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.
Category: Military
Dimming Confederate Hopes in the Kanawha District
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.
War is a Question of Money
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.
Of Those Made in God’s Image
165 YEARS AGO: General Benjamin F. Butler pushes the Lincoln administration to set a firm policy regarding fugitive slaves behind Federal lines.
Washington Could Have Been Taken
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Jefferson Davis responds to allegations that he hindered the Confederate army’s ability to march on Washington after Bull Run.
The Confederate Territory of Arizona
165 YEARS AGO: John R. Baylor establishes the new Confederate Territory of Arizona, and Henry H. Sibley prepares to launch his own Confederate campaign into the Southwest.