OTD 165 YEARS AGO: The Confederacy wins the first land battle on Virginia’s Peninsula and stops a Federal drive toward Yorktown and Richmond.
Tag: John B. Magruder
Contraband of War
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Benjamin F. Butler causes another controversy, this time by refusing to return fugitive slaves to their masters. This military policy of designating escapees as “contraband of war” is endorsed by the Lincoln administration, which sets a wartime precedent.
Surrender of the Trans-Mississippi
Federal commanders accept the surrender of the last major organized Confederate force still in the field.
The Battle of Galveston
Confederate army and naval elements attack Federal occupation forces in an effort to take back the vital port city of Galveston on the Texas coast.
The Fall of Galveston
Federal army-navy forces occupy one of the most important points on the Texas coast.
The Seven Days’ Battles: Malvern Hill
The last of a week-long series of battles on the Virginia Peninsula takes place at Malvern Hill, near the James River.