OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Robert E. Lee directs Thomas J. Jackson to assemble Confederate troops at strategic Harpers Ferry, Va. Command then shifts from Jackson to Joseph E. Johnston, who soon learns that the place is highly vulnerable to attack.
Category: Virginia
From William B. Darst, 21st Virginia
Letter from William B. Darst, 21st Virginia Volunteer Infantry, to his mother.
The Old Dominion Mobilizes
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: After Virginia seceded from the Union, the governor mobilizes state militia to defend against an impending Federal invasion from Washington.
Destroying What I Cannot Defend
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Virginians seize the important military arsenal at Harpers Ferry after retreating Federals fail to destroy it completely.
Federals Abandon a Vital Naval Base
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Virginia militia seize the Gosport Navy Yard at Norfolk after Federals abandon the vital naval base with controversial haste.
The Very Best Soldier Goes South
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: U.S. Colonel Robert E. Lee meets with influential statesmen and receives an offer to command the Federal army.