Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
165 YEARS AGO: The Federal defeat at Ball’s Bluff outrages northerners, sends the Lincolns into mourning, and increases calls for an “all-out war” against the Confederacy.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Federal forces suffer another horrific defeat when they are driven off a cliff overlooking the Potomac River at Leesburg, Virginia.
165 YEARS AGO: Federal forces converge on an isolated Confederate unit at Leesburg, a Virginia town up the Potomac River from Washington. However, confusion over troop positions leads to conflicting orders that cause Federal confusion.
165 YEARS AGO: The European powers entertain the possibility of recognizing Confederate independence. Meanwhile, France capitalizes on the war by invading Mexico, raising concerns about violating the Monroe Doctrine.
165 YEARS AGO: M. Jeff Thompson leads 3,000 secessionist Missourians in disrupting Federal operations and engaging in several skirmishes in southeastern Missouri.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: The Confederacy unveils a new metal-plated ram to break the Federal blockade at the mouth of the Mississippi River.