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Monday June 10 1861
BUTLER BUNGLES BIG BETHEL BADLY
Seven Federal regiments--about 2500 soldiers--marched away from Fort
Monroe near Washington D.C. today. Their mission: attack the
Confederate units near Big Bethel Church.
Their commander, alas: Gen. Benjamin Butler. After marching through
the night, getting lost at times and parts of the force separated
from others, they got to where they were going and endeavored to
attack. Again lack of coordination plagued the effort, and they
withdrew. Items dropped by fleeing Federals, or seized from captured
ones, were displayed in the shop windows of Richmond as trophies.
Tuesday June 10 1862
GRANT GETS GREATER GLORY
Ulysses S. Grant, West Point graduate, bad businessman and worse
farmer, had found the work he was born to do when the American Civil
War broke out. Talking his way into a colonel’s commission in the
Illinois volunteer forces, he had risen rapidly to general's rank.
What he lacked, however, was a force to command. Today he regained
this, as Gen. Halleck, at Corinth,
reassigned Grant, along with D.C. Buell and John Pope, to their own
army corps. Grant was far from the best strategist or tactician the
war produced, but his bulldog tenacity and aggressiveness made up
for many shortcomings.
Wednesday June 10 1863
STATESMAN SLIPS STRATEGIC SUGGESTION
In the aftermath of the spectacular cavalry battle of Brandy
Station, the Federal cavalry counted its casualties (81 killed, 403
wounded, and 382 captured) but consoled themselves that they had
retired from the field, not been driven from it. Ewell’s Confederate
corps led the way as Lee’s infantrymen pulled out of Culpepper Court
House and headed for the fords of the Potomac. The ANV was headed
north. Hooker thought this was a great chance to take Richmond.
Lincoln suggested he take Lee instead.
Friday June 10 1864
FORREST FORCES FEDERAL FLIGHT
Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, USA, had been chasing Gen. Nathan Bedford
Forrest’s Confederate cavalry force. Today an awful thing happened:
he caught up with them. In what is variously known
as the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads or Tishomingo Creek,
Mississippi, Forrest slammed into Sturgis’ men, who were in a
sorry state anyway from a fast forced march in extremely hot
weather. The fight turned into a rout and Forrest captured most of
the artillery and quite a few troops.
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