Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Henry H. Sibley’s dream of making the New Mexico Territory part of the Confederacy ends as the remnants of his broken army return to El Paso and his detachment is driven out of Tucson.
A slave hands over a Confederate vessel to the Federal blockade fleet off South Carolina, along with key information about Confederate positions around Charleston.
Panic begins spreading throughout the Confederate capital of Richmond as George B. McClellan’s Federal army is now just 22 miles away and still advancing up the Virginia Peninsula.
Confederates are forced to destroy their fearsome ironclad to prevent capture. This paves the way for Federals to advance up the James River to threaten Richmond.
Confederate forces abandon a key naval base on the Gulf of Mexico after holding out against a powerful Federal threat for over a year.
Confederates launch a surprise attack on the Mississippi River to keep the Federals from continuing downstream to capture Fort Pillow and Memphis.