Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
165 YEARS AGO: Opposing forces inadvertently advance upon each other in southwestern Missouri, setting the stage for a battle.
165 YEARS AGO: Simon Cameron responds to Benjamin F. Butler’s request to clarify the Lincolns administration’s policy on fugitive slaves escaping into Federal military lines, one day after Confederates burned a refuge for escapees.
165 YEARS AGO: Robert E. Lee seeks to unify Confederate forces in western Virginia, but internal divisions and rivalries among commanders hinder cooperation. Various independent commands operate without collaboration, resulting in ineffective resistance against Federal forces in the Kanawha Valley.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Abraham Lincoln reluctantly signs a bill into law allowing Federal commanders to seize slaves from people supporting the Confederacy. But this law does not provide clear enforcement guidelines, thus raising constitutional concerns.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: During the special session of the U.S. Congress, Republicans unopposed by the South were able to approve several laws meant to pay for the war, including the first-ever personal income tax.
165 YEARS AGO: General Benjamin F. Butler pushes the Lincoln administration to set a firm policy regarding fugitive slaves behind Federal lines.