Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
165 YEARS AGO: The pro-secessionist Missouri State Guards advance northward and threaten Lexington, a key commercial town on the Missouri River.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Federal forces seize an important base to be used as a staging area for future operations in the Gulf of Mexico, including an attack on New Orleans.
165 YEARS AGO: While William S. Rosecrans’s Federals operate against Confederates near Carnifex Ferry, another Confederate force to the north targets Federals stationed on Cheat Mountain.
165 YEARS AGO: The Unionist Kentucky legislature demands that Confederates leave the state, but Leonidas Polk refuses unless the Federals do the same.
165 YEARS AGO: The Confederacy continues working to get support from Great Britain, even at the cost of holding the British economy hostage. Meanwhile, President Jefferson Davis reassigns diplomats to strengthen European relations as U.S. officials worry about potential recognition of Confederate independence.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Joseph E. Johnston sends Jefferson Davis an angry letter protesting his ranking among the full Confederate generals. This causes a permanent rift between the two.