In the North, several laws were enacted before Congress adjourned, including the first real military draft. The Confederate government continued trying to find ways to pay for the war. Joseph Hooker prepared to move his Federals against Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Confederates struggled to prevent Ulysses S. Grant from capturing Vicksburg, and Federals threatened Port Hudson, Louisiana. The Sioux Indians were banished from the North.
Vicksburg: Federals Clear Yazoo Pass
After nearly a month, the last Federal transport finally clears Yazoo Pass in an effort to get to the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Final Legislation of the 37th U.S. Congress
President Abraham Lincoln signs several bills into law that are met with intense opposition from the Democrat minority in Congress.
Liable to Perform Military Duty
Abraham Lincoln signs the most controversial bill of his presidency into law, providing for the first national military draft in U.S. history.
As the Armies of Tennessee and the Cumberland remain relatively stationary in Middle Tennessee, smaller forces clash in an engagement at nearby Spring Hill.
Captain John S. Mosby and his Confederate partisans conduct a daring raid that targets a general who was tasked with capturing them.
Running the Port Hudson Batteries
David G. Farragut tries running his Federal naval squadron past the Confederate batteries at Port Hudson in an effort to move up the Mississippi River to Vicksburg.
Confederate commissioner John Slidell and representatives of Emile Erlanger, head of France’s most influential bank, negotiate a loan to the Confederacy for $15 million to help finance the war.
The End of the Yazoo Pass Expedition
The Federal flotilla comprising the Yazoo Pass expedition turns around and goes back to its starting point after proving unable to neutralize Fort Pemberton near Greenwood, Mississippi.
Federal Admiral David D. Porter concedes that yet another effort to reach Vicksburg using the vast network of waterways to the north has failed.
Last Updated: 3/26/2023