OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Ulysses S. Grant’s Federal army narrowly escapes destruction in southwestern Missouri but gains important battle experience.
Tag: Leonidas Polk
The Belmont Expedition
165 YEARS AGO: Ulysses S. Grant receives orders to stop Confederates at Columbus, Ky. from reinforcing the Missouri State Guards.
The Invaders Must Be Expelled
165 YEARS AGO: The Unionist Kentucky legislature demands that Confederates leave the state, but Leonidas Polk refuses unless the Federals do the same.
The End of Neutral Kentucky
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Kentucky’s neutrality, which had been in question for several months, officially ends when Confederate forces enter the state and occupy the town of Columbus.
Georgia: Johnston Compacts His Line
William T. Sherman’s Federals attempt to maneuver around the strong defenses of Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederates near Marietta, Georgia. Federal forces kill a prominent Confederate commander, Johnston contracts his Confederate line, and Sherman tries moving southeast around Johnston’s left.
Georgia: From Adairsville to the Etowah
Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee establishes positions around Adairsville after retreating southward from Resaca. But he soon finds this position untenable and is forced to fall back closer to the Etowah River.