The Confederate economy continued weakening, southern discontent with the Davis administration increased, and a Confederate general made a desperate proposal. Federals launched an expedition on Louisiana’s Red River and battled Indians west of the Mississippi. President Abraham Lincoln began giving more attention to restoring conquered southern states to the Union.
Cleburne Proposes Black Recruitment
Patrick R. Cleburne, one of the best division commanders in the Confederate Army of Tennessee, writes an extraordinary letter proposing that the Confederacy induct slaves into the military.
The Lincoln administration initiates a third effort to capture eastern Texas, this time using the Red River as an invasion route. But not everyone in the Federal high command agrees with the strategy.
Reconsidering the Confederate Partisan Ranger System
John S. Mosby’s Confederate partisan rangers operate in northern Virginia, while calls grow louder among Confederate officers to ban the partisan ranger system.
President Jefferson Davis responds to a letter from North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance urging the Confederate government to try negotiating peace with the U.S. to ease the growing discontent in his state.
They Cannot Be Silent or Neutral
William T. Sherman, commanding the Federal Army of the Tennessee, arrives at Memphis to develop a plan aimed at destroying the ability of Leonidas Polk’s Confederates to wage war in central Mississippi.
Banks Initiates Reconstruction in Louisiana
Nathaniel P. Banks begins the process of reconstructing Louisiana under President Abraham Lincoln’s “Ten Percent Plan” by calling on delegates to form a convention to rewrite the state constitution.
John A.B. Dahlgren of the Federal South Atlantic Blockading Squadron proposes that the Federal forces use torpedo boats to attack enemy vessels in Charleston Harbor. Meanwhile, Confederates continued to hold Fort Sumter, and blockade-runners occasionally continue to escape.
The Condition is Every Way Bad
As both Federals and Confederates struggle to operate in the harsh winter of northeastern Tennessee, James Longstreet mobilizes his Confederate forces to starve and reclaim Knoxville.
Federals and Confederates converge on Dandridge to gather much-needed foodstuffs for the hungry troops in the bitter eastern Tennessee winter. The engagement that results in this convergence causes much concern in Washington.
Reconstruction Begins in Arkansas
A legally dubious convention seeks to return Arkansas to the Union by amending the state constitution to abolish slavery.
Confederate commanders look to take back a key point on the North Carolina coast to better feed their armies over the winter.
Reconstruction Gets Under Way in Tennessee
Unionists assemble to start the process of restoring Tennessee to the Union. Military Governor Andrew Johnson calls for settling the slavery issue and initiates plans to shape relations between the races post-emancipation.
Revolting Cruelties and Barbarities
The Lincoln administration tries to address the troubling divisions in Missouri with a reorganization designed to help both militarily and politically.
Last Updated: 1/24/2023