OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Benjamin Butler oversteps his authority and sends his Federal troops to seize the troublesome city of Baltimore.
Tag: Winfield Scott
The “Anaconda Plan”
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: George McClellan, a young but respected U.S. Army veteran, suggests a quick strike on the Confederate capital of Richmond. But Winfield Scott, the venerated U.S. General-in-Chief advises caution and prefers a more methodical approach.
Washington in Isolation
President Lincoln’s call for volunteers is enthusiastically answered but getting them to Washington is another matter. This leads to chaos in the capital, where fears of a Confederate attack heighten.
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.
An Electric Shock Throughout the Land
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: The fall of Fort Sumter and Abraham Lincoln’s militia proclamation sparks a surge of patriotism and mass mobilizations in both North and South.
When the King Commands All Things Are Possible
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: President Abraham Lincoln overrides General Winfield Scott’s recommendation by ordering the reinforcement of Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Florida. Lincoln sees this as essential to maintaining a Federal presence in the South.