OTD 165 YEARS AGO: After Virginia seceded from the Union, the governor mobilizes state militia to defend against an impending Federal invasion from Washington.
Tag: John Letcher
The Very Best Soldier Goes South
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: U.S. Colonel Robert E. Lee meets with influential statesmen and receives an offer to command the Federal army.
The Virginia Secession
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Virginians react to President Lincoln’s militia proclamation by voting to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy.
Adjusting the Present Unhappy Controversies
A former U.S. president persuades Virginians to invite all states to a conference to settle their differences.
Hunter Terrorizes the Shenandoah Valley
George Crook’s Federals from West Virginia join forces with David Hunter’s Army of the Shenandoah and prepare to drive southward “up” Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley from Staunton. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee devises a daring plan to detach one of his Confederate corps from the Army of Northern Virginia to oppose this new Federal threat in the Valley.
The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff
Confederate batteries along the James River take on a Federal fleet approaching in an effort to capture Richmond from the water.