1861:
Virginia ratifies the Secessionist Convention referendum by a vote of 132,201 to 37,451

John Floyd commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army

Thomas Jackson strikes the B&O Railroad, capturing 56 locomotives


1862:  
Action at Front Royal; Skirmish at New Bridge, Virginia

Skirmish at Buckton Station, Virginia

Affair at Fort Graig, New Mexico

Action at Lewisburg, West Virginia


1863:  
Skirmishes at Antioch Church, Warrenton, and Barber's Cross Roads, Virginia


1864:  
Battle of North Ann River begins:
The campaign between Union commander Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, continues southward to the North Anna River around Hanover Junction. In early May, Grant crossed the Rapidan River with the Army of the Potomac and then clashed with Lee's forces in the Wilderness on May 5 and 6 before racing to Spotsylvania Court House for an epic 12-day battle. Grant's continuous pressure on Lee would ultimately win the war, but he was racking up casualties at a rate that was difficult for the Northern public to stomach.

Grant believed that Lee could not maintain his position at Spotsylvania because two other Union armies under the command of Franz Sigel and Benjamin Butler were attempting to cut off the Confederate supply line in the Shenandoah Valley and the Rebel stronghold south of Richmond. But both were failing miserably.

By May 19, Grant had had enough of Spotsylvania. He pulled his troops to try another run around Lee to Richmond. Correctly predicting Grant's move, just as he had done two weeks before when Grant left the Wilderness for Spotsylvania, Lee raced the Yankees 20 miles south and beat Grant's troops to the North Anna River. The rail center here was crucial to his supplies.

At the North Anna, Grant found Lee's position to be even stronger than at Spotsylvania. The river had high banks, and Lee's side was higher than the Union side in several places. Still, Grant made an attempt to dislodge the Rebels. He made two assaults, but neither came close to breaking the Confederate lines. He would try again the next day before moving south to Cold Harbor.



Combat at Jericho Bridge, Virginia <>P>Action at Stilesborough, Georgia

1865:
Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac  


Primary sources:
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion ; by Frederick Dyer;
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865 by E. B. Long with Barbara Long;
National Archives Guide Index

 

--Last edited by grumpydave on 2008-05-23 06:53:27 --