Another front opens in Virginia, as Benjamin F. Butler’s Federal Army of the James boards transports at Yorktown to move up the James River and cut the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad.
Tag: Benjamin F. Butler
A New Federal Army on the Peninsula
Ulysses S. Grant orders Benjamin F. Butler and his new Federal army to begin moving up the Virginia Peninsula from Fort Monroe by May 5. Grant’s goal is to eventually link the Armies of the Potomac and the James for a drive on Richmond or Petersburg. Meanwhile, P.G.T. Beauregard is brought up from South Carolina to prepare the Confederates to defend against Butler’s army.
No More Than Dead Men
Ulysses S. Grant issues “most emphatic” orders to take no action on agreeing to exchange prisoners of war without further notification. This is intended to deprive the Confederacy of manpower, but since it promises to worsen conditions for both Confederate and Federal prisoners, Grant’s directive initiates a grim new war policy.
Seeking to Open the Mississippi
Nathaniel P. Banks receives orders assigning him to command the Federal Department of the Gulf, operating mostly in Louisiana and Texas. Banks would eventually succeed the controversial Benjamin F. Butler.
Worse Than That of a Savage
Jefferson Davis issues an executive order authorizing the execution of Federal officers caught using slaves for military purposes against the Confederacy.
My Country Will Honor Them
Benjamin F. Butler, commanding Federal occupation forces in New Orleans, uses dubious legal proceedings to make an example of a citizen for dishonoring the U.S. flag.