The Civil War Almanac

408 Pages·1983·66.98 MB·English

by  John S Bowman

THE
CIVILWAR
ALMANAC
THECIVILWARALMANAC is themostcom-
prehensive single-volume reference work on the
WarBetweentheStat—eseverpublished. Hereyou
will find d—escribed and, wherever possible,
illustrated allthekeyevents,personalitiesand
lethalweaponsthat, together, producedthemost
tragic ofall American wars.
There are three sections in the book. The main
body ofthe text is the day-to-day chronology of
political anddiplomaticeventsandallthemajor
land and sea campaigns, which traces events
from the early rumblings of the abolitionists
through the whole period of the war and the
immediatepostwarperiod,culminatingwiththe
end ofthe era ofthe carpetbaggers.
The second section covers the weapons and
equipment used in the Civil War. There are land
and sea sections in whichtechnicaldescriptions
ofthekey equipmentofeachofthe twocombat-
ants are given and their performances in action
described and compared.
The final section gives briefbiographies of the
importantpersonalitiesofthewar. Amongthose
describedaremilitaryandpoliticalleaders,dip-
lomatsandjournalists, spiesandrabble-rousers.
The chronological survey is subdivided by sub-
ject headings so that particular campaigns or
seriesofdiplomaticeventscanbefollowedsepa-
rately. Also, the campaign descriptions can be
extended and illuminated by cross-reference to
the weapons and biography sections.
THECIVILWARALMANACisamostreliable
and invaluable reference source on the War
BetweentheStates. Ifyouweretohaveonlyone
book on the Civil War in your home library, it
would have to be this one. And if you already
ownasizeablecollectionofCivilWarliterature,
this will be the one indispensable addition.
V
3 1111 00853 0303
CMC
CENTER
u

THE
CIVILWAR
ALMANAC
ft
!jfl
THE
CMLW/VR
ALMANAC
executive editor: John S Bowman
Ian V. Hogg sind Antony Preson, technical consultants
y
FACTS ON FILE, Inc.
460 ParkAvenue South
NewYork, NewYork 10016
A Bison Book
THE CIVIL WAR ALMANAC
©
Copyright 1982 by Bison Books Corp.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybe
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recordingorby any information
storageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermission
in writing from the Publisher.
Library ofCongress Cataloging in Publication
Data
Bowman,John S. (ed.)
The Civil war almanac.
Includes index.
— —
1.—United States History Civil War—, 1861-
1865—Chronology. 2. U—nited States His-
tory CivilWar,1861-1865 Biography. I.Ti-
tle.
E468.3.H83 1983 973.7'o2'o2 82-
I55I4
ISBN 0-87196-640-9
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
109 87654321
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
6
CHRONOLOGY
11
The Approach toWar 12
TheWarYears
April1861 49
January1862 79
January1863 125
January1864 180
January1865 243
The Aftermath 269
WEAPONS OF THE
CIVILWAR 279
NAVAL WARFARE IN
THE CIVILWAR 299
BIOGRAPHIES
3ii
INDEX & CREDITS
394
INTROD UCTION
How do we explain the perennial interest Antietamtosavetheday;Thomasstanding
in the American Civil War? It has been like a rock at Chickamauga; Pickett's men
more than a century now since that war streaming up the long slope of Cemetery
ended in the farmhouse at Appomattox. Ridge, only to be mowed down by Union
But the fires ofinterest, ifnot ofhostility, cannon; Farragut lashed to the mast at
still burn and the stories of battles and Mobile Bay, shouting 'Damn the torpe-
leaders,andofthesufferingandheroismof does, full steam ahead'; Colonel Shaw
Johnny Reb and Billy Yank still have the leading his black regiment, the 54th Mas-
power to elicit fascination and passion. sachusetts, in a desperate charge against
Therearemanyexplanationsforthis. Fort Wagner, and dying on the ramparts;
The CivilWarwas,inmanyways,the Sheridan pounding down the Winchester
lastoftheoldwarsandthefirstofthenew. Pike; Lincoln pardoning the sleeping
ItwasGeneralShermanwhosaidthat'war sentinels, reading Artemus Ward to his
is hell', and none will dispute that judg- Cabinet, dedicating the cemetery at
ment. Yet to most Americans General Gettysburg, greeted bythousands offran-
Sherman'swarhasbeen,andstillis,almost tic blacks as he walks the streets ofcon-
irresistibly romantic. The very names of quered Richmond, and, inthe end, invok-
this conflict, whether Civil War, or War ing'with malice toward nonewith Charity
Between the States or War for Southern forall.'Itisromanticbecauseoftheyouth-
Independence, conjure up a hundred fulness of so many of its officers and
images:Jacksonstandinglikea'stonewall' soldiers, and the desperate devotion ofso
at ist Bull Run (First Manassas); U S manyofthemwho seemed to have no real
Grantbecoming'unconditionalsurrender' stake in the issues.
Grant; Lee upon Traveller saying, 'It is Theplain farmersofthe South fight-
wellthatwarissoterrible,orweshouldget ing for slavery, the German and Irish and
too fond ofit'; A P Hill, after a 30-mile Norwegian regiments fighting for their
march,breakingthroughthewheatfieldsat adopted country, and, by contrast, the
Thebombardment ofPortRoyal, South Carolina,August1861.