 Republic of West Florida, which had seized land from Spain in a revolution and then turned the territory over to the U.S.

Although the vote of the state's residents was still to come, Texas moved forward with plans to send delegates to the meeting convened by the seceding states at Montgomery, Alabama. This session would lead to the organization of the Confederate States of America, of which Texas would become a part.

The right of Texas to secede remains a matter for debate even today, as became apparent when Governor Rick Perry noted that the state could do so as recently as last year.

The Republic of Texas came into existence as a result of the Texas Revolution of 1836, remembered today largely for the tragic fall of the Alamo in San Antonio. Although the courageous stand at the Alamo resulted in the death of the mission turned fort's defenders, General Sam Houston was able to rally his troops and with the battle cry of "Remember the Alamo!" defeated Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Captured following the battle, Santa Anna signed documents agreeing to give Texas its independence.

The Republic of Texas remained an independent entity until it became an American state in 1845, but by a wide margin Texans felt they had every right to return to that status if they so decided. And the process of making that decision began 150 years ago today with the approval of the Texas Ordinance of Secession.

January 31, 1861 - An offer to raise a free black company in Georgia

2011-01-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

Surviving Walls of Fort Cusseta, Alabama

January 31, 1861

Newspapers across the South included a fascinating little item at the end of January, 1861. A free black barber in Columbus, Georgia, had extended an offer to raise a company of free blacks to fight in the service of his state:

Joe Clark, a colored barber of this city, has written a letter to Gov. Brown, offering to raise a company of free colored men, to be enlisted in the service of the State of Georgia in the present crisis. Whatever may be thought of the policy of enlisting soldiers of this cast, the offer is a patriotic one, and ought to show the "philanthropists" of the North that the free colored population of the South do not appreciate their efforts in behalf of the negro race. Joe served in the Indian war of 1836, and still limps occasionally from a wound received in that campaign. - Columbus Enquirer, January 1861.

Although the topic of black Confederate soldiers is quite controversial today, there was actually a long-standing tradition of military service by free blacks and slaves as well to their home states in the South during the years before the Civil War. Numerous Southern blacks had served in the American Revolution and Andrew Jackson had gladly accepted the services of Louisiana's free blacks at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. In fact, he had stood in their behalf and ordered that they be paid at the same rate as his white soldiers, something the Union did not do for its black troops for much of the Civil War.

While Clark's offer was not accepted by Governor Joseph E. Brown of Florida, the note of his service in the "Indian war of 1836" is quite interesting. The conflict in question was the Creek War of 1836, fought when the Yuchi branch of the Lower Creeks launched attacks on both whites and blacks in Alabama and Georgia in a desperate last stand against their forced removal to what is now Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

Numerous white citizens and slaves were killed in attacks at locations across the region, most notably at the Roanoke Massacre in Stewart County, Georgia. Both whites and blacks, including free blacks like Joe Clark, served in the fighting along with many of the Creeks themselves. This mixed race force eventually prevailed over the outnumbered Yuchi and Lower Creeks, most of whom were captured while those who were not were either killed or driven into the swamps and eventually across the line into Florida.

Uniquely, a surviving log fort of the Creek War still stands in the small community of Cusseta, Alabama, not far from Clark's home city of Columbus, Georgia. To learn more about it, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortcusseta.

January 28, 1861 - Developments on the Gulf Coast

2011-01-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Fort Pickens in 1861, by a Union officer.

January 28, 1861

A series of events that took place 150 years ago today in Louisiana and Florida resulted in the loss of several facilities to the U.S. government, while another was all but guaranteed to remain in Union control for the duration of the coming war.

From Pensacola, recently resigned U.S. Senator Stephen R. Mallory telegraphed still serving senators from Louisiana, Virginia and Pennsylvania in an effort to avoid bloodshed over Fort Pickens on Florida's Santa Rosa Island. If President James Buchanan would agree not to reinforce the fort, Mallory offered, Florida would not attack it. While Mallory's intent was noble, the move would lead to the Fort Pickens Truce on the next day, an agreement that gave U.S. forces the time they needed to prepare Fort Pickens for battle. Once the guns of the fort were mounted, any hopes Southern forces might have had of taking it were all but over.

To learn more about the events that took place in Florida in 1861, please visit our sister site, Civil War Florida.

In Louisiana, meanwhile, state forces took Fort Macomb east of New Orleans while also seizing military supplies in the Crescent City. One of the two forts located at the Rigolets, a channel leading from Lake Borgne into Lake Pontchartrain and to the "back door" of New Orleans, the masonry fort was a vital defense of New Orleans.

January 27, 1861 - An Alabama Professor goes to War

2011-01-27T17:40:00.000-08:00

Raw Troops at Pensacola, 1861

January 27, 1861

A remarkable account of the early days of an Alabama professor as a soldier originated from Pensacola, Florida, in January 1861 and was carried by newspapers around the South. If anyone can provide more information on this individual, I would love to hear from you!

The letter was datelined from the camps near Fort Barrancas, where soldiers from Florida, Alabama and Mississippi were in a standoff with the small U.S. garrison of Fort Pickens across Pensacola Bay:

Professor Day is just six and a half feet high in his stockings. His weight is three hundred and ten pounds, and he measures seven feet in the girth. He is the tallest and biggest man in the regiment, and is noted for his great strength as well as for his huge proportions. --He has been known to shoulder a six hundred bale of cotton, and has frequently taken a whiskey barrel by the chines, raised it at arms' length, and drank at the bung hole. On one occasion he threw a mustang pony and his rider over a ten-rail fence. For this offence he was tried and convicted in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale county, and fined five hundred dollars. This remarkable man is the youngest and smallest of seventeen brothers. His father is two and a half inches taller than he is, but not so thick set. His brothers are taller, but none of them are so stout as the Professor. It is necessary to remark that his father has been twice married, and has eight children by his first wife and nine by his present wife.

The Professor is the Principal of the Marion High School, and is a learned man in every sense of the word. He is master of six languages, and as a mathematician he has no superior. He is, besides, one of the best men living, and is noted for his good nature. He never had but one fight in his life, and then he killed a horse and nearly murdered a man.

January 26, 1861 - Louisiana Secedes

2011-01-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Old Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

January 26, 1861

Celebrations erupted in Baton Rouge 150 years ago today when the State of Louisiana seceded from the Union. In declaring its independence from the Union, Louisiana became the sixth Southern state to do so, joining South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia in becoming an independent republic.

The following account of the key day of the state's secession convention was written by a correspondent of the Richmond Daily Appeal:

Baton Rouge, Jan. 26.

--The vote on submitting the ordinance to the people was taken this morning — ayes 45, nays 84.

John Perkins addressed the Convention on the passage of the Secession Ordinance.

The debate closed, and a vote was ordered.

The galleries and lobbies were intensely crowded, and a deathlike silence prevailed.--On the call of the roll many members were in tears.

The Clerk announced the vote — ayes 113, nays 17--and the President declared Louisiana a free and sovereign republic.

Capt. Allen then entered the Convention with a Pelican flag, accompanied by Governor Moore and staff, and put the flag in the hands of the President, amid tremendous excitement.

A solemn prayer was then offered, and a hundred guns were fired.

The Convention adjourned to meet in New Orleans on the 29th inst.

Before the Convention adjourned the resolution accompanying the ordinance, declaring the right of free navigation of the Mississippi river and tributaries to all friendly States, and the right of egress and ingress to boats of the Mississippi by all friendly States and Powers, passed unanimously.

A gold pen was given each member with which to sign the Ordinance of Secession.

January 25, 1861 - An Account of the Seizure of the Augusta Arsenal in Georgia

2011-01-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

January 25, 1861

Augusta Arsenal, Barracks in 1936.

The following report of the capture of the Augusta Arsenal by Georgia Militia forces began circulating in Southern newspapers 150 years ago today. The seizure had taken place on the 24th:

The seizure of the United States Arsenal at Augusta.,Ga., occupied by Capt. A. Elzey and 70 U. S. troops, has been noticed. The number of Georgia troops under arms was over 800, and large numbers of country people came in to see the expected difficulty. The arsenal was surrounded on the 23d, and the State troops were ordered out. The Governor however, would not order an assault until the next day. In the meantime, no answer was receive to the summons, and the next morning the troops were again assembled. The of 11 o'clock was first fixed for the assault but it was changed to 2 o'clock. Before that hour arrived, a note was received from Captain Elzey asking for an interview with Gov. Brown, of Georgia, and the Governor required to the arsenal, where terms of surrender were agreed on. - Widely reprinted newspaper account, January 25, 1861.

Augusta Arsenal, Armory in 1936

The arsenal would provide the South with the first part of what would become a massive military manufacturing center in Augusta. The city would emerge over the next four years as one of the Confederacy's key military supply points. Gunpowder from Augusta supplied Confederate armies throughout the war.

The surviving buildings of the complex are located on the campus of today's Augusta State University. They survived Sherman's March to the Sea, thanks to the decision of the Union general to pass just south of Augusta while on his way to Savannah, instead of aiming directly at Augusta.

January 24, 1861 - Mississippi mounts cannon at Vicksburg

2011-01-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

Mississippi River at Vicksburg

January 24, 1861

Word spread across both North and South 150 years ago today that the newly independent republic of Mississippi had aimed cannon across the Mississippi River at Vicksburg and started intercepting river traffic.

The following report from the Memphis Appeal was carried in numerous newspapers on January 24, 1861:

The order of the Governor of Mississippi to place a battery of guns at Vicksburg for the purpose of hailing steamers and causing them to land, has been complied with, as we learn from one of the clerks of the Simonds, who informs us that four guns are placed at the foot of the bluff, a quarter of a mile above the wharf-boat; that while the Simonds lay there on her trip up the river, blank cartridges were fired to bring to and cause to land the Gladiator, the Imperial, and the A. O. Taylor, and that it was understood that if the summons were not attended to, the next gun fired would be shotted. The object of the surveillance has not been made known.- Memphis Appeal, January 1861.

The interdiction of river traffic on the Mississippi at Vicksburg followed numerous reports that abolitionist groups were sending weapons and other supplies south that would be used to arm slaves. There also were reports that troops would be sent to reinforce or recapture forts and other facilities on the Gulf Coast. You can learn more about Vicksburg and its history at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/vicksburg5.

U.S.S. Brooklyn

Also on January 24, 1861, The U.S.S. Brooklyn steamed out from Hampton Roads, Virginia, with reinforcements for the beleaguered Union garrison of Fort Pickens in Florida. The soldiers, commanded by Captain Israel Vogdes were under orders from President James Buchanan to reinforce the fort, an action that could lead to an immediate start of war between the Union and the new Southern republics.

In Georgia, 150 years ago today, the U.S. soldiers at the Augusta Arsenal surrendered to a force of some 800 state militiamen led by Governor Joseph E. Brown in person. Brown was prepared to launch an assault on the arsenal at 2 p.m., but the soldiers surrendered just hours before the attack was to take place.

January 23, 1861 - Castle Pinckney, Charleston's Forgotten Fort

2011-01-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

Castle Pinckney from the Air

January 23, 1861

As South Carolina troops moved to prepare for war in Charleston Harbor, one of the key installations they occupied was Castle Pinckney.

Built in 1809-1811 on the site of an earlier work that was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1804, Castle Pinckney was a horse-shoe shaped masonry work located on the southern tip of Shutes Folley Island about one mile off the Battery at Charleston. At the time of its completion, it was considered the strongest of Charleston's forts and due to its location in the inner harbor, it was the city's final line of defense against an attacking warships.

Castle Pinckney Interior in 1861

The old fort was placed in inactive status after the War of 1812, but played a role in the "Nullification Crisis" of the 1830s. By the time South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, however, Castle Pinckney was considered much weaker than nearby Fort Sumter and Major Robert Anderson opted to consolidated his available force in the latter installation. State troops quickly occupied the work and began the task of mounting guns and repairing the fort.

By January 24, 1861, the work on Castle Pinckney had progressed well and, along with Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson, it provided state forces with a good ability to defend the harbor from an attack by the U.S. Navy, despite the fact that Federal troops still held Fort Sumter.

Charleston Zouaves at Castle Pinckney

Unlike the other primary forts of Charleston Harbor, Castle Pinckney is difficult to see today. There is no bridge connecting Shutes Folly with the mainland and special permission is required to even land on the island. The fort itself is badly deteriorated, although there have been some recent efforts to at least protect it "as is." Oddly enough, it was a National Monument from 1933-1956, but the status with withdrawn and the fort left the care of the National Park Service. It is now owned by the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

The fort can be seen from the tour boats that cruise Charleston Harbor and is usually pointed out on the voyage out to Fort Sumter. Its unique semi-circular or "horseshoe" design was common in forts of its day. Two similar forts can be seen in New York Harbor, where Castle William survives at Governor's Island National Monument and Castle Clinton National Monument can be visited in Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan.

If you would like to read more about the fort, I recommend this excellent summary of its history:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/10/pruning-parks-castle-pinckney-national-monument-1933-19564731

January 22, 1861 -

2011-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Fort Sumter (NPS Photo)

The following appeared in the Macon (Georgia) Telegraph 150 years ago today. It details the mission of Colonel Isaac W. Hayne, who was sent as a representative of South Carolina to demand the surrender of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor from President Franklin Buchanan.

The report provides a good example of how editors and newspaper readers in the South often learned of events affecting their communities and states from Northern newspaper writers:

It was mentioned yesterday, among the rumors from Washington, that the mission of Mr. Hayne to that city from South Carolina, was to demand the immediate surrender of Fort Sumter, as the only means of preventing war and all its long train of calamities. A letter to the New York Herald adds:

Fort Sumter in 1861

“He is authorized to negotiate for the purchase of the public property in South Carolina, and is willing to pay the Government its fully value for the same, but if the President refuses to enter into negotiation and declines to give it up to the State, then they are determined to take it, let what will come. This course has been fully decided upon by South Carolina. They hold that, of right, it belongs to them, and they do not mean that the United States shall hold possession of it much longer. The flag which waves over Fort Sumter must come down - `peaceably if they can, forcibly if they must.”

Col. Hayne has not yet, it is stated, had an interview with the President. The president is said to be anxious, as is Major Anderson, to avoid bloodshed, and will do everything in his power, except surrendering up the Fort, to prevent such a calamity.- Macon Telegraph, January 22, 1861, p. 3.

You can read more about historic Fort Sumter at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortsumter.

January 21, 1861 - Jefferson Davis and others resign from the U.S. Senate

2011-01-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

Jefferson Davis

January 21, 1861

150 years ago today, one of the most dramatic scenes in the history of the American Republic took place on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

As their fellow senators looked on, an array of Southern senators gave their farewell speeches in the Senate Chamber. The acknowledged leader of the group was Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi:

...I am sure I feel no hostility to you, Senators from the North. I am sure there is not one of you, whatever sharp discussion there may have been between us, to whom I cannot now say, in the presence of my God, I wish you well; and such, I am sure, is the feeling of the people whom I represent towards those whom you represent. I therefore feel that I but express their desire when I say I hope, and they hope, for peaceful relations with you, though we must part. - Sen. Jefferson Davis, January 21, 1861.

Stephen Mallory

It was already rumored in Washington by January 21, 1861, that Davis would become president of a new Confederacy of the Southern states. On the date of his resignation, however, the former Secretary of War's only duty was to the independent Republic of Mississippi.

Among the other senators giving their farewell speeches that day was Senator Stephen Mallory of Florida. He would soon become the Secretary of the Navy for the Confederacy, despite his previous pro-Union sentiments. It was reported that he left the Senate Chamber that day with tears in his eyes.

Many of the departing senators visited President James Buchanan in the White House to pay their respects and give him their personal farewells. Jefferson Davis was not among them.

January 20, 1861 - Mississippi Seizes the Fort on Ship Island

2011-01-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Fort Massachusetts (NPS Photo)

January 20, 1861

For several days, bodies of armed men had hovered around the construction crews that were working to build the still unnamed fort on Ship Island, Mississippi. Two groups of armed men had arrived on the island, raised a flag and left ten volunteers there, but otherwise had not interfered with the construction project. That changed on the January 20, 1861:

As no interference was attempted on their part, operations were continued, so as to close the works as rapidly as possible. On the morning of the 20^th instant, a third armed body of men took forcible possession of the works and engineer property at Ship Island. From that moment I considered myself relieved from all connection with those works. - Lieutenant Frederick E. Prime, U.S. Army, January 30, 1861

Fort Massachusetts (NPS Photo)

Mississippi had been the second Southern state to secede from the Union, but had moved slowly to secure possession of the Federal military installations in the state.

The fort on Ship Island, later known as Fort Massachusetts, was a horseshoe-shaped masonry fort that was designed to guard the approaches to Biloxi and other points on the Mississippi coast. The fort was located at the western end of the wind swept island. When it was seized by local troops in 1861, it had been completed only to the level of the lower gun ports.

The fort is now open to the public as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Please click here to visit the National Park Service's website for more information.

January 19, 1861 - Georgia Secedes from the Union

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Old Capitol Building in Milledgeville

January 19, 1861

Over the stern warning of such delegates as former U.S. Congressman (and future Confederate Vice President) Alexander H. Stephens, the Georgia Secession Convention voted 150 years ago today to declare the state's independence from the United States.

One of the thirteen original states, Georgia became the fifth Southern state to leave the Union. South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama had already passed ordinances of secession. By joining them, Georgia provided geographic continuity to the growing list of newly independent Southern republics. While the Confederate States of America would not be formed until February, there was already recognition among the states that they would need to unify in some way for the purpose of defense.

Georgia's Old Capitol Building

Milledgeville was then the capital city of Georgia and the vote took place in the beautiful Old Capitol Building, the oldest public building of the Gothic revival style in the country. The vote was taken at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and passed by a margin of 208-89. Convention President George W. Crawford proclaimed the ordinance passed and celebrations erupted throughout much of the state, even as many worried about the course Georgia would now follow.

Once the decision was made, most of the state's pro-Union leaders unified with the secessionists. As in much of the South, most felt that their loyalty was owed first to their state. Even though many disagreed with the direction that had been charted, they committed their all to Georgia's success.

To learn more about the historic Old Capitol Building in Milledgeville, Georgia, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/gaoldcapitol.

January 18, 1861 - U.S. Troops show confidence in Florida

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Fort Jefferson (NPS Photo)

January 18, 1861

On this date 150 years ago, U.S. forces showed growing confidence in their ability to hold three key forts on islands along the Florida coast.

At Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry fort in the western hemisphere, 64 soldiers and four officers came ashore from the chartered steamship Joseph Whitney. Commanded by Brevet Major Lewis G. Arnold, they had left Fort Independence at Boston Harbor eight days earlier in a secret mission to land combat troops at Fort Jefferson before state troops from Florida could move to seize the massive fort.

Sometimes called the "Gibraltar of the Gulf," the fort was still unfinished and covered more than 13 acres, but was in a sufficient state of completion and was so remote that it would be all but impossible for secessionist forces to attack it. The fort is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park and is located 70 miles off Key West.

Fort Taylor (Florida State Archives)

At Fort Taylor in Key West, meanwhile, U.S. troops commanded by Captain John M. Brannan felt their position was one of growing strength. They had been mounting heavy guns and had plenty of water, food and ordnance supplies. The fort had such an abundance of artillery, in fact, that arrangements were immediately made to ship some of the 10-inch Columbiads there out to Fort Jefferson to assist in defending that work.

Fort Pickens

At Pensacola Bay on the same day, Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer of the First U.S. Artillery received a third demand that he surrender the fort to forces of the State of Florida. The lieutenant was growing more confident in his ability to hold the fort, however, as work to mount artillery to defend it against any attack by Southern militia had been going forward with great speed. Slemmer now knew that it would be a bloody proposition for the troops of Colonel William H. Chase to attack Fort Pickens, but as he had done before, he requested time to consider the surrender demand. He would soon decline for a third time to give up the fort.

If you are interested in following a day by day accounting of the military events surrounding the Secession of Florida, please visit our sister blog: http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

January 17, 1861 - Alexander Stephens Warns of Coming Desolation

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Alexander H. Stephens

January 17, 1861

As the delegates to the Georgia Secession Convention debated the future course of their state, they heard on this date from the man who would soon rise to prominence as the Vice President of the Confederacy.

A lawyer and former congressman, Alexander Hamilton Stephens was a powerful speaker despite the fact that he was ill throughout his life and weighed less than 100 pounds. Although he opposed anti-slavery measures and owned slaves, Stephens was a strong believer in the Union. Like most Southerners of his day, he put his loyalty to his state first, but 150 years ago today he rose to warn of what would come if the delegates continued on their path to passage of an Ordinance of Secession:

Old Capitol Building in Milledgeville

...When we and our posterity shall see our lovely South desolated by the demon of war which this act of yours will inevitably invite and call forth; when our green fields of waving harvests shall be trodden down by the murderous soldiery and fiery car of war sweeping over our land; our temples of justice laid in ashes; all the horrors and desolations of war upon us - who but this Convention shall be held responsible for it? - Alexander Stephens, January 17, 1861.

It was said by those who knew and heard him that Stephens was one of the most powerful speakers of his day, able to keep audiences spellbound with the thundering and emotional quality of his voice. Stories are told to this day of how word would pass through capitol halls in both Georgia and Washington, D.C., when the "Little Giant" rose to speak and spectators would crowd legislative chambers until they were overflowing with eager listeners.

Stephens' words were powerful on that January day and held the delegates and visitors to the historic Old Capitol Building in Milledgeville spellbound, but even he was unable to turn the course of his state away from the step it would take two days later.

January 16, 1861 - The Growing Focus on Two Forts

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January 16, 1861

Fort Sumter (NPS Photo)

As the middle of January passed, it became obvious that the military attention of both North and South was beginning to focus on two key forts: Fort Sumter in South Carolina and Fort Pickens in Florida.

The two fortifications had much in common. Both stood on islands that commanded the entrances to key Southern harbors, both were held by Union forces while state militia troops had occupied surrounding works and both were named for famous South Carolinians.

Fort Sumter, named for General Thomas Sumter of the American Revolution, stood on a man-made island inside the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Designed for multiple tiers of cannon, the fort controlled a long stretch of the channel that led into the harbor. With Fort Moultrie, Castle Pinckney and Fort Johnson, it was part of a harbor defense system that was designed to prevent an attacking navy from reaching Charleston. As long as it remained in U.S. hands, however, it bottled up the harbor and had the potential to prevent Southern commerce and warships from moving in and out of Charleston. It was incomplete in 1861, although construction had been underway since 1827. To learn more about Fort Sumter, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortsumter.

Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens, named for General Andrew Pickens of the American Revolution, stood on the western end of Santa Rosa Island at the entrance to Pensacola Bay. It had two levels for artillery and, with Fort McRee opposite the inlet to the bay and Fort Barrancas on the mainland, was designed to prevent enemy warships from entering Pensacola Bay or approaching the vitally important Pensacola Navy Yard. It had a key advantage over Fort Sumter in that it was located directly on the Gulf of Mexico instead of on a man-made island in the bay. Like the South Carolina fort, however, as long as it remained in Union hands, Pensacola Bay was effectively closed to Southern use. To learn more about Fort Pickens, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.

An attack on either fort would lead to the outbreak of civil war. In mid-January it appeared that the first spark might ignite at Fort Pickens, where on January 16, 1861, 150 years ago today, Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer of the U.S. Army refused a second demand that he surrender the fort to a growing force of state militia. The government in Washington, D.C., was faced with the issue of whether to attempt to reinforce either fort or both forts, with the realization that doing so might well ignite the war they hoped to prevent.

January 15, 1861 - An Engineer Demands the Surrender of the Fort He Built

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Col. William H. Chase

January 15, 1861

On this date, 150 years ago, Colonel William H. Chase of the State of Florida demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Florida.

It must have been the most unexpected duty of his long military career, as Chase had once supervised the construction of the massive brick fort. A former U.S. Army officer and engineer who had graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1815, Colonel Chase was of northern birth but had spent much of his career in the Deep South. After supervising the construction of Forts Pike and Macomb in Louisiana, he had arrived in Florida in 1828 where he spent the next seven years directing the construction of Fort Pickens.

Fort Pickens, Florida

Located at the western end of Santa Rosa Island and designed to control the entrance to Pensacola Bay, the huge fort was designed to mount more than 200 pieces of artillery and was to be manned by 1,200 men during siege positions. When Chase arrived at its gates on January 15, 1861, accompanied by Commander Ebenezer Farrand who had just resigned his post in the U.S. Navy, Fort Pickens was manned by fewer than 100 men under the command of Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer:

Listen to me, then, I beg of you, and act with me in preventing the shedding of the blood of your brethren. Surrender the fort. You and your command may reoccupy the barracks and quarters at Barrancas on your simple parole to remain there quietly until ordered away, or to resume the command of the harbor should an adjustment of present difficulties in the Union be arrived at…Consider this well, and take care that you will so act as to have no fearful recollections of a tragedy that you might have averted, but rather to make the present moment one of the most glorious, because christianlike, of your life. - Colonel William H. Chase, State of Florida, January 15, 1865.

Lt. Adam J. Slemmer

Slemmer knew that Chase more than any other officer in the South understood the strengths and weaknesses of Fort Pickens. He asked the colonel how many men he had at his command and Chase replied that he would have 800-900 by that night. It was an overwhelming force, but with sufficient artillery in position the lieutenant knew he might hope to hold the fort against such a militia command.

He asked Chase to allow him to consider his situation until the next day, when he would give his answer. It was something of a trick on Slemmer's part. His men had been working and standing guard duty day and night for days and were exhausted to the point of collapse. A truce for the night would allow his men to get some desperately needed rest so they would be ready to fight the next day, if necessary. It would also give Slemmer time to consult with the captains of the two U.S. Navy ships still at anchor nearby. Colonel Chase was extremely anxious to avoid bloodshed and so agreed to the request.

To learn more about Fort Pickens, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.

January 14, 1861 - Fort Pike Seized and Fort Taylor Occupied

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Fort Taylor (Florida State Archives)

January 14, 1861

As the military situation in the South continued to grow more tense, moves were made on January 14, 1861 - 150 years ago today - involve key forts in Florida and Louisiana.

In Florida, Captain J.M. Brannan of the First U.S. Artillery moved his company from the Key West Barracks into Fort Taylor on the night of January 14th. Begun in 1845 and still under construction, the fort was a strong work with three tiers of artillery that commanded the harbor at Key West. The movement was made at the request of Captain E.B. Hunt of the engineers, who was supervising work on the fort, following the secession of Florida and reports of seizures of other forts and arsenals throughout the South.

Fort Taylor is now a part of the Florida State Park system and is open to the public daily. To learn more, please visit www.floridastateparks.org/forttaylor.

In Louisiana on the same day, state militia forces occupied Fort Pike. Built in 1819-1826, the strong masonry fort guarded the Rigolets, a channel that connected Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, providing water access from the Gulf of Mexico to the "back door" of New Orleans. The importance of this channel had been made clear by British operations at the time of the Battle of New Orleans (1814-1815) and the U.S. had moved quickly to strongly fortify the Rigolets.

Fort Pike is now a Louisiana State Historic Site and is open to the public by appointment. To learn more, please visit www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifortpike.aspx,

January 13, 1861 - Key West Lighthouse, Florida

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Key West Lighthouse

January 13, 1861

As the Southern states seceded, as many coastal facilities as possible were seized by state forces. Such targets included the lighthouses that dotted the Southern coastline.

Southern forces seized most of the lighthouses and very few remained in Union hands throughout the war. One of these was the Key West Lighthouse in Key West, Florida. Built in 1847-1849 to replace an earlier structure that had been destroyed by a hurricane, the lighthouse was one of two that guided ships through the treacherous waters around Key West.

Because the U.S. Army never gave up Key West and the South never launched a major effort to take the island, the Key West Lighthouse continued to operate during the war years, when virtually every other lighthouse on the Southern coast was darkened to prevent Union warships from using them to assist in navigation.

The only confrontation that took place over the Key West Lighthouse, in fact, involved not soldiers but its cantankerous keeper, 92-year-old Barbara Mabrity. She had served as keeper of the light since it was built in the 1840s (and of the previous tower as well) and had spent 32 years of her life on the U.S. payroll. During the war, however, she infuriated local officials by making comments against the Union. Mabrity was fired and replaced as a result of those comments.

If you would like to learn more of the history of the Key West Lighthouse, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/keywestlighthouse.