Today in 1863, in Washington, D.C.

Union General Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Army of the Potomac.



Gen. "Fightin' Joe' Hooker

Following Ambrose Burnside's disastrous tenure as commander, including the debacle at Fredericksburg, Virginia, President Lincoln realized the demoralized Union army desperately needed a new leader.  Hooker, a West Point graduate, was a veteran of the Seminole War and the Mexican War, and served in the American West in the 1850s. When the Civil War erupted, Hooker was named brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac. He quickly rose to division commander, and distinguished himself during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. He also continued to build his reputation as a hard drinker and womanizer. Hooker received command of the First Corps in time for the Second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia, in August 1862 and his corps played a major role in the Battle of Antietam in Maryland in September of that year.

Accidentally saddled with the sobriquet “Fighin’ Joe” when a newspaper poked fun at the General’s notoriously thin skin, General Hooker would forever after be known as Fightin’ Joe Hooker.

Battle of Chancellorsville

When he took charge, Hooker first had to deal with the sagging morale of the army. He reorganized his command and instituted a badge system, where each division had its own unique insignia. This helped to build unit pride and identity, and Hooker led a re-energized army into Virginia in April 1863. Hooker's appointment was part of President Abraham Lincoln's frustrating process of finding a winning general in the East. After Irwin McDowell, George McClellan, John Pope, McClellan again, and then Burnside, Lincoln hoped Hooker could defeat Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the vaunted Army of Northern Virginia.

Gen. George Meade

However, it was too tall an order for a man like Hooker. In May 1863, Hooker clashed with Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, and the Union army suffered a decisive and stunning defeat. Lincoln's search for an effective commander continued.  When Hooker sensed that his Commander in Chief (and the army itself) had lost confidence in him, he foolishly tendered an offer of resignation (which he did not believe Lincoln would accept).  But, Lincoln knew Hooker was not the man for the job, accepted the resignation, and, much to his surprise, appointed George Meade the new commander, just days before the pivotal battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

[January 26, 1863]

Civil War Trust Completes Memorable 2014

The cause of battlefield preservation took great strides forward in 2014, as the Civil War Trust, America’s premier battlefield preservation organization, announced several landmark projects, and laid the groundwork for continued success beyond the conclusion of the national Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration.  Through the generosity of individual donors, coupled with strategic partnerships with government officials and nonprofit groups across the country, the Trust protected more than 2,300 acres of battlefield land in 2014, eclipsing 40,000 total acres saved by the organization at 122 historic sites in 20 states.

 

“A generation from now, I believe that 2014 will be remembered as the year when the conceivable scope of battlefield preservation exploded,” remarked Trust president James Lighthizer.  “This was the year that we demonstrated, in multiple ways, the tremendous level of public support for protection of hallowed ground as outdoor classrooms and living memorials to the sacrifices of
America’s military.”

Working closely in cooperation with willing landowners and preservation partners, the Trust completed 45 transactions at 26 individual battlefields in 10 states. The battlefields where land was preserved in 2014:  Appomattox Court House, Va.; Bentonville, N.C.; Brandy Station, Va.; Cedar Creek, Va.; Cold Harbor, Va.; Davis Bridge, Tenn.; Franklin, Tenn.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Glendale, Va.; Glorieta Pass, N.M.; Harpers Ferry, W.Va.; Kelly’s Ford, Va.; Mansfield, La.; Mill Springs, Ky.; North Anna, Va.; Petersburg, Va.; Port Republic, Va.; Rappahannock Station, Va.; Ream’s Station, Va.; Richmond, Ky.; Shepherdstown, W.Va.; Shiloh, Tenn.; South Mountain, Md.; Stones River, Tenn.; Trevilian Station, Va.; and Vicksburg, Miss.



The Antietam battlefield in Maryland

With the October closing of the 654-acre historic Fontaine Farm at North Anna — a property encompassing nearly the entire scene of combat on May 23, 1864 — the Trust surpassed 40,000 acres saved in the organization’s history. In November, the Trust embarked on a large preservation opportunity at Chancellorsville, seeking to raise nearly $500,000 to save 479 acres associated
with Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s flank attack. Facilitating these types of landmark transactions was the Trust’s ongoing sesquicentennial fundraising effort, Campaign 150, which, in April, met its original $40 million goal before being extended to an unprecedented $50 million target.

Proving that acreage is not the only measure of a preservation project’s significance, in July, the Trust announced a $5.5 million national fundraising campaign to save 4.1 acres in Gettysburg, Pa. The property played a key role in combat on July 1, 1863, and includes several historic buildings — most notably the Mary Thompson House, used throughout the remainder of the battle as Gen. Robert E. Lee’s headquarters.

The most significant developments in battlefield preservation during 2014 came near the year’s close. On Veterans Day, the Trust announced the launch of Campaign 1776, ww.campaign1776.org, the first-ever national initiative to preserve and interpret the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The new effort’s first project involves assisting the State of New Jersey in the protection of four acres on the Princeton Battlefield, scene of George Washington’s first victory over British forces on January 3, 1777. Campaign 1776 received a major boost on December 12, when Congress passed legislation to extend federal matching grants for battlefield protection through 2021 and, for the first time, make sites from other conflicts eligible for what had previously been a Civil War-only program.

“The extension of this grant program mirrors our reasoning for the creation of Campaign 1776,” said Trust president James Lighthizer. “All of these American battlefields are sacred places — living memorials to this nation’s brave soldiers, past, present and future — and it is up to us to ensure their protection.”

The battle of Antietam in September 1862

The Trust’s preservation success in 2014 would not have been possible without the dedication of Trust partners, including:  American Battlefield Protection Program, National Park Service, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, City of Franklin (TN), County of Chesterfield (VA) Parks and Recreation, Department of Agriculture Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, Kentucky Heritage Council, Madison County (KY) Fiscal Court,
Louisiana Office of State Parks, Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Municipality of Princeton (NJ), New Jersey State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs-Historic Preservation Division, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission-Bureau for Historic Preservation, Tennessee Historical Commission, Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and Virginia Department of Transportation.  Numerous organizations also contributed to these preservation successes, including:  Averasboro Battlefield Commission, Battle of Richmond Association, Brandy Station Foundation, Franklin’s Charge, Central Maryland Heritage League, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Friends of Shiloh National Military Park, Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Gettysburg Foundation, Glorieta Battlefield Preservation Society, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Land Conservancy of Adams County, Land Trust for Tennessee, Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle, Manassas Battlefield Trust, Maryland Environmental Trust, Maryland Historical Trust, Mill Springs Battlefield Association, National Parks Conservation Association, New Mexico Land Conservancy, Piedmont Environmental Council, Princeton Battlefield Society, Richmond Battlefields Association, Save Historic Antietam Foundation, Silver Companies, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association, Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation and Wallace Foundation.

“These are among the generous individuals and organizations who continue to stand by the Trust and our members — year in and year out — to save America’s hallowed ground,” Lighthizer said. “Our job would be a whole lot harder without the tireless efforts of these leaders, along with many of our elected officials who fight — tooth and nail — for programs essential to our efforts.”

In addition to its land acquisition successes, the Trust continues promoting greater appreciation and understanding of the Civil War through its innovative educational programs and digital offerings.  In 2014, the group’s flagship website, www.civilwar.org, received more than 5.8 million unique visits — an increase of 30 percent from 2013.  A popular new online feature was the War Department™ video series, an ongoing effort designed to move past lists of names and dates, encouraging viewers to analyze the broader impact of historical events.  Classroom educators benefited from two new Trust programs: the Teachers Regiment, a virtual community of classroom educators, museum professionals, librarians, tour guides and other public historians eager to raise the level of history instruction nationwide; and the Field Trip Fund, a scholarship fund to assist teachers in planning and paying for student trips to historic sites.



Antietam preservation

The Trust also continues to earn accolades for its sound fiscal management and commitment to top-notch donor relations, renewing its Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accreditation and receiving a prestigious Top-Rated Award by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations. In addition, the Trust maintained its 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s leading charity evaluator, for a fifth straight year — an honor bestowed on only four percent of charities assessed by that organization.  Further, the Trust’s membership magazine, Hallowed Ground, again earned top honors for outstanding quality through the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence — its sixth-consecutive Grand Award.

The Civil War Trust is the largest and most effective nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America’s hallowed battlegrounds.  Although primarily focused on the protection of Civil War battlefields, through its Campaign 1776 initiative, the Trust also seeks to save the battlefields connected to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.  To date, the Trust has preserved more than 40,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states.  Learn more at www.civilwar.org.

Today in 1862, off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

The U.S.S. Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Just nine months earlier, the ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles in American history.  It was the first time two ironclads had faced each other in a naval engagement (and fought to a standstill).

U.S.S. Monitor battles C.S.S. Virginia near Hampton Roads, Virginia

After the famous duel, the Monitor provided gun support on the James River for George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign, but by December 1862, it was clear the Monitor was no longer needed in Virginia. So she was ordered to Beaufort, North Carolina, to join a fleet being assembled for an attack on Charleston, South Carolina. However, the reassignment required that she be moved through open ocean waters and even though the Monitor served well in the sheltered waters of Chesapeake Bay, the heavy, low-slung ship was not built as an ocean-going warship.

At the best of times, the waters around Cape Hateras are considered rough and in the month of December they are exceedingly so. The U.S. Navy recognized the Monitor would be unable to steam to South Carolina under her own power so the U.S.S. Rhode Island was assigned to tow the ironclad instead.  During the towing operation, rough seas caused the Monitor to pitch and sway so much that the caulking around the gun turret loosened and water began to leak into the hull.  High seas tossed the ship onto heavier and heavier waves with each series increasing the number of leaks and eventually overpowering the onboard pumps.  By nightfall on December 30, the Monitor was in dire straits.

Monitor flounders in high seas while being towed to South Carolina

The Monitor's commander, J.P. Bankhead, signaled the Rhode Island that he wished to abandon ship. The wooden side-wheeler pulled as close as safety allowed to the stricken ironclad, and two lifeboats were lowered to retrieve the crew, many of whom were rescued.  But, when the Monitor’s pumps stopped working altogether, the ironclad quickly sank, entombing sixteen of her crew.   

Recovery of Monitor's  turret and Dahlgren guns

The wreck of the Monitor was discovered in 1973, 111 years after her sinking, and numerous artifacts, including the ship’s distinctive turret, propeller, and massive Dahlgren guns have been recovered.  They are now on display (and being studied) in the Monitor Center at The Mariner’s Museum in Virginia.  The remains of the crewmen that were recovered were interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

[December 30, 1862]

Today in 1864, in Savannah, Georgia

General William Tecumseh Sherman, who had unleashed a new type of warfare that he intended to "make Georgia howl," and his Union armies arrived at the end of their "March to the Sea" by capturing the coastal city of Savannah, its defenses having been abandoned the day before by the Rebel defenders.  Sherman telegraphed the news to President Abraham Lincoln and offered the Southern prize as a "Christmas gift" to the President and to the Nation.




William Tecumseh Sherman

In a pivotal moment for the entire Civil War, the Union Army had captured Atlanta after a series of flanking movements and a string of battles pitting the determined Union forces against the smaller Confederate army of General Joseph Johnston, whose critics worried that he was more concerned with preserving his army than preventing the capture of Southern territory.  They were not incorrect and by late 1864 few expected the Southern cause to see another Christmas.
 

Union forces intended to "make Georgia howl"

Sherman was very familiar with the South, having lived in Louisiana and taught at LSU (as it would later be known) as a professor so he had an affinity for the Southern people.  And, with many former classmates and even friends in the Confederate ranks, Sherman knew that the sooner he could bring the South to its knees and to capitulation, the sooner the United States could call itself whole and get on to the harder work of reconciliation.

 

Fort Pulaski

Savannah and its environs were protected by a string of Federal-era forts as well as hastily constructed trenches and earthen fortifications that could have held out for weeks, if there were sufficient provisions on hand.  However, the deprivations of the war and the ongoing effects of the Union blockade of Southern ports meant the city and its citizenry were ill-prepared for a siege and, having seen what had happened at Vicksburg the previous summer, none looked forward to another protracted battle with a forgone conclusion.  Southern leaders thought it better to escape to fight another day.

 

 





Today in 1862, near and around Fredericksburg, Virginia

Bowing to pressure from Lincoln and the War Department in Washington, General Ambrose Burnside launched a series of 14 attacks by the men of the Army of the Potomac through the town and against Confederate troops entrenched behind stone walks to the west of town.

The Union army suffered more than four times the casualties of their Rebel counterparts who taunted them as they tried to charge across open fields to the top of Marye's Heights, most not making it any closer than 50 yards. Union troops had more success on the southern end of the battlefield where they almost succeeded in turning the Confederate's right flank, but the timely arrival of reinforcements under the command of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson turned them back.

Burnside considered renewing the attacks on the 14th, but his subordinates convinced him of the futility of continuing to assail the fortress-like position and so he instead negotiated a truce so that the Union casualties could be recovered on the 15th.  The carnage led commanding General Robert E. Lee to comment, famously, "It is good that war is so terrible lest we grow too fond of it.

When Lee's own troops faltered in their high watermark attack against the Yankees in Pennsylvania the following summer, many of the men in blue who had fought at Fredericksburg chanted, "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" in memory of their fallen comrades.