OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Letter from Maj. Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island, to his wife.
From Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Letter from Maj. Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island, to his wife.
You Have Annihilated Two Armies
165 YEARS AGO: In northwestern Virginia, one Confederate commander surrenders his force, and another becomes the first general killed in action.
The Battle of Rich Mountain
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: A detachment of George B. McClellan’s Federal army attacks an isolated portion of Robert S. Garnett’s Confederate army near Beverly in northwestern Virginia.
Our Whole Line is a False One
165 YEARS AGO: The standoff in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley continues. Federal General Robert Patterson feebly tries to engage Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederates, but Johnston has other ideas.
Confederates Look to Conquer New Mexico
165 YEARS AGO: Henry H. Sibley tries to persuade Jefferson Davis that he could lead a force into the New Mexico Territory and claim her for the Confederacy.
Irksome Delays in Northwestern Virginia
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Heavy skirmishing erupts at the foot of Laurel Hill as George B. McClellan’s Federals prepared to attack Robert S. Garnett’s Confederate defenders. Garnett expresses doubt about his capability to defend against the advancing enemy, as McClellan strategizes for an impending battle at Laurel Hill and Rich Mountain.