This Week in the Civil War July 20th - July 26th, 1862

This Week in Review

This week in the war was all about guerilla warfare. In Albert Tilton's Last Letter to Robert Tilton July 20 , 1862:

Camp Big Springs Miss
Near Corinth July 20/62 Sunday Night 12 P.M.

Dear Robert

We are gwine to leave dis yer place. We are gwine gorillaing. We is just done gone tired of snooping around dis yer Big Spring of cobalt water.

We leave here tomorrow morning at 5, bag and baggage. We are going to guard the M & C Road between Iuka & Eastport - 60 miles. The whole division is going. Iuka is 30 miles East of here. Eastport is East of Iuka 60 miles. Gorillas are thick as mosquitoes down there & mosquitoes as thick as skirmishers on Mike Hoover's shirt. I'm afraid they'll shoot. We got new arms all around today. Splendid pieces. Co. F, the Col, & the major haven't come yet, but we expect them tonight. Capt is sick yet & I'm boss as usual. Ad is O.K. & would send his respects but he is asleep.

Love to Wil & family & Hen. Why don't you all write to a fella?

Yrs,
Al

The officers were all consumed with logistics this week except for Rear Admiral Farragut on the Mississippi. Despite his newly achieved rank and the title of Rear Admiral which was created just for him, Farragut’s flotilla of 32 ships proved to be no match for the C.S.S. Arkansas and the shore batteries along the river at Vicksburg. Union and Confederate gunboats were involved in week long engagements, but Farragut was forced to retreat.

Meanwhile Lincoln was involved in some tactical planning of his own.

The discussions of the Lincoln cabinet regarding Emancipation are reported to have taken place on July 22, 1862 in Lincoln's office as depicted in Francis Carpenter's famous painting, First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

He "had resolved upon this step, and had not called them together to ask their advice." Then removing two foolscap sheet from his pocket and adjusting his glasses on his nose, he began to read what amounted to a legal brief for emancipation based on the chief executive’s powers as commander in chief.

"His draft proclamation set January 1, 1863, little more than five months away, as the date on which all slaves within states still in rebellion against the Union would be declared free, "Thenceforth and forever'. It required no cumbersome enforcement proceedings. Though it did not cover the roughly 425,000 slaves in the loyal border states - where, without the use of his war powers, no constitutional authority justified his action-the proclamation was shocking in scope. In a single stroke, it superseded legislation on slavery and property rights that had guided policy in eleven states for nearly three quarters of a century. Three and a half million blacks who had lived enslaved for generations s were promised freedom. It was a daring move."

"The cabinet listened in silence. With the exception of (William H.) Seward and (Gideon) Welles, to whom the president had intimated his intentions the previous week, the members were startled by the boldness of Lincoln's proclamation. Only (Edwin M.) Stanton and, surprisingly, (Edward) Bates declared themselves in favor of 'its immediate promulgation.' Stanton instantly grasped the military value of the proclamation. Having spent more time than any of his colleagues contemplating the logistical problems facing the army, he understood the tremendous advantages to be gained if the massive workforce of slaves could be transferred from the Confederacy to the Union. Equally important, he had developed a passionate belief in the justice of Emancipation."

Source: Team of Rivals...The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln - "We are in the Depths"; pages 484-485 - Doris Kearns Goodwin

As time would see, this plan did not lead to the hoped for insurrection in the south, nor did the "freed" slaves prove to be an effective army.

Events of the Week

Sunday July 20, 1862

· Beaver Dam Creek, Virginia

· Greenville, Missouri

· Covington, Louisiana

· Orange Court House, Virginia

Monday, July 21, 1862

· Turkey Island Bridge, Virginia

· Nashville, Tennessee

· Capture of the Steamer Reliance

Tuesday, July 22, 1862

· Boles' Farm, Missouri

· C.S.S. Arkansas

· Verdon, Virginia

· Westover, Virginia

· Tazewell, Tennessee

· Vicksburg, Mississippi

· Culpeper, Virginia

· Florence Alabama

Wednesday, July 23, 1862

· Blackwater Creek, Missouri

· Carmel Church, Virginia

· Florida, Missouri

· Our Soldiers in Richmond

Thursday, July 24, 1862

· Amite River, Louisiana

· Bott's Farm, Missouri

· Coldwater, Mississippi

· Capture of the Steamer Tubal Cain

· Summerville, Virginia

· Gloucester Point, Virginia

· Santa Fe, Missouri

Friday, July 25, 1862

· Courtland, Alabama

· Trinity, Alabama

· Brownsville, Tennessee

· Clinton Ferry, Tennessee

· Mountain Store, Missouri

Saturday, July 26, 1862

· Spangler's Mill, Alabama

· Patten, Missouri

· Orange Court House, Virginia

· Buckhannon, West Virginia

This Week in the Civil War Don't Miss a Single Issue! Subscribe for weekly updates and access to the back issues Just $39 for all 4 1/2 years 54 months 214 weekly issues
54 Volume Set Hardback - $1995.00 Paperback - $1195.00 CD-ROM - $75.00 All the Battles of the Civil War John C. Rigdon, editor	Choose Hardback, Paperback, or CD-ROM -- Select binding -- Paperback - $1195.00 CD-ROM - $75.00 Hardback - $1995.00
Paperback - $25.00 This Month in the Civil War	Choose Month -- Select month -- Jan 1862 - $25.00 Feb 1862 - $25.00 Mar 1862 - $25.00 Apr 1862 - $25.00 May 1862 - $25.00 Jun 1862 - $25.00
Each volume contains 200 - 300 pages detailing the events which occurred during the month.
CD-ROM - $15.00
Eighteen Hundred Days This CD is the index to "All the Battles." It actually contains 4 indexes, sorted by year, by state, by name of battle in PDF format, and an Excel spreadsheet which you can use to manipulate the data on your own.

Ordering via EMAIL is easy. Click Here

Orders may also be sent via U.S. Snail to:
Eastern Digital Resources
5705 Sullivan Point Drive
Powder Springs, GA 30127