165 YEARS AGO: President Lincoln issues orders formally relieving John C. Fremont from command due to allegations of corruption and mismanagement. But getting the orders to Fremont would be another matter.
Category: Politics
Worrying the Administration Into a Battle
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.
Kentuckians Resist Federal Occupation
165 YEARS AGO: The Kentucky pro-Union legislature enacts anti-secession measures while secessionist leaders, including the former U.S. vice president, urges his fellow Kentuckians to resist the Federal occupation of their state.
I Presume War is Declared
165 YEARS AGO: The growing tension between George B. McClellan and Winfield Scott results in a harsh exchange after a conference on military strategy.
Turmoil in Kentucky Continues
165 YEARS AGO: Confederates form a defense line across Kentucky while Federals open recruitment efforts, thereby ensuring that turmoil in the state will continue.
Great Distress and Alarm Prevail
John C. Fremont continues garnering ill will among fellow officers, and Abraham Lincoln endures criticism from politicians for modifying Fremont’s controversial decree.